Chapter 399: The Emperor’s Limit

Alexander shook his head, trying to clear the ringing buzzing in his ears. Blood dripped down his forehead, clouding the vision in his left eye. He braced himself against a crumbled pillar as his chest heaved, feeling an ache in his gut.

Damn it... thought Alexander, spitting a blood clot onto the stone. I didn’t expect this level of damage.

Despite the protection of [Vampiric Emperor Lvl 1] and his [Shadow Vampire Summon Lvl 1] triggering to absorb impact, the physical force of the minotaur had managed to punch through his shadow defense. The strike hadn’t just shattered his jaw and crushed his ribs; the demonic energy was scorching his internal tissues, slowing the response of his [Divine Regeneration Lvl 1].

Seeing the vampire stagger, Big Black let out a laugh that sounded like a volcano on the verge of erupting. The minotaur’s hooves shattered the stone floor with every step, leaving footprints of ash and magma.

"What’s the matter, ’Emperor’?" mocked Big Black, cracking his knuckles topped with talons. "Ran out of magic tricks? I told you that you didn’t have what it takes to stand on the same field as me."

In the distance, the Vampire Empress folded her wings and landed near Alexander, adopting a guard stance while keeping her crimson eyes locked onto Big Black’s red frame.

"That transformation drains an absurd amount of vitality, Alexander," warned the Vampire Empress in a tense voice. "You cannot afford to take another direct hit. If you let your guard down, he will crush your core before your regeneration can react."

Alexander grit his teeth, feeling the muscles across his face and torso weaving back together under the glow of his divine regeneration. A bloodied smirk formed on his lips as his [Storm Steel Claws Lvl 1] began to hum with an electrified buzz.

"We’re just getting warmed up," muttered Alexander, flaring his wings and locking his glowing eyes onto the minotaur.

Big Black didn’t give him time to settle. With a roar that shook the ruins, the minotaur surged forward, turning into a mass of destruction.

Alexander grit his teeth and, using his wings to vault to the side, managed to dodge the direct strike. However, the pressure of the residual wind generated by the fist slammed into his face like invisible blades, carving slashes across his cheeks and forehead.

Blood spurted from the gashes, splattering onto the stone as Alexander rolled across the floor to regain his footing.

"Even with your regeneration, that wind will shred you!" roared Big Black, pivoting on his hooves to crush him again.

Alexander didn’t wait for the giant to turn. With a roar, he activated [Shadow Vampire Summon Lvl 1] once more, causing the shadows across the courtyard to twist and erupt into a swarm of armed shadow vampires.

Seeing the offensive unfold, the Vampire Empress joined in, unleashing a wave of small shadow vampires. At the same time, her elite vampires—royal warriors who fought alongside her and Alexander—charged in coordination to flank the monster.

Big Black let out a heavy laugh and began swinging with force. With every sweep of his arms and lash of his tail, both the small shadow thralls and the elite warriors were obliterated in a hit. However, upon being crushed, they detonated into clouds of blood, covering the minotaur’s face, blinding him and slowing his movements.

Taking advantage of the blood cover, the Fox Queen—submissive under the enchantment—drove her nine spiritual fire tails into Big Black’s back, causing scorch wounds across his hide.

The Serpent Queen grit her teeth, watching the tide of blood clouds and fire smothering the minotaur. Her eyes darted from Ibrahim’s severed corpse to the enthralled Fox Queen, and finally to the cornered giant.

"You useless bastard!" shrieked the Serpent Queen, her voice dripping with venom aimed at Big Black. "You were supposed to be the force of our alliance! How are you letting a handful of vampires and a puppet push you against the ropes?!"

The Spider Queen dropped into a low stance beside her, fangs bared and limbs taut.

"I don’t trust him, sister," whispered the Spider Queen, her eyes locked on the curtain of smoke and blood. "Look at his demonic form... That fool never intended to share the palace. He used us as shields. If we let him crush the vampires, we are next."

"But we can’t let that hybrid win either!" snapped the Serpent Queen, hissing in frustration. "If the vampire kills Big Black and absorbs the palace’s energy, there won’t be a corner in this capital left for us to hide."

"Shut your mouths, you foolish snakes!" roared Big Black from the center of the smoke, clearing the blood cloud with a sweep of his claw as the Fox Queen’s fire scorched his back. "Stop squawking like harpy hags and help me tear them apart if you don’t want me to execute you two first when I’m done with this mutt!"

"You dare threaten us?!" hissed the Spider Queen, taking a step back with contempt. "Rot in that fire alone."

"Try it if you can, you mound of flesh!" screamed the Serpent Queen back, refusing to move an inch to aid him as doubt and hatred fractured their alliance.

Big Black roared until his throat nearly tore open. The mockery and betrayal shattered whatever sanity he had left in his demonic form.

"To hell with all of you! Go to hell!" bellowed Big Black.

Ignoring the fire searing his back, the minotaur pivoted toward the two queens. He flexed his legs and unleashed [Explosive Muscles] against the ground, shattering stone tiles and materializing in front of them like a red meteor. The Serpent Queen barely managed to raise her scaled arms to block, but the collision slammed her into the pavilion walls, vomiting a spray of blood. The Spider Queen counterattacked by spitting venomous silk webs, fighting back with claws and fangs in a desperate attempt to halt the rampage of the giant, who was now attacking anything that moved.

A few meters away, the chaos blurred before Alexander’s eyes.

The vampire emperor’s dark wings drooped, and the pink glow in his eyes flickered. A deafening ring echoed inside his temples. He tried to take a step forward to finish Big Black off while the giant was distracted, but his legs felt heavy, almost detached from his will. His vision fragmented, and the energy he was channeling turned unstable, scattering into erratic wisps of shadow.

Alexander shook his head, gritting his teeth until he tasted the metallic tang of his own blood.

Damn it... my mind... thought Alexander, clutching his forehead as the world spun around him. I’m losing control.

The strain of maintaining his Emperor transformation, the accumulated demonic damage, and the mental tax of holding the [Charm] over the Fox Queen were overloading his consciousness, leaving his focus fractured in the middle of the battlefield.