A fierce battle was unfolding in front of the castle’s main gate.
“We even threw wyverns at them, yet we still haven’t broken through...” said Count Sandalio Contreras, a middle-aged man with brown hair. He grimaced in distaste.
“My lord, the enemy’s defenses are being whittled down little by little, but it will likely take a while longer...”
“With my estate fallen, our only chance of turning the tables is to recapture the archduke or defeat or capture Marquis Espier... Viscount Moreras, have you managed to apprehend Abel from the Kingdom yet?”
“No, my lord. I thought he would appear at the marquis’s residence, but...”
Both men scowled, naturally frustrated by the turn of events. Their plans had gone awry after a certain someone joined the war halfway through.
“My lord, fatigue is wearing down the dark magician.”
“Hmph. Humans are so damn fragile.”
The moment Sandalio spoke, a voice rang out.
“Beam of Light.”
Hundreds of light rays exploded from someone near the main gate. They pierced the monsters’ magic stones with deadly precision, making them abruptly disappear. The light receded a moment later, and then a deep silence settled over the battlefield as the defenders realized they no longer had anyone to fight.
“What...happened?” Sandalio muttered involuntarily.
His mind refused to comprehend what his eyes had just witnessed.
“Sandalio, it’s over.”
That voice, ever so cool, sent a shiver down his spine. He hadn’t heard it in decades. Fear seized him.
“Lord Shinso...”
At the sight of him, both Count Contreras and his lieutenant, Viscount Moreras, knelt on the ground.
“This game is over. Abel has taken your mansion and claimed the archduke.”
“What...” Sandalio sputtered. It took him ten long seconds before he found his voice again. “My lord...has Marquis Espier accepted defeat?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’m sorry?”
“He fought Abel in single combat and was struck down in a single blow.”
“Preposterous!” Sandalio was once again left speechless. In other words, Espier had lost not only the war but a one-on-one duel to a human.
“Defeat is inevitable when you are against a stronger opponent. That is all there is to it. But Vicente refused to accept reality and railed against the so-called injustice. What are your thoughts on that, Sandalio?”
He sensed the anger lurking in Shinso’s words and began trembling. It wasn’t simple fear anymore; no, he was now in the vise grip of full-blown terror.
“Conduct unbecoming...of not only a vampire, but a noble vampire.”
“I concur. That is why I annihilated Vicente.”
Even he, Count Contreras—one of the most powerful aristocrats in Twilightland—didn’t know what Shinso meant by “annihilation.” But he did know one thing: The vampires Shinso “annihilated” never reappeared.
“So, Sandalio, what will you do?”
“I accept my defeat.” His voice was clear, no trace of the terror overwhelming him until then.
Of course, he didn’t want to accept his loss. What made it even more galling was the fact that humans had bested him, but that was nothing compared to the embodiment of doom standing before him.
He had started this “war” to prolong the game, so risking annihilation now would’ve been foolish. If he obeyed the absolute being before him, he could avoid such a fate. He knew that. Obedience was the only path forward!
“I surrender. I’ll withdraw all my soldiers.”
And with this, the unrest in Twilightland’s capital, Thebes, came to an end.
...Or so it seemed.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Abel, where is Ryo?” Shinso asked as they returned to the guesthouse from the main gate.
“Not here, apparently...” Abel answered, then he followed up with a question that puzzled Shinso with its suddenness. “Is Duchess Alba powerful?”
“Yes, she is. Immensely so. Her army as well. But...why do you ask?”
“Well, to be honest, she invited Ryo to visit her place today.”
“What did you say?” Shinso pressed his right hand to his forehead.
For the first time since Abel met him, he looked uneasy.
“You don’t look so good, man. I’m guessing you have a good reason for that.”
“Well, the duchess...Agnes...she despises others’ interference more than anything. In other words, no one, including me, can assist.”
“Please tell me you’re joking.”
“I’m not, unfortunately. We can only hope that Ryo escapes on his own.”
“No. Freaking. Way.”
Both Shinso and Abel sighed deeply.