199. We Have No Choice
Eliminating the Ascendant King would naturally resolve Cascadia's concerns.
The region might even become more stable than before.
After all, even the Blood Moon Vampire King needed to consider whether he could survive a joint attack from a Redeemed Spirit and a Ward of Nature once Aisha Patani broke through.
Leaving the territory adjacent to Cascadia and finding another location might be the wiser choice.
The circumstances for assassination appeared quite favorable. However, the sense of unease in Granny Chloe's heart only intensified.
After following that old wolf for so many years, she doubted the vampire could be completely unaware of her presence. The Vampire King certainly knew he remained under constant surveillance by the Vampire Hunters.
If Blood Moon had some emergency and was in a hurry, that would be understandable.
But after finding the Ascendant King, all they did was just chatting. It would be like if Chloe, knowing vampires were likely following, deliberately went to chat with Aisha during her seclusive breakthrough training and removed her protective guards in the process.
Unless the Blood Moon Vampire King was a Cascadian spy, only two possibilities remained.
Its goal was to lure and kill Aisha.
Or the old wolf had uncharacteristically lowered its guard, perhaps because the Ascendant King was on the verge of breaking through.
Obviously, the probability of the former was far greater than the latter.
"Unless they deliberately said it for me to hear, the Ascendant King could break through at any moment once he recovers."
Through the silver bell, Chloe asked everyone: "Aisha, what about you?"
Everyone turned their gazes to the girl, except for General Kane, whose thoughts remained a mystery.
"I a not sure." Aisha Patani shook her head. Although her talent was exceptional, she wasn't some freak who could break through realms like drinking water.
Though her Cosmic Devouring Infant of Love had reached perfection and she had merged her consciousness with it, shattering the core to become a Ward of Nature could happen in an instant—or take many years.
"Then it seems we have no choice," Samir Jabal sighed. Even if this was a trap, or the Ascendant King was merely bluffing, who would dare gamble with the safety of all Cascadia?
Chloe remained silent, her gaze fixed on Aisha.
This was precisely why she had kept Theodore Montgomery outside the door.
If Aisha declined, everything discussed today would remain confidential. Those waiting outside would never know about the opportunity she had given up.
This little girl had matured enough to make decisions fr herself.
In the eyes of both H.A.R.M. and the Vampire Hunters, she would maintain her reputation for having done everything possible for Cascadia.
"Perhaps... Aisha's skill set isn't well-suited for assassination?" Albany Laurent said thoughtfully, his gaze shifting to rest on that young face opposite of him.
"..."
Chloe was taken aback by General Laurent's sudden input. She had invited him because among all the H.A.R.M. Generals, he and Aisha Patani were the only ones who had broken through all three stages of Harmonization.
Among the generals who nurtured Redeemed Spirits, only Albany Laurent maintained significant combat power even outside Cascadia's borders.
Yet, his upper limit was well-known—he could become the next Seeker of Redeemer only after Theodore Montgomery died or left Cascadia, not a second concurrent Seeker.
Not only was he a capable fighter, but Cascadia could withstand the consequences if he fell. This made him the ideal candidate.
Given Laurent's personality, it was unusual for him to try influencing Aisha Patani's decision at this moment.
Chloe followed his gaze, a flicker of confusion crossing her face.
Why was he looking at Kane now? True, Kane's growth was terrifying, and he had earned the distinction of killing Moonfeather at such a young age.
However, even fully accounting for this achievement, Moonfeather and the Ascendant King were vampires of completely different calibers.
The difference in power between the two was even greater than the gap between General Grant and Aisha Patani.
"Since the Ascendant King is gravely wounded, I offer to assist General Kane, should he choose to go. Even if we encounter an ambush from the Blood Moon Vampire King himself, I will stake my life to hold it back for those crucial moments."
Albany Laurent rose gracefully, using the silver bell to transmit his voice as he bowed respectfully to Kane.
"If the Ascendant King were to break through, Aisha's presence wouldn't make any difference. And if it hasn't broken through yet... given General Kane's strength, I could contribute at least as much as Aisha could."
The two Gold Bell Vampire Hunters stared in stunned silence. Could this really be happening?
… …
"..." I emerged from my thoughts and replied diplomatically, "General Laurent, you're too generous with your praise. Please, have a seat."
I had once seen the Ascendant King, whose vampiric aura vastly surpassed any vampire I had encountered. Despite General Laurent's impressive handling of the two Nemean Lions over the years, he would be nearly powerless against the bull vampire, especially since his strength would be greatly diminished outside Cascadia.
I had stayed quiet because I prefer not to give advice on matters involving Cascadian politics. If possible, I preferred to just go kill the bull vampire myself.
Albany Laurent hesitated briefly, then sank back into his seat.
Chloe rested her chin on her small hand, bewildered by how the situation had become increasingly incomprehensible.
Just then, Aisha Patani also turned to look at me and said softly, "You promised before that I could accompany you. Does that promise still hold?"
Chloe's hand slipped, nearly causing her forehead to collide with the table. "..."
So Aisha had remained silent all this time because she was waiting to follow Kane's lead.
"Of course." I understood her hesitation.
After the trip to the capital, I had come to understand Aisha's "uneven abilities." She was anxious that her limitations might compromise the mission, yet she desperately wanted to kill the Ascendant King.
Actually, there was no reason to be conflicted. What did it matter if she hadn't learned a teleportation technique?
After all, I had easily carried thousand-foot Leviasaur corpses—carrying one woman would be nothing.
"Wait, you've made your decision just like that?" Chloe jumped to her feet. She had intended to summarize everything after hearing Aisha's position.
"I've never seen General Kane remain idle when there's news of vampires... Even without Aisha's participation, he'll certainly go." Albany looked at Granny Chloe with a resigned smile.
The moment Chloe allowed Kane to enter this pavilion, the meeting's outcome was already sealed.
"..."
I furrowed my brow. Was I really that transparent?
I hadn't planned to get involved in this situation.
Based on Aisha's earlier report, the vampires' complete withdrawal seemed to deliberately signal that this was a trap.
I had no desire to lead others into a deadly trap.
Still, I wanted to investigate the situation myself...
Chloe let out a weary sigh, seeing how everyone had already made up their minds without her input.
She couldn't fathom why these two disciples of the Admiral placed such unwavering trust in Kane.
She carefully took out a thick aura from the gold bell. "In that case, let's come up with a plan."
The Ascendant King had repeatedly provoked Aisha and escaped every time. Even now, seriously injured, killing it wouldn't be easy.
"I know it possesses a red flying gear, so I've prepared the Sunweaver's Trap. However, I'm not sure what other artifacts it might have."
"I haven't seen anything else." Aisha closed her eyes, carefully recalling. "It always wields a large saber, and when it escapes, there's that red cloud. Its movement is even faster than John's teleportation technique. That's everything I've observed."