Debauchery of a Soul-Eating Wraith
Chapter 93 - 93: My Place Is Here

In Evian's hours of absence, Daria had remained in the Stygian Estate, her attention lost in the Arahant Scripture but then the mobilization of Stygian Knights pulled her out of her focused cultivation.

With the ongoing chatter at the time, it wasn't hard to deduce what was taking place or about to take place, and on a whim, she joined the rallying army who all welcomed her as an asset.

And now, she stood with them, watching the ongoing battle and witnessing the en-masse harshness of war. It wasn't exactly a new sight for her and she didn't really feel pity for the injured or dead regardless of which side they were on.

But of course, there was one person she hoped to see alive and well. He was the only tie she had to this battle and so she pulled herself away from the Stygians and went searching.

"Elites, join the battle," Lord Stygian commanded in a booming tone, "Captains, stay with me! We shall storm the Estate and strike that cowardly Lord down!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" the Stygian Knights chorused in boisterous spirits and their approaching mass filled the hearts of the Larnak Knights with despair. Their already weakening resolve lessened all the more.

*BANG!*

Despite calling his Captains to fight by his side, Lord Stygian did not take the fact that they were slower than him into consideration as he dashed into the Larnak Estate grounds, slamming into the Gate with a force that blasted it open and even threatened to rip them off whatever hinges they were on.

Even without stretching out his superior Martial senses, the Stygian Lord could very easily tell what building Herbert was in by the organization of Guard placements in front of the massive double doors.

"Get into-"

*Bam!*

"Ahhhhhhh!"

The Guard had barely gotten out his call to order when a single blow from the Stygian Lord's fist sent him flying feet away from the door and right out of the already, mis-organized formation.

Lord Stygian said nothing. The blow had not even caused him to exert himself. Without looking and with a kick that mostly slammed the next Guard with his Pressure, the double doors were free of obstructions and he pushed them open to behold the congregation of Larnak Relatives.

---

Yvette would have had to be deaf not to have heard the war cries.

"It's happening," she mumbled with her finger stroking her Spatial ring and staring at the items within almost subconsciously while her mind focused on the role she needed to play right this minute and when the dust eventually settled.

She walked out of her room calmly and despite the fact that she had been ignored during such a moment of insecurity or the fact that every thought of her was pushed to the side for a potential afterthought, she managed to adopt a look of dutiful concern as she stepped into the hall where her husband adamantly refused against surrender.

She needed to play her role to the letter.

"My Lady," Herbert called once Yvette's heels clacked loudly in the hall courtesy of the silence he had brought on by his adamance, "What are you doing here?"

Yvette allowed herself a smile that looked like an attempt to ease the tense atmosphere as she answered in a smooth tone thick with unwavering conviction,

"Shall I stand idly by as my home is attacked?" she asked, "Shall I sleep soundly in my bed while the home I have lived in for years is torn down brick by brick? This is MY home and I intend to fight for it... Right here, by your side!"

The hearts of everyone in the hall softened. Whether they agreed with Herbert's chosen head-on approach or not, they were all touched by the conviction in Yvette's tone.

Never had they had a reason to not treat the Lady of the Estate with respect.

Her conduct had always been the most composed and she had long pushed aside any possible aspirations of her own to simply be an ever-long support for their Lord's rule.

For the first time that day, Herbert's expression softened and he reached out to Yvette to grab her hand and pull her closer gently,

"My dear, I would be shattered to watch you fight. Your place has never been in battle and should never be," he said before raising the hand he held so he could plant a kiss on the back of it.

The words, while delivered gently, had a slightly condescending tone to them but just as she had resisted the urge to physically cringe at his touch, Yvette took her husband's words in stride as her lips stretched in a wide false smile of solidarity,

"Nonsense!" she said and with a flick of her wrist, she retrieved a sword from her Spatial ring. A sword Herbert recognized as a Wedding present he had gifted her back in the days when her Martial prowess stood as a reason to wed her.

Holding the sword up, Yvette words words came out a bit like a vow,

"My place is right here by your side and if battle is what is required of me, then I shall battle with every last drop of my strength."

*BAM!*

Right after this proclamation, sounds of one-sided combat turned all eyes to the double doors that led into the hall and every single person within had only just got into a fighting stance when the doors blasted open to reveal a black-haired, black-eyed man whose glare was immediately focused on Herbert's face.

"Protect the Lord!" Amira called out, rallying her fellow Captains to form a defensive wall in front of their Lord.

Behind said wall, Herbert sneered, his vision of Lord Stygian not too obscured,

"Averill," he called in a tone dripping with malice.

The Stygian Captains finally caught up and they spent a few seconds overwhelming the Elite Guards outside the hall with their Fourth Order Martial strength before they filed in and formed a supportive line behind their Lord.

The Larnak Relatives looked from Herbert Larnak's face to Averill Stygian's as the two held their ground in a standoff of sorts, almost like they were sizing each other up and then...

*Boom*

... Averill Stygian bent his knees and sprang forward with an impactful forceful sound that caused the aggressive blow of wind all around as he charged forward.

With his speed, he could have avoided the wall in front of Herbert but he saw no point in doing so.

Three simultaneous releases of Fourth Order Cultivation pressure as well as a locking of weapons in crosses for defense meant nothing in the face of a Sixth Order pressure that wielded the powerful cleaving might of a six-star large sword blade.

*CLANG!*

*CRACK!*

*BANG!*

The superior weapon and Martial excellence won out instantly. The impact of striking a higher quality weapon like Averill Stygian's sword caused the weapons of two out of the three Captains to crack, right before the force of the Stygian Lord's pressure death the final blow that smacked them all aside.

Herbert paid this no heed.

With an expression as normal as ever, besides the craze that had been plaguing him for days now, he retrieved his weapon from his Spatial ring and met Averill's sword in a parry that resulted in separation. Equal strengths canceling each other out and forcing them to slide away from one another.

Averill Stygian recovered first but that hardly gave him an advantage since Herbert's weapon, a red Spear, had the greater reach and gave the Larnak Lord a bit more leeway in regards to reaction.

Before Averill could get close enough to bring his sword down to cleave his opponent in two, the Spearhead came stabbing at his neck.

His eyes widened, he sidestepped and made to keep moving forward only for his eyes to bug out when an impact struck the side of his face and sent him flying into the wall with an impact strong enough to crack the structure.

*BANG!*

Radiating with satisfaction at his successful strike, Herbert followed up by stabbing his Spear toward Averill's stomach while the Stygian Lord was slumped against the wall.

Meanwhile, the downed Larnak Captains recovered from their encounter with the might of the Sixth Order and stirred only to be at the receiving end of attacks from Stygian Captains.

Thanks to not having to deal with ongoing battles outside the Estate grounds, the Stygian Knights kept their numbers intact easily outnumbering the Larnak Captains but of course, there were still the Larnak Relatives to be taken seriously;

While they did not agree with Herbert's approach, they all still felt compelled to follow his wishes and put plans of surrender on hold for the moment. Also, Herbert's crazed confidence, and impressive maneuver in his battle against the Stygian Lord uplifted morale.

The Larnak Relatives retrieved their weapons, and let out their Cultivational Pressure which revealed none of them was beyond the Fourth Order which made them all feel immediately outclassed when Yvette's Pressure blew past theirs to settle comfortably at the Fifth Order.

Whatever reaction her outburst of Pressure caused, Yvette paid hardly any heed to it.

Her focus was screwed up on controlling her Pressure and congealing it into a wall that struck a Stygian Captain into the opposite wall and then, forced forward by her Pressure, her speed was boosted to a degree no one on the scene, besides possibly the combatting Lords, could follow all so she could deliver a strike with her Sword hilt and knock the Captain out...

*Bam!*

... In an instant.