My routine after that night stayed the same. I trained in the morning, perform around noon, and finally discuss my plans with Ciel and Maria at night. Although there were some small changes here and there, the gist of it stayed the same.

Such a routine continued until it was three days before the end of the celebration. Maria finally managed to gain enough information about the two outsider factions; so much so that we decided to fully decimate them the very next day.

Since we lack personnel and firepower, I decided to ask my elder sister for help while Ciel and Maria asked her grandfather and godfather respectively.

With their agreement, I understood this problem had escalated into a full-blown war. And if we played our hands incorrectly, Rivellon, or in this case Breton, would have to bear the brunt of it. However, the opposite was also true; if we managed to do what we had planned, Rivellon would be left unscathed while our enemies fought amongst themselves.

Still, this move of mine made elder sister Sarah quite mad. She scolds me quite a bit for it, along the lines of me not thinking things through. Apparently, she was already quite suspicious after I came back at night with the vampires in tow. However, she decided to let things slide until I decided to come clean. I've reflected on my actions and thought there were better things I could've done. It seems that a younger body made you somewhat younger mentally.

Thus, a hastily made war council had begun its operations. As the pioneer of the idea, they made me commander after my elder sister recommended me, it was her way of not letting me out of sight.

With only one day left before the operation began, when morning came, Ciel brought the whole circus with her, ready to strike anytime. While Maria brought her godfather to the manor, introducing him. It was today that three faction leaders met, face to face. The Carter Duchy's head, the mysterious ringmaster of Cirque du Ciel, and the right-hand man of the Council.

"I never would've thought the Council's right-hand man is also the godfather of a Lifeblood follower," the Duke started.

Allocer bowed, "I'll take that as a compliment since that means I managed to hide deeply."

"You're not being scried, are you?" the ringmaster asked.

"Ah, I've taken countermeasures, dear sir."

"So, we're all in the agreement of this operation?" the Duke asked.

"Cirque du Ciel agreed."

"The Lifebloods also agreed."

"Are you really sure, sir Allocer? Won't the council notice?"

"They won't if we manage to pull this off. Since they'll have far enough problems by then."

"Alright. Since all parties agreed, we shall move posthaste."

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From then on out, the Duchy changed its gears. It brought attires and all sorts of paraphernalia needed to launch an attack while dressed as either mercenaries or the Orthodoxy.

The knights under the guise of the Orthodoxy will attack the terrorists sent by the Bastians, a northern ducal house, and destroy their means of communication. While the Council's vampires tricked by Allocer would be directed to attack the Orthodoxy. Meanwhile, the circus would be the oriole stalking the mantis; they will attack and finish off all remaining forces.

The preparation took a whole day, a close shave with the intended deadline.

The night of reckoning for all enemies of Rivellon had arrived. Squads enchanted with anti-surveillance and negation of scrying were ready to move. Allocer, who was given a control bead, will be the one to start the sparks that will grant us a great firework that was fit for the eve of the celebration.

"Allocer here, the vampires had moved to attack the Orthodoxy."

With the spark started, we all moved to our respective positions. I went with the circus troupe alongside Ciel towards the vampires, while Maria was fighting alongside her godfather. The knights led by the Duke and my elder sister started moving towards the north.

=======

The ferry we're staying on was under attack. The vampires came under the guise of martial artists, for reasons we don't know.

The control room had been trying to contact the headquarters, however, the only word that managed to escape was only 'vampires attacked the ship, requesting help' before they were bombarded with floods of blood.

This was a mistake.

This whole thing was a mistake.

We shouldn't have come here.

The test subjects we released in order to bait out the power spike in the Six Ridges died under bizarre circumstances. And now we're suddenly under attack.

I slumped down, with my back leaning against the wall. Blood oozing out from my hollowed torso.

On the verge of losing all semblance of life, conversations echoed down the metallic corridor, catching my attention.

"Did we get them all?"

"Ah, we missed one. His lordship Allocer had tasked us with disposing them. Don't be complacent." One of them spotted me.

There's a hidden enemy, a hidden hand!

I have to tell the supervisor about this lordship of theirs, but I have no strength left in my body.

The last vision I saw was of sharp fangs and claws coming for me.

=======

The Orthodoxy attacked us from nowhere, or so we thought.

It was the Duke's knights masquerading as them. With this juicy information we could ask for more money from the Bastians since with it, they could inform the Orthodoxy about such practices.

However, we were preyed on and hunted.

The Duke and the knight captain were with them. The silver flash and the crimson dervish. A moniker they gained as their combat style became famous both to mortals and the Other Side.

I tried to ask for help, or rather, leave my will behind.

However, that too was impossible. As my hand was reaching for the control bead I was given, it disappeared in a flash of silver.

The Duke was upon me, and death came for me.

=======

The sound of battle gradually died down, now it was time for the circus to do its job. Assassinating the vampires.

With Ashurbanipal as a lookout, none shall escape today.

We moved with the shadows under Robert's guise, swallowing the vampires one by one.

The sound of battle we follow, quiet in our steps, as we disposed of those that came into contact with us.

Since Allocer and Maria had already evacuated the premises, we could expand our search, ending everything in our way.

Ciel sensed where they are, and with her claws, she ripped them apart.

Dorian and Doe-Ritter employed the help of beasts to find and crush them to splinters.

While I calmly walked down the corridors filled with mist, changing the nature of sound itself so that it was impossible for me to be heard.

A stab to the waist for a vampire I gift, with a knife enchanted with the blessings of death. A law, a rule, that all it grazed and I targeted, shall be granted respite, eternal.