Chapter 249: Fallout

Chapter 249: Chapter 249: Fallout

Louisa turned her predatory gaze toward Lena, who lay unconscious in the sand. A sickening smile spread across Louisa’s face as she licked her lips.

"That must be his sister," Louisa murmured, her voice dripping with greed. "I wonder if she also carries that intoxicating bloodline."

She reached out toward Lucian’s chest, her fangs elongating. But before her fingers could touch him, her survival instincts screamed.

SWISH! BOOM!

Louisa leaped backward, a sphere of dark death energy detonating exactly where she had been standing. The sand melted into glass.

A figure descended from the sky, landing gracefully beside Lucian’s unconscious naked form. She had dark hair, a sharp, beautiful face, and eyes that burned with a mix of sorrow and absolute resolve.

"Stay away from him," Lemora said, her voice cold as a winter grave.

Louisa’s eyes widened in utter disbelief. "Lemora? How dare you? You are opposing me? I am your mother!" Louisa took a step forward, her tone shifting to a manipulative, soothing purr. "Now, be a good girl. Take Lucian, and let’s go back home. I will leave you to roam freely, I promise. Just bring him to me."

Lemora looked at her mother, her eyes devoid of warmth. The years of manipulation, the lies, the suffocating control—it all snapped.

"Leave me to roam freely?" Lemora’s voice shook with absolute rage. "You lock me in a room with a mana-suppressing bracelet! You treat me like a pet, just like you treated him! You are not my mother, Louisa. You are just another monster!"

Tears streamed down Lemora’s face, but her aura flared violently. "You are a monster, Louisa! You care for nothing but power and your own sick, twisted desires. I have spent my entire life terrified of you, desperate for your approval, but I see you now for what you truly are! You are nothing but a pathetic, obsessed parasite!"

"Lemora—" Louisa started, her face contorting with rage.

"SHUT UP!" Lemora screamed, her Peak Grand Core aura exploding outward, cracking the sand beneath her feet. "I am done with you! You are going to leave us alone, and this is the last time you will ever see me, mother. Goodbye."

"You don’t care about me! You never did! I was just another tool for your ambition! But I am done! I will not let you touch him or his sister ever again!"

Louisa’s face twisted in shock and rage. "Lemora! You ungrateful brat!"

Lemora snapped her fingers. CRACK!

Two spatial tears opened. Two towering corpse puppets, both with late Grand Core auras, stepped out. One gently lifted Lucian, while the other picked up the unconscious Lena.

The heavily injured Dark Wyvern, which had been circling above Lena, let out a low growl towards the corpse puppet. It locked eyes with Lemora, sensing no ill intent radiating from her. With a huff, the beast dissolved into particles of shadow, returning to the beast space.

"Where do you think you’re going?!" Louisa roared, launching a massive wave of death energy at Lemora.

Lemora didn’t even look back. She raised a single hand, her Peak Grand Core mana forming a dense shield. BZZZT! Louisa’s weakened attack shattered harmlessly against it.

"You’re too weak right now, mother," Lemora said coldly.

The corpse puppets leaped into the air, carrying Lucian and Lena. Lemora followed, disappearing into the horizon.

"LEMORA! YOU BITCH!" Louisa’s screams tore through the ruined beach. "I will ruin him! I will expose his identity as a vampire to the entire world! I will make sure the World Government hunts him down like a dog! You hear me?! I WILL DESTROY HIM!"

The echoes of Louisa’s deranged screams faded into the morning sky.

Morning arrived, and the world was waking up to a nightmare.

The sun rose over a world in mourning. Every television screen, every holographic projection, and every radio station was broadcasting the same grim news.

"Good morning. This is the Global Emergency Broadcast. We are receiving reports of unprecedented, coordinated attacks across the globe by demonic forces and the terrorist organization known only as the Dark Order."

"BREAKING NEWS: Multiple Knights of the Horizon Bases Destroyed in Coordinated Demon Attacks!"

"Unknown Formations Control Demonic Hordes!"

"Global Casualties Skyrocket—Knights of the Horizon Wiped Out!"

The screens showed images of destruction.

"Multiple bases of the Knights of the Horizon, the secret international peacekeeping organization, have been decimated. We can confirm total destruction at the New Miami Headquarters in the USA, the Berlin Base in Germany, the Barcelona Base in Spain, and the London Outpost in the UK. The death toll is catastrophic, with over half of the organization’s personnel confirmed dead or missing."

The broadcast shifted to footage of survivors. "We have confirmed that the Chinese Base in Beijing and the Russian Outpost in Moscow survived the attacks. Reports indicate that Beijing was saved by the sacrifice of a Early Astral Realm elder who detonated his core, while Moscow was protected by an ancient defensive artifact."

"Among the tragedy, we mourn the loss of several Council heads, including Councilman Andre and Councilwoman Wu. Tragically, many of these council members were normal humans without any awakened abilities, assassinated in their homes. We also mourn the loss of Miss Solstice, the one of the Head Director of the Knights, who died protecting the New Miami base, holding off a swarm of demons until her last breath."

Meanwhile, in a hidden underground chamber beneath the Atlantic Ocean.

The Dark Order was holding an emergency council meeting. Holographic screens displayed the death tolls, the destroyed bases, and the blazing ruins of the Knights’ headquarters.

"It was a resounding success," the Hierarch said, his bone mask glinting in the dim light. "The formations from the Temple of the Forgotten Sun in the Apep ruins provided the perfect summoning circles. Louisa Du Maurier acted as the anchor with her death energy, and with the Medallion of Anvil, we controlled the demons flawlessly."

Zero’s empty chair was a glaring reminder of their failure.

"A slight miscalculation," an Inner Circle member muttered.

"Yes," the Hierarch admitted. "The spy’s intelligence on the Knights’ defensive capabilities was slightly outdated. Some of their masters possessed abilities far beyond our projections. However, the overall objective was achieved. The Knights are crippled."

The screen shifted to a face—a young man with silver hair and crimson eyes. Lucian Grimaud.

"And this one," the member continued, pointing at Lucian’s file. "He was flagged as a high-risk target. We dispatched Zero and three other Peak Grand Core apostles to eliminate him. None of them returned."

The room fell silent.

"Zero was an Early Astral Realm cultivator," another member said. "You’re telling me a Peak Grand Core hunter killed him? Impossible. He must have been protected by a powerful figure."

The Hierarch leaned back. "Indeed. It is the only logical explanation. This means this Grimaud boy is protected by a powerful figure—likely an Astral or higher patron. We must tread carefully. We will observe from the shadows for now."

Meanwhile, in a quiet, rural area in France.

Lemora pulled the hood of her cloak lower, her corpse puppets standing silently behind her, carrying the still-unconscious Lucian and Lena.

The receptionist at the small, secluded hotel blinked in absolute shock. She stared at the two massive, grey-skinned corpse puppets holding the bleeding bodies, her hands trembling over the computer keyboard.

Um... M-mademoiselle?" the receptionist stammered. "A-are those... zombies?"

Lemora sighed, pulling a wad of cash from her storage ring and slamming it onto the counter. Slam!

"I need your largest, most private room," Lemora said, her voice tired. "Two beds. If you ask any more questions, I will have my friends here escort you out. Understood?"

The receptionist swallowed hard, her eyes wide. "Y-yes! Right away! Room 304! Third floor. The Presidential Suite!"

Lemora nodded, tossing a few more bills onto the counter. "We will not be disturbed. Also, no need to call the task force and.....", She turned towards the corpse puppets, "They are harmless unless I tell them otherwise. Understood?"

"Y-yes, absolutely! No disturbances!" The receptionist quickly slid the keys across the counter, practically throwing them at her.

Lemora turned, gesturing for the corpse puppets to follow. "Let’s go."

As she walked up the stairs, she looked back at the unconscious Lucian, a soft, pained expression on her face.

"I’m sorry, Lucian," she whispered. "I won’t let her hurt you anymore."