Midway to his destination, Bones came to an abrupt halt, his undead senses tingling as ominous silhouettes stretched across the path, cast by the gnarled tree branches above. A familiar figure emerged from the shadows, sending a jolt through him.

  "Lew? Why... how are you here?" Bones stammered, momentarily thrown off balance before quickly regaining composure. "Never mind how—we need to return! Mathias was captured not long ago; we still have time to mount a rescue!" He insisted, stepping forward urgently, but Lew, however, remained still. His gaze lingered in the direction of the city, his expression grim. Then, he slowly shook his head.

  "I was waiting for the two of you at the cottage when Mathias' soul mark disappeared," He said solemnly. "It’s already too late, Bones. Mathias is dead."

  A cold silence settled between them.

  Bones stiffened. "Dead? Are you sure? They wouldn’t kill him outright… would they?"

  Lew’s gaze remained steady. "They would. They had no need for prisoners, and Mathias knew that. The spies in Wolford's employ are prepared for such a fate. If captured, they destroy their own soul cores to prevent extraction of information. Each of us leaves a soul mark in the city as proof of life. The moment it vanishes, it means one thing. As the leader of the three assigned to Valencia, I hold their marks, and Mathias' mark disappeared just moments ago."

  Bones felt something tighten in his chest. "So he had a contingency plan..." he murmured. It wasn’t sorrow. No, it was something colder, something more familiar.

  Failure.

  Lew nodded. "Jeanie’s hawk reached the city and confirmed the situation. As soon as I got the report, I set off with new orders from Gauss." Lew’s voice was firm, yet there was an underlying weight to his words. Even he had not expected this outcome.

  "What about the others? Are they…?" Bones trailed off, pushing aside the guilt gnawing at him.

  "They’ve already departed for Wolford," Lew reassured him. “As are the other adventurers stationed nearby. You’re the only one left unaccounted for.”

  Bones exhaled, but the relief was short-lived. As they reached the clearing before the cottage, a piercing screech shattered the night. A shadow fell over them.

  "A bride," Lew muttered, his eyes narrowing. "Vanessa!"

  "The mistress from the prison?" Bones recognized the flying predator.

  Vanessa descended upon them like a streak of black lightning, her monstrous wings slicing through the air. Bones barely had time to react before a figure swooped from the sky. The air itself seemed to ripple with her descent.

  "Move!" Lew barked, shoving Bones aside as a winged blur slashed down where he had stood. He dodged just in time, flipping backward as Vanessa landed, her impact sending a shockwave through the clearing. Trees groaned and splintered beneath the force.

  Lew barely had time to speak before Vanessa lunged again, her movements feral, relentless. He met her head-on, claws clashing against her elongated nails in a vicious flurry. Their battle sent gales of wind howling through the forest, ripping through branches and shaking the earth beneath them.

  Bones took a step back, watching the fight unfold with calculating eyes. Lew wasn’t holding back, but neither was Vanessa. She fought with the sheer, brutal efficiency of a predator, each movement cutting through the air with deadly grace. Then, in the heat of their struggle, Lew’s form flickered.

  Bat-like wings unfurled from his back, mirroring Vanessa’s own. His aura pulsed with raw power, and for a moment, their clash seemed evenly matched. They tore through the clearing, their speed making them almost imperceptible to the naked eye. Then, the first rays of dawn peeked over the horizon.

  Vanessa hissed as beams of light struck her, forcing her to recoil. Lew, bleeding but still standing tall, wasted no time capitalizing on the moment. With a final swing, he sent Vanessa hurtling back. She flapped her wings, regaining balance midair, but she did not press forward again.

  Instead, she shot Bones a lingering, unreadable glance. Then, with a sharp turn, she retreated into the sky, vanishing beyond the treetops.

  Lew landed lightly, rolling his shoulders as his superficial wounds sealed at an unnatural pace. The flesh knitted itself together, leaving no trace of the battle that had just transpired. He let out a slow breath, shaking off the tension.

  "I didn’t think they’d act firsthand…" Lew muttered, adjusting his attire before turning to Bones. His crimson eyes gleamed with urgency. "We need to talk. Come."

  Bones trailed behind him, his mind still reeling from the fight. The direct sunlight had forced their assailant’s retreat, a fleeting advantage that did little to settle his unease.

  "Just how strong was she?" he asked, his voice edged with frustration. The sheer difference in power gnawed at him. "Our levels are worlds apart—I couldn't even gauge her strength."

  Lew exhaled through his nose. "She’s level eighty-four. I’m eighty-one. And she’s the weakest of the three brides." He shook his head, his expression unreadable. "At least, that’s my assessment. I haven’t had many opportunities to measure my strength against theirs."

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  The old wooden doors groaned as Lew pushed them open, revealing the dimly lit interior of the cottage. The familiar scent of aged wood and dried herbs greeted Bones, but an underlying unease tainted the air. Lew wasted no time, brushing away the lingering traces of blood.

  "We can’t stay here long." His voice was firm, tinged with wariness. "She might return with reinforcements, and I can’t take all of them at once."

  Bones opened his mouth to respond, but before he could utter a word, an oppressive force descended upon them like a tidal wave. The air thickened, pressing down with an unbearable weight. Lew staggered, his knees buckling beneath him. Blood trickled from his nose and ears, his breath hitching as he fought against the unseen force.

  Bones collapsed, his vision blurring as an agonizing pressure clamped down on his skull. His entire being screamed in protest, the sensation akin to his very soul being wrenched from his body.

  Then, the voice came.

  It was neither loud nor soft, a whisper and a roar in the same breath, slithering into their minds like a venomous serpent.

  From the swirling crimson mist in the corner of the cottage, a shape began to form. It writhed and twisted, coalescing into a humanoid silhouette before solidifying into something unmistakable.

  The Vampire Lord’s blood clone.

  Its eyes burned like dying embers, smoldering with quiet fury. Though merely an extension of its master, the presence it exuded was suffocating, absolute in its authority.

  "Wolford’s presence in my city is no longer tolerated." The voice slithered into their minds like a poisoned dagger. "I have allowed you to scurry in the shadows for too long. This is my final warning—leave, or be eradicated."

  Then, as suddenly as it had appeared, the clone detonated, splattering the walls with blood before fading into nothingness. The oppressive force lifted, leaving only silence and the faint scent of copper in its wake.

  Bones staggered to his feet, sucking in a ragged breath. "T-that was Alucard, the Vampire Lord?" His voice came out hoarse, disbelief lacing his words. "Why leave us alive? If he wanted us dead, he could’ve crushed us just now."

  Lew wiped the blood from his face, his expression grim. "Because he knows better than to cross certain lines. He doesn’t want direct conflict with Wolford’s mayor."

  Bones frowned. "The mayor? He’s that formidable? Is he a werewolf too?"

  Lew shook his head, fatigue visible on his features, yet his mind remained sharp. "Not exactly. He’s a druid capable of shapeshifting into a werewolf. He doesn’t possess the usual vulnerabilities of regular werewolves, but he still has access to magic, which makes him considerably more dangerous. Even the Vampire Lords hesitate before challenging him."

  Bones hesitated, his thoughts swirling as a question surfaced. "Was I really necessary for this mission? Frank, Jeanie, and Mathias… they could’ve done it without me."

  Lew regarded him thoughtfully. "A few years ago, yes. But they’ve been in Valencia too long. The constant fear of discovery dulled their instincts. Gauss intended to send reinforcements and end operations in Valencia before you arrived. There were other candidates—stronger ones. But after seeing you, Gauss changed his mind. You were sent to push the others into action."

  Bones felt something bitter settle in his gut. "So I was being used."

  Lew sighed. "If you want to see it that way, yes. But don’t misunderstand—Gauss wouldn’t send just anyone. He chose you because, as an undead, you had the highest chance of success. And after reading the reports, we both agreed he made the right call."

  Bones mulled over the words, resentment and reluctant acceptance warring within him. "What about you? Why couldn’t you have done it?"

  Lew's lips curled into a grim smile. "I was discovered long ago. The Vampire Lord sensed my bloodline the moment I set foot in Valencia. The only reason he let me be was my ties to Wolford. If he moved against me, Wolford would retaliate. My role was to be a distraction—to keep attention on me while the spies worked in the shadows. If I had infiltrated the Undercity, it would have forced the Vampire Lord’s hand, so it came down to you and our spies."

  Arms crossed, Bones processed this in silence before nodding. "What’s next?"

  "Next, tell me about last night. Frank and Janie gave me a brief summary, and the ledger they retrieved should help us grasp the situation in Valencia better."

  "Alright, get ready!" Bones launched into the tale, beginning with his and Mathias's first clash with the vampire horde and concluding with their confrontation with Count Faas. Bones didn't leave out any details about the count's abilities and his skill with blood spells. Lew seemed less shocked than Mathias and mentioned he had seen something similar before but admitted he didn't expect the Vampire Lord to use his abilities on a thrall, count or not.

  "His abilities?" Bones questioned, but Lew dismissed it, saying, "Forget about that. The situation in Valencia is much worse than we imagined. To think he was actually building an army..." Lew's words trailed off, his frown deepening.

  "Now that you're aware, what do you believe Wolford's next steps should be?" Bones asked.

  "Unfortunately," Lew began, shaking his head, "there's not much we can do. To combat an army, you need an army, and Wolford can't afford to send that many people through the Dark Forest, leaving Wolford vulnerable."

  As Bones suspected, Lew's thoughts aligned with those of Mathias, Frank, and Janie. No immediate action would be taken. Eventually, a special unit would be formed to monitor the Vampire Lord's movements. Given the recent warning, it would have to be done from a distance. The fate of the citizens would remain in Alucard's hands.

  "Gauss mentioned you took on the special contract regarding hidden research facilities in the south. Do you still intend to move forward with it?" Lew interrupted Bones' thoughts, shifting the topic.

  "That was the plan," Bones confirmed. "I’m not satisfied with my progress."

  Lew’s expression darkened as he shared the latest intelligence. "If so, then you should know the marauders from Serville are on the move. Serville is a city to the southeast, bordering the Wildlands. Like Wolford, it has been fighting the growing threat in its own way. But unlike Wolford, it has been losing."

  Bones listened intently as Lew continued. "The city is mostly occupied by the descendants of refugees and has become a gathering ground for dark guilds. Unlike Wolford, Serville lacks an ascendant to lead them, and without that authority, the guilds operate unchecked. Marauders are an extension of these dark guilds, often operating in small groups of three to five. But when a raid group moves in numbers, it means they’re either searching for something… or they’ve found it."

  Lew leaned forward, his voice firm. “Follow them. Observe from a distance and wait for them to split up. That’s when you make your move." He hesitated before adding, "But be warned—their captain, Black Wolf, is third-tier. He isn’t as strong as me, but he’s still dangerous. If you must fight, do so on your terms.”