Volume 5: Protracted War Chapter 67: First Embrace
"Mr. Bat Demon said it lightly. With my current strength, I can only dare to attack the Corpse Witch King and ordinary blood witches at most. How can I be qualified to provoke the Witch King or the Blood Lich? If I kill them, wouldn't it be like sending myself to death?" It would certainly be a great benefit for me to get rid of Graveson and Douglas, but I have to weigh whether I have the ability to do so. They may not be as powerful as the Green Bone Dragon, but they all have many subordinates, and their power is far greater than mine. They are not at the same level at all. I will not be flattered and instigated by others and forget my own weight.
"We understand this, so we didn't ask you to go to war with them right now. With the soul energy of these 30 million zombies, the condition of the 'blood pool' won't improve much, but it won't get worse for at least three to five months. You can use this time to expand your power and accumulate strength. When the time comes, we, the vampire bats, will cooperate with you to launch a sudden attack, and we should be able to defeat Graveson and Douglas in one fell swoop."
"I wonder how you plan to cooperate with me?" This is the most critical issue. If I want to stand in the front and act as a pioneer to fight for them, the vampire bat tribe should naturally provide manpower and guns to support me. The most effective way is to select some elites from the tribe to join my undead army, directly and quickly expand my power, which is also the most beneficial to me - even if the cooperation fails and there is no way to kill Gravison and Douglas, I can have more blood bats or even silver-line blood bats to command, so I won't suffer too much.
"Reconnaissance is the strong point of the vampire bats. We can provide you with accurate intelligence about Graveson and Douglas, and launch a surprise attack while they are meeting to discuss matters. At the same time, we can tie down their external forces to reduce the pressure on you and buy you more time."
"That's all?"
"Of course, if you feel that you are not confident in dealing with two at a time, you can also adopt the method of defeating them one by one, and find the time when the strength of their guards is the weakest to launch an attack, and we will be responsible for holding back their reinforcements. However, this is easy to alert the enemy. It may be easier to kill the first one, but it will be much more difficult to deal with the second one when it is alert. After all, Graveson and Douglas are both extremely ambitious expansionists in nature. The existence of any one of them is a great threat and hidden danger to our vampire bat clan. We must completely eliminate them together and replace them with other emperors who are content with the status quo. Only then can we restore the relative balance between the Corpse Witch Clan and the Blood Witch Clan."
"there is none left?"
"That's basically it. Of course, this is just a preliminary tactical concept. We can refer to various situations to study and decide how to execute it. You are responsible for the main attack mission, so you still have to make a plan based on your strength."
The more I listened, the more disappointed I felt. The contrast between imagination and reality was too great. It turned out that the vampire bat tribe was just cheering and playing drums on the side, leaving me to fight Graveson and Douglas. They had no intention of sending people or guns to support me. This bat demon Tika was a guy with some brains, so why was he so stupid in this regard? Just using an illusory and unattainable goal as the basis for cooperation, they wanted to induce me to invest so much effort. Isn't this just a free-for-all? Do you think I'm a fool?
I couldn't help but get angry, and the smile I had maintained suddenly fell. "Lord Bat Demon, since this is called cooperation, we should maintain a mutually equal relationship. You want me to invest everything for a goal that may not be achieved or when I don't know, but you don't have to pay anything and just continue to do what you should do. Isn't this too wishful? If the attack fails, I will most likely lose most of my combat power, resulting in irreparable heavy losses, which will have a major impact on my future development. The cost and benefits are seriously unbalanced. Such cooperation is meaningless."
"Little brother A'dai, don't be so excited. If you have any objections, we can discuss it slowly. I just proposed a preliminary idea of cooperation. I have no intention of imposing it on you. I wonder what way you think our two parties should cooperate?" The bat demon's tone was very polite, and judging from his expression, he didn't seem to be deliberately scheming. It seemed that he attached great importance to this cooperation with me.
I calmed down and said from the bottom of my heart that both the Witch King and the Blood Lich were extremely attractive to me. Even if I could get either one, the improvement in strength would not be just a little bit. At least in the "Dead Spirit Space", it might achieve a qualitative leap. As long as it is possible, I would also like to promote this cooperation. "You Vampire Bats should not directly participate in the attack on Graveson and Douglas. However, as long as I go through the procedures and select some elites to become my direct subordinates, and have no direct relationship with you Vampire Bats, can't I avoid the restrictions of the system and participate in this war? This is also the fastest and most effective method, which can save a lot of time and increase the chance of success."
The bat demon was stunned at first, then his face showed difficulty and he gave a bitter laugh, "Brother Ah Dai, your proposal is indeed the best way to cooperate, but it's a pity that it can't be realized." Seeing that my face, which had just become cheerful, suddenly became gloomy again, he hurriedly continued, "Unlike low-level undead such as skeletons and zombies, among the tribes of high-level undead creatures, the emperor is only a very small number of powerful beings of a certain degree, and is generally respected. They do not have absolute control over ordinary tribesmen. If they want to have direct subordinates and make them give up their freedom and obey their orders, they mainly rely on the temptation of interests, and even use force to coerce them when necessary. To subdue them is not something that can be done simply by issuing an order based on one's status. Otherwise, facing those two little blood bats, I would not have to discuss it with them and would have just subdued them by force without knowing that they had already recognized me as their master. As for those who have already recognized me as their master, I have no right to arbitrarily give them to others due to the restrictions of the rules. So if you want to have blood bats as your subordinates, you still have to rely on your own ability to subdue them. I have no right to betray or sell out the interests of other tribesmen and do something against their wishes. So I am really sorry that I am powerless in this matter and cannot meet your request."
How could this happen? It was impossible to even assign a few subordinates to help. I was so disappointed. The so-called cooperation was clearly just a one-sided contribution from me, but I could not get any definite and substantial compensation. The vested interests were the most practical. I did not believe in empty promises that could be made casually. "If this is the case, then I can only regretfully refuse to cooperate. You have not paid anything, but you want to persuade me to work for your interests. How can there be such a cheap thing in the world? You should at least pay a little deposit first so that I can benefit from it and show your sincerity in wanting to promote cooperation?"
"This..." The bat demon frowned and pondered for a while, his expression uncertain, as if he was deciding something very difficult. After a long time, he finally spoke, "Although I can't order my tribesmen or subordinates to work for you directly, there is a way to enhance your own abilities, which will at least be of great help in saving your life and escaping."
I was originally frustrated because I couldn't reach a cooperation, but I suddenly became interested again, "Oh, how can I improve my ability?"
"I will give you the First Embrace."
First Embrace? Is it the way vampires reproduce in Western legends? The bat demon wants to turn me into a vampire? A series of questions came to my mind, but I pretended to be calm on the surface, "What is the 'First Embrace'? What kind of power can it give me?"
"'First Embrace' is a unique ability of our royal family of vampire bats. It consumes a large amount of its own life essence to quickly improve the abilities of its own members. It is the most common way for us to win over our subordinates. It can also be used on foreign undead creatures to quickly transform their physiques so that they can have new abilities. However, the loss of life essence will also double. Even with the help of the 'blood pool', it will take at least three months to soak in it for recuperation. In addition, it will take a long time to recover, so we are reluctant to use it easily. After you have received my 'First Embrace', you have the ability to transform into a blood bat. Not only in the 'dead space', but also in other spaces, you can transform at will. Although you cannot use your original inherent skills in the blood bat form, most of them You can't use your equipment anymore, and you lose most of your attacking abilities, but it doesn't affect your defensive abilities. You can change and fly, and have strong mobility. You also have the 'Bloodsucking' skill, which allows you to attach to the enemy's body and absorb their vitality to replenish yourself, as well as the 'Blood Mist' skill, which allows you to spit out a cloud of blood mist to hide your tracks. It works even better when used with the 'Bloodsucking' skill. There is also another ability that is hidden and random. It depends on the strength of my ability and the amount of life essence consumed when I cast the 'First Embrace' on you. I will inject the maximum amount of life essence into you to transform your physique, which will definitely produce an additional third ability, but I can't control what it is, and I won't know until after the 'First Embrace'."
"Can you explain the abilities of the blood bats in a little more detail?" I didn't quite understand what I heard. This is a big matter that involves my personal interests. I must not be careless and must get to the bottom of it.
"Blood bats don't improve your combat ability much. They can be used as auxiliary means for reconnaissance and escape. There are no restrictions on changing between the main body and bat form, and no additional attribute values are required. However, maintaining the bat form requires continuous consumption of mental power. The casting of the 'Bloodsucking' skill also does not consume any attribute values. It can be cast as long as it directly touches the enemy's body. In the 'Dead Spirit Space', it absorbs mental power, and in other spaces, it absorbs life value. In addition to the unknown third additional ability, the most practical one is the 'Blood Mist Technique'. It is different from the 'Blood Evil' we spit out. It is not aggressive and only consumes a certain amount of mental power. It can be controlled at will. At most, 10% of the mental power can be consumed at one time to cast the 'Blood Mist Technique'. The range covered by the blood mist is determined by the amount of your mental power. Once trapped in it, unless the opponent's strength is much higher than yours, it will definitely not be able to quickly break through the blockade of the blood mist. However, it has no effect on you in the blood bat form. You can get close to cast 'Bloodsucking' to make it difficult for the opponent to detect it. You can quickly get away and avoid danger."
It sounds good. What's rare is that it can be used at will in the "Dead Space" or the human world. There are no additional restrictions. It only consumes mental energy. It should be of great help to me. I was very tempted, but I still felt that I was at a disadvantage. I wanted to try my best to get more compensation. "To fight against Graveson and Douglas, the most important thing is to rely on more powerful force to defeat them. The role of "First Embrace" in this regard is really limited. I wonder if there are other ways to enhance my combat effectiveness? I don't need to be too anxious, but the sooner I act, the sooner your vampire bat clan's "Blood Pool" holy land can be restored to life."
The bat demon had a bitter look on his face. He thought for a while and sighed, "Little brother Ah Dai, although I am a royal family, I am still restricted by many rules and cannot act arbitrarily. I am not as free as you. At most, I promise to provide the pregnant little blood bat with the most sufficient blood and energy supply so that the newborn baby bat can have better qualifications. At the same time, after I use the 'First Embrace' to restore your vitality, I will use the 'First Embrace' on the two little blood bats under your command to further enhance their abilities, at least so that they can reach the level of 'Silver Line Blood Bats'. What do you think?"
After a few more arguments, I felt that I couldn't get any more advantage from the bat demon, so I finally agreed to cooperate. After all, although the immediate benefits are small, I have to look at the long-term. The benefits I can get after successfully killing Graveson and Douglas are enormous. I believe that it will definitely make my strength take a qualitative leap and reach a height that others can hardly reach.
Before parting, the first thing to be fulfilled was naturally the bat demon's "First Embrace". He walked in front of me, concentrated for a moment, his eyes shot out two dazzling red rays, his face became paler, his mouth opened wide, and low roars continued from his throat. Gradually, two sharp bloody fangs stretched out from his upper teeth, with a hint of golden light flashing on the surface, a full three inches long. Then he held my head, leaned forward, and his fangs pierced into my neck. I didn't feel like I had lost anything, but instead something was constantly injected into my body, giving rise to a strange feeling.
It lasted for about half an hour before the "First Embrace" finally ended. The bat demon raised its head, and its two fangs left my neck, gradually shrinking and returning to the shape of ordinary teeth. He looked very tired, his eyes were dull, and his body seemed a little weak. It seemed that he had indeed consumed a lot of his own essence.
