The Ebrelrahan Cn is hailed as the foremost vampire knight family.

  Ranked even higher than the Ebrelrahan Cn is the Arsilo Family, one of the Three Royal Cns. However, they are not considered the top knightly family due to their focus on a more cssical and now somewhat obscure swordsman tradition.

  The Angel's Thorn technique practices battle energy, a power older than combat energy.

  Combat energy derives from the knight’s surging vitality, while battle energy originates from a warrior's unyielding, unstoppable fighting spirit!

  Charlot had recently mastered the Bde of Emptiness, breaking through the first stage of battle energy. At this moment, he fully activated the Arsilo Family's secret techniques, and a faint golden brilliance began to emanate from his body.

  Only now did he comprehend the genius of the human philosopher Protagoras, who once created the Blood Glory.

  Vampiric secret arts typically cultivate a single Blood Vortex, but Blood Glory can develop up to thirteen such vortices, which amplify its power and bolster the Thirteen Miraculous Techniques.

  The second advantage of Blood Glory is its ability to simute the powers of the Thirteen Vampire Cns, even fooling vampires into believing the practitioner is one of them.

  Without this identity-concealing ability, even a powerful warrior like Protagoras would not have been able to roam freely in vampire territories, sughtering countless vampires. With the ability to disguise himself as a vampire, Protagoras evaded ambushes from high-ranking vampires and even Saint-rank adversaries dozens of times, sometimes turning the tables on his pursuers.

  Charlot had long believed that Lord Leo's negligence and his own quick thinking allowed him to slip past that high-ranking vampire’s watchful eye. Now, however, he understood that Protagoras's Blood Glory was truly an unparalleled secret art—a bane to vampires.

  Having advanced his Blood Glory to the sixth stage, Charlot painstakingly converted it into the Arsilo Family's Stardust Battle Energy, with the faint golden radiance on his body intensifying into a brilliant glow.

  In one-on-one duels, the Stardust Battle Energy of the Arsilo Family proved more effective than any extraordinary abilities and far superior to the early-stage power of Blood Glory, which, though sinister, was weaker in its initial phases.

  Hughes raised an eyebrow in mild surprise but remained indifferent. “So, you were holding back in the previous fight? Today, I’ll teach you that in a life-and-death battle, you must go all out. There can be no hesitation.”

  The Knight's Lance in Hughes’s hand transformed into a tempest, stabbing at Charlot from every direction.

  Charlot moved with the swiftness of wings, his movements impossibly light. His magical rapier, Blood Rose, shifted forms incessantly. Each strike widened the gap between them, avoiding direct confrontation. Yet, whenever he retaliated, the faint golden glow of the Bde of Emptiness erupted, compensating for the disadvantage of his shorter weapon.

  The two cshed fiercely for over twenty rounds before Charlot fell into a disadvantage.

  Hughes couldn't hide his puzzlement. How could Charlot, a mere low-ranking extraordinary—albeit at the peak of the sixth stage—match him, a high-rank warrior, for so many exchanges?

  Hughes noted Charlot’s extraordinary speed, slightly surpassing his own, and his uncanny “battle intuition,” which allowed him to predict and avoid the most lethal strikes of his attacks.

  “This guy is a combat genius!” Hughes thought.

  “Unfortunately for him, I practice the Blood Furnace, a secret technique for refining the body. My extraordinary abilities are all physical enhancements. Yet, it’s as if he knows my body is tempered to perfection. Every counterattack targets my eyes, nose, ears, or even...” Hughes’s thoughts trailed off in frustration.

  “This crafty little scoundrel.”

  Charlot, meanwhile, had exhausted his strength. He swung several successive strikes in an attempt to escape and regroup. However, Hughes’s Knight's Lance coiled around him like a constricting snake. With a swift reverse elbow strike, Hughes struck Charlot’s chest, caving it in and killing him instantly.

  ...

  Several minutes ter, Charlot reappeared in the dreamscape. He raised his hands and said, “Let’s take a break.”

  Hughes contempted briefly before replying, “Fine.”

  Charlot quickly sat cross-legged on the ground. “Grandma Saint Karen, could we get a barrel of ale? Chilled, if possible.”

  Grandma Saint Karen smiled faintly. “In the dreamscape, anything is possible—but nothing can be taken out.”

  With a mere thought, two barrels of ice-cold ale appeared before the two adversaries, their markings identical to those of the famous Silver Dove Castle brewery. They were indistinguishable from the real thing.

  Charlot cracked open the barrel and took a hearty swig, feeling invigorated. “Dreamwalkers are so convenient. I regret not attending Gorgias University.”

  Hughes mimicked Charlot, opening his barrel and drinking deeply. “Which university in Byron did you attend?”

  Charlot hesitated momentarily before replying, “Heidelberg University.”

  Hughes nodded knowingly. “As I thought. Arsilo Family sponsors Heidelberg University.”

  “I attended Tübingen University, the Ebrelrahan Cn’s family university. Jonan studied there too.”

  Charlot stayed silent. Jonan, the leader of the South Seraph restorationists, was someone he had recently killed.

  When speaking of his upbringing, Hughes couldn’t help but become animated. Regardless of Charlot’s interest, he continued, “Jonan cked extraordinary talent. As a human in Byron, he faced constant discrimination. He raised me, teaching me the Blood Furnace and Golden Requiem. When I became a full-fledged knight, he sent me to Tübingen University.”

  “Jonan repeatedly warned me only to study at Tübingen and never to become a vampire.”

  “You know, vampires can’t reproduce. They can only transform others through secret rituals or the First Embrace.”

  “At the time, several barons offered to turn me, and even one of my professors provided a full set of rituals. But I refused them all because of Jonan’s instructions.”

  “He reminded me that I am a South Seraphian, not a Byronian. He feared that if I became a vampire, I would forget our cause of restoring South Seraph.”

  “He was right, though. I’ve often dreamed of becoming an immortal.”

  “Human life is so fleeting.”

  Charlot, still drinking, refrained from commenting.

  Hughes suddenly asked, “Why don’t you want to become a vampire?”

  Wiping the ale from his lips, Charlot fabricated a quick answer: “Because of love.”

  Grandma Saint Karen covered her mouth, ughing silently. Having read all of Charlot’s reports, she knew the truth: Charlot didn’t reject vampirism. Blood Glory simply didn’t have that functionality.