Chapter 10

Chapter 6: The Queen

As Scar walked into the arena, he immediately noticed the sparse crowd. The entire arena seemed desolate. He remembered how the stands had been packed when he faced the Desert Leopard.

Kalean, the city of vampires and black magic, was finally showing signs of instability. This reminded him of the scene when he first encountered the Blood Knight. No matter how invincible and powerful the vampires seemed, they ultimately could not escape their downfall.

Scar's gaze fell on the distant balcony. If Rais was right, the Queen of Kalean, the leader of the vampire clan, Qin Xin, was there, preparing to enjoy the bloody gladiatorial show.

Vampires, in fact, were not so different from humans. Even as a war raged outside the city, with countless lives being lost to swords, magic, cannons, and arrows, the nobility's refined tastes remained unaffected. There were always those who considered themselves superior and believed that the sacrifices of others were justified.

The other group of gladiators appeared a bit later. But when they did, they rushed over quickly.

Of course, Rais had said that it was just a show at first. Everything unfolded as Rais had described: the two groups cautiously faced each other, then slowly moved, inching closer to the balcony.

It seemed they were just being cautious, and the balcony, protected by magic, didn't need much worry. They soon reached the vicinity of the balcony. If not for the magic, anyone could climb up the overly low balcony. Scar stood cautiously at a distance from the balcony. He had said from the start that he wouldn't be involved in this operation.

As the two groups approached, just as they were about to enter close combat range, Rais suddenly pulled something out of his pocket, opened it, and loudly recited a few unfamiliar syllables.

The Anti-Magic Scroll immediately took effect.

Scar clearly felt the surge of energy in the air. A flash of white light followed by a massive shockwave knocked him to the ground. Struggling to his feet, he saw that most of the gladiators had been blown away. Some were trying to get up, while others lay motionless. The ground was littered with debris.

The only one still standing was Rais. He heard Rais utter a curse filled with anger. Perhaps he hadn't expected the Anti-Magic Scroll to have such an effect.

However, the purpose of the Anti-Magic Scroll was achieved. The magic that had enveloped the special seats in the arena had completely dissipated. The people on the balcony must have been knocked off their feet by the shockwave.

Rais charged forward, using his momentum to grab the edge of the balcony. His strong arms, muscles bulging, pulled him up.

Scar heard a woman's scream, no, multiple women's screams, from above.

He also rushed forward, grabbing the other side of the balcony and climbing up. It wasn't difficult; without magic, it was no harder than climbing a large staircase.

The scene before him made him stop. Rais stood in the middle of the balcony, sword in hand, his face twisted with anger. In front of him were several large sofas and ornate metal chairs, now overturned and scattered.

In the middle of the sofas and chairs stood about five or six women. They were of different ages but wore the same attire: pink tops of unknown material and white silk skirts. Among them was a girl who looked no more than fifteen years old.

These women looked at Rais with terror, and the little girl was so frightened she couldn't even scream.

Scar's gaze swept over the women, and he immediately understood why Rais was so angry. None of the women had the main characteristic of vampires—sharp fangs hidden in their mouths. All of these women were human.

The queen hadn't come to watch the gladiatorial show. This meant that all of Rais's plans had been in vain.

In a fit of rage, Rais swung his sword at the nearest woman. She screamed, instinctively grabbing a chair to block the blade. The metal chair shattered, and the woman was knocked back by the force of Rais's blow, falling to the ground with a painful cry.

"What are you doing!?" Scar shouted.

"I'm going to kill these traitors who serve the vampires!" Rais, consumed by anger, didn't care about anything and took his frustration out on the queen's maids. He swung his sword, trying to stab the fallen woman.

But Scar rushed forward, using his shield to push Rais back. The woman took the opportunity to get up.

"Get out of here!" Scar shouted loudly.

The woman immediately fled, and the others followed in a panic. Only the little girl, who seemed to be in shock, stood frozen in place.

"They are all the queen's maids, most likely powerful black mages!" Rais glared, but Scar stood in front of him, blocking his path.

"I don't think so. I think they are just ordinary women. You're just venting your anger!" Scar cautiously held his shield in front of him, ready to defend against any sudden attack from Rais. He suddenly realized that the little girl, still in shock, hadn't moved.

"Little sister, come behind me," he urged, using his sword hand to grab the girl's clothes, trying to pull her behind him.

"Li... li..." The girl had a strange expression, as if she wanted to say something. Scar tore her clothes but couldn't pull her behind him.

"Li... li... little sister?" The girl repeated the term, as if she couldn't understand it. Suddenly, she started laughing uncontrollably.

"Li... li... little sister? Little sister? Little sister? Hahaha... ha... hahaha..." She laughed so hard she was bent over, unable to control herself. This strange behavior left Rais and Scar staring at each other in confusion.

"Li... li... little sister... little sister..." The girl finally stopped laughing and began repeating the term, a sweet and gentle smile on her face. "It's been many years since anyone has called me that."

In the next instant, her form disappeared. She didn't truly vanish but moved at a speed that human eyes couldn't follow, rushing forward and snatching the sword from Rais's hand.

"I must say, you did well," the girl said, playing with the long sword in her hand. Rais, stunned by the sudden turn of events, couldn't believe what was happening. "Completely unexpected."

"But trying to assassinate me with a toy like this won't work," the girl said, her porcelain-like hand easily twisting the sword into a pretzel.

In the next instant, she reappeared in front of Rais, moving as fast as quicksilver. She struck Rais's chest with her palm, sending his much larger body flying. As Rais's body hit the ground, she immediately followed, grabbing his arm and twisting it with a force that tore it from his body.

A gush of blood spurted from the wound, turning the ground red.

Rais let out a painful groan, trying to use his other hand to struggle to his feet, but he only writhed in the pool of blood.

Now, the little girl turned to face Scar. Everything had happened so fast and suddenly that Scar could only watch as Rais was defeated like a toy.

He examined the girl again. Her chest rose and fell, her eyes shining. She was a slender, graceful girl, the kind that should only exist in paintings, a flawless creation of the artist's imagination.

Her clothes, unsuitable for movement, had been torn in the struggle, revealing her ivory-white arms, long legs, and one fully exposed breast. It was a young, slightly raised, and full of youthful vitality. Her glossy black hair, dark as the night, flowed softly down her back. Her face was full of a sweet and innocent smile, the kind only a girl of her age could have.

"Sorry, big brother, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Qin Xin, and I am the queen of this land."

The queen of the vampires... Qin Xin...

The girl approached him, moving as lightly and dangerously as a panther. She came close to him, showing no fear of his sharp sword. Her small, delicate hand gently pushed the sword aside, and her body approached the fully alert warrior. Her warm, red lips parted, revealing a row of neat, white teeth. Her innocent and lively eyes looked up at his dark and terrifying ones.

"Big brother, are you... surprised?" Qin Xin asked, smiling lightly.

Scar struggled, trying to fight the overwhelming fear that was almost crushing him. An indescribable pressure and terror emanated from the girl. All his instincts told him not to resist. If he did, he would end up like Rais, torn apart and killed.

Rais's plan to assassinate Queen Qin Xin had been wrong from the start.

Queen Qin Xin possessed a power that even ordinary vampires could not match. She was not only a powerful mage but also an incredibly strong warrior. Perhaps she had never needed to act before because there had never been a need.

"Big brother, that person wasn't your companion, right?" she asked softly, her voice sending a chill of death through Scar's mind.

Scar remained in his previous stance. He didn't know what to do or how to face this crisis. Confronting this terrifyingly powerful and beautiful queen, he knew he had no chance of resistance.

Almost instinctively, his stiff neck nodded.

"Speaking of which, those guys were really stupid. They actually let an assassin with an Anti-Magic Scroll sneak in," Qin Xin said, turning and walking to the edge of the balcony. No one else had climbed up besides Rais and Scar, indicating that the explosion caused by the Anti-Magic Scroll had incapacitated everyone else.

"But we'll talk about that later," Qin Xin said, pointing down from the balcony, her smile still in place. "Big brother, would you please climb back down? Everyone should stay where they belong. Except for the dead, of course."

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