Chapter 148:Trapped in Bloodfall City

Chapter 148: Chapter 148:Trapped in Bloodfall City

Ronan left his temporary hiding place before dawn.

After spending the previous day observing Bloodfall City, he had decided to investigate the western territories. However, before leaving, he wanted to gather a little more information about the city’s defensive formations.

If he intended to capture Varkos, he needed to understand how the Vampire Lord maintained control over such a massive territory.

More importantly, Ronan wanted to know whether Varkos had any connection to Selvara.

The rumors he had overheard suggested that something was happening in the western territories, but he still lacked sufficient information to draw any conclusions.

He needed answers.

And if he could obtain them without fighting a Peak King Realm opponent, all the better.

Ronan approached the city from the eastern side, where he had previously observed several detection pillars.

He remained hidden behind a rocky outcrop and studied the nearest pillar.

The dark red crystal embedded in its surface pulsed faintly.

’There has to be a way to determine what these things detect.’

He watched several vampires pass through the nearby gate.

The crystal glowed whenever certain individuals approached, but its reaction varied. Some produced only a faint flicker, while others caused the entire crystal to illuminate.

Ronan couldn’t identify the pattern.

However, he noticed something interesting.

When a vampire carrying a large bundle of goods passed the pillar, the crystal remained dark. Yet, when a heavily armed vampire approached, it briefly emitted a crimson light.

’Could it be detecting hostile intentions?’

He quickly dismissed the thought.

There were too many possibilities.

The formations might be identifying bloodlines, measuring energy fluctuations, detecting concealed weapons, or performing several functions simultaneously.

Without testing them, he couldn’t know for certain.

Unfortunately, testing them personally would be dangerous.

Ronan glanced toward the gate.

Several guards stood nearby, and at least two possessed auras approaching the King Realm.

He could defeat ordinary guards easily, but the problem wasn’t the guards themselves.

It was the city.

If he triggered an alarm, thousands of vampires could converge on his location. And if Varkos personally intervened, Ronan might not escape unscathed.

He was about to withdraw when something caught his attention.

A group of vampires was approaching the gate from inside the city.

Unlike the ordinary merchants and travelers he had observed earlier, these individuals wore identical black armor marked with a crimson crescent.

The same insignia he had noticed in the visitors’ district.

Their leader carried a small black box.

As he passed the detection pillar, the crystal remained dark.

Ronan narrowed his eyes.

The group continued toward the gate.

Then, just as the last vampire crossed beneath the archway, the crystal suddenly flashed.

A thin crimson line shot from the pillar and connected to the black box.

The leader immediately stopped.

He turned toward the pillar, his expression changing.

"What happened?"

One of his subordinates examined the box.

"Someone has triggered the outer detection network."

Ronan’s expression stiffened.

’What?’

The vampire opened the box, revealing a small crystal that was glowing red.

"The signal came from somewhere nearby."

The leader’s gaze swept across the surrounding terrain.

"Find the source."

The vampires immediately dispersed.

Ronan cursed inwardly.

He had concealed his presence, but apparently, that wasn’t enough.

Somehow, the formations had detected something.

He didn’t wait to discover what.

The moment the vampires moved away from the gate, Ronan retreated.

He moved through the rocky terrain, using Wind Step to increase his speed while keeping his aura suppressed.

He had barely traveled a few hundred meters when a sharp alarm rang behind him.

A bell.

Then another.

And another.

The sounds spread across Bloodfall City, growing louder as the seconds passed.

Ronan stopped.

His expression darkened.

This wasn’t a routine patrol alarm.

The entire city was responding.

A crimson barrier suddenly rose around Bloodfall City, stretching from one end of the horizon to the other. Enormous pillars illuminated along the walls, connecting to one another through streams of red energy.

The barrier expanded upward, forming a dome over the entire settlement.

Ronan stared at it.

’You’ve got to be kidding me.’

He immediately activated Predator’s Perception.

The barrier was enormous, and its energy fluctuations were far more complicated than anything he had encountered near the city gates.

He could probably break through it with sufficient force.

The question was whether he could do so before the entire city descended upon him.

A voice suddenly rang out from the walls.

"All gates are to be sealed! An unidentified undead has infiltrated the surrounding territory!"

Ronan’s eyes narrowed.

The voice continued.

"Activate the bloodline detection formations. Search the outskirts and the nearby wilderness. Do not allow the intruder to escape!"

Ronan’s expression turned ugly.

He hadn’t even entered the city.

Yet, somehow, he had already become its most wanted intruder.

"How troublesome."

He turned and began moving toward the forest.

He needed to leave before the search parties reached him.

Unfortunately, the Abyss had other plans.

A powerful aura suddenly appeared ahead.

Then another.

And another.

Ronan stopped behind a cluster of enormous rocks.

Several vampires emerged from the forest, moving in formation. Their leader was a broad-shouldered man wearing black armor, and his aura was unmistakably that of a King Realm expert.

The man raised his hand.

"Spread out! The detection formation has confirmed that the intruder is nearby."

Ronan remained motionless.

He could fight them.

That wasn’t the problem.

The problem was the number of auras approaching from different directions.

The city had mobilized far more quickly than he had expected.

If he engaged the first group, others would arrive before he finished fighting.

And if the alarm continued ringing, Varkos himself might soon become involved.

Ronan clicked his tongue.

He had no intention of dying over a city he had only begun investigating.

He shifted his attention toward the forest and prepared to escape through a narrow passage between the rocks.

Unfortunately, a vampire standing on a nearby ridge suddenly turned toward him.

"Found him!"

The shout echoed through the forest.

Ronan’s concealment had been compromised.

The surrounding vampires immediately surged toward his position.

"An Ghoul Lord!"

"Capture him!"

"Don’t let him escape!"

Ronan sighed.

"So much for being discreet."

He stepped forward.

The first vampire reached him with a spear thrust aimed at his chest.

Ronan caught the shaft, pulled the man forward, and drove his fist into his face.

The vampire flew backward.

Before the others could react, Ronan released a crushing wave of aura.

Several vampires stumbled.

He seized the opportunity to break through their formation, moving with terrifying speed.

Wind Step carried him past the first line of attackers. His fist struck one vampire in the stomach, while a kick sent another crashing into a tree.

A third attempted to block his path.

Ronan twisted around the attack and slammed his elbow into the vampire’s neck.

The man collapsed.

Within seconds, Ronan had opened a path through the surrounding enemies.

He didn’t stop to finish them.

His priority was escape.

However, just as he reached the edge of the forest, a terrifying pressure descended from above.

Ronan’s body stiffened.

He looked up.

A figure floated in the crimson sky above Bloodfall City.

Black and crimson robes fluttered around his body, and his long dark hair moved gently in the wind.

Varkos.

The Vampire Lord looked down at the forest with cold crimson eyes.

"A Ghoul Lord dares to infiltrate my territory?"

His voice wasn’t particularly loud, yet it spread across the entire area.

The pursuing vampires immediately stopped.

Some dropped to one knee.

Others lowered their heads.

Ronan’s expression became serious.

The difference in their auras was unmistakable.

Varkos was a Peak King Realm expert.

Even if Ronan possessed an exceptional physique and numerous traits, he couldn’t afford to underestimate such an opponent.

Varkos studied the surrounding forest.

Then his gaze settled on Ronan.

For a moment, the Vampire Lord remained silent.

Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.

"That mark..."

Ronan’s heart sank slightly.

Varkos’s expression changed.

"A Run away slave."

The moment those words escaped his mouth, the surrounding vampires erupted into an uproar.

"A runaway slave?"

"That Ghoul Lord?"

"The one who killed his vampire master?"

Their expressions transformed.

Some looked furious.

Others appeared shocked.

A few even took several steps backward.

Ronan understood immediately.

His identity wasn’t merely recognized by a handful of vampires near the Abyss border.

It was a title branded to all ghouls that killed their master to gain freedom and judging by the reactions of the surrounding vampires, this wasn’t particularly favorable.

Varkos raised one hand.

The commotion ceased immediately.

"So, the rumors were true."

He examined Ronan from head to toe.

"A hybrid capable of killing powerful vampires. An undead who possesses a bloodline that should never have existed."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"And now, you’ve come to my city."

Ronan didn’t respond.

He was already calculating his chances of escaping.

The barrier surrounding Bloodfall City remained active, and the search parties had converged on his location. Varkos was floating overhead, while powerful vampires surrounded the forest.

Even if Ronan could defeat the nearby soldiers, escaping the territory would be difficult.

And if he fought Varkos directly, the outcome was far from certain.

Varkos lowered himself toward the ground.

"Tell me, Ghoul Lord. What brings you to Bloodfall City?"

Ronan smiled faintly.

"Tourism."

Silence fell over the forest.

One of the nearby vampires stared at him as though he had lost his mind.

Varkos, however, merely chuckled.

"Tourism?."

His smile faded.

"Unfortunately, I don’t permit unidentified undead to wander around my territory."

He raised his hand.

The crimson barrier surrounding the city pulsed.

At the same moment, several enormous chains of red energy erupted from the ground around Ronan.

His eyes widened.

He immediately used Wind Step, attempting to escape the encirclement.

But the chains moved faster.

One wrapped around his ankle.

Another coiled around his wrist.

A third shot toward his torso.

Ronan’s muscles bulged as he attempted to tear them apart, but the chains only tightened.

Their energy seeped into his body, interfering with his ability to gather strength.

’What the hell is this?’

He activated Extreme Density and attempted to crush the chains through sheer physical force.

They trembled but they didn’t break.

Varkos watched with interest.

"The Blood Prison Formation. Designed specifically to restrain powerful intruders."

He approached Ronan.

"Your physical strength is impressive. Most Sovereigns would have been immobilized instantly."

Ronan’s eyes narrowed.

’Formation-assisted restraints...’

That explained why the chains were so difficult to break.

They weren’t ordinary weapons as they were connected to the enormous defensive formation surrounding Bloodfall City.

Destroying them might require him to overcome the energy of the entire formation and he wasn’t confident he could do that.

Varkos stopped a few meters away.

"Take him to the castle."

The surrounding vampires immediately moved forward.

Ronan’s expression remained calm, but his mind was racing.

He had come to Bloodfall City hoping to capture its ruler and obtain information about Selvara.

Now, he had been discovered, his identity had been exposed, and he was being taken prisoner.

The irony wasn’t lost on him.

’Wonderful.’

He looked toward Varkos.

’I’ve finally found a city worth exploring, and the first thing I do is get myself captured.’

The Vampire Lord smiled faintly.

"Don’t worry, Ghoul Lord. I have many questions for you."

Ronan’s expression darkened.

He had a terrible feeling that Varkos wasn’t planning to let him leave anytime soon.