Chapter Ninety-Seven: Farewell to Star Whisper

Outside the northern outskirts of the city, I had come alone, yet there was no sign of White Night.

“White Night? Show yourself!” I could feel his presence nearby and called out coldly.

“Heh, I never thought Princess Lilyanna would truly dare come alone. Your honesty is admirable.” White Night’s voice drifted out of the darkness from some unknown direction, whispering at my ear.

“White Night, come out! I am here, so what kind of coward hides in the shadows? Get out here!” I shouted angrily into the darkness all around me. “Where is Star Voice? Hand Star Voice over, and I will spare your life.”

“Spare my life?” White Night sounded as though he had heard the funniest joke in the world. “Princess Lilyanna, have you been standing so high above everyone for so long that you can no longer see the situation clearly? The initiative is in my hands now. If you do not want to see Star Voice’s corpse, you had better behave and do as I say.” His voice came once more from the darkness.

“White Night, what exactly do you want?” My voice was filled with a bone-deep chill.

“I do not want anything. I am merely kindly giving you a chance to be reunited with Star Voice.” His voice rang out again. “So, Princess Lilyanna, you had better do as I say. Otherwise, what should be a happy reunion will become a tragedy.” His tone was brazen and arrogant.

“Hmph. Say what you want me to do. I will take it all.” The rage in my heart had already erupted, but for Star Voice’s safety, I could only force myself to endure it. I knew White Night would never hand Star Voice over so easily. Star Voice was his shield; as long as Star Voice was in his grasp, he could blackmail me without restraint. I believed that even if I did not appear here, he would not dare do anything to Star Voice, because if anything happened to Star Voice, he would be hunted by me without end. And yet, even knowing that, I still did not dare act rashly, because I could not afford to gamble. Nor did I dare. I did not know whether White Night truly would not harm Star Voice.

“That is better. If Princess Lilyanna had been this reasonable from the start, I would not have been forced to resort to such methods.” Hearing my compliance, White Night said happily, “Then please, Princess Lilyanna, make your way to the eastern outskirts of the city. I shall await your arrival there. Of course, you will also be able to see Star Voice there.” After saying this, White Night’s voice vanished, as if he had already left.

“Hmph. Even with power, you are still nothing but a coward.” After hearing White Night’s words, I let out a scornful snort. A man who did not even dare show his face, one who only lurked and schemed in the dark, could only ever be a useless wretch.

My wings spread wide behind me, and I flew at full speed toward the eastern outskirts of the city.

After I left, White Night’s figure suddenly emerged from the darkness, watching me race toward the east. A cold smile curved at the corners of his mouth.

“Lilyanna, I have prepared a little gift for you there. I hope you will be satisfied.”

With that, his figure sank once more into the darkness and vanished completely.

By then, after an all-out rush, I had already reached the eastern outskirts of the city.

The moment I landed there, I sensed a thick, oppressive vampire aura. At least a dozen duke-tier vampires were gathered here. However, I did not feel White Night’s presence. Among them, I also felt a familiar aura that I knew all too well, one that stirred a deep ache of longing in me.

Star Voice.

It was him. He really was here. I could feel my blood trembling at this very moment. It was the attraction of Star Voice’s blood to me.

“Hmph, too afraid to show yourself?” Seeing no sign of White Night, I said disdainfully. But that was of no concern to me. So long as I could find Star Voice and see that he was safe, I cared nothing for where White Night was or what schemes he was hatching.

“I knew you would not hand Star Voice over so obediently.” Sensing my presence, the vampires here all rushed toward me.

“So this is the welcome gift you prepared for me, White Night? You really do look down on me. Just a dozen or so duke-tier trash are nowhere near enough to threaten my life. Or is this merely the appetizer, meant to drain my strength?” Feeling the vampires closing in, I sneered coldly. Then I shot forward to meet them head-on.

Since you all are so eager to die, I will indulge you.

I vented all my anger at being threatened by White Night onto this unfortunate band of vampires.

Standing amid the drifting dust, I panted slightly. My clothes were already torn in several places, revealing patches of my fair skin, and here and there were faint streaks of blood.

I had destroyed all the vampires, but I was not unscathed either. Though they were only duke-tier, more than a dozen vampires were still no small number, especially given their tenacious vitality. Although I had not suffered any serious injury, I had still been scratched by the sharp claws of several vampires, and a great deal of my magic power had been consumed. My weakened body, in particular, felt utterly exhausted after the fight.

“Is that all there is to it?” After the battle ended, I asked myself in puzzlement.

White Night should have known full well that these vampires were no threat to me. So why? Could this really be all the ambush he had prepared?

I did not believe it. With that man’s cunning, it could never end this simply.

And yet, after carefully sensing the area, I could no longer detect the slightest fluctuation of magic. Everything around me seemed deathly silent, without a trace of life, and only Star Voice’s blood continued to draw me onward without cease.

Carefully, I walked in the direction where Star Voice was, guarding against White Night’s trap.

It was not until I reached an abandoned manor that nothing else appeared, no vampires, no traps.

I looked at the manor before me. Vines had spread over the surrounding walls, and parts of the structure had already been worn away by rain. Weeds grew wildly in the garden by the roadside. It was clear this manor had not been cared for in a very long time.

“Using this place as a hideout is indeed a fine choice. Truly worthy of rats that skulk from place to place.”

I stepped into the manor.

I could feel Star Voice’s aura. It was right before me, inside this manor.

I advanced cautiously, for if there were any other traps, they would surely be here. But it seemed I had been wrong again. I encountered nothing. I entered the manor with ease, and by following the pull of Star Voice’s aura, I found his location with equal ease. I met no obstacles at all.

The moment I found Star Voice, my anger crushed away every trace of doubt.

“White Night, I will kill you!” I cried furiously, the sight before me making my rage burn hotter still.

His limbs were bound tightly to the wall by iron chains. There was not a single unbroken place on his body. His clothes had been nearly torn to shreds, and through the tatters I could clearly see wounds of varying depth all over him. On Star Voice’s blood-soaked body, several ghastly wounds deep enough to show bone were shocking to behold. If not for the strand of my own origin blood still lingering within him, such severe injuries would have killed him already. Even now, though gravely wounded, those wounds were slowly knitting shut under the protection of my origin blood, preserving Star Voice’s life.

The instant I saw Star Voice like this, I no longer cared whether there were traps nearby or whether White Night still had any other schemes waiting for me.

In that moment, there was only Star Voice, battered and bloodied, chained to the wall before my eyes, and my heart was bleeding.