Chapter 73: The moment of the final battle had arrived
In the silent hall, the candle flames suddenly began to flicker.
Seeing this, Duncan's brows furrowed tightly, and a strong sense of unease surged within him. He quickly stood up and grabbed the sword lying beside him, preparing to go out and investigate.
Suddenly, a figure burst into the room from outside.
"Master, it's terrible..." A black-clad servant rushed in, panting heavily and hastily said, "Just now, right outside, a group of people broke into the castle, and they brought a horde of exotic beasts with them."
"What did you say?!" Duncan's expression changed dramatically. "How is that possible? What about the patrol guards? How could they not make a single sound?"
Not to mention the guards patrolling the castle's outer walls, the sturdy main gate itself would be difficult to breach even with a direct assault.
"Master, I... I really don't know." The black-clad servant, now kneeling on the ground with cold sweat dripping from his forehead, continued, "I was just coming over to report on the preparations for tomorrow's operation when I accidentally saw a large group of people sneaking in through the gate... and they had exotic beasts with them."
Duncan's cold, piercing eyes glared fiercely at the black-clad servant, and he shouted, "Are you drunk, or are you blind, spouting nonsense here?"
This castle, as the stronghold of The Brotherhood of Night Blades, was fortified like an iron bastion. In his eyes, it was impossible for anyone to breach it, especially without making any noise.
Moreover, the notion of players and exotic beasts working together was inconceivable. They were natural enemies. How could someone possibly lead a group of exotic beasts into the castle?
Compared to the other slim possibilities, Duncan was more inclined to believe that the servant in front of him was lying.
Located at the very heart of the castle, the hall provided Duncan with a swift route outside. When he reached the balcony, he looked down at the castle, shrouded in the night's darkness and found it eerily silent.
"Get over here and open your eyes wide!" Duncan roared at the servant, pointing downwards. "Didn't you just say a large group had infiltrated? Where are they?"
The black-clad servant trembled all over, his gaze following Duncan's pointing finger. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary below, he felt a wave of confusion.
"Master, spare me!" The black-clad servant pleaded miserably, "But I truly saw..."
At that moment, a sudden scream shattered the castle's silence. This was followed by a domino effect of cries, one after another...
Gradually, the sharp sounds of cold weapons clashing began to echo.
"Quick! Sound the alarm, we're under attack."
"Damn, why are there so many exotic beasts? Could it be that the third wave of catastrophe has arrived early?"
"My eyes, I can't see anything! Someone help me!"
"Kill them! Kill them all!"
Within moments, the castle was thrown into chaos. Many members of The Brotherhood of Night Blades were killed in their sleep, while those who were awakened hastily grabbed their weapons to fight back against the sudden invaders.
The most terrifying and unbelievable part was that among these invading enemies, there were quite a few exotic beasts mixed in.
Before the battle had even officially begun, nearly half the members of The Brotherhood of Night Blades had already been slaughtered. It was nothing short of a massacre!
"Quickly!" Duncan, standing in front of the grand hall, reacted swiftly. Even through his mask, one could see the flash of panic in his eyes. "Get the four elders here immediately and notify our allied families to send reinforcements at once!"
"Tell those families that if we don't see them here within twenty minutes, they can forget about living!"
The black-clad servant hurriedly obeyed and left.
However, just as the servant had barely taken a few steps away, Duncan, who was anxiously monitoring the situation in the castle, suddenly heard another set of approaching footsteps behind him.
"Didn't you hear what I just said? Why are you back already?" Duncan barked angrily, assuming it was the same servant.
But as his words fell, silence lingered behind him.
Duncan sensed something was amiss. He turned around sharply to find a young man standing before him, accompanied by a hunting dog and several massive exotic beasts.
"You..." Duncan's cold gaze fell on the young man's face, and his heart felt as if it had been struck by a boulder.
"How can it be you?"
He could hardly believe it. The young man who had appeared in the video was now standing right in front of him.
"Haven't you been looking for me all this time? Well, here I am." Irving said.
Duncan struggled to control his inner turmoil. The face beneath his mask grew so dark it seemed ready to drip with malice. "Did you bring those people down there? And these exotic beasts...how did you manage it?"
It was beyond his wildest dreams that the young man he had considered nothing more than an ant could so effortlessly breach the castle. Even more shocking was that this young man seemed capable of controlling these exotic beasts.
"Isn't your class supposed to be a mage?" Duncan asked, bewildered.
Among his subordinates were many mages, but none who could control exotic beasts. In the video, this young man also seemed capable of using fire-based skills.
It was utterly astonishing!
"Do you really think it's necessary to explain all this to someone who's about to die?" Irving shook his head with a smile, the cold glint in his deep eyes growing even more menacing.
Duncan felt an unprecedented sense of insult.
In just this short period, he had already subdued over a dozen family guilds. Those within these family guilds feared him to the extreme, and no one had ever dared speak to him in such a tone.
"Kid, I have to admit, I underestimated you before." Duncan said, suppressing his inner rage. "But do you really think you can take this place with just these people?"
"Even if you do manage to take it, so what? Coming here means you must have done your homework." Duncan's lips curled into a smug smile. "Behind me stands the Night Blades! They will surely hunt you down. If you make your men retreat from the castle now, there might still be a chance for negotiation..."
"To be honest, I don't know how you control these exotic beasts. But with your talent, if you join us, your position will certainly be far above mine."
As he finished speaking, seeing Irving's lack of response, Duncan's smugness grew. "The apocalypse is imminent, and the world's powers will be reshuffled. The chance to change your fate is right in front of you."
"Do you really think that so-called Angel Guild can maintain order in the country?"
Duncan sneered. "Let me share another piece of news with you. We've not only taken control of numerous families within your country but also infiltrated the higher echelons!" He burst into a fit of laughter.
Irving couldn't help but feel a shiver run down his spine at these words.
Having lived through an apocalypse once, he had no faith in the Angel Guild established by the government. Even though this time, the Blue Star's consciousness had given an early warning about the apocalypse and simulated the Other World Game, the true horrors of the apocalypse would far surpass anyone's imagination.
The survival crisis, resource wars, the rampant exotic beasts... and most importantly, the[Dark Overlord]who had devoured countless planets.
"You've managed to infiltrate the higher echelons of the government?" Irving was a bit taken aback, but this surprise was fleeting. He shook his head with a bitter smile.
The apocalypse tests human nature the most, and even those at the top are not immune to its trials.
However, he hadn't expected that foreign forces would infiltrate the higher echelons so quickly. At this rate, the country would soon be engulfed in a massive upheaval.
"Have you made up your mind?" Duncan, feeling he had the upper hand, looked down at Irving with a smug expression. "This is your last chance!"
Irving nodded.
Duncan was taken aback. He had expected Irving to hesitate a bit, not agree so quickly. A look of appreciation flashed in his eyes. "It appears you truly are a smart man. In that case, have your people withdraw immediately."
"Withdraw?" Irving chuckled. "I nodded because you were right about one thing... this is your last chance."
Duncan's smile immediately vanished, his voice turning icy. "What do you mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. Didn't you understand?" Irving shook his head. "This is the last chance for you and the forces behind you. If you don't get off this land immediately, you will remain here forever."
"Bastard!" Duncan was thoroughly enraged. "Fine, fine, I want to see who dies here today!"
Just then, the black-clad servant who had left earlier returned, followed by four elders from the Brotherhood of Night Blades. These elders, dressed in black robes, quickly gathered around Duncan.
Their eyes were fixed on Irving, and the atmosphere instantly became tense, like a drawn sword.
"Irving, we're here." came an urgent voice. Sophia and Vicky had arrived, their faces extremely grave.
The next moment, two masses of light clashed violently!
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