The Duke's Passion

Samael shamelessly watched everyone fight on the sideline while lying on his side on the ground. All that was missing was a parasol and some snacks to highlight how relaxed he was in this battle. Some enemies tried to attack him in between, but his people wouldn't give them the chance to land an attack on him.

"Boring...!" he complained as he rolled his eyes, propping his jaw against his knuckles. "I need to see some blood! Oh my goodness! Is this the best you can do? Come on...!"

"Why don't you slice yourself?!" someone on the battlefield yelled back, making him frown.

"Your Majesty, this is not an entertaining situation." Rufus voiced out from a distance while exchanging blows with Zero. The latter, on the other hand, chuckled, as it didn't matter if they were Samael's people or enemies. They all found him a nuisance who just came to complain.

"My. I am never this pissed." Zero laughed maniacally, grinding his teeth. He hated the fact while they were all here fighting for life and death, there was that shameless emperor who had the audacity to complain, despite just watching. Not to mention, his pride took a critical blow, as he couldn't believe he was dancing in Samael's tune and being used as mere entertainment.

"Stefan!!" Dominique yelled as he lurched forward, swinging his sword towards Stefan, which he blocked easily. Jayden followed with the same intensity, but Stefan managed to fight two of his brothers.

"Tch." Stefan clicked his tongue, repelling their swords, and hopped back. Even so, the two didn't give him enough time to take a break as they attacked him simultaneously.

Samael pressed his lips into a thin line as he observed the ongoing battle in front of him. From this point of view, it was obvious who would be the victor. Although Zero and Stefan and their people were fighting his men fiercely, they would never stand a chance. Rufus and Ramin hadn't gone all out yet, same with Jayden and Dominique. 

These four remarkable knights had trained earnestly for the past five years. Especially Rufus and Dominique, who continuously sought to become more powerful. Their hard work had borne fruit and Samael could see it. The reason he didn't even bother joining the party was he trusted his people and there was no need to bother.

"I hate being the emperor." He frowned as he complained under his breath. "This is so boring."

Although there were perks to not being on the battlefield himself, he didn't like the lack of action. Samael sat upright, bending his knees closer to him as he crossed his arms. 

"Hmm..." He rubbed his chin. "Helping them will be an insult to them, and complaining annoyed them. Should I run back to Lilou or should I check on Heliot?"

'Stay.' A voice inside his mind whispered, making his brow quirk. 

"Stay? Why?" he asked with a furrowed brow, but the voice in his head didn't speak anymore. If Alexander told him to stay, that only meant he couldn't lower his guard just yet. The voices inside his head like a built-in council were old wise vampires. They might not be sure that's why they were keeping silent, but Samael was certain they were worried about something.

"Whatever." Samael shrugged as he narrowed his eyes, darting his eyes from Stefan, who was battling Dominique while Jayden dealt with Luther; Zero who was against Rufus while Ramin fought against two other vampires, including Tristan.

"Hmmm. this is..." Samael focused his eyes on them until his gaze was digging a hole in their heads. "... absolutely boring."

His nose scrunched up as the corner of his lips curved down, sporting a gloomy front. Everyone was busy while there he was, just watching. He sort of missed the days where he would do all the work, instead of just watching like this. 

"Hm?" Samael arched a brow as he gazed at Stefan and Zero once again. For a split second, he felt something was off, but he couldn't pinpoint it. 

If this was in the past, he wouldn't think much about it. But now, if he felt something was off, it would bother him. So, he closed his eyes, trying to sense Heliot's presence somewhere from a far distance. It was easy to detect Heliot since he was a powerful vampire and a Von Stein. 

Samael focused and soon caught Heliot's presence. He was on the border with his troops from the Karo Kingdom, facing multiple powerful enemies. He knew Stefan and Zero wouldn't just go in there without a concrete plan. So, it wasn't a surprise to detect more powerful individuals in Minowa. 

Suddenly, Samael snapped his eyes open. This time, they were sharp as they glinted, standing up while running his fingers through his hair. 

The side of his lips hooked up into a smirk. "Alexander, you're always perceptive. I'm a bit jealous." His eyes snapped as his fingernails grew longer until they were just as sharp as blades. 

In a blink of an eye, Samael disappeared from his standpoint and appeared in front of Stefan. Jayden and Dominique instinctively repelled when the emperor suddenly appeared between them. Samael's eyes glowed in deep red, stretching his fingers and swiftly flung it against Stefan's neck. 

Time seemed to slow down as Dominique and Jayden watched Stefan's head roll down. Their breathing hitched as they didn't expect Samael to execute Stefan that soon; no, actually, what they couldn't believe was how Samael easily killed Stefan. 

"Ra, kill those losers and go to Heliot." Samael's tone was cold and firm, gazing down at the headless body. "You too, Rufus. Dominique and Jayden will clean this up."

Ramin and Rufus looked at each other in confusion but didn't question the emperor's orders. Labyrinth, which was used as a gauntlet, slowly crept up to Ramin's shoulder.

"Captain, you should go see the Prince of Karo. I can handle these two." Ramin spoke without looking at Ramin. By Samael's tone and action, as the emperor's left-hand man, he knew something was up. Hence, between Ramin and Rufus, it was better if Rufus go first to see what was going on. 

Rufus also knew this, as he nodded. "I'll leave..." he trailed off as his eyes dilated after they landed on Stefan's head. 

It wasn't Stefan.

The face changed and so was the body structure. Rufus didn't think and immediately went to see Heliot as Stefan's schemes seemed to have no end. It wasn't just Rufus, but when Dominique and Jayden witnessed how the face changed, they nearly didn't believe it. 

"Hah... I'm impressed, your Majesty." Luther snickered as he didn't expect that Samael would find out. The latter ignored him as he glanced at his brothers. 

"Make this quick." That was all Samael said as he raised his hand and spread his fingers. "Darkfield."

His fingers moved randomly as if he was controlling some kind of invisible strings attached to his fingertips. Once again, Minowa was covered with a much darker veil — like a void that sucked the entire south. Without the fires burning across the town, one wouldn't see even if their eyes were wide open.

Samael clutched his hand, and across the south, all those who were against the emperor or bore malice to him all perished. It didn't matter if they were far or near, their hearts all stopped that second. Those who survived were innocent and strong vampires only.

"I won't let them get away no matter what schemes they prepared.." Came out a cold, menacing voice before Samael disappeared to see the real Stefan and Zero.