206 With My Resolve
Moonlight bathed the quiet courtyard nestled at the heart of H.A.R.M. Cascadia.
Inside the newlyweds' house, Rose Hightower and Noa Atzmon sat by the bed. Wedding decorations still adorned the room, but the groom was nowhere to be seen.
"How could Max do this?" Rose protested. "Running away on the third day of marriage."
"He's under a lot of pressure," Noa said softly. "He's always comparing himself to… Him."
"Oh, already defending your husband," Rose teased. "You've taken to being a wife so quickly."
Noa gave a bitter smile. "I just understand this about him—my brother is the same way."
Rose lowered her voice, a mischievous smile playing on her face. "Tell me, are you comparing him to … Him?"
Noa knew what she was asking, blushing slightly. "He was alright." She paused, noting the questioning look in Rose's eyes and understanding its meaning. She admitted frankly, "Yes, I was thinking about Him when I came."
Rose's eyes narrowed as she blushed, taken aback by Noa's directness. Before she could respond, Noa added, "And about you!"
Rose's eyes grew misty, and in the next moment, Noa drew close, radiating warmth. Rose glanced at the closed door, behind which Max's grandmother was cooking in the kitchen.
Noa's kiss was irresistible. Though they were both tall, Rose felt Noa pressing down on her from above, her body involuntarily arching backward.
Just then, the silver bell at her waist vibrated. Despite having turned off all broadcasts, this message was of such high priority that the silver bell still received it.
Rose's expression changed. She pushed Noa away abruptly. Seeing Noa's surprised and hurt expression, she quickly pulled out the silver bell to show her, saying anxiously, "John is in danger. The message is from Granny Chloe."
Concern flashed across Noa's face. She had complete confidence in John—this man who seemed capable of anything, who said in all seriousness, that he was good at killing vampires when they first met. Whether at Temple Village or Crown Mountain, whenever she was in despair, he would emerge victorious, wearing his eternally confident smile.
But this time, the message was from Granny Chloe. The Gold Bell Vampire Hunter stood at Cascadia's peak, a level that seemed far beyond reach in her mind.
"I need to tell Master," Rose said decisively. But her expression quickly changed again. "Samir sent another message—he claims John is a Vampire."
"He's not the first to make that claim," Noa said.
"This time it's different—they went on a mission together. Something must have happened." Rose furrowed her brow. Unlike the General of Salem's baseless accusation, Samir must have evidence.
… …
With a graceful leap, Rose emerged into the courtyard. There, she saw Theodore Montgomery sitting in front of the stone table, his eyes closed, his empty scabbard resting on the table's surface.
Alex Bai stood guard next to the Admiral. Seeing Rose running toward him, he asked in a hushed voice, careful not to disturb his Master, "Is this about John Kane?"
Rose nodded.
"Master already knew," Alex reassured her.
Rose nodded again in acknowledgement. Though her Master's physical body remained in the courtyard, his Redeemed Spirit had already departed to address the crisis.
"Did Master say who he was going to see first?" Chloe was calling for help, while Samir was warning of danger. Their attitudes toward John were completely opposite—it was crucial to know whom her Master would trust.
"I'm not sure. But Master said he was going to Surrey first," Alex replied.
Surrey—that was where Samir's message originated. Rose's countenance darkened.
… …
Maple Ridge was a mountain range located east of Vancouver. Within it, a mountain rose like a dark sentinel against the star-studded sky. A small, damp cave punctuated the mountain's lower reaches, its entrance a black void partially obscured by thick undergrowth and fallen maple leaves. Water seeped continuously from the cave's ceiling, its drops catching brief glimmers of starlight before disappearing into the darkness.
I sat cross-legged in the middle of the cave. My absorbed lifespan rapidly depleted as Power of Faith from Vancouver and surrounding counties converged upon this place!
Until the sea of white lights vanished completely, without a trace remaining.
Within the Cosmic Devouring Core, beside the embryo of harmony, a faint, childlike figure slowly sat upright.
[In the 1920th year, you have successfully formed a complete Redeemed Spirit.]
[Remaining absorbed lifespan: 14,917 years.]
One thousand nine hundred and twenty years, from Seed of Faith to Redeemed Spirit—this progress was twice as fast as General Grant's.
I silently looked at the Hidden Abyss long sword before me, discovering that it trembled as it pointed its tip toward me.
A trace of coldness flashed across my face.
The next moment, the suppressive force from my Melting Sun Furnace transformed into an invisible hand cruelly gripping the Redeemed Spirit's neck—no longer just disciplining with a couple of slaps, but carrying intense killing intent.
"It took me no more than two thousand years. I don't mind creating one again."
As if hearing my threat, the Redeemed Spirit trembled all over and obediently returned Hidden Abyss to the scabbard at my waist.
After fighting with the embryo's consciousness countless times, my soul had grown much stronger. The hint of cruel determination made the Redeemed Spirit dare not doubt that I would choke it without blinking.
… …
Outside the cave, under the shade of maple trees and behind a weathered boulder, sat Aisha Patani. Twenty yards away lay a massive bat—motionless and half-frozen.
This was the first vampire to follow John to this location—the first to meet certain death in the trap meticulously set by two of Cascadia's finest vampire killers.
The rest are all the same. Aisha smiled—this was what she had told John when they first met.
As long as it wasn't the Blood Moon Vampire King, no one could harm John.
The more powerful a vampire, the more cautious they became. Not all vampires were like the Ascendant King, who could be so brazen and live thousands of years. Yet even the Ascendant King died at a relatively young age by vampire standards.
The Blood Moon Vampire King must consider the possibility that this was a trap laid by H.A.R.M.
Just as a sense of security settled in Aisha's heart, she felt a familiar breeze sweep through the valley. In the distance, she could faintly see a sword streaking across the sky about two miles down the valley.
She turned toward the spot where Chloe was hiding. A sudden commotion, accompanied by a soft cry, came from that direction. Someone had pulled Chloe into the cave.
Before she could react, the sword swooped through the forest and stopped about ten yards from her. Aisha stood up and, with a boom, icy blades shot out from her body, forming a huge ice dragon around her.
"Where is Chloe?" The message arrived telepathically from the invisible spirit holding the sword.
"Are you here to help or to fight?" Instead of answering, Aisha challenged, her voice defiant.
"Is Kane a vampire? Or is he becoming one?" the spirit asked again. "Either way, for the safety of Cascadia, it's better to eliminate the threat while he's struggling."
"You won't hurt him, not unless over my dead body," Aisha said with determination.
"How do you plan to stop me?" Theodore Montgomery sneered. As the Admiral of Cascadia, he couldn't take any chances. While recognizing John Kane's potential as a valuable ally, he would not jeopardize the possibility of him becoming a formidable foe—even if it meant confronting the disciple he had meticulously cultivated over many years.
Fighting a Redeemed Spirit was challenging because physical attacks were ineffective against it.
In an instant, the sword—a top-grade weapon stained with the blood of countless vampires—shot upward and attempted to fly over Aisha's head.
"With my resolve," Aisha declared firmly. With a roar, the ice dragon lunged upward.
"You broke through?" Theodore asked in surprise. He could feel that Aisha's Icy Resolve had become so dense and so cold that his spirit felt uncomfortable, almost threatened.
Theodore Montgomery hesitated. Then, a loud painful cry from inside the cave shocked both the master and his unrelenting disciple.