In the wild jungle, on the rural path.
The two were rushing forward.
"Let's take a detour here to avoid running into the monsters around Sea Cape City."
He pointed ahead to the right: "Let's go over there, I remember there's a creek, let's go over and clean up.
We're really filthy."
At this moment, both of them were covered in grime, with dried mud, leaves of unknown plants, and some bloodstains.
After escaping from the village, they hadn't felt like sitting down to rest.
"Your Highness, how are you so familiar with this place?" Alyris asked, a bit puzzled.
Why wouldn't I be? It's a Level Three training ground, very well-known.
Although the monsters from two years later aren't here, the terrain is no different from two years later.
Of course, he couldn't say that, so he casually replied: "I've been here before."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kana suddenly stopped moving.
A faint ringing in the ears echoed, Alyris felt it too, immediately reacting the same way.
The ringing gradually faded away.
From afar, the sounds of cries and roars were heard.
"Judging by the sounds, it seems like someone's fighting them," Alyris said.
"Let's go take a look."
When they approached, they could see from afar that a group of people by the river were under attack by the Blood Race.
It appeared to be a refugee convoy, with many women and children.
Engaged in battle with the Blood Race were a few soldiers and several people dressed as mercenaries.
"Your Highness, they might not be able to hold out."
Kana also realized this.
On the Blood Race's side, there were three giant bats and six ghouls.
Meanwhile, the refugee side barely had about 10 people capable of fighting.
Then there were the women and elderly who were terrified, some even started to run off in a panic.
"Let's go."
Upon hearing Kana's command, Alyris immediately charged forward.
Kana, following closely behind, quickly decided to cut his arm with his blade.
A wound immediately appeared, blood gushed out, and with it came the pain.
But what followed the pain was power.
"Don't eat me, don't eat me! Help me!"
A skinny farmer was yelling in terror as he ran away.
Kana sprinted from the side, kicking a ghoul hard in the waist.
The kick sent the ghoul tumbling onto the ground, rolling several times.
Before it could recover, its head was already pierced through.
This power boost was evident, making his attacks feel more potent.
With the two of them joining, the battle was quickly resolved.
Two of the three giant bats in the sky had their heads smashed with stones thrown by Alyris from afar.
The remaining giant bat was shot in the head by a soldier's crossbow arrow.
The ghouls, with the addition of the two members, were much easier to handle.
"Uncle Alorqi, come quickly!" A soldier shouted beside an injured person lying on the ground.
Amidst the refugees, a scrawny middle-aged man rushed over, his face still showing panic. Judging by his attire, he seemed to be a herbalist.
Unfortunately, there was only that one injured person.
One mercenary-dressed person had died, along with two civilians.
A soldier came over: "Thank you both for your help, thank you. Without you two, we might not have made it today."
"I'm Nickum, a Soldier Captain of Sea Cape City. Where did you two come from?"
Alyris was about to speak when Kana quickly stopped her, speaking to Nickum: "We ran all the way from the Royal Capital, just doing some dirty work there before."
Nickum nodded knowingly and then apologetically said, "Now isn't the time to talk, I need to quickly organize the team to leave here, otherwise, those monsters will catch up soon."
Kana smiled and nodded.
During the time it took for the refugee convoy to reorganize, the two of them went to the river to start cleaning up the grime on their bodies.
Once clean, the convoy was ready to depart.
Kana turned and saw Alyris, who had also just finished cleaning.
Her golden short hair was draped casually, and her freshly washed face still had some water droplets clinging to it.
Although she had been training as a knight for many years, her facial skin was quite fair, and her big eyes, paired with her slightly chubby cheeks, gave off an air of innocence mixed with cuteness.
Retracting his gaze: "Let's go."
Heading towards the convoy, they happened to meet Nickum, who was walking towards them.
"Would you like to travel with us?"
Kana nodded and followed along, casually asking, "Where are you planning to go?"
"Where else can we go? We can only head to Faen. The port fell into chaos immediately.
The monsters' primary target was the port; I just escaped from there."
Hearing Nickum's words, Kana nodded.
It aligned with the storyline.
"Those damn skinless monsters, really no idea where they emerged from.
And those nobles and officials who should have been hanged, I truly hope they get their brains eaten by those monsters."
Nickum continued to rant.
Don't think too much; those nobles and officials were either killed or turned into the Blood Race.
To be honest, most of those who managed to escape were civilians and some city guards.
Most of the military forces used for defense and combat were the first to be transformed.
However, this process should still be ongoing now.
...
Safro Royal Capital.
The once-foreign capital city had now become the Royal Court of the Blood Race.
The entire city exuded the foul stench of decaying corpses and a bloody odor.
The whole city was shrouded in a shadow, as if all the clouds had gathered above, blocking the sunlight.
In the gloomy weather, one could only see dark shadows flapping their wings above the city.
Those were flocks of giant bats.
Throughout the city, a multitude of ghouls roamed the streets and alleys, becoming the most abundant residents in the city.
There were also knights with pale faces, looking like death, with scarlet eyes glinting, patrolling on horses clad in blood-red heavy armor.
Beside them were guards in the same state.
And inside the city, within the castle on the cliff.
Nobles of the Blood Race gathered there.
"How are the preparations?" asked a large, richly-robed blood figure sitting on the king's throne in the throne hall.
Around the hall were many nobles and officials dressed in once-luxurious attire.
Their skin was so pale it was almost green, and their faces were expressionless, a sign they had also become part of the Blood Race.
"Your Majesty, all three ports have been fully reclaimed, and four cities have also been entirely taken over.
A large number of civilians and massive amounts of corpses are waiting to be transformed into our power."
A noble official kneeling in front of the throne reported.
The Blood Race King, seated on the throne, asked in a deep voice, "Four cities?"
The noble quickly added, "There's one more, Count Vainsha's territory.
He... the Count..."
"My son, what has he done?" the King asked, his voice revealing no hint of emotion.
"The Count executed the Tailor in his territory, executed those Blood Mages, refusing to transform into the Blood Race.
He is gathering his soldiers to resist, collecting refugees and sending them with his people to Cohen Kingdom."
"Hmph, he truly is unwilling to embrace this new life."
The King, while slightly angry, did not show extreme rage as expected, as if he had foreseen this.
He turned to his side: "Walter, my son, I have already said, you should not be so lenient with your brother."
The one called Walter, was actually Kana's father.
He was the former king of the nation, while the one sitting on the throne was the founding emperor of this country.
It was clear he hadn't died as would be expected, instead, he had been operating from the shadows.
"He betrayed my trust, and your favor, father. Let me go capture him, I will make him a proper Blood noble."
Upon hearing his son's words, the King casually waved his hand: "You have other tasks to complete. Martin, my most loyal knight. Lead your men and bring me my son's head."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
With the clashing of armor and heavy footsteps.
The knight left the hall.