Axel
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Chapter 88: Some Insignificant Friendships
🕑 Added 2025-01-09 23:35:09 +0000 UTCCharlot's marksmanship was average. After firing a single shot, he couldn’t find another opportunity to unleash a second anti-magic armor-piercing round.
He initially planned to wait patiently, but the diary in his arms trembled slightly, and a surge of intent entered his mind.
“You may issue the following task to NPC Lord Leo: Kill Harriet Alva.”
“Reward: Additional Labyrinth permissions.”
“NPC Lord Leo may issue the following task: Rescue him from the labyrinth.”
“Reward: Blood Clan Verbal Spellcasting.”
“You may issue the following task to NPC Harriet Alva: Kill Lord Leo.”
“Reward: Additional Labyrinth permissions.”
“NPC Harriet Alva may issue the following task: Assist in killing Charlot Mecklenburg.”
“Reward: Some insignificant friendships.”
Charlot pondered the implications for a moment and finally understood the special traits of the labyrinth NPCs. As the master of Machubi Fortress, he could issue tasks to NPCs. Likewise, all individuals who entered the labyrinth could receive tasks from these NPCs and gain rewards.
The game-like structure of Machubi Fortress was not due to the Labyrinth God Agmirlas, nor was it an inherent flaw of the labyrinth itself. Instead, it was a reflection of Charlot as its master.
Once a labyrinth is formed, it manifests its unique style and features based on the master's thoughts.
If the real Charlot Mecklenburg were here, Machubi Fortress would exude an ancient aura, fitting the cultural ambiance of the Old Continent. However, the current Charlot’s soul belonged to Huang Haisheng, a math teacher from Earth. In his memory, the structures most aligned with the labyrinth were those of complex, richly detailed games.
Thus, after being formed, Machubi Fortress took on a crude gamified structure based on Charlot's memories. Bizarre concepts like NPCs emerged, including illogical tasks such as: “NPC Harriet Alva may issue the following task: Assist in killing Charlot Mecklenburg. Reward: Some insignificant friendships.”
Still, the labyrinth was ultimately forged from the power of the Evil God, and its core was not a game. Charlot couldn’t completely control it just yet and would need time to explore its mysteries.
Charlot certainly wouldn’t issue tasks to grant the two NPCs more labyrinth permissions. That would be like “handing over one’s sword to the enemy.” Assisting Harriet in killing himself was even more absurd. The only task worth considering was to help Lord Leo escape the labyrinth.
The thirty-seven vampire clans each possessed their own secret arts, all derived from a core foundational technique unique to their lineage.
For instance, the Arsilo Family’s foundational technique was Angel's Thorn, and the Adonis Clan’s was Bloodfire Aura.
The Arthur Clan's foundational technique was Blood Clan Verbal Spellcasting.
As one of the three royal clans, the Arthur Clan was renowned as the foremost mage family among vampires. Their Blood Clan Verbal Spellcasting boasted countless secret arts of unfathomable intricacy, and generations of saints had emerged from their lineage because of this technique.
The Thirteen Miraculous Techniques created by Protagoras did not include the Blood Clan Verbal Spellcasting. Charlot truly coveted such a powerful art.
Meanwhile, Lord Leo and Harriet had already entered a fierce battle.
Neither of them knew why they were fighting, but both felt that killing the other was the only path forward.
After all, they hailed from opposing nations—Fars Empire and Byron—and represented humanity and vampires, with countless reasons to fight to the death.
Harriet had to remain constantly vigilant against Charlot’s sneak attacks. Every slash he executed retained some reserve, which increasingly put him at a disadvantage. Harriet knew that if this continued, he would inevitably lose. He had to root out Charlot, who was hiding in the shadows, kill him, and then focus on Lord Leo.
With this resolve, Harriet let out a deep roar and activated another Proof of War—Proof of Glory!
Behind the blood-colored military flag, a faint apparition emerged—a symbol of the Fars Empire’s war god, Saroses Robin!
Saroses Robin was one of the founding dukes of the Fars Empire. He had helped King Axel ascend from a commoner to the throne and was renowned for his loyalty and valor.
The ancestor of the Robin family represented the honor of all soldiers.
With both Proofs of War activated, Harriet’s blood-red military flag billowed, sending ripples outward. His saber strikes became even more ferocious.
Three successive waves of blood-red energy surged forward, yet Harriet still couldn’t locate Charlot’s position. A sense of unease began to rise within him.
Lord Leo, who had been fighting for some time, started to discern Harriet’s capabilities. After all, combat energy was a widely practiced extraordinary ability on the Old Continent. Although the Byron Empire rejected combat energy due to its incompatibility with vampire powers, they were by no means ignorant of it.
Harriet’s growing frustration caused him to expose a slight opening. Seizing the chance, Lord Leo let out a cry as his vampiric rapier transformed into a knight’s spear. Simultaneously, two figures emerged from his shadow—it was his two servants who had also been trapped in the labyrinth.
Shanlens' Spear, an iconic weapon of the Arthur Clan, revealed its full power only in its knight’s spear form. With the spear in hand, Lord Leo’s blood energy surged to new heights, raising his strength by another level. The spear’s strikes turned into dazzling light, sealing off all of Harriet’s counterattacks.
Harriet hadn’t expected this vampire lord to possess such techniques. He had no prior experience fighting high-ranking vampires on the battlefield. Struggling to defend against the onslaught, he left himself vulnerable to the two servants’ coordinated strikes.
Two sharp flashes of light streaked by, leaving deep wounds on Harriet’s back and side.
Realizing that the tide had turned against him, Harriet gritted his teeth, endured a sweeping strike from Lord Leo’s spear, and spat out a mouthful of blood. Without hesitation, he fled toward the outskirts of Machubi Fortress.
Lord Leo, unwilling to let his prey escape, gave a low shout and swiftly pursued. His two servants flanked him like shadows.
Harriet ran desperately for half an hour, only to realize he couldn’t find an exit.
Panic gripped his heart as he tried to rely on his military experience to navigate a path. Little did he know that Charlot was manipulating the labyrinth, shifting its paths and altering its layout.
Lord Leo, having been in the labyrinth for a long time, knew well that escape was impossible. Calmly trailing behind Harriet, he reached for an Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle hidden beneath his collar.
He hadn’t lied to Charlot—he did, in fact, bring two such rifles.
Despite running at full speed, Lord Leo’s marksmanship was unparalleled. He fired a single shot with flawless precision.
Harriet, his battlefield-honed instincts kicking in, rolled to the side and dove behind a building, narrowly avoiding the bullet.
Charlot also retrieved a Silver Rhino. While the Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle had superior firepower, it lacked the flexibility of the Silver Rhino. Charlot found the transcendent short gun quite appealing—though, unfortunately, one of the two he possessed had to be returned, and the other couldn’t see the light of day.
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