Chapter 424: Battle of the Winter Palace

In the hall, the ghosts focused their gazes on Halevi of the Blood Dragon family. This one was once a noble Questing Knight, chosen and personally turned by the Blood Dragon progenitor Aibolashi, following that legendary powerhouse through thousands of miles of battle.

Aibolashi is the strongest among all the progenitors, and the only one to have stepped into the realm of a Demigod—it is a pure martial arts Demigod, without a shred of blood, undead, or darkness-related Authority. Becoming a Vampire provided it only with the endless lifespan sufficient to hone its martial skills to the pinnacle.

"Hmph! With our great army, a mere Kelage should be unable to do anything to the Winter Palace; no matter how strong a Demigod is, they cannot fight a thousand alone. But Sinuoli and Agelimu are also renowned powerhouses; it is hard to say if the three join forces."

The Blood Dragon Vampire turned its long-unused brain and spoke a relatively tactful statement. It firmly believed its own progenitor was stronger than that old Dwarf, but Aibolashi had not had the chance to display its full strength during the expedition.

"Hehehe, other than that, not to mention anything else, just with those few Wight Kings there, as long as A, Agelimu dares to come, he will be able to, to communicate the experience of dying in battle with his old man in the underworld!"

The Strigoi family Vampire, who had not spoken much before, burst into wild laughter. It could no longer be seen as having a human form, looking more like an oversized Ghoul. This family focuses most on physical strength.

There are many reasons why this group of elite Vampires from different families chose to start their business in Kislev, but the most critical point is the massive, high-quality corpses left over from the Great Holy War.

The Chaos Warrior small army under Asawa-Kuer received the blessing of massive divine power from the Dark Gods; even the ordinary warriors who did not mutate into more and stronger limbs had physical strength far exceeding that of mortals.

The Order side, following Magnus on his thousand-mile relief mission, were likewise elites. Their corpses were not to be mentioned in the same breath as the bones of Bretonnian peasants or the Empire's toiling masses, who were malnourished in life and shattered at a touch after death!

The final decisive battle was a pyrrhic victory. Neither side had the energy to meticulously clean the battlefield; being able to keep their own people from being exposed in the wilderness was the limit. The stronger the corpse was in life, the greater the consumption to summon and maintain it; naturally, its strength matched these factors.

"Warriors of Kislev! Liberating Motherland is today! Annihilate these filthy undead creatures!"

The team Sinuolimier brought was indeed, as he said, all elites. Relying on their sharp spirit, they fought the undead, who far outnumbered them, to a standstill. Seeing this, the Nikulachi Vampire let out a strange laugh and waved its hand to drive a squad of Trolls to squeeze forward.

"Do you think if they don't flee, they will come out to fight, or rely on that palace to hold firm?"

Kelage pointed at the small group of high-ranking Vampires watching the battle on the city tower with a Rune totem. Boris expressed his worries to his master through the resonance between the Runes. Master Kelage also felt deeply the same; ascending to godhood is not a permanent solution. Once faith drops sharply, one may also step into the Twilight; the Dwarfs do not even need to look for examples elsewhere.

"What is going on? Why can't my axe cut it?"

The continuous loss of high-hoped elites made the Vampires' already pale complexions even uglier. However, they were not in a hurry; having occupied Kislev for so many years, the situation of the Boyars and sects in various places had long been figured out. The real threat was still those Dwarfs who had not made a move. "Those mudbloods cannot possibly fight to the death for the Russians; they and the baldies of the Empire are good brothers. As long as we can repel this wave, if they are unwilling to give up, they will have to mobilize a large army from Karak-Kadrin again. By the time they arrive on their short legs, we will have already moved away with our army."

"The Great Bear has awakened from hibernation!"

Sir Jiafeierde stroked his rough chin. He recalled the infighting among the fifth-generation Vampires after his family progenitor Fulade died in battle during the first Vampire War because his blood ring, which allowed for infinite resurrection, was stolen. If he had a choice, he would not want to return to Silvania.

"Ugh!"

"Annihilate? How is that possible? And, why would one need to?"

In close-quarters combat, the Kislevites soon realized something was wrong. The undead army in front of them was not cannon fodder that would collapse at a touch. Most of them had residual armor protecting them, and under the control of the Blood Thralls, the formation only sank slightly to neutralize the momentum of the charge.

"Hehe, putting up a desperate struggle! That Bear God Ursun can barely protect himself, how much divine power can he still bestow upon you?"

"Awoo!"

Those Trolls eroded by Chaos were even taller. Carrying the clubs they brought from life, even the armored elites could not withstand their swings. Seeing the situation was not good, Fulaji straightened his True Ice blade and, with a roar, took the initiative to meet them.

Katarin's brows kept knitting and relaxing. She finally looked at the most resourceful member of the Fengkasitain family.

"Master, you..."

【Empty line】

The maid whispered in Katarin's ear. Yes, Niefuruita, the first Vampire in history, was entrenched in the Silver Pinnacle at the eastern foot of the World's Edge Mountains, north of Karak-Kadrin.

"Jiafeierde, what do you think?"

Looking at the massive number of undead creatures outside the luxurious palace, Sinuolimier felt his heart tremble, but the majestic aura of the three Dwarfs behind him and the tangible military soul of their personal guards allowed him to barely steady his mind.

"My Lady, if Slayer Keep really sends a large army, why don't we leak the news to that one at the Silver Pinnacle? What happens then is not necessarily certain!"

Peiqiongzhong had an excellent anti-undead track record; Master Kelage and Agam were both willing to listen to his suggestions.

On the way here, perhaps unable to hear the subtext of the Dwarfs, or perhaps because he was young and vigorous and not as tactful as his father, Fulaji-Bokha spoke rudely, which made the King of the Southlands put a big question mark on the sustainability of the profits.

Accompanied by Fulaji's roar, a phantom of a giant bear pounced onto him and merged into his body, making his already sturdy frame a size larger. He swung his polearm with one hand and cleaved a Troll in two from head to toe.

Although that was only a small fortress, and Vampires did not like the taste of Dwarf blood, that place, also called Kalake-Bulin or the Wunv Wanggongdian, had always been a popular destination for Slayers and Questing Knights.

"Prepare the army, get the Terrorgheist and that thing ready. Once the situation is not right, we leave immediately!" The Tsaritsa, who could be elected as the leader, also had decisiveness. She stood up and flashed out of the hall.

"I am more inclined to march out of the city and form a line. The undead creatures have poor accuracy at range, and that palace was not built entirely as a war fortress. As long as we charge in, they cannot exert their numerical advantage!"

"No rush, wait a little longer, they are still watching!"

Peiqiongzhong stroked his beard and thought to himself: when Sinuolimier, as a proud father, revealed that Fulaji had been favored by Ursun, Boris also had a few brief conversations with that young warrior.