Chapter Fifty-Six: My Enemy

After the battle at the monster auction ended, the demon hunters began clearing the battlefield. The rescued girls were sent to the Disaster Association’s branch for temporary shelter. In the coming days, their families would be contacted and asked to pick them up. Although the mastermind behind it all, the Magician, had managed to escape, the operation was still a resounding success. Even with the unexpected factor of the Black Web Spider, every one of the more than a hundred monsters present was completely eradicated without exception.

During the chaos, Snowball had hidden Cheng Yi away, so she remained unscathed throughout the ordeal.

...

Outside the Disaster Association branch.

Watching as the girls were reunited with their families one by one, Cheng Feng felt a quiet sense of gratification. The fierce battle last night hadn’t been in vain—not only had he rescued his own sister, but he had also saved these girls from being sold off, restoring them to the warmth and harmony of their families.

“Brother.”

Cheng Yi was holding Cheng Feng’s hand, her eyes full of concern as she asked, “Do you always fight monsters like you did last night? Isn’t that... really dangerous?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Cheng Feng replied, utterly unconcerned. “Since I chose this path, I have no fear of danger.”

“Silly brother,” Cheng Yi said, still uneasy. “You have to be careful in the future, okay?”

“I told you, I’ll be fine. By the way... are you hurt?”

Suddenly remembering she’d been held captive for a whole day, Cheng Feng’s voice grew anxious. “After you were taken, did they hurt you? Did that Magician do anything to you?”

“Oh, no,” Cheng Yi replied innocently, shaking her head. “He didn’t do anything to me—just locked me up. And, it seemed like he knew you; he even knew your name.”

He knows me? Clearly, that guy had already investigated me thoroughly.

Cheng Feng frowned slightly. Thinking back, much of the Magician’s behavior was off—full of unanswered questions. He’d known about the Disaster Association’s operation in advance and watched as the auction he’d painstakingly built was destroyed before his eyes. Even when forced to flee, he showed no anger at all. It was as if he’d intended for everything to happen.

But whatever his true intentions, it didn’t matter as much as his sister’s safety.

Cheng Feng smiled gently, stroking her hair. “No matter what, the most important thing is that you’re safe.”

It was the first time Cheng Yi could remember her brother speaking to her with such care.

A little embarrassed, Cheng Yi lowered her gaze, pressing her lips together and softly swinging Cheng Feng’s arm. “I know...”

Their affectionate interaction caught Liu Shiyu’s eye. Watching from the side, she was momentarily transported back to a distant past, a barely perceptible trace of envy flickering in her gaze.

“Oh, right.”

Another question suddenly popped into Cheng Feng’s mind. He turned to Liu Shiyu. “Liu Shiyu, back then, who did you see?”

He was referring to the person Liu Shiyu had seen in the illusion cast by the Magician.

Liu Shiyu’s eyes darkened; she seemed unwilling to speak of it. After a long pause, her clear, somber voice finally answered: “My enemy.”

...

In the West, Romania.

Years ago, the city had fallen to vampires. Led by the progenitor of their kind, they had erected a fortress in the heart of the city—Bran Castle.

This castle was the domain of the world’s fifth-ranked abyssal fiend, known as the Bloodthirsty Sovereign—Dracula. As a calamity-class demon, Dracula’s very presence could alter the weather on the horizon. As a result, Romania was shrouded in heavy clouds year-round, never seeing a ray of sunlight.

Since the country’s fall, Romania had become a living hell. The few remaining humans were now little more than livestock, kept by the vampires as a food source.

At this moment, within the Dark Prison.

The environment here was harsh: dim, damp, and reeking with the stench of rotting corpses. Hardly anyone would come willingly to such a place.

Tap... tap... tap...

Suddenly, footsteps echoed through the corridor. The two vampire guards at the entrance tensed, their eyes appraising the newcomer.

When they saw it was a man in a black top hat, white mask, and tailcoat, the guards relaxed.

The Magician spoke in a calm, measured tone. “Open the door. I need to go in.”

As a direct subordinate of Dracula, the vampire progenitor, he had the right to enter and leave the prison at will.

“Yes, sir.” One of the guards responded, produced a silver key, and inserted it into the round lock of the heavy door.

With a loud clank, the door swung open, revealing a deep, shadowy corridor. Only a few dim wall lamps illuminated the way ahead.

The Magician walked through the cells at an unhurried pace, paying no heed to the humans imprisoned on either side. His eyes were fixed straight ahead—he had a clear destination.

He walked until he reached the end of the passage. There, he paused in silence, sweeping his gaze over a cell to the side before stepping inside.

A beautiful woman in tattered clothing sat on the bed. Silver cuffs shackled her wrists, and her long, disheveled hair fell over her shoulders, lending her the air of a fallen princess.

Seeing her in such a sorry state, the Magician smiled faintly. “Elena, it’s been a long time.”

Elena—previously known by the alias “Jiang Qian” among humans—was the very same female vampire who had first drunk Cheng Feng’s blood. After choosing Cheng Feng as her first convert, the power of her bloodline had faded, her strength vanished, and she had been captured by Dracula’s followers as a traitor.

Elena lifted her cold gaze slightly. “It’s you.”

Her battered clothing revealed dry, scabbed wounds all over her skin. Starved for blood, her body had not even the strength to heal itself, despite her vampiric nature.

The Magician’s tone was laced with schadenfreude. “Elena, I just don’t understand. As the daughter of the sovereign, you could have lived as a princess. Why become a traitor and end up like this?”

Elena lowered her eyes. “If you’re here to mock me, you can leave.”

The Magician, unfazed by her indifference, suddenly said, “Last night, I fought the demon hunters from the Disaster Association. Among them, I saw your first convert.”

Elena was unmoved. “And?”

“Aren’t you curious how he’s doing?”

The Magician was puzzled by her lack of interest. “He’s joined the Disaster Association now. Last night, he helped destroy my auction house. The sovereign was furious when he heard.”

At the mention of her father’s anger, Elena’s lips curved in a faint smile. “I only chose Cheng Feng to disrupt my father’s plans. From your words, he’s grown quite a bit...”

“So you do care about him after all.”

The Magician chuckled, his eyes glinting with mystery. “Last night, I let myself be defeated, even sacrificed the auction house I’d run for years, all to let him grow. With the power of your bloodline, he may well take your place in the future, fighting in the Parade of a Hundred Demons. Perhaps, one day, he’ll even stand against the sovereign himself.”

“Stand against my father?”

Elena was briefly startled by the astounding prospect of opposing Dracula.

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