"I believe everyone here is a hopeful person, right? Whether you are planning to learn cooking skills in the kitchen, or to support your family, or for your children, as long as you have hope for life, please raise your hand."
Everyone raised their hands after hearing this. Hohen smiled strangely.
"Very good, very good. I like people who have dreams and hope. Because only people with hope can bloom the most perfect despair."
When the servants heard this, they all looked at each other in confusion and whispered to each other.
Some smart insiders had already guessed what might happen next, such as the older maid who had previously served Adina. She groped to the door of the hall, ready to escape at any time.
Hohen noticed all these little moves and said confidently,
"It's impossible to leave. Since you stepped through this door, you can't get out."
He paused and continued,
"We have sulked in the sweet air, gladdened by the sun; we were weary of the gloomy mists in our hearts: now we mourn in the black mire."①
The older maid tugged at the hall door, but it was a futile effort.
She looked back at the Margrave of Hohenzollern in despair, then suddenly fell to her knees and burst into tears.
"My Lord Marquis, please, I still have family!"
Hohen said to himself:
"Yes, everyone here has hope. I am very grateful for your contributions to me and this castle, but you have also been rewarded, right? Now I need you to be my hope. Come, become a part of me, and then dedicate everything you have to my hegemony! Whether it's your flesh and blood, your thoughts, or your soul, I want them all! Hahahaha!!"
Hohen's tone gradually changed from gentle self-talk to a deafening roar, and the servants in the hall fell to the ground, covering their ears and rolling around.
"It's over, it's all over. This is a man-eating devil's den!"
the older maid said frantically.
Despair has enveloped everyone in the hall. Who can resist Hohen's power
After looking at each other, the guards drew their swords and charged towards Hohen.
Their brave actions brought a glimmer of hope to everyone present. As long as the guards could kill Marquis Hohen, they could leave safely, so they silently cheered for the guards.
"Come on!" "Come on, Captain Guard!"
They are usually well-trained and have amazing tacit understanding in cooperation.
They quickly formed a circle and surrounded Hohen, and each guard drew his sword almost at the same time and stabbed at Hohen.
Amid the flashing of swords and sabers, Hohen's figure was like floating willow catkins. The sword was about to hit the unprepared Hohen, but was dodged by Hohen's nimble movements.
Hohen enjoyed the useless struggles of the guards, but the captain of the guards jumped high and a sharp sword fell from the air. Hohen took a step back, but the sword successfully cut his cloak.
Hohen's expression changed, and he lost his previous elegance and roared angrily,
"You despicable bugs! It is your honor to be my stepping stone. You should kneel down on the ground and praise me and worship me! Since you don't obey, then fall into true despair!"
Hohen used the power of his blood core to transform into a ferocious and terrifying bat monster.
The timid people present were already pissing and shitting themselves, trembling with fear, kneeling on the ground and praying to God, waiting for a miracle that might happen.
The guards expanded the encirclement, and the huge monster that suddenly appeared in the hall made the originally empty hall crowded.
People were crying and shouting, some even stepped on those who had fallen, just trying to get closer to the gate.
They crowded around the gate that couldn't be opened at all, doing futile actions. They didn't even dare to look back at the hideous monster.
In order to fight for that impossible glimmer of hope, people pulled hard at the people around them. They attacked each other, cursed each other, and hurt each other.
Some people curse at others because they don't have to pay any price for what they say.
Some people pushed away their former friends and moved a little closer to the door.
Some people choose to take crazy revenge at this time because of old personal grudges.
Hohen smiled and said to the captain of the guard who was waiting in full battle array,
"Look, are these people worthy of your protection?"
The captain of the guard was silent at first, then said,
"We just want to do our best and protect what we care about. What they do is none of my business.
My Lord Marquis, you have indeed been very kind to us, but I think we should have the right to survive.
We are not lambs, we are not livestock, we are human beings, Your Excellency the Marquis."
Hohen whipped his tail, sweeping it toward the guards;
That thorny long tail looks like it's not easy to deal with. If it rubs against your body, your skin will be torn apart at the very least. If it hits you head-on, you may die on the spot.
Although the guards tried their best to dodge the long tail's sweep, there were still some unlucky ones who were hit in the narrow space and thrown against the wall.
The guards were thrown out instantly, leaving spider-web-like cracks on the wall, and the powerful impact caused a large amount of stone powder to fall from the stone wall.
The guard spat out a mouthful of blood and died the moment he landed on the ground. His internal organs had been shattered, so he lost his life instantly.
The unfortunate guy's head was against the wall, his eyes were full of unwillingness and disbelief, his empty eyes were looking at the culprit who caused his death, Marquis Hohen.
When the people in front of the door saw the guard being knocked away, they fell silent at first, but after they reacted, they pulled the only exit of the hall, the motionless door, more frantically.
"Resistance is useless. If you obey me, you will die more easily." After saying this, Hohen chanted a spell and cast a magic that plunged everyone into despair.
"Fear makes people retreat in front of me. Blood flows from the veins, strangling your vitality and becoming my food."
After the spell ended, the blood in everyone's body flowed out from their five senses as if pulled by a magnetic force and gathered together to form a large ball of blood.
People's struggles before death piled up into a twisted mountain of corpses in front of the door.
The captain of the guards slashed at Hohen with his last bit of hope, but the bat monster that Hohen transformed into did not dodge or evade and took the sword.
The sword collided with the scales on Hohen's head and was suddenly bounced away.
Before his consciousness faded, the captain of the guard saw the look in Hohen's red pupils.
The captain of the guard was very familiar with that look. He had seen it once on Marquis Hohen when a circus came to perform.
It was a look of mockery, disdain, and even ridicule.
Now the captain of the guards finally understood, because everyone present was just a clown in his eyes.