Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 146: Silver Knights

Chapter 146: Silver Knights

"Is this it?" Damian asked as he stood before a stone door.

Currently, he and Horace were in the great hall used for the gathering of the dukes.

The armored knights standing guard silently watched as Damian inspected the door.

The previously dimly lit hall was not so dark anymore as gas lamps lit up the entire hall, revealing various art drawn on the walls and ceiling about a group of armored knights that triumphed in the wars fought at the beginning of the Dark Ages against the armies of men.

After taking some time to study the drawings on the walls, Damian couldn’t help but comment in a disdainful tone. "The sleeping place of the legendary Silver Knights turned into a meeting hall for incompetent leaders."

Horace, standing behind him with his head bowed, replied softly. "We had no choice, to avoid getting into altercations with the Liason."

"Tch, I didn’t ask for an explanation," Damian remarked. "So how do we get in?"

"The guards are the ones capable of opening it. They decide if they want to or not."

Damian furrowed his brows before turning to address the knights.

"I’m sure you all must know why I am here and more than anyone, you must know the importance of the Knights. I am here today to awaken them... help me do so."

"... The Peace Accords." One of the guards suddenly spoke. "... There is no going back if you do this."

"If the news about the Dark Lord is to be taken seriously... don’t you think it’s best if the Silver Knights come back to verify his identity," Damian remarked with a vague sense of righteousness, of course, only himself and Horace knew why he wanted to awaken the Knights.

The armored knight standing guard in the hall exchanged looks amongst themselves before one of them finally stepped forward.

"They have slept for too long... I believe it’s time they return."

The knight that spoke, walked over to the stone table at the center of the hall and grabbing its edge, turned it like a lock.

As the clicking of locks and the turning of wheels echoed, the stone door Damian stood before slowly opened to reveal a flight of stairs leading downward.

"Be wary... the Silver Knights do not entertain weakness." The armored knight remarked before glancing at Horace, who was flustered.

Damian chuckled as he addressed Horace. "Even the Knights see you as a weakling."

Shaking his head, he took steps forward and crossed the door before setting his foot on the stairs.

Steeling his nerves, Damian began the journey down.

The darkness grew thicker and more eerie the deeper he went with a faint miasma filling the air.

"Even in slumber, their potent killing intent still lingers... unbelievable." Filled with both awe and fear, Damian soon arrived at the end of the stairs.

As he took a deep breath, tongues of flames began to appear in the dark hall, illuminating the area about him, revealing it to be a splendidly decorated tomb.

A total of 13 coffins lay in a circle with a pedestal at the center which served as a focal point.

Damian strode forward without hesitation and upon getting to the pedestal, noticed that it held some sort of mechanism within which was connected to the coffins.

Pursing his lips, he inserted his arm into the center of the mechanism and after feeling a sharp pricking feeling, sensed a great deal of power escaping his body.

If not for the Bloodstone he carried, Damian would have died from having his life force drained from him.

"So that’s how it is. The Lords of that era didn’t want just anyone coming to awaken you guys." Damian muttered whilst gasping.

He watched as a thin red line extended from the pedestal and entered into each coffin, nourishing its inhabitants with life.

Taking deep breaths to calm himself, Damian waited patiently up until he heard a faint click, like the sound of a lock opening.

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he could feel the rising vitality within each coffin.

It continued to rise and got to a level that suffocated the young Monarch, causing him to strain just to keep standing.

Boom

The coffin doors exploded off their hinges with pieces of wood flying about, disrupting the silence that had reigned in the hall for so long.

Then one after another, Vampires donning silver armor sat up and shot dreadful gazes toward Damian, freezing him in his tracks.

"This..." Damian could help but gulp as his crimson eyes reflected the image of a silver-haired female Vampire.

Amongst the 13, she carried the most potent killing intent and her eyes seemed so cold, it felt possible to freeze a person with a single glare.

The female Vampire scrutinized Damian thoroughly before parting her lips to speak.

"Has it been so long that a weakling like you qualifies to be a Monarch?" She said in the most gentle yet insulting tone Damian had ever heard.

Damian’s eyebrows twitched but knowing who he was talking to, he adjusted his thoughts before replying.

"This young one pays homage to the legendary Silver Knights."

The female Vampire snorted, her eyes flickering strangely as she asked. "How long has it been?"

"Hmm?"

"How long has it been since the Accords?"

"... 1500 years, my lady."

"I see." The lady muttered before glancing at her subordinates. "Don’t tell me a few centuries of sleep have left you so confused you can’t control your bloodlust!.. behave yourselves!"

Jolted out of whatever ungodly thoughts they had, the other Silver Knights stepped out of their coffins before moving to stand behind the female Vampire.

The female Vampire was the last to step out of her coffin, revealing her full figure.

With cascading silver hair, reaching her waist and a slender figure with a tender face that somehow screamed both gentleness and death at the same time, she exuded the aura of a true Knight.

Damian watched her and her group with interest, biding his time until he spoke about the reason he woke them up.

Adjusting her hair to the back of her pointed ear, the female Vampire remarked. "I am Lady Charlotte of the 25th Battalion in the Silver Knight Order. What is your name, young Monarch?"

"Damian," Damian replied. "Damian Salvatore."

"Well, Damian... I have three questions for you."

"Please go ahead."

The female Vampire... no, Charlotte revealed a smile as she asked. "Has any calamity befallen the Great Families?"

"...No," Damian replied.

Charlotte nodded as she asked a second question. "Are the powers of Ra’as weakened after experiencing a great calamity?"

"...No." As a deep sense of foreboding crept up Damian’s spine, he couldn’t help but take a step back.

"I see." Charlotte nodded yet again, her smile quickly distorting into an expression filled with anger as she asked the last question. "So how dare you awaken me from my slumber!?"

A thick wave of bloodlust erupted from her and slammed into Damian, sending him flying several meters until he was stopped by the stairs he used to reach the underground tomb.

"Ugh." Damian groaned as he tried to stand but before he had a chance to do so, he felt something sharp pierce his abdomen.

He nearly screamed out in pain but held himself as he looked up to find that Charlotte had dug her left heel into his stomach.

As she drew her sword, prepared to kill him, Damian raised his arms in surrender.

"Wait... let me explain."

"... I’m listening."

"The Dark Lord... the dark lord has risen!"