Chapter Fifty-Nine: The Judgment Arrives

After the Sixth Judgement Sage departed, I remained quietly alone in my room, turning his words over in my mind. "Will I turn to dust beneath the sunlight? Is this my fate?" I murmured, questioning myself softly.

At that moment, I sensed several powerful auras of darkness appearing within the city. They were brazen, without the slightest restraint, as if to announce their arrival to all—not to all, perhaps, but to me specifically.

"Your Highness!" "Lilith!" Ang and Lilir sensed them as well, and hurried anxiously into my room.

"Six auras? Nearly half of the Thirteen Judgements have come at once. They must think quite highly of me. I wonder if the legendary First Judgement has deigned to visit as well?" I said coolly, my eyes grave as I felt their power.

"Your Highness, should we withdraw for now? To face six Judgements at once is beyond our current strength. And this time, high-ranking Judgements are certain to be among them; even a one-on-one encounter would demand the utmost caution. The situation is not in our favor," Ang advised me.

"No. We will meet them head-on." Gazing out at the profound night sky beyond the window, I murmured, "What a fine night—a fitting day for death."

"Lilith?" Lilir called out in alarm at my words.

"Don't worry. I haven't developed a death wish, and I will not simply perish here. Six Judgements, is it? If they wish to take my life, they should at least double that number. Among these auras, none possess a power that truly oppresses me; it seems the First and Second Judgements have yet to arrive. If they expect me to run from just these, they truly underestimate me." I narrowed my eyes, sensing the six powers rapidly approaching. "Ang, let us go. Let us see where their confidence comes from, to dare provoke my authority." With that order, I unfurled the dark-gold wings on my back and flew out the window into the night.

"Yes, Your Highness. I shall stand by you always," Ang replied with reverence, following close behind me.

"Lilir, you will remain here. Your strength is not enough to face them, and I cannot be distracted by having to protect you." As my figure faded into the distance, I left these words to Lilir, who was about to give chase.

Hearing my words, Lilir froze, remaining in the room. "So I've always been so weak in your eyes, Lilith?" she murmured, biting her lip, her eyes lost as she stared toward the night where Ang and I had disappeared.

"Her Highness speaks the truth. Even if you went, you could do nothing to help—only distract Princess Liliana. Her power still lags behind by a whole level; against a high-ranking Judgement, she would stand no chance," Ashus said, unable to hide his sympathy as he watched Lilir's pain. "Besides, I don't believe Princess Liliana dislikes you, or doesn't want you by her side. She is only worried for your safety. I think she is simply not good at expressing her feelings—just as you once were, Lady Lilir."

"Then what am I to do? Am I to simply watch Lilith walk into danger, powerless to do anything?" Lilir cried in anguish at Ashus's words.

"For now, all we can do is pray for Princess Liliana. This is no longer a conflict in which we can intervene," Ashus replied.

"Lilith will be fine. She is so strong—she will return safely," Lilir whispered, clasping her hands over her heart and praying as she gazed into the night.

On the way to confront the Judgements, Ang said, "Your Highness, without Lady Lilir, our ability to fight back against six Judgements is nearly nonexistent."

"It doesn't matter. Even if Lilir joined us, it would not change the course of the battle. If anything, I would be forced to split my attention to protect her, weakening us further," I replied calmly.

"They wouldn't dare harm Lady Lilir. The wrath of the Prince and the Thirteen Clans is not something they could bear. If she were here, she could at least hold one of the Judgements at bay," Ang said helplessly.

"Enough, Ang. I've made my decision. Rather than waste time on this, consider instead how we are to face our enemies," I said firmly.

"Understood, Your Highness," Ang replied, sighing softly before fixing his gaze upon the ever-nearing powerful auras. "So war begins. Let's see which of us becomes the prey—it's been a long time since I fought with my full strength," he murmured.

In the Blood Hunter Guild, many high-ranking hunters gathered in the conference room. The Elder in white robes sat at the head, silently surveying the hunters seated to either side, his eyes grave.

"You must all have sensed it," the Elder finally spoke. "A formidable darkness is descending upon this city. The Blood Clan has broken our accord, brazenly intruding into the human world. This is inexcusable." His voice rose sharply.

Upon hearing the Elder's words, one of the optimists voiced his opinion. "So what should we do? With our current strength, we cannot hope to oppose the Blood Clan. Our guild has survived only because our mission has never conflicted directly with theirs; the Blood Clan has never had cause to become our enemy. If we declare war on them now, then..." He trailed off, for if the Blood Clan truly set out to eradicate the guild, the outcome was all too clear.

The room buzzed with whispers at his words.

"Silence!" The Elder quelled the commotion. "We need not confront the Blood Clan directly. It seems a powerful vampire has emerged, one that threatens the Blood Clan itself. I suspect the Blood Clan will not risk war with us now," he said evenly.

"You mean, to oppose the Blood Clan, we are to abandon our mission of hunting vampires? Would that not be tantamount to cooperating with them?" one of the hunters objected.

"Hmph. Whether vampire or Blood Clan, they are enemies of humanity. No matter how faithfully the Blood Clan has observed our agreement, they have always harmed humanity—often more grievously than the vampires. For the sake of our future, we must endure necessary compromises," the Elder stated. "We are not forsaking our mission, merely waiting for the vampires and the Blood Clan to destroy one another, so that we may profit as the fisherman who waits for the fighting to end."

"But—" the hunter began to protest.

"Enough. This is the decision of the Council. Our duty is to carry it out." The Elder cut him off sharply.

"Yes, sir." There were clearly dissenters among the hunters, but the Council's orders could not be defied.

"That is all. Prepare yourselves. A difficult battle lies ahead, but the Council will send reinforcements—do not worry about our strength. Dismissed." With that, the Elder strode swiftly from the room.

"Is this truly the right decision? Can that vampire alone threaten the Blood Clan's supremacy? Never mind that terrifying Prince—as for the Thirteen Clans, each one is a wily old fox. Can a lone vampire really stir up such a storm? I only hope the Council's orders this time do not drag the guild into the abyss," the optimist sighed as he watched the Elder's retreating figure.

"Should I tell Xingyu about this?" he mused to himself. "No, even if I told him now, it would only cause him needless worry. When the time comes, he will have no choice but to make his decision. The Blood Clan princess truly has deep feelings for him..." With a sigh, he left the hall.