The tearing sensation of spatial transfer was far more intense than the last time, as if it would tear the soul from its shell.

In the nauseating dizziness and weightlessness, Ella only had time to feel Camien's arms tightly encircling her, and the suppressed painful groans coming from his chest.


When her feet finally touched solid ground, the backlash of force made her knees buckle, almost causing her to fall. She struggled to steady herself, immediately looking toward Camien.

His condition was terrible.

The originally pale face now had a deathly gray pallor. The wound penetrating the left shoulder no longer bled; instead, a pattern of energy like black spider webs was visibly spreading to the surrounding skin. Wherever it spread, the skin slightly shriveled and contracted, emitting a mixed smell of scorching and decay. Herman's light spear had not only caused physical trauma but also contained a malicious curse specifically targeting the essence of vampires. He leaned against the rock wall, his silver hair soaked with cold sweat and sticking to his temples. His breathing was weak and rapid. Those crimson eyes, usually deep and unfathomable, had now dimmed considerably, like a candle flickering in the wind.


They found themselves in a completely unfamiliar place. An enormous underground cavern with a vast, high dome ceiling. The air was cold and dry, carrying the scent of thousand-year-old dust and ancient stone. The rough walls surrounding them were carved with faded prehistoric murals depicting celestial movements and incomprehensible ritual scenes. In the center of the cavern stood a dried-up pool made of obsidian, while rotting wooden crates and broken pottery were scattered in the corners. The silence here was terrifying, broken only by their breathing and the occasional ethereal echo of water droplets falling from the cavern ceiling onto the floor.

"Where... is this?" Ella's voice sounded exceptionally clear in the vast cavern.


"The ancient tomb of House Alcarte's origins," Camien's voice was hoarse, having nearly exhausted his strength. "The last... safe house that Herman doesn't know about."

He tried to stand up straight, but it triggered a violent coughing fit, black bloody foam spilling from the corner of his mouth.

Ella immediately stepped forward to support him, letting him slowly slide down to sit on the ground, his back against the cold rock wall. She tore open his damaged clothing at the shoulder, and her heart tightened at the sight of the horrific wound and the spreading black lines. Her Hunter knowledge told her that this type of corrosive dark energy was extremely difficult to dispel, especially when it had already invaded the core.

"Don't move," she commanded, her tone unquestionably resolute. She quickly took out several small vials from her personal pouch—which contained not only weapons but also some emergency herbs and purification powder commonly carried by Hunters to deal with dark wounds.

She knelt beside him, ignoring the momentary stiffening of his body, and skillfully cleaned around the wound.

For a Vampire prince to be approached this closely by a Hunter and have his wounds "treated" was perhaps unprecedented.

When the herbs touched the corroded flesh, they made a faint "sizzling" sound. Camien's body trembled almost imperceptibly, but he clenched his teeth without making any sound, only gazing deeply at her concentrated profile with his dim blood-red eyes.

Her fingertips bore thin calluses from years of wielding a sword, yet her movements were exceptionally steady and gentle. Her purple-gray eyes were downcast, no longer showing the hatred, suspicion, or confusion from before—only a nearly pure, unwavering determination focused on "healing." The firelight (Ella had quickly built a small campfire using some decayed wood and her portable tinder) danced across her face, outlining her soft features, creating a strange yet moving contrast with her identity as a Hunter.

"Why..." Camien's voice was still weak, but carried a hint of genuine confusion. "Why... didn't you take the chance..." His unfinished words were obvious—why didn't she deliver the final blow when he was completely defenseless? That had been her goal all along.

Ella's movements paused briefly. Without looking up, she continued carefully sprinkling a pale gold powder with a crisp scent around the edges of the wound, suppressing the spread of the black markings. "My hatred should not be exploited by the real enemy, making me an accomplice in the destruction of this city," she said softly, yet each word was clear. "Herman must be stopped. The truth about House Vein must be made public." She finally raised her eyes to look at him. "Besides, you saved me. At the guild headquarters."

"That was... strategy," he turned his head away, avoiding her gaze, his tone somewhat stiff. "You needed... to stay alive, to find evidence."

"Is that so?" Ella asked softly, her hands continuing the bandaging without pause. "Then you could have chosen to only destroy the gate, without using your body to block Herman's light spear." She carefully wrapped a clean strip of cloth around his shoulder and tied a secure knot.

Camien fell silent. In the ancient tomb, only the crackling of the bonfire and his somewhat labored breathing remained.

After finishing the bandaging, Ella sat down across from him and took out the Spatial Compass that she had been clutching tightly throughout the chaos, as well as several fragments of stone with special energy residue that she had picked up from the entrance of the Forbidden Repository. She also spread out a copy of her father's notebook beside her.

"We don't have time to wait for your complete recovery," Ella's gaze swept over the notes in the notebook, connecting them with the intelligence Samuel had sent earlier and tonight's encounter. Her thoughts were becoming increasingly clear. "Herman's plan is far more extensive than we imagined. He's not just trying to create chaos and purify non-human races..."

She pointed to a page in the notes discussing "life energy convergence points," as well as several obscure energy meridians beneath Fog City displayed on the compass. "He's using the Blood Plague as a catalyst and weapon to weaken and mark targets. But his ultimate goal is to activate the core of that ancient relic—the thing truly sealed within the 'Forbidden Repository' beneath the guild headquarters. He plans to use the gathered life energy (whether human or non-human races) on the 'Blood Moon Night' to complete an ancient ceremony—the 'Eternal Night Ritual.'"

Camien's pupils contracted sharply. "The Eternal Night... Ritual?" He clearly knew what this name represented—a legendary taboo that attempted to forcibly distort the balance between light and darkness, creating an eternal domain of darkness under the absolute control of the caster.

"That's right." Ella's voice was ice-cold. "He not only wants to become the king of Hunters, but also aspires to be the... god of this city. And the Blood Plague is his tool for selecting sacrifices and gathering energy. All infected, whether human or Vampire, will eventually become fuel for the ritual."

She raised her eyes, looking at Camien with burning intensity: "We must destroy that core before he completes the ritual. On the Blood Moon Night, tomorrow evening."

Camien leaned back against the rock wall, closing his eyes briefly, seemingly gathering strength, but also digesting this horrifying truth. After a long moment, he reopened his eyes. Though still showing weakness, those crimson orbs once again ignited with the cold flame of princely determination.

"In my current condition... confronting him directly gives us slim chances of success." He stated the fact.

"We don't need to confront him directly." Ella stood up, walked to the center of the cave, and looked at the ancient murals. Her mind was racing through her father's theoretical notes and Hunter tactics. "We can exploit his dependence on the 'Forbidden Repository.' The ritual core must be deeply bound to the ruins and extremely fragile. We need a precise plan, an accurate strike. I'll infiltrate and destroy the core. And you," she turned, looking resolutely at Camien, "you need to deliver the critical blow from the outside when I draw his full attention, or... create enough chaos."

She walked back to him, crouched down, and pulled out the polished Peachwood Stake from her boot shaft—the weapon she had originally intended to use to kill him.

Camien's gaze fell on the Peachwood Stake, his eyes slightly narrowing.

Ella handed the Peachwood Stake to him with a solemn gesture. "This is my last silver weapon, and also my most trusted companion. It contains pure forces of order, and perhaps... it can neutralize the chaos energy in Herman's ritual to some extent, or, at a critical moment, create a slight opportunity for you."

This was an incredibly heavy trust. Handing the symbol of her revenge to the one who was once the target of that revenge.

Camien stared at the Peachwood Stake, then looked up at Ella. In the firelight, her gaze was clear and determined, without any hesitation or testing. He slowly, extremely slowly, reached out his hand, his cold fingertips touching the smooth wood, and then gripped it tightly.

"Good," he said just one word, yet it carried the weight of a thousand pounds.

At that moment, Ella's attention was drawn to a mural on the rock wall behind Camien.

The mural depicted two opposing symbols, one like a burning sun, one like a serene crescent moon, and beneath them were the silhouettes of two figures shaking hands, one tall, one slender, with intertwining thorns and blooming roses at their feet.

Oath of Thorns and Roses...

An indescribable stirring welled up in Ella's heart.

She seemed to see her father's ideal, to see the possibility of understanding and protection across races, to see the light, however insignificant, that must be defended before eternal darkness descends.

She withdrew her gaze and looked back at Camien, extending her hand, not in the empty courtesy of a noble lady, but in the equal handshake that represented alliance and entrusting between Hunters.

"Let's go end this once and for all."