Chapter 148 - 148: Two Dukes

Words : 1030 Updated : Oct 17th, 2025

It was night, and the sky held thousands of silver stars and a moon that cast its eyes on the lands below.The lands also had their own stars. They were made of bright balls of red light that hung at intervals around the hundreds of tents that occupied the front of a castle. The castle itself was old, but it was strong and durable, more like a fortress. But there was something strange about the castle. Blood had been used to paint red leaves on the walls, and ropes that ended around human throats dangled from it like some kind of fruits. Behind the castle spread a city that was three times the size of Kragthar, and inside the city, armies of two different colours were keeping things in check. But deep inside the castle, two men of power were holding a meeting. "I never thought such a day would happen," Duke Lavi Ossuary of the Lnveil said. He was a thin, frail man with a mousy face, but his beady eyes were filled with intelligence. He might look like a starving mouse, but he ruled the Dukedom of Lnveil and was a border Lord. The same went for Duke Draemir Orvath of the Ashenreach, who sat opposite him at the table. Draemir looked like a bear, and he sat like one. "Me too. But I have always dreamed of it happening!" The two shared a look. They were not allies in the sense that they would have each other's backs outside of a common interest. In fact, they were both thinking of ways to do away with the other, but neither acted on it since they needed each other at the moment. The two of them, together with Duke Frexon, were allies, and what they wanted to achieve was to split the Vorrakyn's wealth, what remained of it, and to become the Grand Duke. So when it seemed like the Vorrakyn were about to destroy the Frexons, the two Dukes held back from helping. Why should they help when one of their competitors was about to be wiped out? Now, all they had to do was go and take what they wanted with ease when the Vorrakyn forces were already half defeated. "But to think that bastard is really a Sovereign Ascended. A half one, but that is still impressive. We must finish this before he has the chance to become a full Sovereign Ascended," Draemir grunted. The two of them were S-ranked Deepbonded Resonant of their respective Pathways. Lavi shrugged. "We will have to hit hard and fast. I know a bit about the Law. It is not something you can use that easily, and since he used it today, he will not be able to use it that freely tomorrow. "Besides, we are already prepared for that." Draemir nodded. Then silence returned. The silence was like a naked sword that dangled in front of them, sharpened and glinting. Finally, Lavi sighed. "I think... we should talk about it. What are we going to do after we destroy the Vorrakyn?" Draemir's eyes sharpened. "You are right. It is something we have to talk about. We will need to create more Dukes." Silence returned again. "Then... what about the Grand Duke title?" The two of them flinched when they heard that. It was not them who spoke, it was another person entirely. A woman's voice. They both stood up and bowed. "Numbered Accord!" It was a woman with red hair that coiled on her head like living flame. Her eyes were like the depths of a volcano, and just looking at her gave the impression of trying to swim in liquid fire. When they first met her, they had asked her name, but she told them they were not worthy of knowing it. They could only call her Numbered Accord. Draemir licked his lips. "My lady, we can only think of the title of Grand Duke after the war!" Lavi hurriedly nodded. "Yes, yes! That is something we will sit down to and talk about. We need to deal with the Vorrakyn first." She looked at them carefully and smiled. The temperature in the room rose quickly. "Are you saying... you do not want the Black Accord in your business?" The two Dukes stiffened, but before they could say anything else, she shook her head and produced a small box from her spatial ring. She threw it on the table. "The Vorrakyn might have a surprise planned for tomorrow. But with this, you will survive...." And then, with a shimmer, she disappeared as if she were never there. The two Dukes breathed a sigh of relief and wiped their sweat. They looked at the small box and then at each other. None of them touched it. Draemir looked at Lavi. "Are they working for us, or are we working for them?" The two of them sat down shakily. They thought about it and realized that they really could not remember how their relationship started. Were they the ones who first reached out to the Black Accord, or did the Black Accord reach out? What did the Black Accord want, and what did they pay for their help? They looked at the box and shivered because they could not remember. All they knew was that the Black Accord had always been trying to push them to destroy the Vorrakyn. ☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆ When Vacuse was finally free from all his troubles for the night and returned to his room, he did not immediately remove his clothes and soak in the tub in the bathroom. Instead, he went to sit on his bed and sighed out loud to the room. "What do you want." There was no one else in the room. And now there was. It was a man with a blank black mask. "So it is you, Jellyfish." The man bowed. "How do you know it was I, Dragon Heir?" Vacuse looked at him carefully. "I have seen you creep around me enough times that I have begun building a natural resistance to you. "And now you are here. Are you also a Numbered Accord?"

Chapter 148 - 148: Two Dukes

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