Chapter Seventy-Two: A Crisis Spanning Seven Thousand Kilometers

As it became apparent that Dracula was planning to march on Winterfall City, the face beneath the white mask of the Magician shifted subtly. He placed one arm across his chest and, dressed in a tailcoat, bowed slightly. “But, my lord, there are still more than two months before the Battle of the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons begins. To attack a human city at this time—might it not be too soon?”

“Yes, my lord,” added Count Belmont anxiously, fearing that his next words might displease Dracula. He lowered his voice. “If we start a war with the humans ahead of schedule, we would be breaking the invasion pact with the other four Abyssal Lords.”

Ten years earlier, four Cataclysm-level Abyssal beings had descended upon humanity’s greatest metropolis—Capital City. They had easily destroyed half the city, annihilated countless troops and thousands of demon hunters, as well as the only Ace-ranked member at the time. Their arrival was solely to take away a chosen special human, whom they ultimately selected as the fifth Abyssal Lord.

Later, the five Abyssal Lords established a binding pact: until the next Night Parade of a Hundred Demons was initiated, and the sixth Abyssal Lord emerged, none would invade human cities on their own initiative. Especially not Winterfall City. They had chosen that city as the future battleground for the Night Parade, ten years hence, leaving its human population to grow unchecked, destined to serve as sacrifices in the years to come.

The fate of Winterfall City’s inhabitants had long since been decided by these five demonic overlords without anyone’s knowledge.

The human government was aware of the battle looming two months ahead, but such a nightmare had been kept secret, lest panic plunge Winterfall into chaos. The Calamity Association had spent a decade cultivating only three Ace-ranked demon hunters, still insufficient to contend with the five great Abyssals. They needed two more Aces to defend humanity in the decisive war soon to come.

Upon hearing his subordinates mention the Night Parade, Dracula was reminded of the traitor, Elena. His crimson eyes burned with anger. He had once intended to rely on Elena, his daughter, to secure victory in the Night Parade and become the sixth Abyssal Lord. He would then seize her power, making himself the most powerful Abyssal demon in existence, beyond the reach of even the other four Lords.

Yet after two decades of nurturing her, Elena had defected ahead of time. Worse, she had passed her bloodline to a human, causing herself to lose eligibility to participate in the Night Parade. Even if he captured her now, it would be useless.

However, since that human had become Elena’s first embrace, turning into a vampire, he too would ultimately fall into Dracula’s grasp.

At this thought, Dracula’s fury abated somewhat.

Seeing Dracula remain silent, the Magician said quietly, “My lord, do you intend to destroy Winterfall City ahead of schedule?”

Dracula narrowed his crimson eyes and slowly clenched his pale fingers before him. “Indeed, I do have such an idea. Claiming that land as my territory would be a fine choice. Yet among the human demon hunters, the one I most dread is that man, Xinghe Chu. His supernatural ability is anathema to me.”

The Magician remained silent; neither Belmont nor Mary spoke a word.

Xinghe Chu had been hailed as “the mightiest of all humans” by the Supernatural Calamity Association, his strength indisputable. To the vampires, he was a force to be reckoned with, especially since his unique power posed a decisive threat to Dracula. Even as the fifth Abyssal Lord, a being of catastrophic might, Dracula might still be outmatched by this human under the effect of that power. This made Dracula hate him all the more.

“Now, let this be a test,” Dracula declared coldly, “to see what he is truly capable of. If he cannot withstand this blow, then the entire battlefield will be obliterated.”

With that, Dracula extended a corpse-white finger, pointing toward the distant horizon. Instantly, the blood elements in the area rushed to his fingertip, coalescing into a glimmer of blood-red light. As energy gathered, the glow swelled rapidly, ballooning like an inflating sphere.

In an instant, it became a massive orb of blood-colored energy, its surface seething with violent power, containing enough destructive force to wipe out hundreds of kilometers of land.

With a sharp sonic boom, the blood-red orb shot from Dracula’s fingertip, flying away at supersonic speed. In the blink of an eye, it vanished beyond the horizon.

High in the sky, the orb tore through the air, crossing endless cities, towering mountains, and vast oceans—traveling 7,532 kilometers to descend upon Winterfall City.

...

At the sports arena, a cataclysm was about to strike—a crisis that would flatten the entire stadium. Unaware, the audience continued to cheer for the match.

In the VIP seats, Xinghe Chu watched Cheng Feng and Ye Lin on the stage, his expression inscrutable. Suddenly, sensing something amiss, he lifted his eyes to the sky in a particular direction.

On the big screen, the lineup for the tournament’s semifinals was displayed: [Contestant 01 (Cheng Feng) versus Contestant 10 (Ye Lin)].

On the stage, Cheng Feng and Ye Lin faced each other across the ring. Cheng Feng casually summoned his spirit blade, Thunder Cutter, and looked Ye Lin straight in the eye. “I didn’t expect us to meet so soon in the ring. Fate is a curious thing.”

“Cheng Feng, before we start, I have something to say.” Ye Lin gazed at him, her demeanor serious.

“What is it?”

“Thank you for your concern earlier, but—” Ye Lin bowed slightly, her eyes filled with resolve. “I especially want to win this match, so I won’t be holding back.”

“That’s for the best.” Cheng Feng almost smiled at her words, raising his spirit blade. “Since it’s a competition, I’ll give it my all. I won’t go easy on you just because you’re a woman.”

Ye Lin nodded and glanced briefly in Xinghe Chu’s direction, noticing that his gaze was fixed on her. Her nerves tightened as she summoned her spirit blade, Illusion Realm, and waited for the announcer to begin the match.

At that moment, in the distant sky, the blood-red orb of destruction was rapidly approaching, having crossed thousands of kilometers. If it struck, the ensuing explosion would instantly obliterate the entire sports arena and everything within a hundred kilometers, reducing all life to ashes in a heartbeat.

Cheng Feng’s passive supernatural ability, Premonition of Crisis, activated. He instinctively sensed a terrifying danger approaching from the distant sky. He paused, turning his head toward the source.

In the VIP section, Xinghe Chu, too, lifted his gaze, detecting the oncoming threat.

ps: Thanks to Feitian Huanwu for the reward.