Chapter 443: The Twelve Gate Guardians

Alexander gritted his teeth behind his visor of shadows as he watched the containment room’s timer count down.

"I can’t waste more time," whispered Alexander. "I need to get out before their reinforcements arrive."

Without hesitation, he charged toward the spatial barrier.

At that moment, the twelve elite guards executed a maneuver and crossed the threshold of the seal, stepping into the containment zone. Eleven of the operatives extended their hands toward the back of the soldier positioning himself in Alexander’s path, transferring their magic reserves into a stream of mana.

Alexander brought down a slash with his dark scythe, imbued with the physical force of [Lord of the Night].

The lead guard crossed both arms over his chest. A barrier of cobalt-blue energy materialized around him.

The scythe’s impact echoed like iron mountains colliding, unleashing a shockwave that cracked the stone floor beneath them; however, the blue shield absorbed the strike without yielding a millimeter.

The squad leader looked up, locking his eyes onto Alexander’s silhouette.

"We are the Twelve Gate Guardians, monster," said the lead guard. "If you think you can push past us, you’re stupid."

Alexander began launching shadow scythes one after another, unleashing a barrage of dark slashes against the defense. The detonations echoed across the chamber, yet the blue shield held firm. Though the twelve guardians looked out of breath, their muscles strained, they held their ground.

Seeing that brute force wouldn’t breach the formation in time, Alexander activated his skill [Shadow Vampire Summon].

A tide of darkness expanded beneath his feet, and thousands of shadow vampires surged from the gloom, flooding the room. The majority wielded dark mana spears, flying and plunging onto the squad’s defenses.

"We’re screwed!" exclaimed the lead guardian, watching the horde close the encirclement.

Facing the threat, all twelve guardians crossed their arms over their chests, closed their eyes, and dropped to their knees upon the stone floor. Individual blue barriers deployed, cocooning each combatant within a protective dome.

The spear thrusts and strikes from the vampire army rained down upon the shields. The continuous impact rattled their defenses to the limit; the pressure was so crushing that the twelve began bleeding from their eyes, nose, and ears, suffering internal damage from the mana drain, yet they didn’t yield a step.

"They’re a pain," whispered Alexander. "I can’t wipe them out quickly... they’re trying to buy time."

Seeing the twelve guardians immobilized and pinned down by the spears of his shadow vampires, Alexander stepped through the ranks of summoned warriors and approached the squad leader’s barrier.

Alexander coated his right hand in a mass of darkness and pressed it onto the surface of the blue dome.

The gloom of the [Lord of the Night] skill began spreading like oil across the barrier, devouring the magical energy at speed.

Seeing his mana drained, the squad leader’s eyes snapped open as he tried to deactivate the defensive technique. However, he realized it was impossible.

"I can’t cut off the flow!" shrieked the leader, the veins in his neck bulging.

Energy surged out of his body out of control. Due to the mana link they had established at the start of combat, all twelve guardians were being drained. The connection that made them invincible had become their downfall, turning the unit into a mana reservoir for the Lord of the Night.

"He’s devouring us through the link," said the second-in-command, coughing up blood as his skin turned pale.

Alexander exhaled a plume of dark mist as the stolen power replenished his magical channels and reinforced his shadow cuirass.

"Thank you for the meal," whispered Alexander, tightening his grip on the barrier as the blue shield began to crack and lose its luster.

Within seconds, the barrier collapsed, leaving the twelve guardians on their knees, drained on the cold floor, unable to raise a finger.

Alexander walked up to the spatial seal’s pillars and touched the barrier. The mass of darkness coated the structure, devouring the ambient magical energy.

From the monitors inside the command center, the High Commander watched the scene unfold with a pale face and hands trembling over the console. These weren’t ordinary soldiers; they were the Twelve Gate Guardians. Beneath the Great Pillars, they were the strongest combatants in the Federation. Even if one of the Great Pillars sought to eliminate all twelve at once, they would have to exert effort to accomplish it in such a brief span; yet here they were, broken and drained.

"Impossible... he devoured a spatial seal in seconds," said the High Commander, stepping back in shock.

The blue barrier faded until shattering into fragments of light that dissolved into the air.

Freed from containment, Alexander advanced toward the armored blast door and delivered a punch coated in the density of [Lord of the Night]. The impact tore through the steel alloy over fifty centimeters thick, sending the door flying without meeting resistance.

Stepping through the threshold, Alexander entered a dome. The facility was devoid of personnel, but the surrounding walls were lined with thousands of heavy mana cannons pointing at his position.

Inside the command booth, the High Commander clenched his fist, waiting for the creature to make a move into the chamber.

"Step into the center of the dome, monster... take one more step," muttered the High Commander, his finger resting over the master trigger.

However, Alexander was no fool. Halting at the threshold, he pointed into the hall with a single finger.

At his signal, thousands of shadow vampires surged forward in a wave, plunging toward the artillery emplacements. Left with no alternative, the High Commander issued the command to fire, and the cannons opened up, unleashing an inferno of projectiles.

The detonations pulverized hundreds of attackers; however, the shadow vampires exploded into black mist and emerged from Alexander’s shadow over and over, advancing against the chamber’s fortifications.

After a few minutes of continuous bombardment where the explosions destroyed the artillery emplacements one by one, the hall fell into absolute silence.

With the cannons reduced to smoking scrap, Alexander took a step forward and walked calmly into the center of the destroyed dome.