Li Xi also held his breath, waiting for what would happen next. But just then, the ground beneath the palace altar rumbled, and stones continuously fell. Some weaker vampires, unable to stand, unfurled their bat wings and flew into the air.
A few small stones fell towards the blood pool. Nasser waved his hand, and a red light blocked the pool's surface, deflecting all the falling stones.
At some point, a small crack appeared in the stone wall above the palace. Initially, it was barely visible, only discernible by someone with an inhuman sight like Li Xi.
But this tiny crack quickly widened like the eye of a creator god, instantly becoming over ten meters long and four to five meters wide, reaching all the way to the ground.
This newly opened, straight vertical passage meant that unlike before, there was no need for the small bats to fly in and out of the volcano Li Xi had created. One could now directly access the blood pool from the surface.
Just as all the vampires were stunned into silence by this spectacle, a voice echoed from the ground below,
"Location is correct. The blood pool is right beneath us."
"Good. Mage, prepare to lift them up."
Before Li Xi could even figure out how to ascend, he felt the ground beneath his feet tremble ten times more violently than before.
Nasser's usually aloof expression turned grim as he watched the blood pool churn violently, as if ravaged by a storm. He roared at the surrounding vampires, "Go and stop them."
Immediately, over a hundred vampires flew up through the recently rent passage. However, the ground's violent tremors did not cease; instead, they intensified. The stone Li Xi had transformed into began to roll uncontrollably within the palace. To avoid detection, Li Xi could only let it happen. Fortunately, he wasn't the only stone; the ground was now covered in them, forming a dense layer.
Nasser desperately protected the blood pool from the disturbances, but the ground began to rise. This underground palace, a secret base for vampires for thousands of years, was lifted to ground level in a mere two minutes. It was undeniable that mages were always the "big brothers" among professional classes; such feats could only be performed by mages.
Li Xi lay on the ground, with many vampires stepping on him as they ran about. Li Xi quietly endured it all, vowing revenge for this humiliation, this trampling underfoot.
He then cautiously surveyed the scene outside. The night camp, previously lit only by pale starlight, was now brilliantly illuminated by countless magic luminous stones, brighter than daylight. However, this light, unfortunately, was not sunlight and posed no threat to the vampires.
The camp, now devoid of soldiers who had fled, was engaged in a fierce battle. The sky was a dark cloud of transformed bats, poised to attack, while below, high-ranking vampires fought ten against one, showcasing their prowess.
Instead of the dust that should have filled the camp, the sounds of splashing water after heavy rain echoed. Of course, the days had been clear, with not a drop of rain. Therefore, the liquid on the ground could only be blood.
Engaging the vampires were various mercenary groups, temple guards, and individuals in merchant attire. Li Xi even saw civilians wielding cleavers. Leading the charge were the Black Tiger Mercenaries led by Sinis and the White Lion Mercenaries led by Taichi, their bodies covered in blood and bat remains, testifying to the battle's brutality.
Li Xi remained hidden below for over half an hour, perhaps the battle above raged for the same duration. In the end, unable to break through, they were forced to expend a vast amount of magical energy to lift the underground palace.
These attackers were numerous, more than ten times the number of high-ranking vampires. Unfortunately, their strength varied significantly, with most around level three. Their average strength was a full level lower than the vampires.
This one-level difference was akin to the gap between ten and a hundred, a tenfold difference. No wonder the vampires could fight ten to one.
Coupled with the dense swarms of small bats in the sky, more numerous than summer mosquitoes, the mixed forces of Cado City were at a distinct disadvantage.
One might wonder why they didn't flee despite being on the losing side, fighting so desperately. It was because a specific group bolstered their morale. Though not numerous, fewer than fifty in total, vampires turned to ash before them in swathes, causing even the small bats in the sky to circle around them. Moreover, half of the high-ranking vampires were occupied defending against them.
These individuals, clad in the ceremonial robes of various temples and wielding either ancient staffs or what appeared to be bronze holy scriptures, exuded a potent divine light. Even if used as mere bricks, they could batter vampires to death. These were the hidden treasures of the temples, brought forth from their deepest reserves.
Combined with a spellcasting team of nearly twenty intermediate to advanced mages, the vampires were disintegrated by divine arts and spells before they could even get close.
Their moniker, "Cannons," was well-deserved. This spellcasting team of less than fifty individuals inflicted more damage than thousands of their human counterparts.
Thick phalanxes of temple knights formed three defensive lines, protecting Cado City's last hope. These heavily armored soldiers had no exposed skin, their eyes protected by gem-ground goggles, leaving no place for vampires to bite. Wielding three-meter lances, they were elite heavy cavalry, meticulously trained by various temples at great expense, each capable of fighting ten opponents.
Even without charging, their mere presence standing firm served as the best encouragement. When some felt fear and retreated, seeing their unwavering resolve rekindled their belief in victory, spurring them forward.
Too many vampires and small bats sought to attack the spellcasters behind them, believing that breaking them would shatter humanity's final hope. However, facing these three layers of heavily armored cavalry, they were like streams crashing against reefs, only to smash their heads bloody and achieve nothing.
Li Xi observed carefully. Only a very small fraction of these individuals were Cado City's regular guards. The rest were not; they had come to support them voluntarily. More civilian reinforcements were continuously arriving. Although many would perish by the end, they advanced, shouting slogans, cursing the vampires, and invoking Dracula's ancestors for the sake of their families.
Screams were constant, but whenever someone was gravely injured or died, small bats would swarm them. Covered in bats, an adult could be drained dry in just ten seconds. Thus, despite the fierce stalemate, the blood pool continued to fill.
Nasser watched the spellcasting team, who, since the altar was forcibly raised, had been preparing a powerful ultimate move. The immense fluctuations of magical energy made even him cautious.
He immediately addressed the less than two hundred high-ranking vampires beside him, "Divide half of them to disrupt them. The divine power is about to condense. You must not fail, even if you all perish."
Nasser had never spoken so sternly, not even to the dragon-blooded Li Xi. The threat posed by a group of mages was simply too great; standing on the brink of an erupting volcano, no one could remain calm.
"Yes, Your Grace."
The remaining vampires, all of whom were at least level three, with the weakest in the mid-fourth stage, nearly a hundred of such vampires stepped forward. They instantly drained two hundred human mixed elite soldiers, causing others to hesitate.
Even mercenaries and temple guards of level four would typically fall within three moves against them. Vampires, especially those with assassin-like coordination, thrived in such chaotic battlefields.
They lost only three of their own and, in a mere dozen seconds, reached the heavily armored cavalry.
The armor of these heavy cavalry was all plated in silver and inscribed with proprietary runes. Although most were only level three, with the enhancement of their equipment, they were not as fragile as ordinary level three warriors. Coupled with special silver and magic array designs that countered vampires, anyone who treated them as mere level three professionals would pay a heavy price. Su Dan Novel Network.
As the vampires attacked, the heavy cavalry slammed their lances into the ground, activating the built-in magic crystal power sources. A faint white light emanated from their armor, a bestowed attribute from their equipment.
'Divine Protection.'
Dark creatures like vampires and demons would be wary of such opponents. A hit from them was no different from being burned by a red-hot iron.
"Raise lances!"
The iron-blooded command was issued.
With a swish, the lances were raised in unison, aimed at the vampires. Faint white light pulsed from the lances, awaiting the opportune moment to deliver a fatal blow to the vampires. Such ordinary attacks could unleash the power of formidable projectiles.
Unfortunately, these vampires were different from those encountered before; they were the elite of the vampire race, not comparable to the former.
These vampires behaved abnormally. Instead of attacking, they flew into the air and opened their fang-filled mouths towards the spellcasting team.
Then, a strange scene unfolded. No one saw how the vampires attacked, but suddenly, half of the priests and mages spat out blood. Mages, in the critical stage of casting, suffered magical backlash, causing their bodies to weaken and collapse to the ground. The other priests and mages, even if unharmed, clutched their heads, their spells, which were about to be completed, were interrupted.
The spellcasting team was the most crucial part of this operation. If they failed, the entire operation would be doomed.
However, a few priests, with their profound cultivation, made swift decisions, halting their magic without damage, at the cost of their permanent cultivation. They unleashed dazzling divine light, a torch-like radiance that pierced the dark cloud of small bats in the sky, causing any bat that touched the divine light to vanish in an instant. The other bats, witnessing this, scattered in fear.
The power of this attack caused the elite vampires who had just attacked to flee in terror, as if avoiding snakes. Yet, many vampires were still hit. The parts of their bodies that were struck seemed to be erased by an eraser, disappearing without a trace. This single strike caused these elite vampires to lose one-fifth of their number instantly, a significant loss. Of course, their contribution was also immense; a single attack paralyzed humanity's most vital spellcasting team.
Overall, the vampires held the upper hand in this engagement.
The ease with which the vampires crippled the spellcasting team was something Li Xi and everyone else found hard to imagine, especially with three layers of heavy cavalry protecting them.
Li Xi recalled the vampires' movements from earlier. Although the attack had no visible form, Li Xi seemed to perceive an invisible wave of air that reached the spellcasting team, causing their breathing to become disordered and thus leading to their magical backlash.
"Could it be sonic attacks? Bats use ultrasound for positioning; it wouldn't be strange for vampires to use such a tactic."
The severe loss of the spellcasting team worsened the plight of Cado City's mixed army. They were already not unified in command, and it was only the support of divine arts and magic that allowed them to barely hold their ground against the vampires. Now, with the power of magic and divine arts reduced to one-fifth of its original strength, the troops who were close to the altar were pushed back.