Building A Human Empire By Creating A Clan [EN]: Chapter 62

Return to Ashes

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The battle in the reception room was fierce.

Immediately after Edar left, both sides unleashed their full power.

Emperor Vlad, along with three of his Blood Kin, attacked Calliope, while five Blood Kin clung to Pasimea, engaging in a chaotic battle.

The palace shook as if it were about to collapse, trembling repeatedly.

Wherever Calliope’s blade passed, things were cut; wherever Vlad’s hand reached, things were destroyed; and wherever Pasimea’s magic exploded, large holes were created.

The palace reached its limit, and the walls and ceilings began to crumble.

Dust fell like pouring rain, making it difficult to see even an inch ahead in the reception room.

“Do you think you can cut me again, you wretch!”

Yet, neither the Familiars, Vlad, nor the Blood Kin cared.

Dust could not obscure their vision, and the risk of the building collapsing could not diminish their fighting spirit.

“Die!”

Vlad repeatedly changed his body into mist and back again, dodging Calliope’s attacks and driving her back.

Calliope, under Vlad’s assault, retreated step by step.

“How long are you going to keep running away!”

Vlad roared, waving his hand.

Clearly, Calliope was stronger than Vlad.

However, Vlad was not alone.

“Here!”

Whenever Calliope tried to launch an offensive, the Blood Kin intervened.

Each Blood Kin was an easy opponent for Calliope, but the three Blood Kin worked together seamlessly, restraining her.

When she tried to catch them, Vlad would interfere.

Clang!

Calliope deflected the three Blood Kin’s coordinated attack and took a step back.

A finger-sized hole had been pierced in her shoulder armor.

Blood seeped out from between her gauntlets.

She had been wounded in the shoulder.

“······.”

Vlad looked into Calliope’s eyes.

The deep blue eyes were simply clear and calm.

Her breathing was as even as when they first exchanged blows.

Her face, without a single drop of sweat, was expressionless.

Who would think she was injured?

She merely stood there in contemplation, looking at the four vampires.

“You monstrous bitch…”

Her calm demeanor made Vlad impatient.

He was fighting the decisive battle emotionally, but reason remained in his mind.

Reason repeatedly screamed that he must not waste time like this.

“I will kill you and cut off your head to show the humans—”

At that moment, the pain of being torn apart struck him.

It was the second time he had felt that pain today.

The pain that came when he lost a Blood Kin who shared his blood.

But that pain was twice as great as when he lost one.

Vlad’s eyes widened as he looked outside the reception room.

“Josef? Leni?”

He called out the names of the Blood Kin who were not present.

All the Blood Kin stopped their actions and followed Vlad’s gaze.

Edar slowly appeared through the collapsed wall.

He brushed the dust off his body with the back of his hand and put a cigarette in his mouth.

“Now eight left.”

Eight.

Vlad realized that the number referred to the Blood Kin.

Vlad gritted his teeth at the statement that he would kill all his children.

The sound of his teeth grinding was drowned out by the intense vibrations as the palace collapsed.

The Blood Kin, watching Vlad’s expression, hesitated and retreated to his side, while Calliope and Pasimea also stood beside Edar.

“Why is someone so strong getting beaten up like this?”

Griff chuckled, teasing Pasimea.

The battered Pasimea frowned.

“Shut up. I’m not built for fighting.”

Her clothes were torn or burned, her exposed skin was cut and stabbed, and blood flowed from all over her body.

She, like Calliope, was stronger than each individual Blood Kin.

However, she could not overwhelm the coordination of five Blood Kin.

In the first place, she was not a Familiar specialized in combat.

“Still, I crippled all those bastards, so deal with it.”

She took a deep breath and leaned on Edar’s shoulder.

Even though she was a Familiar who didn’t tire easily, it was quite an intense battle.

Edar grabbed her shoulder and supported her.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“…Next time, do it moderately.”

As she said, the condition of the Blood Kin she faced was the worst.

Their limbs were melting or torn, and they were barely clinging to life with severe injuries.

“Oh, I could catch them at that level.”

His tone was light, but Griff’s eyes were serious.

He narrowed his eyes and glared at the Blood Kin and their master.

He couldn’t bear to see his siblings die and get hurt before his eyes.

“Mosquito bastards, I’ll chew you all up.”

Gehard stepped forward.

Following him, the Familiars entered the reception room one by one.

The walls, except for the outer walls, had completely collapsed, making it as wide as a hall.

“Kuh…”

Conrad, the empire’s chancellor and a Blood Kin, frowned deeply.

He had lost three of his siblings, and his anger was boiling.

But at the same time, he was also worried.

The Familiars were too numerous, and the Blood Kin were too few.

Moreover, half of the remaining Blood Kin were seriously injured.

‘The only ones who are unharmed are me, Schuteiba, and Hamel. Just the three who helped Father.’

The levels of each of them were 84, 81, and 82.

They were fundamentally high-level and had good coordination.

Also, they were able to avoid injury by not directly attacking Calliope but helping Vlad and restraining her.

But could they defeat over a hundred Familiars with them?

Calliope and Pasimea were among them?

Impossible, Conrad was sure.

‘Continuing the fight like this is suicide.’

Conrad broke the outer wall.

The plaza in front of the palace was revealed as the wall collapsed.

“Father.”

Vlad, who was glaring at Edar with simmering anger.

He turned his head, full of anger, at his son’s call.

Conrad looked straight into his father’s blazing eyes and said.

“Now is not the time. Retreat for now, and when the time comes… when the time comes, we must return.”

“······.”

Vlad clenched his fists tightly and trembled.

The words, ‘I can’t go below the neck,’ came up.

But reality was harsh.

The Blood Kin had already lost three.

How many more would they lose if they continued fighting?

And would Vlad himself be safe?

Reason answered, no.

“…Retreat, we will.”

He forced himself to suppress his anger and spoke haltingly.

Then he turned and jumped down below the collapsed wall.

“Y-Your Excellency!”

Count Hugo hurriedly chased after the Blood Kin.

The Familiars followed behind.

“Cowards!”

Gehard roared and threw his spear.

At the same time, Griff reached out his hand, gathering magic.

The Blood Kin who was lagging behind was momentarily restrained by the magic.

It was the Blood Kin who had suffered severe injuries from Pasimea.

The Blood Kin resisted the magic binding his body and deflected the spear.

But he didn’t notice the dagger that was subsequently fired.

“Kuh, ugh!”

The Blood Kin collapsed, groaning.

“The mosquito seems to be drugged.”

“Pasimea put some drugs in it.”

Nuaidel, the Old Man of the Mountain, joked with Griff and approached the Blood Kin.

The Blood Kin hesitated to save their fallen brother.

However, Conrad stopped them, comforting his brothers.

“Are you abandoning your brother! You don’t deserve the name of Blood Kin!”

Gehard stepped on the head of the fallen Blood Kin and stabbed his spear again.

The Blood Kin waved his arms to resist, but it was useless.

He already had nothing below his left shoulder.

Even his remaining hand had its fingers cut off, so it wasn’t even a threat.

Gehard sneered and twisted the spear he had stabbed into his heart.

“Keuh!”

Fasusususu—

Blood gushed from his heart, and his body turned white around it.

His flesh and blood turned into white crystals and decomposed.

“That makes three.”

Gehard glared at Vlad’s retreating back.

“Ugh, ugh…!”

Vlad gritted his teeth and swallowed his words.

It was the third pain and the fourth death of the day.

He had never lost so many Blood Kin in a single day in his life.

His face was filled with humiliation and anger.

“Edar, Edar! I will never forgive you!”

The bloody battle between the Blood Kin fleeing from the plaza and the Familiars chasing after them continued.

“Do you think you can escape safely!”

“You humans!”

The Blood Kin killed and destroyed everything that blocked their path.

They had no room to spare, so they poured out their magic as they pleased.

The magic unleashed without restraint in the city center was a disaster.

A massive storm of magic arose in the middle of the city.

“Aaaaaaaagh!”

“S-S-Save me!”

The storm of magic resembled a whirlwind.

But magic was more terrifying than wind.

Wind lifts people up, but magic grinds them.

It decomposed and swallowed people into tiny particles that could no longer be broken down.

The particles that escaped the whirlwind fell from the sky like snow.

“It’s Horbid’s punishment!”

“Faith! We lack faith!”

“Offer sacrifices!”

In the chaotic city center, those in despair called out the name of a false god.

The god who was not a god, of course, did not answer them.

The only thing that answered was death.

“The time has come!”

As the historic city, which had never not been the capital since Wallachia was founded, met its end, those who had been holding their breath rose up.

“Vlad has come to this land!”

They were the servants of the Blood Kin.

The servants that Agaton had spread in Sodomora.

They were causing violent tyranny at Hugo’s command.

As planned in advance, they attacked nobles who were not related to the Blood Kin, destroyed major facilities in Sodomora, and increased the chaos.

They had been momentarily stalled by the resistance of humans who were not servants, but at the news that Vlad had arrived in the city, they did their best to turn the city into hell.

“The corpses… the corpses are moving!”

“Horbid!”

The servants cried out Vlad’s name with a madness more insane than any fanatic.

They destroyed everything in sight.

The sun was setting, casting a glow, so the city looked as if it were burning entirely, coupled with the flames rising everywhere.

“······.”

Yet, Vlad and the Blood Kin could not shake off the pursuit.

When they arrived at the south gate, the gate was firmly closed.

Calliope looked down at them from the walls of the closed gate.

“How?”

Behind them, Edar arrived, leading the Familiars.

“Edar…”

“Was the hope of escaping alive sweet?”

Edar smiled.

The Familiars surrounded Vlad and the Blood Kin.

The Blood Kin formed a circle around their father, blocking them.

However, a look close to despair appeared on the faces of the Blood Kin.

They had read the infinite fighting spirit in the faces of the wounded Familiars.

They sensed that they could not survive without killing them all.

“Kill them. The race that abandoned their own kind and degenerated into parasites.”