Chapter 410
Chapter 410 The Approaching Storm
Ocantine was a Level Eight Immortal Stage prince with a mystic weapon, making him a terrifying force to be reckoned with.
He owned a business in Leyrudon and had plenty of influential people under him, so he was considered a big shot. Even so, he
had always been required to contribute a vast amount of his wealth to the vampire headquarters.
That was a rule that had been in practice since forever.
With Solorel and Leahra in charge of the vampire headquarters, all of the princes obeyed that rule and didn't dare think
otherwise.
After all, Leahra's existence alone was enough to scare everyone into absolute subordination.
With Leahra gone and the appointment of a new king now, however, the vampire princes started making plans to take over.
None of them wished to be subjugated for eternity. Having had their way out there for ages, all the princes wanted to become
kings themselves.
The only way to prevent that was to have a king, who could vanquish all of the princes, step forward and assert his dominance.
Evidently, Jonathan was not up to the task.
The handsome man sitting next to Ocantine casually took a sip of his coffee.
He appeared to be in his mid-twenties and looked like a noble young prince in his white dress shirt.
Yet, Ocantine seemed to be somewhat cautious and on edge when being around the man.
Despite having a gentle, restrained look in his eyes, the young man exuded a strong sense of pride and arrogance.
At this moment, one of Ocantine's trusted aides, a fellow vampire named Neya, came in. Neya walked up to Ocantine and
whispered into his ear, “There's trouble at the headquarters, Your Highness.”
Ocantine froze for a few seconds before saying, “Prince Anakin is no outsider, so go ahead and speak freely. What happened at
the headquarters?”
Neya shot the man a conflicted look upon hearing that.
Wait a minute... Prince Anakin? As in, Anakin Langston?
Indeed, this young man was Titus' son, Anakin.
He had an insouciant look in his eyes and didn't seem bothered in the slightest.
Displeased with Neya's cowardly behavior, Ocantine rebuked, “Well? Go on!”
Neya summoned up his courage to speak. “I-It's about Prince Anakin's father, Mr. Titus Langston... He...”
“What about my father?” The look in Anakin's eyes grew solemn when he saw Neya stammering.
“The new King has slain Mr. Titus in front of everyone.”
Anakin trembled all over intensely at once. “What did you just say?”
“Is this true?” Ocantine was just as astounded.
“Absolutely. I wouldn't dare lie about something like this, Your Highness!” answered Neya.
Anakin blew his top. “Jonathan Lawson, you b*stard! How dare you kill my father? So help me, God, I'll rip you to shreds!”
He then slammed his fist on the coffee table, shattering it instantly as he leaped to his feet.
Ocantine, on the other hand, did not react as explosively, so nobody could tell what he was thinking.
Anakin turned toward Ocantine. “Ocantine, I don't expect you guys to help me out. All I ask is that you all remain neutral when I
start the war. Can you do that for me?”
The latter let out a faint sigh. “I can't believe that young punk would be so merciless before the coronation! Can you imagine how
rough our lives are going to be if he actually rules over us? Rest assured that I will lend you a hand once I've taken care of things
on my end.”
“Very well. See you, then!”
Ocantine then walked Anakin out of the castle, where a black Hummer was waiting.
“Take me to the airport! Also, have the men in Eastsummer gather at the usual spot. I'm going to slaughter everyone in the
Dietrich castle tonight!” Anakin ordered the driver after getting into the vehicle.
Ocantine waited until Anakin had left before telling Neya, “Call Prince Solorel right away and tell him that Anakin will be making
his move tonight.”
Neya was perplexed. “I thought you've always disliked Prince Solorel, Your Highness.”
“Yes, it's true that I wasn't pleased with Prince Solorel before. However, we've also been safe and sound all these years. You
saw Anakin earlier, didn't you? He made a trip to the Lost Ruins. While he wasn't able to condense any divine mana, he did find
a celestial weapon. That celestial weapon alone is enough for him to overpower all of us princes. Anakin's insolence and hubris
know no bounds. I doubt any of us princes will survive if he rises to power. As such, I'd rather have Prince Solorel keep things
stable and under control,” Ocantine explained with a somber glint in his eyes.
“In that case, why didn't you take action and defend the King instead?”
“It would be unwise to act without knowing who's siding with whom. Either way, this phone call will show Prince Solorel that we
mean well. You know what? Never mind. I'll make the call myself.”
With that, Ocantine pulled out his phone and gave Solorel a call.
The call got through fairly quickly.
“Hey, Solorel!” Ocantine greeted Solorel warmly.
A faint smile formed on the latter's face when he heard that. “Oh, Ocantine! It has been a long time since we last spoke!”
“I called you today to inform you of something crucial, Solorel. As such, I won't beat around the bush.”
Solorel tensed up. “Sure. Go ahead!”
“Anakin has already returned from the Lost Ruins three months ago,” Ocantine stated solemnly.
Solorel gasped in shock. “What? He has been back for three months? Our revered ancestor was still around at the time! Why did
he keep his return a secret?”
“Anakin is a greedy man, Solorel. I'm sure you can guess his reasons for doing so. I recently found out that he has been privately
contacting a few princes over the past three months. Also, he and Titus have been getting awfully close with the dukes and
viscounts. I'm not sure if he has bought over any of your trusted aides, though,” Ocantine replied with a wry chuckle.
The look on Solorel's face grew cold. “I can't believe he plotted this long ago. Did he already know that our revered ancestor
would depart?”
“Maybe he learned something about our revered ancestor while he was in the Lost Ruins. That's probably why he was so
certain.”
“Then, what is his current cultivation stage?”
“He is still at the peak of Level Nine Immortal Stage, but he has never been able to condense divine mana. Regardless, his
physical body is ridiculously robust. I heard he has even obtained an incredibly mighty celestial weapon from the Lost Ruins!
Therefore, even someone as powerful as you should not underestimate him!” Ocantine revealed.
“Don't worry; I won't let my guard down. Thanks for the warning, Ocantine!” Solorel said solemnly.
“Most importantly, Anakin just found out about his father being slain by His Majesty. He was livid when he left, so it's possible that
he may take you down tonight. This is the reason I called you, Solorel. Please keep your eyes peeled and watch out for those
around you in particular.”
“All right, I got it.”
Thereafter, Solorel hung up the call, his expression as cold as ice.
He already knew that he had a traitor among his subordinates now, for there was no reason he'd be clueless about Anakin's
return for three whole months, especially when Anakin had been rather active within Eastsummer.
Walrion is the most suspicious one, but I don't have any proof to confirm that.
Anguish crossed Solorel's face. As he had always treated Walrion like his own son, it would hurt him the most if Walrion turned
out to be working for the enemy.
Even if Walrion wasn't the traitor, it would still hurt Solorel deeply to find out that any of the eight marquises had betrayed him.
No, I can't keep wallowing in despair. I need to find out who the traitor is and come up with a plan to counter Anakin's attack!
With that in mind, he had Aurora summon all eight marquises and Walrion. He instructed them to head over to Jonathan's palace
before ordering all the dukes and viscounts to leave the Dietrich family's castle at once.
Solorel knew that most of the dukes and viscounts were either on Anakin's side or on the fence about it.
They would most likely switch sides and turn against Solorel if they saw that he was unable to defend himself.
As dukes and viscounts held managerial positions within the vampire race, the losing side was bound to be eliminated
regardless of who emerged victorious tonight.
By having them leave, Solorel could ensure their safety by keeping them out of the battle and prevent them from taking sides.
He firmly believed that those who were wise would stay far away from the internal strife until things settled down.
After all, everything would have cleared up by then. No wonder Titus was so confident and refused to submit to His Majesty!
The astute dukes and viscounts instantly understood the severity of the situation when they received the order, so they all left
without any hesitation.
They had felt conflicted upon learning about Anakin's plan to attack, so they were relieved now that they were allowed to leave.
In the palace, Jonathan could feel the tension rising when Solorel summoned everyone into the main hall.
Mabel, Beatrix, Aurora, and Yeverie were all present as well.
As for Walrion, he was standing right next to Solorel.
“What happened, Prince Solorel? There seems to be a huge commotion outside,” Jonathan asked.
“I'm afraid I have some bad news for you, Your Majesty. Anakin has already returned about three months ago, and he just found
out that we killed Titus,” Solorel responded gravely.