Chapter 325: Chapter 280: Bloodline Curse: Clan Annihilation
In a burst of crimson divine light, the Governor’s corpse had already been refined into a Third Order "Blood of Metamorphosis."
"AH—!"
In the bedroom, which looked as though a storm had passed through, the noblewoman still cowering on the bed couldn’t help but scream in devastation upon witnessing her seemingly invincible lover die so suddenly and unexpectedly.
Her scream caught the attention of the three men.
Seeing the fair-skinned, comely noblewoman before them, Beret Tanya, whose epithet was ’[Preempting the Enemy]’ and who had sworn to urge his lord to abstain from pleasures, travel, and illness, frowned. "Stop screaming. We kill women too," he said.
He drew a Bayfolk Battle Axe from his waist and hurled it. The screaming stopped abruptly.
There was no need to worry about his combat methods leaving any unique traces. After all, a true ’Outlaw Madman’ would automatically create the perfect scene of a suicide.
Byron felt no pity and casually activated the "Holy Grail of Blood" to thoroughly clean up the scene. He then cast "Storm Aura" on his three companions, and they collectively accelerated towards the Governor’s Mansion to rendezvous with Violet and Andrew.
In fact, the person who had boarded the ship and departed earlier was not Byron’s true self but the Wild Hunt Servant, ’Falcon’ Alvin, who had infiltrated the vessel beforehand. Using "Cognitive Revision," he had staged a perfect alibi in front of the accompanying officers. Byron himself had quietly doubled back to lead Lancaster’s rebels in a daring and ruthless annihilation of the entire household.
At the same time, the "Storm Knight Order," following the list provided by "Tilly," had already set out to eliminate every member of the Newman Family, every Newman partisan who could potentially hinder their smooth takeover of the territory.
Major General Elsie Newman had been surprisingly compliant, remaining within the Governor’s Mansion and going nowhere. But he was merely an ordinary Third Order Knight-Captain. First, he was hit by Violet’s fiery baptism while asleep, then Andrew slashed him all over. Subsequently, "Unbreakable Fortress" Old Sam arrived, shield-bashing him with a kite shield in a savage charge that left him battered and bruised. Lying on the ground, Elsie Newman vomited copious amounts of old blood, as if it cost him nothing.
Byron approached, sword in hand, grabbed Elsie’s hand, and pressed it onto the "Faustian Pact," shaking his head with a sigh, "A false political struggle involves both sides scheming and strategizing, laying far-reaching plans, undermining opponents, exploiting loopholes, and searching for weaknesses. A real political struggle? I’ll end you! General, rest in peace. What you refuse to give, I will take for myself."
Even as Byron raised his Bastard Sword, Elsie was still desperately begging for mercy, "Don’t kill me, Byron! You’ve always been the one I favored the most! I’ll have Tilly break off her engagement with Bill and marry you. You’ll inherit the Newman Family’s wealth and power..."
His pleas only earned him a swifter sword strike, beheading him in a single motion.
If not for the "Mad Hunt Legion’s" prerequisite that targets must be killed personally by Byron, Elsie would never have even seen him. Times had changed; defeating a Third Order opponent no longer required any cunning schemes, and Byron couldn’t be bothered to show off in front of his former boss. After all, bread would be provided, milk would be provided, and sooner or later... another boss would also be provided.
With this, his Mad Hunt Legion now included two Governors, Velazquez and Jefferson, and one General, Elsie, bringing them one step closer to convening an international congress.
He then instructed the others to clean up the loose ends while he alone entered Major General Newman’s bedroom. Using a Third Order "Blood of Metamorphosis" and fresh blood, he concocted a "Blood Brew Bloody Mary," placing it before the dressing mirror along with two candles. He used two pieces of blood-stained clothing, one from each of the Newman brothers, to weigh down the arrangement.
Lighting the two white candles, he closed his eyes and entered meditation, silently calling a name from the depths of his heart: "Bloody Mary."
He was once again summoning the Evil Spirit, Bloody Mary!
After calling the name three times, he suddenly felt the temperature in the room skyrocket. He snapped his eyes open to see raging flames reflected in the mirror. In the mirror, "Byron’s" flesh scorched and peeled away, and from within, another exquisitely beautiful figure unfurled. Her skin was snow-white, her long hair flowed freely, and her gem-like, blood-red eyes swirled with a soul-stirring, captivating allure. A fiery red gown, like flowing lava, enveloped her slender, jade-like body, making her resemble a vibrant Sprite of Fire. This was a beauty as deadly as poison, filled with fatal temptation, and simultaneously the legendary villainess who used the blood of maidens to maintain her eternal youth.
The moment her figure appeared, icy frost began to precipitate in the room, and even the direction of gravity seemed to skew towards the mirror. An accidental stumble might send one plunging directly into the mirror, into the beautiful woman’s embrace, to experience a true baptism of ice and fire.
GIGGLE, GIGGLE, GIGGLE...
A laugh like silver bells echoed from the mirror, irresistibly enticing him to do just that.
Even the former Bloody Mary Faction dared not casually command this dangerous Evil Spirit, with whom their faction had established a contract. A single transaction was enough for her to remember the summoner’s aura. Although she wouldn’t harm the summoner during the transaction itself, it was possible that years later, on some quiet night, she might silently slip into their bed and, in a manner either sensual or horrifying, drain their entire life essence, leaving behind a desiccated mummy.
Byron, however, was unconcerned.
He merely raised his hand, displaying the "Storm Sigil Ring" which granted immunity to all conventional curses. Bloody Mary immediately dropped her enchanting facade. Extending a palm covered in burn scars, she picked up the Blood Brew and drained it in one gulp. Obeying Byron’s cold command, "Kill all close blood relatives of these two blood samples," she instantly vanished into the Mirror World.
This was an application recorded in the "Forbidden Book" known as "Bloody Mary’s Gourmet Cookbook"—the "Bloodline Curse," also called the "Bloodhunt Curse." It was tantamount to a mystical paternity test, with the added bonus of total clan annihilation. This was especially potent for Jefferson Newman. As the current Earl Newman and head of the clan, everyone in the family, aside from his spouse, was related to him by blood. Using his bloodline for Anchoring, she could forcibly lock onto every family member, no matter where they were. None could escape.
The core principle was the same as when the White Rose had used a Blood Sacrifice of Lancaster captives to allow the "Touch of the Kraken" to lock onto all their kin. If his own family hadn’t already suffered from such a tactic, Byron might have felt a sliver of guilt. But since the instigators had already demonstrated the "ruthlessness" of political struggle, Lancaster naturally couldn’t afford to fall behind.
The most effective way to end a Throne War was to kill all other claimants to the throne!
Soon, all members of the Newman Family on Arawak Island, regardless of where they hid or whether the Storm Knight Order had found them, died sudden, violent deaths.
「At the same time.」
In the homeland of the Kingdom of Hightens, within a single dormitory room at the Royal Naval Academy marked "Adelaide Marshall"—a room seemingly unconnected to the Newman Family.
On the desk lay a report card with straight A’s and a sailor’s insignia, awarded for awakening and classing up before graduation. Judging by the insignia’s pattern, the room’s occupant had already become a "Navigator," a First Order Servant of the Lighthouse Sequence. Inside the desk drawer were two love letters from different girls. Clearly, this was a winner in life. The whale oil lamp on the desk was still warm, indicating a diligent youth who studied late into the night. Given time, he might truly have distinguished himself in the Navy, becoming an outstanding naval officer, perhaps even a General or a Marshal.
At this moment, the owner of these proud achievements lay fast asleep in his bed.
"UGH..."
Suddenly, as if seized by sleep paralysis, his eyeballs darted wildly beneath his eyelids. His body struggled violently for a short while, and then, within a few minutes, he fell silent.
The Evil Spirit Bloody Mary had completed her work and returned to the Mirror World.
The last bloodline of the Newman Family was thus severed.
In truth, the young man known publicly as Marshall had taken his mother’s surname. His real identity was that of Major General Elsie Newman’s illegitimate son, left behind in the homeland. Even Elsie’s wife, his daughter Tilly, and his brother Governor Jefferson were unaware of this child’s existence. Animals know the wisdom of having multiple escape routes; how much more so for a man?
Actually, it was quite normal, considering his circumstances. He had only Tilly, a clumsy and obese daughter devoid of any particular talent, yet he dared not voice any dissatisfaction with his legitimate wife. This alone hinted at the origins of this unacknowledged, illegitimate child. Before traveling to the colonies with Byron and Catherine, Elsie had always lived at the home of his mistress, Madame Marshall, dedicating himself to raising this illegitimate son. But no matter how cunning or calculating he was, even if this could have been the start of another convoluted and inspiring fantasy tale, it all came to an abrupt end here.
Ultimately, the entire Newman Family was reduced to a single orphan, Tilly, who had luckily escaped the calamity.
The fabricated story was this: worried about her fiancé "Bill," who had gone to war, she had secretly boarded the warship with him. This was how she had fortunately survived the bandits’ attack on her family. As the last Newman, she would also become the heir to all of the Newman Family’s private property. Then, claiming inability to manage the assets, she would sell the territory and everything else to the Pioneer Guiding Colonial Trading Company, receive a large sum of money, and disappear without a trace.
This arrangement was logical and flawless!
Only then would this feast of extermination be truly and thoroughly consumed.
Having eliminated the last lingering threat, Byron walked out of the room.
He looked up at the chaotic scene in the Royal Harbor. Seeing that the Coral People were about to break free from the military port and that properties destined to bear the Lancaster name were already within sight, he immediately activated "Cognitive Revision." Touching the ground lightly with his toes, he vanished like the wind.
Heroes always appear at the critical moment, with perfect timing and impeccable style. The savior, and also the future master and guardian of this port, the Sea Hunter Byron Tudor, it’s time for his grand entrance.