---- Chapter 3408 The next day, Andrew led Holtrien''s expedition force out of Throne City. Their next stop was the dark stronghold itself. Early that morning, Iridessa had already arrived at the city gates with 30 elite warriors from Eastonia, waiting in formation. The moment she saw Andrew, she ran straight toward him. * Andrew, no matter what, I''m going." Andrew replied calmly, "As long as you''re not afraid to die, then fall in. By the way, onest question: is Ezekiel running with the Dark ns now?" Iridessa clenched her teeth and said, "Ezekiel wants the entire Ounds.


    So he sold himself out and became apdog for the Dark ns. Ragnar promised him that if he obeyed, they''d conquer the whole Ounds and make Ezekiel its king." Andrew answered coldly, "Then killing him will sit just fine with me.'' With 1500 top fighters from Holtrien, along with Iridessa and her warriors, the force headed straight for Blood Sanctum. Their route would take them across the entire Ounds. As they pushed deeper into the western frontier, an eeriendscape slowly appeared before them. Everything looked pale ---- and lifeless, as if death itself had settled there.


    Dark clouds hung low overhead all year round, pressing down like a suffocating ceiling. Philip lowered his voice and said, "I haven''t stepped into this restricted zone in years. If the Vampire Queen hadn''t awakened, no one would risk going this deep into the darkness." Elio replied calmly, "Don''t overthink it. We move forward. In this battle, either they die, or we do. The sacrifices we make now are for a bigger, brighter future for Holtrien." As they advanced, the oppressive atmosphere grew heavier with every mile. Even proud figures like Alfredo and Orson fell silent and moved cautiously.


    Andrew strode at the very front of the expedition, moving at incredible speed. Vehicles were pointless for people like them. Not one among them was ordinary, and relying on their own bodies, they could outrun anything short of fighter jets or artillery. Iridessa caught up to Andrew and said quickly, "The first ones welll run into are Ezekiel and the Soryackeys who follow him: They''ve volunteered to act as guard dogs for Blood Sanctum." Andrew replied tly, "Then we''ll tear them out at the roots.


    It won''t take much effort." ---- After Shiloh arrived in Throne City, she disappeared without a trace. At first, Andrew had worried she might take a reckless tisk. If she attacked too early and Holtrien could not back her up in time, this entire campaign would lose its edge. Fortunately, Shiloh had left a message before she vanished. She said she would wait in the depths of the darkness for Andrew and the main Holtrien force. At the end, she had added one more line. [Stay safe.] Andrew felt a faint warmth in his chest.


    Even though Shiloh had regained her memories, she was slowly beginning to ept him again. A sharp, freezing wind, tinged with a thick aura of darkness, rushed toward them. Although it was broad daylight, the sky suddenly dimmed as if someone had flipped off the sun. Andrew looked ahead and, through the ck mist in the distance, saw a massive mountain range rising from the ground. High above, almost level with the clouds, stood a gigantic crimson pce. Even from far away, they could feel the suffocating pressure and raw fear radiating from it.


    "That''s the Blood Sanctum," Bridget said, her voice trembling. " The source of darkness, the first progenitor of the West, the ---- Creator''s first living being, the Vampire Queen herself lives there. Andrew took a deep breath and turned to look at everyone behind him. Finally, he growled in a low voice, "Attack!" The others responded in unison, "Attack!" Their speed surged instantly. Andrew took the lead and charged toward the mountain. As soon as they reached the base, the first checkpoint appeared. It was an abandoned, shadowy castle.


    On its walls, transformed werewolves and vampires patrolled back and forth, watching every corner. Inside the castle, Ezekiel''s eyes glowed with a blood-red light. He held a goblet filled with fresh blood. "Andrew, back at Holtrien''s Martial Tower, you destroyed my martial foundation. But you never expected my master would transform me into a vampire, making me one of Her Majesty the Queen''s progeny. Since you''vee to my territory, death is your only oue!" Through the eyes of the vampire soldiers outside, Ezekiel easily spotted Andrew standing before the castle.


    With a cruel grin, he drained the crimson blood in his cup in one ---- gulp. Two massive fangs emerged from the corners of his mouth Ezekiel shot up from his chair. His body exploded into countless. bats, which burst through the shattered ceiling of the hall and swarmed into the sky. In midair, the bats gathered and reformed into his body as he let out a chillingugh. "Andrew, I''ve been waiting for you! Come on. You and I will settle this one-on-one and end our old grudges once and for all!" In front of the castle, Andrew signaled for everyone else to fall back.


    He did not draw Godyer; instead, he handed it to Nyx beside him. "Give me one minute. I''ll kill him. The rest of you, wipe out the remaining dark trash!" After giving the order calmly, Andrew''s body shot straight into the air. Then, he dove forward and mmed directly toward Ezekiel Ezekiel threw his head back and roared.