Second World

Chapter 1459 1459. Sole Heir

”Arlcard…!!!” Jack shouted when he saw the scene.

He tried to get to Arlcard but the mists had reformed back into the red smoke monster. Its tentacles appeared again and they swung at Jack.

Jack had no choice but to retreat while using Magic Shield to block the incoming tentacles. He could still hear Alrcardʼs scream. He had to get to his companion!

Jack was ready to activate Lightning God Suit and forced himself into the red smoke when Arlcardʼs scream stopped abruptly.

The silence lasted a second before suddenly the red smoke in front of Jack burst apart.

”Huh?” Jack was flabbergasted. The red smoke was gone. There was not even a mist. Jackʼs didnʼt feel a trace of the monsterʼs presence anymore.

He then noticed Arlcard was lying face down on the ground before the now-empty pedestal.

”Arlcard!” Jack shouted while running forward.

”Peniel! Cast Fast Heal!” Jack commanded.

Peniel did as instructed. Arlcard had lost some HP but his HP bar was still above half. It was refilled to full after receiving Penielʼs heal. However, Arlcard remained lying on the ground.

Jack knelt on the floor and rolled Arlcard to face him. Arlcardʼs eyes were open but they looked hollow.

”Arlcard!” Jack called while snapping his fingers in front of Arlcardʼs face. The vampire showed no response.

”What happened to him?” Jack asked Peniel.

Peniel didnʼt answer, because she didnʼt know as well.

Jack continued calling Arlcard while shaking his body, but it was as if he was holding a doll. There was no response whatsoever.

Suddenly, Arlcardʼs body started to jerk before it trembled vigorously. Jack tried grabbing it to stop the shaking but it just intensified. Then, as abruptly as it started, the shivering ended.

Arlcardʼs eyes blinked.

”Arlcard…?” Jack asked when he saw some sort of life was back in the vampireʼs eyes.

Arlcard stood back up.

”Hey… Are you okay…? What happened?” Jack asked.

Arlcard didnʼt answer. He seemed to be disoriented for a while. He replied not long after, ”Iʼm okay. Our business here is done.”

”Huh? Done?” Jack asked. He still didnʼt understand what it was all about just now. They didnʼt even get to kill the red monster. It just suddenly went out of existence, and he didnʼt get any exp points from that. Not to mention, he didnʼt hear any notification that his companion quest was completed. He opened and checked his quest page and saw the companion quest was still there. The description also hadnʼt changed.

”Letʼs get out of here,” Arlcard said and walked behind the pedestal.

When Jack looked over, he noticed a portal had appeared there.

He didnʼt understand what was going on, but he guessed he should be glad they could now leave this place on Arlcardʼs terms.

Jack looked at Arlcard again. There didnʼt seem to be anything wrong with the vampire. Arlcardʼs face was as expressionless as always, but he couldnʼt forget the sight when Arlcard shook fiercely on his lap.

”Are you truly okay?” Jack asked.

Arlcard turned to Jack as if he didnʼt understand the question. He turned back again and said, ”Letʼs leave.”

He stepped into the portal without waiting for Jack.

Jack was used to Arlcardʼs cold treatment but it felt different this time. ”Do you think he is truly okay?” He asked Peniel.

Peniel shrugged. ”He looks okay, but I do worry the urn has done something to him. I donʼt know what that urn is. We were not close enough to get a better look, but I donʼt have a recollection of an artifact that resembles that urn.”

”A simple urn wonʼt have a level 82 mythical guarding it,” Jack muttered as he stepped into the portal.

He found himself in the interior of the mausoleum. The slanted door on the floor where they entered the labyrinth was gone. There was no trace of a door ever being there.

Arlcard was not there. The door to the mausoleum was opened. Sunlight came in from outside. It was daytime. He also heard some commotion from outside.

He went out and saw Arlcard floating above the mausoleum.

ʼDoes he not worry the guards outside the fence might see him?ʼ Jack thought with worry.

Arlcard noticed Jack down there. He understood Jackʼs worry after seeing his expression.

”There are no guards,” Arlcard said and pointed. ”They have their attention taken elsewhere.”

After making sure there were truly no guards outside the fence, Jack used the Gold Dragon Wings and flew up to where Arlcard was. Arlcard glanced at the golden wings with interest.

Up there, Jack had a better look at the situation. The city army on the wall was fighting against another force from the outside. The most eye-catching thing was a massive dragon above the wall. A dragon that was as black as the night. It was raining dark breath at the army outside the wall. Jack believed that the dragon must be Sangrodʼs country guardian.

”Horatioʼs allies have started their siege,” Jack said.

”Yes,” Arlcard agreed. ”I donʼt think that siege will last long with that dragon around.”

Jack heard some pinging sounds then. He thought at first he had received a message from a friend, but he noticed the sound was different. He was still wondering what it was when Peniel said, ”Look inside your inventory.”

Jack did so and found that it was the communication device given by Horatio.

”Where were you? Iʼve been trying to call you since two days ago!” Horatioʼs voice was heard once Jack clicked the accept button on the device. Jack could hear the panic in his voice.

”Iʼm sorry. Iʼm trapped in some kind of a pocket world,” Jack apologized. ”I see your plan has started?”

”It has been since yesterday, and we donʼt have much time. Marcus might have suspected something. The countryʼs main army is closer than we think. They will arrive by tomorrow. The army outside wonʼt survive against the main army and Marcusʼ blood army. We only have one day to complete our plan!”

”Iʼm ready now. We can begin immediately. Where are you?”

”Iʼm hiding inside the palace.”

”Hiding?” Jack asked.

”Once the siege started yesterday. Marcus decided he wasnʼt going to take the chance. He decided to secretly assassinate his three remaining offspring instead of publicly executing them. I managed to flee and hide with the help of the Book of the Damned. My two siblings were not so lucky. Iʼm now the sole survivor of Marcusʼ descendant.”

ʼAnd the sole heir to Sangrodʼs throne,ʼ Jack said in his mind.