Ascension Ritual (6)

Duke Brad hovered in mid-air once more, the blood mist condensing into a crimson cloak that cast a shadow on the stone platform.

"Struggle, tremble!"

"You can't escape your destined fate."

Driven by the Duke, Alger launched a fierce and relentless attack on Mezhuolash.

Countless rats and bats swarmed tirelessly from the darkness. Shadowy tentacles stretched from the ground, and a chaotic mist of blood filled the air.

"Damn Vampire."

Mezhuolash casually picked up the longsword from the ground and used its crimson light to repel the attacking bats and rats. His body was surrounded by Guardian Light that blocked the tentacles and blood mist.

Under Duke Brad's control, he was unable to get close to those derivative bodies and could only be forced to the vicinity of the passage, watching helplessly as the Vampire carried out their next ascension absorption.

While Mezhuolash was struggling to cope, someone was sneaking around on the edge of the battlefield.

—That's Steamed Bun.

Steamed Bun huddled in a corner behind a stone pillar, his body covered in a breath-blocking potion, peeking at the fierce battle on the stone platform.

"This freak boss is too powerful. Even Xin Gou and Battle Maniac were instantly killed."

"It seems like I'm the only one left now."

But judging from what Mezhuolash just said, it seems they need to eliminate those derivative forms, otherwise this monster will become even stronger?

Steamed Bun glanced around at the Vampire Spawn tied to the stone pillars, and when he saw the naked Earl, he awkwardly looked away, finally fixing his gaze on Lang Li Bai Tiao, who was also stripped naked.

"Then let's bring out the Lang Chu."

Steamed Bun crept over stealthily, staring at the blood-soaked iron chains, gritted his teeth, and chopped down with his axe.

"Clang."

The iron chain snapped instantly.

The Lang Li Bai Tiao fell from the stone pillar.

Because the chains were wrapped too tightly, his body was like a pile of minced meat, and he seemed to be on the verge of death.

However, Lang Li Bai Tiao, who already possessed the complete body of Vampire, made a creaking sound as his bones groaned and his flesh grew at a visible speed. He quickly recovered from the state of having his bones shattered and his flesh mangled.

Looking at this outrageous recovery ability, Steamed Bun exclaimed, "Holy crap, what is this?"

"How come the automatic health regeneration is so strong?"

The Lang Li Bai Tiao said smugly, "The Vampire template's [Undead Essence] means that as long as my weak point isn't attacked, I can automatically regenerate. Even if you cut off my head, it will grow back!"

Steamed Bun exclaimed again, "That's amazing!"

He suddenly seemed to remember something, and patted Lang Li Bai Tiao's shoulder meaningfully. "Take care, Brother Lang. Fate's gifts have always come with a price. Since you've chosen to sell your body..."

"How did you know..."

Lang Li Bai Tiao heard Steamed Bun's words, his voice trembled and his expression immediately became ferocious and twisted.

It's over, his lifelong reputation is ruined...

As they were talking animatedly, Duke Brad, high in the sky, sensed something amiss: the symbol of "jealousy" had vanished from one of the Vampire Spawn! With the Duke's fury, the entire Underdark seemed to tremble, and wails of agony could be heard.

"Mortal, you are courting death!"

"How dare you obstruct the great ascension!"

In an instant, countless shadowy tentacles rose from the ground, and the blood-red fog surged like a boiling tide, with thousands upon thousands of bats and rats rushing towards them.

Looking at the overwhelming attack, Steamed Bun said tremblingly, "Brother Lang, I feel like we're going to lose this round."

"Brother Lang?"

He turned his head, only to find that the Lang Li Bai Tiao had turned into a wisp of mist and quietly slipped away.

This is the Vampire's ability to "Mist Form Escape." Unlike the Duke's towering blood mist accumulated over hundreds of years, the weak Lang Li Bai Tiao can only escape in this way.

"Lang Chu, you son of a bitch—"

The Steamed Bun was overwhelmed by the Duke's furious attack, and it could only watch helplessly as its screen went black.

He risked his life to rescue the Lang Li Bai Tiao, but when danger struck, he just ran away. He truly deserves the reputation of being a beast in the virtual game.

The Duke felt the new blood flowing through him, his crimson eyes fixed on the distant wisp of mist.

"I will catch you, traitor."

"The game of cat and mouse has come to an end."

Duke Brad raised his right hand, and a continuous flow of blood surged on the stone platform, eventually forming a churning sea of blood that overflowed, capable of taking the life of anyone who touched it.

The sea of blood surged toward Mezhuolash, who had nowhere to hide this time. He could only flee toward the entrance passage, where the space around him was getting smaller and smaller.

"Rebels, come back here!"

"You are part of the great ascension!"

Duke Brad personally rode the Blood Mist Hurricane, summoning countless bats and rats to chase after the thin mist that had transformed into Lang Li Bai Tiao.

The Duke used to be able to easily control the Lang Li Bai Tiao, but now the Lang Li Bai Tiao has completely absorbed the Vampire template's abilities. Without the suppression of the magic chains and the connection to the Vampire's main body, he has turned into a wisp of mist, making him difficult to catch again.

Although the Vampire form of the Lang Li Bai Tiao is weak, its ability to escape is even better. The Vampire template's various abilities perfectly match the Lang Li Bai Tiao ' dark and crawling nature.

The thin mist drifted around inside the bunker, hiding and moving about. If the Duke were a living person with a beating heart, his blood pressure would probably be high.

"Boom--"

However, at that moment, ripples appeared in the space inside the bunker, which then gradually twisted and cracked, and finally, a Flame Teleportation Gate appeared out of thin air.

Dragon Vein Sorcerer with black hair and golden eyes stepped out of the portal.

This time, he did not conceal his identity. Red scales appeared on his cheeks, bony dragon horns were exposed on his head, and his golden pupils were full of majesty.

With his arrival, the air underground seemed to become scorching and restless.

"Looks like we're a little late?"

Keosius immediately noticed the Vampire duke shrouded in blood mist in the distance.

[Based on your own strength, you can observe the following information] [Bloody Duke - Brad Lachmann]

Basic Abilities:??? Challenge Rating: 15 (13000 XP)

Evaluation: Brad Lachmann, that wasn't his original name. Perhaps it was Triel, or perhaps Nax, but that secret has long since vanished into the darkness.

Two hundred years ago, he returned from the battlefield and witnessed his wife's death. He realized the fragility of mortal life and began to pursue immortality. Two hundred years later, Vampire awakens from the endless darkness, craving the life he has lost and filling his thirst with the blood of the living.

"Challenge Rating fifteen...?"

"In this form, I'm afraid I still can't beat him."

Keosius frowned slightly. In his human form, he was roughly equivalent to a level eleven Dragon Vein Sorcerer, far inferior to the Old Vampire in strength.

"Then let's turn back into our original form."