Published at 25th of September 2026 7:35 am

Chapter 2048: Strange Occurrences

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Michael and Leah and Dell stared at the bodies with wide eyes.

Adam’s following words only further shocked them, though they found it impossible for their eyes to widen further.

Luca, however, wasn’t as shocked as them. He had a basic idea about Adam’s fighting prowess, after all. He was more interested in what he said.

"Generals of the Vampire King?"

"Aye." Adam nodded.

He pointed to Holstein and Kayne and said, "Those two are Templars."

Then he pointed at the Leroux Sisters and continued, "One of them is a Mana Seed Magus. I forgot which one. The other is a Templar as well. I think. Anyway, the twins died too quickly. I was told they were the weakest of the Generals."

Luca frowned. "How many Generals are there?"

"No idea." Adam shook his head.

According to him, there had to be at least one more General, considering Sandra was one herself.

Luca thought for a long moment. Then he asked, "Can these bodies be tracked?"

"I highly doubt it," Adam said. "Unless Jacob has put a tracking seal in their bodies. Still, it is very unlikely, as I carved an anti-tracking seal onto their corpses."

"Good." Luca nodded.

His gaze shifted to the holes in their chests, and he murmured, "Their hearts... they’re missing."

Adam nodded, his lips curling into a faint smile. "I’ve stored them properly. Along with the werewolf’s heart, I’ll use them as catalysts for my advancement to the Templar Rank."

Just when Michael, Leah, and Dell thought that they couldn’t be more shocked, they were once again proved wrong.

Not only was Adam a Mana Seed Magus, but he was presently also a Cavalier Paladin! And he was going to attempt to become a Templar Paladin!

However, Luca couldn’t help but frown even more. "These five... they’re undead creatures. If you use their hearts for advancement, it’ll do your physique more harm than good."

"Ah, don’t worry about it." Adam waved his hand. "I’ve got it under control."

Luca silently stared at him.

Adam didn’t shrink back. Of course, he couldn’t reveal that his physique was even more terrifying than that of an undead creature. So the chances of turning into an undead after using their hearts for advancement were close to zero.

"Are you certain?" Luca asked after a few moments of silence.

"Trust me." Adam smiled.

"...Very well." Luca sighed helplessly. "Anyway, look what we found."

He tapped his storage artifact, and the following moment, a giant greatsword appeared in his hands.

Adam’s eyes gleamed. He grabbed the hilt and studied the weapon. "Fascinating."

"The Winter Blade," Luca explained. "It has a freezing effect on the target. Also, it’s very deadly to undead creatures."

"Of course..." Adam murmured.

The Morning Star shot out from his sleeve. He held it in one hand, and the Winter Blade in the other.

The moment the two weapons appeared side by side, it was as if the cave was suddenly divided between fire and ice.

A strange sensation filled the air.

The side of the cave illuminated by the Morning Star seemed to radiate a gentle yet overwhelming warmth, as though the light of the sun itself had been brought into this dark place.

Beside it, the Winter Blade exuded an entirely opposite presence. A bone-deep chill spread from its blade, causing the air to feel cold enough to freeze.

Hot and cold.

Light and frost.

Sun and moon.

Yet strangely, the two opposing forces did not clash. Instead, they somehow seemed to complement one another.

Adam stared at the two weapons in his hands, and for a moment, even he felt a surreal sensation creeping into his heart. Luca and the others felt it as well.

They simply looked at the weapons.

"These weapons would be instrumental in defeating the Vampire King," he murmured.

Luca nodded. "It was worth it to visit the two X-marked locations on the map."

Perhaps it was because of the strange connection they seemed to share with the ancient history of this land.

After all, the hands that had forged these weapons were the same hands that had created the Lamiyan Talismans. The very same people who had once prepared the means for future generations to survive this cursed land.

And now, thousands of years later, their creations had once again appeared together!

The Morning Star of the sun.

The Winter Blade of the moon.

Adam tightened his grip around the whip and tossed the greatsword to Luca.

Michael glanced at the two weapons in awe and couldn’t help but murmur, "What are the chances that these weapons had survived all these years by mere coincidence?"

"Maybe they had been waiting for this very moment," Leah said. Even she couldn’t help but feel moved.

"Huh." Adam’s eyes narrowed as a faint foreboding feeling gripped his heart.

"Indeed... what are the chances?"

***

As the final act of the fantastic play unfolding in the Blood Moon Secret Plane slowly drew to a close, the threads of fate began to stir elsewhere, in the real world.

In the Free City of Davos, through a series of twists of fate and strange occurrences, Antero Mortem, a powerful Saint Magus at the very end of his lifespan, had finally reached the end of his wits.

Beneath his house lay an underground laboratory. The vast chamber was filled with the stench of blood and decay. Corpses of fantastical beasts, some no larger than cats and others enormous enough to fill entire tables, were scattered throughout the chamber.

Their bodies had been dissected, their organs carefully removed, while countless glass containers held samples of their blood, muscle tissue, brain, and bone marrow.

Antero stood among them, his white hair disheveled and his eyes bloodshot from countless sleepless nights.

He stared obsessively at the blood before him and muttered:

"The only way to extend my lifespan and take my arcane research to the next level is to transplant the blood of a magical beast..."

His trembling fingers tightened around the glass vial. His voice grew increasingly frantic, almost delirious.

"But not just any magical beast!"

Then, from the corner of his eye, something caught his attention.

Upon a nearby table lay a thick, ancient book. Its pages had turned yellow from age. And upon one of those pages was a diagram of a magical beast.

A dragon.

Antero stared at the diagram with wide, bloodshot eyes. For several seconds, he did not move. He just stared.

He knew the locations of a few dragon lairs, but he had never dared to venture there because of the sheer danger involved.

But now, strangely enough, he had this vague feeling that perhaps he should give it a shot.

After all, what more can he lose?

"Hmm, I should begin planning to venture to that black dragon’s lair. It’s the closest one," he muttered to himself.

He shook his head and sighed.

"I need a drink."

After tidying up, he exited his house.

He absentmindedly walked the streets of Trade Borough, thinking of his chances of fighting a black dragon and coming out victorious.

Suddenly, the sound of cheers and laughter and the smell of strong ale drew his attention. Unknowingly, he had walked past his usual tavern and arrived at a different one.

In front of him stood a giant tavern five stories tall. A wooden signboard hung above the entrance. Antero’s brows rose slightly as he read:

"The Rabbit Hole..."

"Huh." He thought for a moment and shrugged.

"Might as well."

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