The Villains Must Win-Chapter 280: Vampire Hunt 40

Lucian’s amber gaze flicked briefly toward her, and she swore she saw the faintest twitch at the corner of his mouth before he turned away again. "Stay sharp, Selis," he said, voice low. "No distractions today."

That sobered her up.

Because this wasn’t just any mission. This wasn’t another trek into some forgotten ruin or skirmish against nameless vampires.

Today, they were infiltrating the Inner Sanctum itself—the stronghold of those who had been pulling the strings all along. And at its heart lay Emerald Blood.

Emerald.

The name alone sent a ripple of unease down her spine. The one they’d been chasing, the one always just out of reach. The one who held the answers to everything.

Selis let out a slow breath, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the hilt of her dagger. "Feels like we’re nearing the last Chapter," she murmured, half to herself.

Lucian glanced at her again, this time longer, measuring. "Then let’s make sure we like how it ends," he said simply.

She grinned despite the tension knotting in her chest. "Bold words for a man who nearly choked on dried rations last week."

He didn’t respond, but she caught the subtle roll of his eyes. Somehow, that tiny gesture made her feel steadier, like they could face whatever waited ahead—as long as they faced it together.

====

That night, when the others finally gave in to exhaustion and drifted into uneasy sleep, two figures remained awake.

Lucian rose from where he sat, fastening the last strap of his armor in silence. His movements were quick—like a man sharpening the edge of a blade not just for battle, but for fate itself.

Selis, already leaning against the wall with her daggers sheathed at her hips, raised a brow.

"So, we’re really going to do this?" she whispered, though the excitement tugging at her lips betrayed her excitement.

"Stay sharp," Lucian replied flatly, his crimson eyes glinted in the dim light.

Selis pushed off the wall and padded closer, lowering her voice. "It’s like our little midnight date."

Lucian gave her a long, unreadable look. Then, in a tone as dry as dust, he said, "If this is your idea of a date, you need to raise your standards."

Selis stifled a laugh and followed as he slipped into the shadows outside their bankers in the cathedrals.

The path to the Inner Sanctum was not a straight one. Massive stone walls surrounded the hidden structure, layered with wards and patrolling sentries. A fortress within the heart of the capital—an unbroken secret in plain sight.

Selis crouched behind a cluster of statues carved to resemble old kings, peering past the marble shoulders at the guards ahead. "Ten paces, then a torch relay. Easy gap. You think you can keep quiet for once?" she teased.

Lucian’s only answer was to slip into motion, his presence vanishing like smoke.

Selis blinked. "Show-off." Still, she darted after him, matching his pace with a dancer’s grace.

They moved like twin shadows, weaving between columns, pressing themselves against cold stone whenever footsteps drew near.

Twice, Selis nearly laughed aloud—the first time when a guard stopped to yawn so loudly his helmet nearly fell off, the second when Lucian wordlessly pulled her back just as she was about to step into a beam of magical light.

His hand lingered a fraction longer on her wrist than necessary, his touch steady, grounding.

Selis swallowed, suddenly aware of how close they were, how his crimson eyes gleamed even sharper under the moonlight.

"Focus," he murmured, his breath brushing her ear.

She smirked to cover the way her heart skipped. "Don’t worry, Captain. I only get distracted when you start glaring at me like that."

They reached the sanctum gates at last, an obsidian arch etched with runes that pulsed faintly like a heartbeat.

The guards here were fewer, but the wards . . . those were another matter. A barrier shimmered faintly across the entrance, humming with dangerous energy.

Selis knelt, pulling a slender silver pin from her belt. "Give me a minute."

Lucian’s gaze swept their surroundings, vigilant. "You have thirty seconds."

Selis shot him a look. "Do you ever relax?"

"Not when you keep running your mouth instead of working," he said evenly.

She rolled her eyes but set to work, her fingers moving deftly. Sparks of light flickered as the pin slid into grooves between the runes. The barrier crackled, flickered . . . and with a soft thrum, died out.

Selis looked up, grinning. "See? Easy. Now admit you’d be lost without me."

Lucian didn’t answer, but the corner of his mouth twitched—almost a smile—as he pushed the gates open with a slow, deliberate motion.

Together, they slipped inside.

And for the first time, the Inner Sanctum welcomed intruders into its heart.

The deeper they went into the Inner Sanctum, the more obvious it became—Lucian wasn’t just prepared. He was built for this.

Look like someone had prepared for years for this. Selis thought to herself.

The first trap came barely ten steps in—a panel of floor tiles that shimmered faintly with runes. Selis slowed, eyes narrowing. "Hold up, this looks—"

Lucian had already strode across. The runes flared, sparks leaping like lightning, and then . . . fizzled out. He glanced back over his shoulder, his tone as calm as if he were commenting on the weather.

"Disarmed."

Selis blinked. "You—what? How?!"

"I read the sequence before we stepped in," he replied, adjusting his cloak as if he’d just taken a leisurely stroll. "Sloppy work. Their scribe mixed up the fourth rune."

Selis put her hands on her hips. "Of course you noticed that in two seconds." She muttered under her breath. "Show-off."

A little further in, a corridor sealed itself shut with a massive iron door, glowing with glyphs. Selis groaned. "Great. This’ll take me twenty minutes, minimum."

Lucian walked up, placed his palm against the center rune, and pressed. The glyphs dimmed, the door groaned, and swung open.

Selis gawked. "You unlocked it by—touching it?" 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Lucian shrugged. "Wrong encryption pattern. It collapsed on contact."

Selis let out a strangled laugh. "You make it sound like the sanctum itself is apologizing for trying to stop you."