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墨書 Inktalez
Mi Xiaonan asked from the side, "What do you think?" Although the Big Guy had been knocked away, his attack power was not particularly high due to his specialization in enhancement. However, his thick skin left a deep impression on Mi Xiaonan. She judged that her chances of defeating the Big Guy alone were low, but the possibility of him killing her was nonexistent.
"I don't know," Cui Ming replied. "We don't know much about these two, but Jayce said Vlad is very strong, possessing the toughness of an enhancer and the attack power of the Magic System. Blood Magic is incredibly powerful."
The two began. Vlad made the first move, running toward Lank at a graceful but not particularly fast pace. Lank raised his gun and aimed at Vlad. As soon as Vlad entered a forty-meter range, Lank fired. The bullet struck Vlad's body, tearing away a piece of his Force, which splattered into blood on the surface of the sea. Yet Vlad continued to advance; raising one hand, a stream of blood shot from his palm toward Lank. Lank dodged, but the blood whipped like a lash, wrapping around Lank's Force. With a tug, the blood pulled a portion of Lank's Force back into Vlad's body.
Lank fired again; Vlad absorbed it, then fired again, then absorbed...
After several exchanges, Lank stopped shooting and asked, "Blood Magic?" His attacks had proven ineffective; although each strike caused some injury to Vlad, he could not escape being drained of Force. Each time Vlad absorbed his Force, he healed.
"Yes," Vlad confirmed.
Lank nodded and suddenly accelerated toward Vlad. The Magic System had its weaknesses—poor close combat ability and slow running speed. Indeed, Vlad did not flee but stood his ground. Lank threw out a cluster of explosive barrels and then shot at one of them. He was confident in this tactic; it had great power and coverage. Even a specialized enhancer like the Big Guy would be injured within the barrel cluster.
Suddenly, Vlad vanished. In his place was a twenty-meter diameter area covered in blood above the sea. The barrels exploded, sending waves crashing, yet they did not disturb the harmony of the blood-red expanse. As the waves receded, the blood quickly coalesced together, and Vlad reappeared right in front of Lank.
The battle was elegant and refined; it seemed as if they were engaged in conversation—completely different from the perilous skirmishes Cui Ming had experienced.
Lank warily asked, "What is this?"
"Blood Domain," Vlad replied. "This is my domain; within it, I will not suffer any harm."
Lank remained calm: "Blood Magic is indeed terrifying." Although he was currently unharmed, Lank knew he could not defeat Vlad. Among their trio, only Fishman could contend with him. Despite being known as the Pirate King, Lank understood that he held no advantage in oceanic terrain. This was no different from dueling on land.
The person he wanted to save was already dead. Continuing to fight held little significance.
Vlad belonged to the Magic System but lacked its typical vulnerabilities while possessing its offensive capabilities. This was the strength of Blood Magic. In battles with others, one's Force would deplete more severely with each fight until their body could no longer replenish it; however, for Vlad, each battle invigorated him because he could absorb Force from his opponents for his own use. Of course, there was a conversion process—absorbing Force transformed it into blood; blood then converted back into Force.
"Although Blood Magic is powerful, it can drive one mad."
"I won't," Vlad replied firmly.
Lank responded, "That's because you haven't tasted fresh human blood; deep down you crave that experience yet restrain yourself. As your strength grows stronger, one day you will inevitably cross that line and lose control completely. You will find that what you call plasma is even less palatable than... Come now, join Pirate City; you can savor fresh blood every day. Otherwise, you'll live your life in suffering. Am I right? Those behind you have no idea how you resist temptation as if it were hell itself. A person's life is only once; why not live joyfully and freely? Why confine yourself within a moral shell? We are strong; lions eat other beasts because they have that right. This is the food chain."
Lank pointed at Fishman: "In the polluted waters of the Three Continents, I offered him the purest ocean without demands because I respect strength; strong individuals should possess their own free realm."
Lank looked at Big Guy and said, "Humans hunt even the ocean creatures on the brink of extinction for the sake of enjoying food. These marine beings have never received any gifts from humanity; all they get is pollution and garbage. But humans are the strong ones, and in the law of the jungle, the weak are preyed upon. They slaughter dolphins to make sashimi and hunt sharks for their fins. While humans enforce the law of the jungle, they wear a hypocritical mask, treating it as Dictator's creed. In his territory, he can raise whatever he wants. He nurtures and cares for the last pair of blue dolphins from Eternal Sphere, takes in otters, and shelters marine creatures that have gone extinct in the waters of Leatherback Turtle and Three Continents. Humans spend vast sums to protect animals, providing imperial treatment to Panda, which serves only for viewing pleasure, yet they never show compassion for marine life that does not rely on humans to survive."
Vlad replied, "That sounds a bit like a utopia."
Lank shook his head. "A utopia for the strong; the weak become prey in the jungle."
Vlad remained silent for a long time before saying, "Not now, because I have commitments to others. Once I fulfill this commitment, perhaps I will seek you out. But I do not need the blood of living beings."
Lank nodded and called out, "Let's go."
Vlad added, "By the way, your ship has been destroyed."
Lank's pupils tightened. "Who did it?"
Vlad replied, "Who did it isn't important. You can't take your crew with you; they will surely be arrested. These sailors have followed you for many years; I'm curious how you will handle this."
Lank answered, "A tiger does not eat a fox that brings him news; otherwise, he would be a foolish tiger. I will rescue them."
"Is it out of necessity or emotion?"
"Out of necessity. They should also be grateful because they have earned the right to serve the strong." After Lank finished speaking and saw Vlad nodding, he turned to leave. The Fishman seemed reluctant to part and dove into the water, while Big Guy silently slipped beneath the surface.
Back on the ship, Vlad faced everyone and applauded, saying, "I admire him, but I will first fulfill my commitment."
Cui Ming responded, "I can tell. However, you are indeed impressive."
Vlad smiled back. "Your praise puts pressure on me; you give off a dangerous vibe. Can you tell me what your plans are if I lose? I believe you've thought this through and taken action."
"If you lose, then we take turns stepping up and getting defeated; we should show some respect to Lank. If he leaves, that's fine; if he doesn't, we can overturn our commitments for our lives or for the lives of civilians and unite to fight again." Cui Ming laughed heartily. "Just joking! I think you could at least injure him severely first, then I and Mi Xiaonan, as a golden combination, could launch a surprise attack with my senior brother's support to easily kill him. At that point, his two helpers would be watching from the sidelines; I could hold off Fishman, while Big Guy is slow—by the time he arrives, the battle would already be over."
Vlad frowned. "I don't like your attitude towards breaking commitments."
"I'm sorry; you promised to duel him; I never promised not to ambush or gang up on him," Cui Ming said seriously. "Even if you made a promise to him, I don't think you have the right to speak for us. I've always believed that dueling is just a strategy, never an end goal."
After thinking for a moment, Vlad said, "I apologize; you indeed never made such a promise. At the same time, I'm not noble either; I stepped up because I was confident in winning against him. If my opponent were that Fishman, I wouldn't stand up because I lack confidence in defeating him."
As they spoke, Wei Wei returned, climbing aboard and landing on deck with a wary demeanor. "Will Lank come back for revenge now that he knows I've destroyed his ship?"
Cui Ming replied, "No, because Lank wants to absorb Vlad into Pirate City, and now he needs to show his magnanimity. Thank you, Vlad; your attitude towards joining Pirate City has greatly reduced the possibility of Lank seeking revenge."
Vlad shook his head. "No, I am indeed a bit tempted."
Cui Ming also shook his head. "No, you are just talking nonsense. It seems that the most difficult person to deal with in the Ding Family is not Ding Nuo, but you. If I am not mistaken, your ability to resist comes from your sense of belonging and honor towards the Ding Family. An elegant appearance, a gentleman's demeanor, a strategist's mind, and formidable strength—impressive."
"I will not admit it."
"But you will not deny it either."
"Haha." Vlad laughed heartily and then asked, "I really hope we can become friends."
"I would rather be friends with you." Cui Ming extended his hand.
Vlad smiled and shook hands with Cui Ming.
Initially thinking that Vlad was a rebel from the Ding Family, Cui Ming had observed during their days of travel and conversation that Vlad was not only not a rebel but seemed to be an important figure within the Ding Family. Certainly, due to his vampire nature, he could not take over as the family head, but his status was comparable to Yellen's position in the Ye Family.
What on earth? They couldn't make sense of this Beiyue situation. Their thoughts hadn't shifted yet; how could a vampire who had been wanted by the alliance for half a year suddenly feel like such an important figure? Vlad had been doing well all along. Cui Ming's initial suspicion of Vlad stemmed from how readily he accepted the alliance's proposed tests. This led Cui Ming to question whether Vlad's exposure as a vampire, his acquaintance with Jayce's Sister, his visit to the Ye Family, and participation in the alliance's tests were all prearranged. There were too many reasons for such arrangements; it must be possible for a vampire to appear in public legally. Why couldn't Vlad turn himself in and request testing? That would feel too disgraceful.
Cui Ming had always felt that Ding Nuo resembled a general more than a family head, and now it seemed that Vlad could fill the gaps left by Ding Nuo. The collateral branches of the Ding Family could indeed contend with the Ye Family. It was all a series of schemes—from assassinating the family head to usurping Lineage and promoting leading figures... (To be continued.)
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