Chapter 3763: Old Wounds (Part 2) "We are happy for your blessings, dear, but that doesn’t make it any nicer when you rub them in our faces." Elina did her best to sound nice, but her eyes were stern and her posture stiff. "The only thing I got from my pregnancies is the gluttony of my ravenous pack of wolves!" Selia grunted. "Mom, I’m hungry." Lilia grabbed Selia’s pants. "Me too, dear." Selia hid her face behind her hands. "And we had our morning snack less than ten minutes ago." "Was I being-" "Yes!" Zinya, Rena, and every woman in the room said before the word "inconsiderate" could form on Kamila’s lips. "I’m sorry, I-" A sudden pull to her consciousness cut her short. Jirni took out her communication amulet, and so did Orion and all those who served the Kingdom as officials. "This is an emergency broadcast." A young and scared female voice said. "The Dead King has returned and has launched an attack on the holders of his Balkor cards. All available operatives, please converge on the following coordinates. "I repeat, the Dead King has returned and launched an attack on the holders of his Balkor cards. All of them and at the same time!" The amulets conjured a holographic map of the Kingdom with the reported sites of the attacks. The White Griffon Academy, the Lark Household, the Distar Household, and the Vastor Household were all marked red. Only the White Griffon Academy was holding out, and reinforcements were required everywhere else. "How can Meln attack so many people and during the day at that?" Elina asked. "Easy." Jirni replied. "Night is stronger after sundown, but neither Narchat nor his Upyrs are undead. The sun doesn’t bother them. What worries me the most is that after killing Mirim and Trequill, he’s made their children his next targets." "What about you?" Selia asked. "You too received Balkor cards." "Please." Orion dismissed her words with a sweep of her hand. "Everyone knows we live here now. Meln won’t face Lith until he’s ready, so we are safe here. You’d better stay as well until this is over, Zinya." "Thank the gods we weren’t at home when it happened." She sighed in relief while looking at Filia and Frey playing with the others in the park. "Tezka would have protected us, but the kids might have gotten scared." "I think avoiding Tezka is part of Meln’s plan." Lith Warped among the women before moving them and the children inside. "Meln never forgot the humiliations Zogar inflicted on him, but he’s not stupid enough to make an enemy out of Tezka for it. "Stay here and stay safe, Kami. Remember that Raldarak’s protection doesn’t apply to others." He pointed at Aran, Leria, Rena, and his parents. "Orion, please, protect my family in my absence. "I’m not going to let Meln take one of my friends away, nor create an opening he can exploit. Remember Quylla." "I’ll never forget." Orion’s jaw clenched so hard that it popped. Lith was referring to the Lost Magus who had struck Quylla down from a long distance and would have killed her if not for Jirni’s clever ruse. The same might have happened, maybe to Quylla again, if they remained in the park. Only Elysia and Raldarak were under the direct protection of the Guardians. A precise shot at anyone else would have just triggered the protections of the Verhen Mansion. Lith had learned the hard way that Orpal’s Thunder Soul couldn’t be blocked, only dodged. It was the reason he had added Warping Arrays to the Mansion’s defensive system, which could move people from one room to another. Yet a quick attack might hit before the magical formations activated, so he had brought everyone inside. Barriers couldn’t stop Thunder Soul, but would slow it enough for the Warping Arrays to work. "Where are you going?" Kamila asked, noticing that Ragnarök was at Lith’s hip and the Voidwalker armor in its true form. "To the Lark Estate." Lith replied. "The White Griffon is safe, and I know the precautions Brinja took after Mirim died. On top of that, she has Ainz with her. Jadon and Keyla, instead, have nothing but the barriers they purchased after the last attack." "What about Zogar?" Zinya grabbed Lith’s arm in worry. "He’s received a Balkor card as well!" ’Are you really scared for him?’ Kamila asked via the mind link while nodding at Tezka. ’Who’s at home with Zogar today?’ 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮 ’Oh.’ Zinya replied. *** Jiera continent, ruined city of Hervor, at the same time. "And so, it begins." Orpal smiled as the status reports of the various battlefields arrived on his amulet in real time. The White Griffon Academy held strong, but that was no surprise. The Dead King knew there was no chance of succeeding where the Golden Griffon had failed. His only goal in attacking the White Griffon was to put his soldiers and bloodline abilities to the test against the best the Kingdom had to offer. "We’ve broken into the Distar Household." A deep, baritone voice said. "Heavy resistance encountered. Advance is slow but steady." "The Vastor Household’s external arrays are down too." A silvery, feminine voice said. "Approaching the target." "Lark Household conquered." Another masculine voice said. "Searching for primary targets as we speak." "Good. Keep me posted." Orpal replied. "Are you sure about this?" Jorl, the Storm Griffon, asked. "You’re sending our first batch of true Upyrs into battle, and for what? Low-level threats located in places of minimal strategic importance. "I don’t see the point of investing so much of our forces against a bunch of pathetic humans." The smaller the Awakened’s real form, the less blood and time the transformation required. Jorl was a Divine Beast, and his body continued to develop after reaching the deep violet and accumulating toward the violet. His transformation into an Upyr would take much longer than a plant folk or an Emperor Beast. The Storm Griffon couldn’t help but be envious and worried at the same time. Envious because the members of the strike teams had become true Upyrs before him. Worried because now nothing bound them to the cause anymore, and they could defect at any moment. "There is a point, dear Jorl. More than one, actually." The Dead King tutted. "You are a great general, but you fail to realize the importance of morale and fear. By attacking during the day, I’m showing the Kingdom that we Upyrs are superior to the Undead Courts. "That there is no moment when our enemies can allow themselves to relax. After this strike, constant vigilance will spread the enemy forces thin and keep their nerves on edge. It’s only a matter of time before pressure makes them crack, and we exploit it. "Also, by putting an end to the Lark and Distar bloodlines, we prove to the rest of the Royals’ loyal followers that they can’t protect anyone. Making Leech suffer and reopening his old wounds is just the icing on the cake. "Last, but not least, we are collecting priceless data. Through my Upyrs, I can check how my bloodline abilities work against the arrays of the noble households and academies. "As we speak, my Upyrs are learning how to synergize their old and new abilities in a real battle. These are all things they can teach the new recruits, and that will greatly increase our odds of success for future plans. "This attack will drive fear into the hearts of people and set the foundations for our final victory."