Chapter 222: Pendragon Ancient Family’s relative???

[Silverspire — Third District.]

[Unknown Location.]

?"Finally... After all this tedious calibration, the reflection mirror is operational once more." The hunched old man rasped, his cloudy eyes fixed greedily on the antique looking glass resting upon the stone floor.

?"So, if I’m understanding your mechanics correctly, you’re claiming he possesses some anomalous artifact capable of completely nullifying the abilities of other high-tier spiritual items?" Aaron demanded, crossing his arms as he looked down with cold disdain at the old seer.

?"Indeed. This Reflection Mirror possesses the capacity to project a flawless clone of any target it captures within its optical field, and that clone retains one hundred percent of the original combat strength... To shatter that duplicate and simultaneously suppress the mirror’s powers for a full ten minutes, his undisclosed artifact must be operating on a higher tier than the mirror itself." The old man explained eagerly.

?"Are you out of your mind?! You’re telling me his artifact is higher than a Mythic-Tier treasure?!! Where on earth does an upstart like him even acquire something surpassing Mythic-Tier?! I can’t even fathom what classification that puts his gear in!" Aaron barked, his voice rising in frustration.

?"My Lord, calm yourself... It is entirely possible his item is simply another Mythic-Tier instrument, just intrinsically attuned to suppress this specific mirror’s powers." The old man hastily placated, shuffling backward before turning toward a reinforced wooden chest in the corner:

?"Now that the Blood Guild has been conveniently swept away, they made some exceptionally experimental subjects." He straightened up, walking heavily toward the box.

?"When the time is right, we won’t simply dismantle the Aetheldawn household; we will hand you the tools to carve out your ultimate revenge." He ambled back to Aaron, lifting the heavy lid to reveal rows upon rows of dark, pulsing Blood Pills.

?"We simply require a fresh influx of infants from the slums to synthesize more blood skulls; if we manage to stockpile an adequate supply of both ingredients, we can manufacture an inexhaustible vanguard—an army of abominations far surpassing baseline SSS-Rank strength." He cackled, exposing a row of jagged, yellowed teeth.

?Aaron stared down at the old man in silence for several long beats, before lowering his gaze to the nest of cursed pills resting inside the box:

?"Very well. Scour the Third District; the tenements are practically overflowing with wretched infants. Exploit the absolute chaos of the impending monster tide to snatch as many as you need without drawing the guilds’ attention," Aaron instructed coldly, turning on his heel toward the exit:

?"Do not fail me."

?"Hehehe... We already understand his primary trump cards; this time, failure isn’t an operational variable." The old man wheezed, closing the lid before pivoting his head toward the distant, reinforced fortifications of the city wall.

?’Hehehe... I can already hear them vibrating through the bedrock... The beasts are drawing dangerously close.’

____

?Five hundred miles out from Silverspire’s outer defensive perimeter, a formation of five hundred humanoid Lizards hovered silently in the turbulent upper atmosphere above the dark wilderness.

?"My Lord, why are we deliberately holding our position? Even though the human settlement boasts formidable barrier formations, their active garrison is hopelessly undermanned." one of the reptilian commanders questioned.

?"Indeed. The entire contingent of five hundred here consists exclusively of elite SSS-Rank, and our vanguard scouts reported barely three hundred SSS-Rank Humans stationed across their entire wall—we could easily slaughter our way through in a single push." A second chimed in eagerly.

?"We are merely awaiting your direct command to lay waste to them." A third grinned viciously, baring rows of razor-sharp, serrated teeth.

?The leading Lizard, towering at twice the mass of its subordinates, slowly shook its massive, scaled head:

?"Negative... The monster tide will effectively drain the humans’ defensive reserves, stamina, and spirit energy. Once they are thoroughly exhausted and fractured, we will simply march into their ruins without facing organized resistance." It rumbled, adjusting a colossal broadsword resting across its armored shoulder.

’I distinctly remember this wretched city; I passed through here ages ago... Though my memory of the exact orbital cycle is hazy, I feasted until my stomach ruptured; repeating that indulgence will be wildly entertaining.’ It thought, its cruel smirk stretching into a wide, toothy grin:

?"We wait, and we observe the pathetic mortals slaughtering one another down to their last breath... The mindless monsters sweeping in are inherently weak, but under the amplification of my energy, their mutation rates will skyrocket! There are currently over five hundred SSS-Rank beasts packed inside these four converging tides—not to mention a handful of special Boss-stage. Watching this unfold will be a magnificent spectacle."

?"They will breach the outer gates in six hours at the absolute most."

?"Then we wait."

?The lizards exchanged glances, still quietly questioning the tactical necessity of their delay; but the absolute authority of their leader brooked no dissent, and they settled back into the shadows of the clouds.

____

?[Silverspire City Wall — Three Hours Later.]

?"Guild Leader Marianne, you really should step back and rest."

?Marianne glanced over her shoulder, finding Katherine walking toward her along the stone parapet.

?"Katherine? What on earth are you doing up here on the active defense line?" Marianne asked, her tone laced with genuine surprise.

?"Shouldn’t you and your entourage already be evacuating back toward your family’s core territory?"

?"Our initial plan was to depart immediately following the Labreton family’s formal banquet, but Highcairn City is situated a punishing distance away, not to mention the nightmare of cutting through these monsters... So my parents decided to remain stationed here to assist in securing the city." She explained with an easy, confident smile, coming to a halt beside Marianne.

?"Even so, why expose yourself on the front line? You may hold the SSS-Rank classification, but this sector is about to become an absolute abattoir." Marianne added, turning her gaze back out toward the endless, shadow-draped wilderness.

?"Fufufu... Please, do not underestimate the Wyrmrest lineage; I might not possess my mother’s terrifying combat mastery, but I am fully capable of holding my own against some SSS-Rank threats."

?’Hold her own against ’some’ SSS-Rank entities? I always knew she operated on a tier comparable to Luna... Wait, the Wyrmrest family operates under the banner of a major Ancient Family, but which bloodline is it again?’ Marianne thought internally, her brow furrowing slightly before she voiced the question:

?"As the eldest scion of your house, you naturally know which Ancient Family holds ultimate patronage over the Wyrmrest estate, correct?"

?"Oh, Lady Marianne... The Wyrmrest family isn’t merely tethered as a vassal under an Ancient Family—we are an intrinsic, foundational branch of the Ancient Family itself." Katherine replied smoothly, keeping her eyes fixed on the horizon.

?"My grandfather is counted among the highest council elders of the prestigious Pendragon Ancient Family, and out of all his blood descendants, I am one of the exceptionally rare few who successfully awakened the family bloodline," Katherine added with quiet pride.

?’An Elder?! Wait... Does that mean her grandfather is the direct blood brother of the current ruling Patriarch of the Pendragon Ancient Family?!’ Marianne thought, a wave of profound shock washing over her as her expression twisted into deep, complex awe.