The Duke's Passion

"Hello there, Sir Rufus Barrett."

Zero scrutinized Rufus from head to toe while the latter pulled out the sword from the concrete. The side of his lips curled up into a smirk, realizing the reason that despite Heliot's presence, he didn't plan on fighting him. It seemed Samael had truly become the cunning man for wanting to take advantage of this situation.

He couldn't help but chuckle loudly, running his hands through his hair. "Oh, Samael La Crox... isn't he amazing? Are you telling me we created this opportunity for him?"

"He is amazing, indeed." Rufus nodded as he swung his sword down. "For you... who wants to become a God to dance at a mortal's tune. Only His Majesty can do that."

"What a virulent tongue you have, Sir Knight."

"Pardon if that offended you, but I only spoke the truth, King of Spade." Rufus let out a deep breath as he scrutinized this man. Right now, Zero was open from all sides and one could attack while thinking they would land a hit. But from his experience, Zero might appear open, but he wasn't. He couldn't approach or attack him without caution because one wrong move and Rufus would die.

"Well, I'm not offended. Just a bit... irked. Very well, since you came in here yourself, it will be better to chat with you before sending your head to your emperor for this insolence." Zero clicked his tongue as he rolled his eyes, planting his fist on his hips. "It's really insulting to send you to fight me to get the recognition and honor you needed. I don't know if Heliot and Samael's brains are working properly or if they were originally numbskulls. How insulting."

"I'm sorry that you have to fight a small fry like me."

"No need to apologize." Zero waved magnanimously. "I just feel bad for you since it is obvious your emperor doesn't care about your life anymore for sending you to me. Poor you."

Rufus smiled, which didn't reach his eyes. He was already used to this kind of discrimination from noble vampires this past five years. So, Zero's words didn't affect him at all. What was important to him was Samael's opinion from then until right in this second and even in the future. 

"King of the Spade Kingdom," he spoke in the same cold baritone voice. "I appreciate you are concerned about me. I expected you won't even say a word, considering your greatness and such."

"Heh... the honorable Rufus Barret, the emperor's cherished personal hellhound, is right in front of me. How can I not say a word?"

"Honor... what is honor for you, Your Majesty?" Rufus lowered his eyes before raising them up once again as they glinted. "Could it be called honor when you look back and see a pile of lifeless bodies? Is a man honorable when his hands were sullied by the countless lives he had taken? Honestly, whenever I looked at the debris, this tongue of mine had caused for ordering to burn down an enemy country and taking away another person's home... I always wondered what is the real meaning of honor."

Rufus shut his mouth as he gazed at Zero. He had already lost sight of what honor to him despite the countless victories in the past five years. Not that he blamed Samael for ordering him to do all that, but the battlefield had taught him a lot. 

There was no right or wrong in war, nor there was room for mercy. Everyone was equal. Everyone had a reason. A man only needed to have more resolve and a stronger reason. For Rufus, that wasn't for honor, neither it was for glory. It was not also for the people or for the land they called home. 

For him, it was for a friend — his one and only friend, whom he looked up, respected, and cherished. His friend who believed in him from day one until now.

So, he wanted to save his friend from that madness.

Selfishness, as it may sound, but that was his sole reason to fight. He didn't have regrets even if he had to take a thousand more lives because humans... were naturally selfish. 

"I see..." Zero rocked his head in understanding as his expression died down. "So, you are really here with an intention of killing me?"

"There's no other reason than that."

Zero let out a shallow breath as he shrugged. "Can I ask you one thing, Sir Barrett?"

"Please."

"Are you confident that you can take me on?" he asked with an arched brow, tilting his head to the side. "My willingness to take part in this bigger scheme, as if I didn't know a thing, will depend on your answer. You better think about it carefully."

Rufus chuckled as Zero was quite a surprising character. "No, I am not confident," he answered honestly while gripping his sword. 

"To tell you the truth, I know my chances of survival."

"And how high is it?"

"What an odd question. It's supposed to be 'how low it is?' don't you think, Quentin?"

Zero shrugged, closed-lipped. "So, how low is it?"

"A miracle." Zero's brows raised, as he didn't expect Rufus's answer would be actually quite interesting. "In blood hierarchy, you stood on the top of the ladder while I was on the bottom. In terms of strength, I can't even calculate how strong you are, but I am certain you already had a vague idea of my strength. The difference between a pureblooded vampire and a human is akin to heaven and hell. I can only hope for a miracle."

"A miracle, huh?" Zero chuckled as he listened to Rufus's explanation, and yet, despite the odds, here he was. "Do you think a miracle will happen, then?"

"No."

"Then, you must be prepared to die."

"I am, but I don't plan on dying here." Rufus raised his chin as he took a stance to attack him. 

"Haha! What a confusing man!" Zero intoned as the side of his lips stretched from ear to ear. "This is interesting. Then come at me with everything you got, Sir Barrett. I will surely give you the highest respect you deserved by fighting you with my all."

There was a stillness in the air for a second before the ground underneath Rufus cracked. In a heartbeat, both disappeared from their standpoint as the battle of a pureblood and a human ensued.

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NOVEL FACT:

Did you know? Beatrice is the other person who knew what Yulis looks like? Yulis is the most handsome of all characters. xD But Yulis didn't know this because Beatrice didn't want the competition. lol.

Question from April:

At the end of the novel will you write a chapter about those that survived the "war" and what they're currently up to - how they're living their lives?

Yes, definitely. I planned to write about their lives after. All characters mentioned in the story will have their time (some will have an entire chapter or more, while some will have a shorter time or will be mentioned). That's why I said this story will probably stretch to over 600 chapters or close to that.