The Ancient Tortoise Shell

Hoo...

At a critical moment, Allen flapped his dark wings with all his might, evading the attack from behind at lightning speed. His black magic pen soared through the air. Yet, before he could inscribe a single rune to counterattack, the Vampire King was already on his heels, like a shadow, blocking his way. The sharp claws, carrying the deadly poison of the Ghost King, stabbed viciously toward him.

"This... is the true essence of teleportation!"

Despite having anticipated the Vampire King's speed, Allen still broke into a cold sweat, unable to react in time. With another flap of his dark wings, he sidestepped narrowly, barely evading the Vampire King's relentless pursuit.

Since his comprehension of the origins of magic, this was the first time Allen had encountered an enemy whose speed was so terrifying, fast enough that even the simplest of spells could not be cast in time. The Vampire King, cloaked in his Ghost King mantle, seemed to defy time and space, capable of traversing the void itself and pushing the limits of teleportation magic to its peak!

What was even more horrifying was that his movements were soundless; his actions invisible, his breath inaudible, and his soul undetectable. It was as though Allen were fighting an illusion that did not even exist—unable to escape, let alone retaliate!

In the span of mere moments, Allen found himself in the most perilous battle he had faced since coming to this world!

His robe was riddled with large holes from the corrosion, and had he not evaded quickly, even his bones might not have escaped the damage. Several times he had prepared to counterattack, but whether through magic or physical assault, all attempts were thwarted by the Vampire King's staggering speed, always striking first. Compared to the Hunter's Sword Rain, this Vampire King was a thousand times stronger!

A perilous chase ensued on the third level of the Vampire Tomb!

Allen pushed his magical energy to the limits, accelerating the speed of his dark wings as he used the underground structures to evade the Vampire King's relentless pursuit. The two moved faster and faster, leaving afterimages in their wake. Although the army of skeleton soldiers was vast, none could assist him, not even the strongest of them, Isu and Salathos, who were powerless to intervene!

Whoosh...

After narrowly escaping the Vampire King's pursuit, Allen's gaze fell upon the approaching ranks of skeleton soldiers. In desperation, an idea suddenly sparked in his mind. He swiftly disappeared into the mass of skeletons, retracting his dark wings to hide. Against the Vampire King's speed, the first-tier skeleton soldiers were powerless to attack, but that didn't mean they were completely useless.

Time. If it could only delay the Vampire King's speed for even a single breath, that would be enough!

Roar...

The ever-persistent Vampire King showed no hesitation, locking onto Allen's soul fluctuations and crashing into the thick formation of skeleton soldiers. The terrifying corpse poison swept through the ranks, turning any skeleton soldier caught in its path to black smoke, unstoppable. After slaughtering over five hundred of them, the Vampire King finally locked onto Allen's figure, ready to pounce with malice. But then, he suddenly felt a strong sense of danger.

"The game is over."

Allen smiled coldly as his black magic pen finished the final stroke. In an instant, a protective shield encased the ferocious Vampire King, and scorching flames erupted from within, growing hotter with every passing moment.

Hellish Prison!

Hundreds of skeleton soldiers had given their lives to buy Allen enough time! The hellish cage sealed the entire area, cutting off the Vampire King's teleportation. The heat inside was so intense that even obsidian would melt, and with no way to break through, his speed was rendered useless!

"You despicable lich! Let me out! Let me out!"

The trapped Vampire King roared furiously, but no matter how he struggled, he could not break free. By the time Salathos arrived with a horde of skeleton mages to reinforce the magic, escaping became an impossible dream. The corrosive corpse poison had melted through one layer of the prison, only for three more layers to appear in its place, one after the other.

The use of corpse poison required an immense amount of magical power, and no matter how much the Vampire King had, it could not compare to the combined might of a thousand skeleton mages, let alone the overflowing magical energy of Allen, the Lich King. After several futile attempts to break free, the Vampire King let out a despairing scream as the heat increased. His clothes, flesh, and even bones began to burn, and in the end, all that remained was the black Ghost King cloak and a crimson blood-marked crystal stone.

"Hmm... what's this... a Vampire Token?"

Allen waved his hand, causing the hellish prison to dissipate, and eagerly picked up the blood-marked crystal stone from the ground. The magical fluctuations it contained were faint, but there was another strange energy that resonated with the vampire soul fluctuations both inside and outside the tomb. According to the memories of Ovysis, this wasn't just any crystal stone—it was a token that could command all lower-tier vampire warriors!

What a treasure!

Without hesitation, Allen crossed his legs and began to refine the Vampire Token, which had exploded from the Vampire King's corpse. The soul crystal inherited from the Lich King Ovysis contracted violently, only to expand suddenly, releasing a vast surge of soul energy that erased the Vampire King's soul imprint from the token. In no time, the once hard crystal stone transformed into a profound rune that merged with Allen's own soul.

Roar...

With a single roar, all the remaining vampire warriors in the tomb ceased their resistance, their wings flapping as they howled toward him, kneeling respectfully before Allen. The overwhelming pressure of a superior's soul emanated from deep within him, silencing any thought of rebellion. Though their numbers were few—just over a hundred—their unified presence was still striking.

Sixth-tier strength, far superior to ordinary zombie warriors and skeleton soldiers; their ghostly speed made them perfect scouts. With such a force of vampire warriors, the conquest of the Lich Castle would advance further!

"Don this Ghost King mantle. I will make the wrath of the Lich King echo across every corner of the wasteland!"

Gazing at the vampire warriors kneeling before him, Allen was filled with determination. He threw on the Ghost King mantle left behind by the Vampire King, a confident gleam in his eyes. With his dark wings now formed, his speed had already reached an astonishing level. With the teleportation ability of the Vampire King now at his disposal, his movements would be even more secretive and silent. Soon, aside from those ancient beings who had cultivated for millennia, who could escape his fatal strike?

The victorious Lich Army quickly began to clean up the battlefield. Under Salathos' command, the hoarding miser, they left no stone unturned, gathering every useful item. Once the tomb was restored within the castle, it would be able to continually summon powerful vampire warriors, and the fighting strength of the Lich Castle would increase exponentially!

Accompanied by Arno, Isu, and the other bodyguards, Allen swiftly made his way to the deepest part of the tomb. He pushed open a heavy stone door, revealing a vast treasure trove.

Crystalline stones piled high like mountains, with countless rare resources scattered about. In the center of the vault stood a furnace, a towering one-meter high, with intense blue flames burning as they consumed an ancient tortoise shell fragment. The shell, worn and ancient, seemed to be a remnant of some priceless artifact or perhaps a scale from a primordial beast. On it was a faint, indistinct rune—something resembling the traditional character for "turtle."

Ancient Tortoise Shell?

A stir ran through Allen's heart as his hand swept through the air, pulling the fragment into his grasp.

Fragments of Ovysis' memories suggested he had seen something similar in an ancient palace, but he had been forced to retreat by a terrifying ancient creature before he could study it further. No wonder the mighty Vampire King spent all his time hidden deep within the tomb—this artifact was being guarded!