NOVPUBThe entire Wolf Clan’s sacred land had already become a place of rampant feasting after the Blood Clan’s revelry.
"What a pity, in the end, only one cub managed to escape."
Thinking of this, a satisfied smile involuntarily spread across Count Gregory’s lips.
As he had expected.
In the distance, Siegler stood silent and unspoken, her face shadowed and her hair covering her eyes.
No word from Count Gregory swayed or rattled her calm, but her fingers trembled slightly, the veins on the back of her hand throbbed, a rage burning within, threatening to consume her.
The recalled memories, under the blood-red moonlight, were suffocating her with absurdity and illusion, enveloping the last of the Moon Goddess Temple. 𝓃ℴ𝓋𝓹𝓊𝓫.𝒸𝓸𝓂
Even now, they made her want to tremble.
"Little girl, with that reaction, it seems I guessed right,"
Count Gregory snapped his fingers lightly, his gaze fixed on Siegler, his voice asking with even more certainty,
"...Do you know what a hideous sight your father was when he was defeated by the great Ancestor and had his spine ripped out? I didn’t expect to run into you here. Bet he would be really happy to see your corpse when I bring it to Ancestor Eduado."
Count Gregory observed with satisfaction this Wolf Clan cub who had yet to grow up and had nowhere to escape to, anticipating her breakdown.
She was truly the offspring of the strongest wolf warrior, with a talent for battle not even the Wolf King possessed.
So young, yet she had fought her way to fifth-order by herself.
Fortunately, she hadn’t been allowed to continue to grow.
From now on, the Ancestor no longer had to worry about the revival of the Wolf Clan, it would suffice to simply snuff out this last sprout.
After personally killing Siegler, he would receive Duke Ancestor Eduado’s reward.
To aspire to become a Marquis of the Blood Clan, without the sacred blood blessing from one of the top five Ancestors, it was impossible.
All the perfect arrangements had Count Gregory intoxicated with this rare moment of happiness.
In the distant snowfield, Siegler still had not responded to him.
"..."
Siegler was certain that she really hadn’t escaped after all.
Since that day when she lucked out and fled her birthplace, she felt Blood Clan members pursuing her every day and night.
After all, she wasn’t supposed to survive; perhaps it would have been better to die with her parents that day.
"You’ve wanted to die for a long time, haven’t you? I know living is painful for you, I’ll send you off to see your parents right now, this human’s been good to you, hasn’t he?"
Gregory’s eyes showed an uncontrollable obsession and intoxication, not hiding his desire to shatter Siegler’s psyche completely,
"You protect him like this. If you want him to survive, it’s best not to keep harming him."
Count Gregory lifted his palm, his fingers curling slightly, as if he could take the entire Snow Domain into his control at any moment, his eyes expressing a trace of mercy, as though admiring the prey he had captured.
He wanted the little werewolf to know that he didn’t mind killing this human as well, so she shouldn’t try to use him as a hostage for any foolish hope.
The only choice she had was to die with this human or to let him live alone.
"Alright, make your decision."
Gregory’s voice resonated across the snowfield, like a death knell echoing.
Every word spoken by Count Gregory dripped with authority.
Under this blood moon, he was the ruler of the night, all human wills seemed utterly insignificant.
"Count of the Blood Clan..."
Siegler’s voice was laced with a long-suppressed anger.
Once she closed her eyes, not a moment passed where she didn’t feel lonely and pitiable.
At fifth-order, she could beat a Baron; at sixth-order, if it was night, she would have the strength to fight a Viscount.
But facing a seventh-order member of the Blood Clan, she only had the fait of waiting to die.
There was too little time; she hadn’t grown powerful enough to pose a threat to the Blood Clan.
Siegler felt an overwhelming exhaustion and helplessness that spread through her limbs.
Her gaze helplessly fell on Lanci.
"..."
It was a kind of gratitude, thanking herself that at the end of her life she could meet such an interesting person.
However, it was a pity that she would never grow up.
After a while, Siegler softly called out to Lanci by her side.
"Mr. Rocky..."
"Hmm?"
Lanci’s ears tilted slightly, listening to her words.
Before Lanci could hear what Siegler intended to continue with, Siegler had already let go of Lanci’s wrist, her small figure walking alone towards Count Gregory.
"Goodbye."
She said.
Her life wasn’t worth much, but she knew that a person like Rocky couldn’t die, as long as he lived, the Palante Empire still had hope, perhaps she could deceive the Count of the Blood Clan and continue to escape back to the Palante Empire to become a double-sided spy.
He was a good man.
"That’s more like it."
Count Gregory showed a hint of approval, licked his sharp teeth, and he couldn’t wait to drain the sweet blood of this Wolf Clan cub.
Though a wolf turned into a dried corpse would look quite unsightly, if he were to collect the remains of this nearly extinct Wolf Clan cub in his palace, it would be a valuable collectible.
"..."
Siegler knew what her destiny would be.
She had seen too many of her people die at the hands of the Blood Clan.
Strangely, she wasn’t too scared, only feeling that she was about to be liberated.
The only regret was that she couldn’t return to the Palante Empire to tell her little brothers and sisters about the interesting things she encountered along the way.
Just thinking about it, she didn’t know why, but tears welled up in her eyes.
She really didn’t want to die, it was only at the moment she resolved to face death that she realized how few, but still beautiful things she wanted to hold onto.
Maybe her life was meaningless, but the sacrifices of her people gave her life a different meaning, she was the last flame fiercely protected by her father.
However, at the moment when Siegler felt a pain in her chest so intense it was hard to breathe.
She felt someone grabbing her hand.
It was a warm, large hand, reminiscent of the few memories she had of her parents.
Siegler turned around in astonishment and disbelief.
She saw Lanci looking at her, his eyes filled with helplessness.
"..."
"We can negotiate, but never compromise with criminals, you still have a lot to learn."
Lanci smiled and gripped her hand tightly, pulling her back to him.
His gaze seemed to tell her, it’s going to be alright.
Siegler briefly gazed into Lanci’s beautiful emerald eyes, stumbled, her lips parting slightly.
But before she could say anything, he had pulled her to his side.
This brief turn of events caused Count Gregory in the distance to frown.
Count Gregory began to approach once more, his footsteps silent on the snow, maintaining a distance, his expression supremely indifferent.
Blood-red magic power started to focus on Count Gregory’s fingertips, distorting the air in its direction, forming a deep blood-red ring, devouring everything around it as if it could instantly crush matter.
Blood-red arcs that started appearing in space further limited the range of movement for Siegler and Lanci.
"Oh? It seems you two wish to die together?"
Count Gregory lowered his crossed arms,
"And here I thought Mr. Rocky, you were a smart man..."
He pressed his thumb against his knuckles, his voice dropping a few notes, his eyes tinting with intent to kill.
The airflow over the snowfield was cruelly put on pause, and in the dim curtain of snow, the atmosphere of blood-red magic power rapidly heated up.
The cold blood-red light rings in the surrounding air grew more intense.
