This man was none other than the current leader of the Dark Alliance, the head of the wizard clan, Divine Pontiff Essex!
In the third row, six people sat at a table, with four attendants standing behind them.
Unlike the lean and gaunt wizards, these guys were all burly and muscular.
There was no doubt that they were orcs, who relied on their physical strength to make a living.
The orc sitting at the head of the table had a face full of bristly hair and piercing eyes. He was dressed in a purple robe and was likely Eugene, the king of the orcs.
The second row of tables was empty, and it was obvious that this was reserved for the vampires.
“Honorable Alliance Leader, the vampire clan extends its sincerest respect to you.” Fred and the other vampires bowed to Essex as they approached the table.
Although Leo was reluctant, he had no choice but to join in and half-heartedly bow as well.
“It’s been a long time. No need for formalities, please take your seats.” Essex waved his hand magnanimously, his composed face maintaining an air of authority befitting a ruler of the dark world.
The vampire princes took their seats, while Leo quietly stood behind their table.
Chief Priest Zach, along with the White Robe Archpriests, sat beside Divine Pontiff Essex. Other black-robed priests stood around them.
Essex discreetly scanned the newly arrived vampire princes. His gaze was so discerning that he didn’t even glance at Leo, who was merely an earl.
“Most of the vampire brothers are familiar faces, but there seems to be a new prince among you,” Essex suddenly remarked.
Fred quickly stood up and said, “Honorable Alliance Leader, Prince Amos of the Sack clan recently passed away, and Prince Duncan has taken over his position.”
The young Duncan stood up, acknowledged everyone in the dark clan, and then sat down.
The entire hall was taken aback. After all, the disappearance of a vampire prince was a significant event in the Dark Alliance.
“What a pity. When did this happen?” Essex asked with a look of regret.
The White Robe Archpriests remained expressionless, while the orcs seemed somewhat gloating.
Orcs were closer to wizards and often at odds with vampires.
“Two days ago, our vampire clan had a battle with Archbishop Douglas. Although we annihilated Douglas and his personal guard, Prince Amos unfortunately perished,” Prince Fred said with a face full of sorrow, sounding quite convincing.
“Such a loss,” Essex sighed deeply. “Recently, our wizard clan’s High Priest Gandel also fell, as did Commander Losa of the orc clan.”
After Essex finished speaking, the oppressive atmosphere in the hall turned fervent.
“The Church has gone too far!”
“Do they think they can trample on us dark clans at will? Blood debts must be repaid with blood!”
“The dark clan cannot sacrifice in vain. After this election, I suggest we launch an immediate counterattack against the Church!”
The hall echoed with angry shouts.
Essex raised his hand and called out loudly, “Friends, please be quiet.”
As the current leader, Essex still commanded respect, and the hall quickly quieted down.
Essex’s face showed a mix of guilt and pain as he said, “Members of the dark world, I have led the Dark Alliance for a century but have failed to lead us to victory against the oppressive Church. I have let you all down.”
“Today is our centennial election. I hope the new leader will guide the Dark Alliance to defeat the Church and ensure our dark clans can thrive safely in this world.”
After Essex’s words, Eugene was the first to speak up, “Alliance Leader, you need not blame yourself. Over this century, your leadership achievements in the Dark Alliance are evident to all.”
“Without you, our three dark world races would not coexist peacefully; without you, we would not have grown so strong over this century!”
“I believe that in nearly a thousand years, no Dark Alliance leader has been more outstanding than you!”
Hearing Eugene’s flattery, Leo couldn’t help but be surprised at how adept this usually crude orc was at buttering up.
Among the three races, orcs were the weakest and had the smallest chance of becoming the Dark Alliance leader.
Given their poor relationship with vampires, orcs were close to wizards.
Regardless of whether the wizard clan retained leadership today, orcs were determined to maintain good relations with them.
Eugene’s almost sycophantic behavior towards Essex drew extreme disdain from the vampires.
Ignoring their disdain, Essex smiled at Eugene and said, “King Eugene, you are too kind. Our wizard clan and your orc clan will always be good friends. Let’s officially begin the election!”
Eugene shot a provocative glance at the vampires, looking shamelessly proud.
With a resonant chime of a bell, the centennial election of the dark world officially began.
In the hall, all members of the dark clans wore solemn expressions.
Essex cleared his throat and announced loudly, “Those seated here are all elites of our dark clans. The new leader of this Dark Alliance will emerge from among you. I believe that our new leader will lead us to glory!”
“Now, let’s confirm each race’s candidates. First up is the wizard clan.”
Essex looked towards Chief Priest Zach.
Zach stood up respectfully and replied, “Alliance Leader, our wizard clan’s candidates are myself, Jacques, and Saiya.”
As Zach finished speaking, two individuals stood up from the wizard clan’s seats-Jacques and Saiya.
Both Jacques and Saiya were gaunt and eerie-looking; Jacques even sported a goatee.
Essex raised his hand in a gesture of blessing and said, “May you bring honor to our wizard clan!”
Zach and his companions bowed to Essex before sitting down.
Essex then turned his gaze to the orc clan’s seats and asked, “Members of the orc clan, who are your candidates?”
Bypassing the vampire clan to ask about orc candidates first was telling enough.
Eugene stood up arrogantly and bowed slightly to Essex before saying, “Honorable Alliance Leader, our orc clan’s candidates are myself, Commander Frank, and Iman.”
As Eugene finished speaking, two commanding figures from the orc side stood up.
Both were immensely burly and towering over two meters tall-like two human fortresses.
The orcs prided themselves on their extraordinarily robust physiques.