Chapter 210: Absolute Mayhem
[Music recommendation: Ivan Torrent - Dandelion (Tribute to a Legend)]
When their gaze dropped below to the guards stationed around the wing with sceptres gleaming in their hands, forming an unbroken ring of defence.
Alex and Caleb exchanged an understanding glance. They both knew that whatever their princess had planned was dangerous beyond measure, and chaos was almost certain to erupt before dawn. Yet none of that changed the mission before them.
They were here to rescue their prince.
With the darkness consuming him, no one could predict how Ivan would react if they reached him too late or worse, if he mistook them for enemies. But Alex knew one thing with absolute certainty: once the princess found a way to save His Highness, she would need a direct and unobstructed path to reach him.
Right now, the guards below would make that impossible.
Alex pressed a fist over his heart, then raised it high to the night sky, "For our prince!"
The wind answered like a living force, surging with a sudden, furious shift, as if the very air acknowledged the vow. The elite knights surrounding him mirrored the motion in perfect unison, voices ringing out, "For our prince!"
Their loyalty echoed through the night, but before a single step could be taken, a thunderous blast shook the atmosphere.
Every head snapped upward at once.
Their eyes widened as a violent tornado of darkness erupted from the royal chamber, tearing the roof apart and shattering the four walls that had confined Ivan like a cage. The stone crumbled, and the debris scattered like ashes in a storm.
The explosion didn’t just alert them; it sent the entire royal guard into panic, weapons drawn, shouts rising across the grounds.
Caleb gasped in horror, "By the gods...what is that?!" He turned to Alex in panic, "Commander Alex! Isn’t that where His Highness was?!"
Alex’s eyes were just as wide, fear crawling up his spine as he spotted a lone figure levitating at the eye of the storm....their prince. He would recognise Ivan anywhere. Even through the chaos, even through the darkness that devoured the surroundings, that silhouette was unmistakable!
He narrowed his crimson gaze, straining to see more, and his breath caught when he noticed it, a golden light creeping up Ivan’s shoulder, fighting the shadows for dominance.
He tore his gaze away, turning to the royal guards rushing toward the epicentre, and shouted in a commanding voice, "Protect the prince!"
Their black cloaks billowed like wings against the wind as they surged forward.
"Intruders!" a guard bellowed, as the shadowed figures descended, and in the next moment, absolute mayhem broke through.
Steels were drawn, and magic cracked through the air.
The Ignis Blades, in a single, fluid motion, collided with the royal guard line like a storm made flesh. Spells burst from sceptres in blinding arcs of power, but the elites tore through the barrage with relentless precision.
Within minutes, the corridor became a battleground. The once-pristine floor stained with violence, the air filled with the smell of blood, the sound of steel and shouts.
.....
Back where Evelyn stood cornered, the guards charged at her with brutal force. She had nowhere left to run, her body was exhausted and unable to summon even the smallest amount of magic.
She staggered backwards on slow, blood-slicked steps, her heart pounding against her ribs. For a moment, a cold thought pierced through her panic:
Was this the end?
"Get her!" the guards roared, raising their sceptres in unison.
A blast of concentrated magic erupted from their tips, streaking through the air, aimed directly at Evelyn.
In defence, she raised her arms to shield her face, bracing for the impact. Wind suddenly whipped past her from both sides, strong enough to raise goosebumps along her skin. She waited with her heart in her throat, expecting pain to tear through her.
But seconds passed.
Nothing hit her.
Slowly, she lowered her arms, and her blue eyes fluttered open, only to widen in disbelief at the sight before her.
Tall, broad figures stood like unmovable shields between her and the attack.
Edward’s pale blue magic crackled around them, forming a powerful barrier that shimmered like glass. His eyes and entire body glowed with pure pale blue light as he held the defence. The spell had struck the shield, but not a single was able to penetrate through.
Beside him, Damien cast a cold glance over his shoulder, dark crimson eyes narrowing. He clicked his tongue in displeasure, "Didn’t I tell you to keep the bugs away?"
His gaze drifted to her torn state, and his voice dropped into something low and lethal, "Judging by your condition....they tried to bite you."
His eyes flared bright red, promising destruction should she say yes. "Did they?"
And even in such a dire situation, a smile broke through her lips, "They tried, but failed."
"But it seems like you’re struggling right now, so this brother will lend you a hand. How about that, Evelyn?" Damien’s words were playful, yet to Evelyn they were overwhelmingly reassuring, and she could only thank the gods for their arrival.
The guards hurled another wave of stronger spells toward them, forcing Edward to step back slightly under the impact.
"These pricks!" he sneered through his teeth."They dared to harm the princess of our land! I’ll make every one of them pay for it!"
Damien and Evelyn shifted their focus back to the growing number of guards, some now abandoning magic and charging forward with swords drawn. Evelyn quickly moved closer to them, urgency sharp in her voice. "I need to get to the Vault, now! I have the key with me. I was almost there, but they blocked my path!"
"Say no more, Evelyn," Damien drawled as he cracked his neck, "After all, I need to pay them back for the hospitality they’ve shown us until now!"
Edward nodded firmly, "I’ll cover you both with my shield to block the magical attacks. Lord Damien, carry Evelyn to her destination. I’ll keep them occupied until then."
"No! There are too many! How will you manage?" Evelyn protested, worry spilling into her voice.
But Damien didn’t wait for approval. In one swift motion, he turned and swept Evelyn off her feet, drawing a sharp gasp from her as she clung to his shoulders.
"Don’t worry, sister." He flashed her a grin, eyes gleaming, "This brother of yours is fast. Just hold on tight."
"Wait! What are yo-" But her words cut off as Edward turned, eyes glowing a brilliant pale blue. Raising one hand to cover them with a shield, and with a sweeping motion from the other hand, he sent a blast of pale blue energy crashing into the front line of guards, hurling half of them several feet back.
"Now!" he roared.
"Hold on tight!" Damien flashed her a wicked grin, and in the next breath, with impossible speed, he launched forward.
"Block them! Raise your shields!" one of the guards barked in panic.
Just as Damien closed in, another line of soldiers raised their shields to block their path. Damien only muttered, "Pesky humans."
Then he leapt into the air, and Evelyn’s breath got caught in her throat. The world dropped away beneath her, with wind whipping past with terrifying speed. She squeezed her eyes shut, clutching onto him tighter as they cut through the air like an arrow loosed from a bow.
The guards’ eyes widened as the vampire soared over them, and they hurried to raise their sceptres again, but Damien dodged each strike effortlessly.
Just as his feet were about to hit the ground in the midst of the swarming guards, he shifted Evelyn like a weightless doll over his shoulder, making her squeak.
"Sorry to treat you like a sack of potatoes, but I think I’ll have to fight through them," he said quickly.
The moment his boots touched the earth, he drew the sword at his waist in one smooth motion. With a single, powerful arc, he slashed forward with such force that it split their shields down the middle, and with them, the soldiers behind.
Painful screams tore from their throats, followed by a spray of blood. Evelyn squeezed her eyes shut, as she knew what price had to be paid for her to reach her goal, but the sound alone was enough to twist her stomach.
Damien tore through the guards with impossible speed, cutting down everything in his path like a machine built for killing. Any soldier who dared to get near Evelyn found no mercy. Damien struck them down before their blades ever reached her. He guarded her fiercely, like a dragon shielding its most precious gold.
Edward was not far behind. Like Damien, he fought with lethal skill, slicing through their ranks while blasting back waves of attackers with bursts of pale-blue magic.
Damien, spotting an opening, surged forward with blistering speed and soon reached the courtyard Cece had told him about. The guards stationed there were already prepared, weapons raised, ready to defend the Vault at all costs.
But what they did not yet understand was this, that they were not facing mere intruders.
They were facing Damien, a pure-blooded vampire, the mad wolf of the battlefield.
