The Blood Moon Was About to Descend

Deep within the Tear Knight Governor's Residence, thick black stone walls shut out the cold wind.

Only candlelight flickered in the study.

Yasol sat behind a long table. Before him lay stacks of casualty reports, quarantine orders, emergency requisition rolls, and reports from various outposts of suspected Grayblood Lesions.

The spread of the disaster had been contained for now, but the cost was laid out on paper, line after shocking line.

Thirteen Long Night Fiefs had been utterly destroyed, their Sacred Flames extinguished. Twenty-seven more had entered partial lockdown.

The Holy Knights directly under the Governor's Residence had been split into more than a dozen mobile squads. Wherever the line cracked, they rushed in, relying on the knights to nail the defense back into place.

The entire line looked as though Grayblood Lesions had bitten a string of holes through it from within.

Then came the light but hurried tread of boots outside the door. A guard entered and presented a red-wax-sealed urgent report with both hands.

"Governor, a report from the direct experimental unit."

Yasol unfolded the letter at once. "Three-Point Vein Probes deployed according to the Blackpine Manual.

"At two sites—the Old Corpse Pit in Nebula Fief and the abandoned post road in Shadow Fief—two dormant Grayblood Lesions were discovered—"

Yasol went to the enormous tactical sand table and marked the two sites, the Old Corpse Pit and the abandoned post road, with heavy red dots.

He looked back at the Blackpine Manual on the desk and laughed. "So it does work. A coincidence wouldn't repeat itself like this."

Yasol let out a long, heavy breath and realized just how much Shien had helped him.

Until now, the Tear Knight Defense Line had faced Grayblood Lesions like a blind man standing on a battlefield. Only when some part