Published at 29th of August 2026 8:31 am

Chapter 1970: Final Piece of the Puzzle

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While Adam, Genevieve, and Luca recuperated inside the cave, on the other side of the mountain, King Jacob de Vile had already made his move.

The preparations for his mysterious ritual were almost complete. All he needed was the final piece of the puzzle — Genevieve Saint Laurent.

If it weren’t for him personally seeing her through the eyes of the raven, he could have made do with any random maiden from the human settlements in the east.

But the moment the Usurper laid eyes on Genevieve, he knew he had to have her.

Not only was she beautiful, but she also reminded him of her...

And so, the vampire king sent his underlings to retrieve Genevieve. This time, he was determined to have her, no matter the cost.

Having already witnessed Adam and Luca’s battle prowess, the Usurper did not take any chances this time. And so, he sent proper vampires.

Three vampires rushed through the mountain pass at incredible speed, their figures little more than blurs against the rocky landscape.

They moved like shadow given form, their feet barely touching the ground as they tore through the winding pass. Every step sent a gust of wind sweeping through the narrow pass, while dark trails lingered in their wake, twisting and fading only moments after they had passed.

The lead vampire darted around a jagged outcropping without slowing, the other two following close behind. Their crimson eyes gleamed in the darkness, and their movements were so swift that, from a distance, it seemed that three streaks of darkness were racing through the mountains.

Wherever they passed, only the faint shadowy trails remained.

The lead vampire turned his head ever so slightly, his crimson eyes locking onto one of the vampires behind him.

"Tell us about this human," he said in a cold voice. "I was told by Lady Sandra that you have fought him before."

"Aye, I have fought him," the vampire said, a twisted look marring his pale face.

He was none other than Dorian Moreau.

"Fought and lost!" The second vampire glanced at Dorian and sneered. "How can noble beings like us lose to pathetic little humans? You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Dorian cast a brief glance at him, then chose to ignore him. He turned to the lead vampire and said in a solemn voice:

"You must not underestimate him," he said. "That man... he walks the path of Magus and Paladin both—"

The second vampire sharply cut him off. "So what? We are spellcasters, and our bodies are equivalent to Paladins. If this is your excuse then—"

"Silence." The lead vampire interrupted him.

The other vampire hesitated briefly before reluctantly falling silent.

"Continue," the lead vampire said to Dorian.

Dorian was new to the vampire court of the secret plane. That was why he silently endured the mocking stares of the other vampires. There was hardly anything else he could do. He figured he’d need more time to gather some influence.

But that was a matter for another time.

When he heard that vampires were moving out to retrieve the human woman and that Adam would be there as well, he couldn’t resist the temptation for vengeance.

He willingly chose to come, not because he wanted to curry favor with the vampire king, but because he truly desired to kill Adam.

Fortunately, it seemed that the vampire leading thier group was someone who didn’t look down on the enemy just because it happened to be a human.

Dorian knew that looking down on Adam was the last thing they should do. After all, he had looked down upon Adam once. As a result, he had lost a brother.

"The human excels in summoning magic," he said. "But since we’re inside a secret plane, we won’t need to worry about that. The sharpest weapon in his arsenal is nullified. However, we still must not underestimate him!"

"He’s a powerful close-quarter combatant, is that it?" the lead vampire asked, though most of his wariness had faded by now upon learning that the enemy was a Summoner.

"Yes, that too." Dorian nodded. "But he is also very proficient in illusion magic. I’ve seen him cast a few invocation spells as well. Honestly, I don’t know how many different types of magic he has studied. We must not, under any circumstances, underestimate him."

A flicker of grief and fury flashed in his crimson eyes, and he continued, "My brother and I fought him with almost everything we had. The end result..."

His lips curled into a bitter smile. "My brother perished, and I narrowly escaped death myself."

The other vampire couldn’t hold it in any longer. His words were full of derision. "You and your brother were weak! And that’s why—"

Dorian shot him a cold glare. He was willing to bear any insult thrown at him, but not at his deceased brother. He said in a threatening manner, "Keep up that attitude and I assure you, you will be the first one to die."

It seemed that the other vampire was ready to get into a quarrel, but a simple gesture from the lead vampire effectively shut him up.

The lead vampire was at the Mana Core Rank, but he was at the peak of the arcane stage. Hence, he was chosen to lead this small team.

He was silent for a few moments. Then he said in a solemn voice, "This human you speak of, he isn’t alone. Along with the girl we have been instructed to abduct, there is another man. A Paladin. So, essentially, we will be fighting three people."

The lead vampire continued after another pause, "It goes without saying that no harm must come upon the girl. As for the two men..."

"That raven-haired human is mine," Dorian growled.

The second vampire’s smile turned cold and expectant. "I suppose I’ll take the Paladin then."

"Oh, there’s also a beast with them," the lead vampire added as an afterthought. "Though I’ve been told it doesn’t pose much of a threat."

"Indeed." Dorian recalled the strange cat that could transform into a panther. "Still, it won’t hurt to be cautious against that beast."

The second vampire cast him a look full of scorn. But he didn’t voice his opinion. It was clear to him that the lead vampire would not tolerate any dissent.

And so, the vampires moved along the mountain pass, quickly approaching their targets.

All the while, Adam and company remained oblivious to the sheer carnage that awaited them.

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