Depraved Noble: Forced To Live The Debaucherous Life Of An Evil Noble!-Chapter 616: The Night’s Still Young

In a matter of minutes...

The outer grounds of the ruined castle were no longer a camp.

They were no longer even a battlefield.

They were a graveyard.

Tents stood torn and splattered, their canvas walls painted with violent streaks of crimson.

Blood flowed in grotesque little rivers through the dirt, pooling into dark puddles beneath butchered corpses.

Limbs lay scattered like discarded trash, heads rolled half-buried in mud, and one campfire—still crackling only moments ago—had been drowned out entirely, extinguished by the sheer volume of blood flooding over it.

The night reeked of iron.

And among it all...

Joy and Carmela.

Both women were drenched from head to toe.

Joy’s once-white gown now clung to her body in shades of red, every inch stained by the massacre.

Carmela’s white hair and face were spattered with streaks of blood that had long dried into her brown skin.

After letting out a sigh, Carmela walked toward her companion, stepping over the remains of one man whose skull had been caved in by Joy’s axe.

She let out a low whistle and said dryly,

"Wearing white for something like this was a terrible decision. You should’ve gone with a cloak or at least black."

Joy looked down at herself—at the blood-soaked fabric—and smiled. A bright, oddly serene smile.

"Don’t worry." She said softly, brushing off a crimson patch near her shoulder. "I prefer it this way. I think it’s beautiful."

Carmela blinked, unsure whether to laugh or be disturbed. "Beautiful?"

Joy nodded with a grin that almost looked playful.

"The blood. It gives the dress a different kind of purity, don’t you think? Like painting with pain."

She twirled once lightly, the hem of her gown spraying droplets of red through the air

She chuckled faintly and added, "Besides, my mother’s gotten quite used to washing blood out of my robes by now. She’s a specialist at it."

That made Carmela actually laugh, which was rather weird sounding since she was used to laughing.

Then Joy’s gaze shifted.

It landed on Carmela’s face.

Specifically...

The blood splattered across her cheek.

Joy tilted her head.

"And what about you?" She asked, tone almost teasing. "Shouldn’t a vampire like you be licking that off instead of wearing it? Wouldn’t want all that blood going to waste. It’d be a shame..."

"...You could even wring out my sleeves if you’re thirsty."

If Maria had heard her daughter openly smiling and joking around, she wouldn’t have even believed that was her daughter.

But Camela was getting used to Joy opening up to her so she just rolled her eyes,

"I’d rather die than drink this filth." She said, then, after a brief pause, she corrected herself. "Actually, no. I’d owe an apology to pigs everywhere—their blood is far more delicious than this garbage."

Joy chuckled. "Fair point."

Carmela then glanced around the silent ruin of the camp, stepping over a twitching corpse.

"So...how many did you get?"

Joy thought for a moment. "Twenty-six."

"Twenty-five for me." Camela wiped her blade clean on a shredded robe. "That makes fifty-one total. Not bad for a warm-up."

Joy smirked, confidence flickering in her eyes.

"Whatever the number, it’s definitely more than Cassius has managed. There’s no way he could have taken down that many in this short of a time."

"Mm." Carmela nodded in agreement. "He may be powerful, but even he can’t cover this much ground so fast."

She paused, scanning the dark expanse of the castle beyond.

"Speaking of which...where is he?"

Joy shrugged, swinging her axe onto her shoulder.

"Who cares? Probably got lost or is still deciding what kind of dramatic entrance to make." She chuckled. "Let’s go inside and finish the rest before he even gets here."

With that, both women turned toward the ruined gates of the castle, stepping over bodies and rivers of blood as they entered.

They weren’t tired—if anything, they were exhilarated.

The thrill of the fight, the heat of the kill—it pulsed in their veins like fire.

Even though the original challenge had been a ’competition’ against Cassius, neither of them cared anymore.

Now, they were competing with each other—who would take the next fifty kills, who would leave a bigger trail of ruin.

But the moment they stepped into the castle courtyard—

Both of them froze.

Every trace of sound vanished from their throats.

The courtyard was silent.

And then they realized why.

Every single priest, every ex-cleric, every man inside the castle...was already dead.

But not simply dead—obliterated.

Bodies lay scattered, torn apart in ways that defied imagination.

Limbs were stacked on top of torsos, entrails were draped across stone pillars, and the floor itself was slick with gore.

Some corpses were missing heads, others had been blown apart entirely.

A few had even been crushed into the walls, leaving red imprints like grotesque frescoes.

And in the center of the courtyard rose a mountain—a pile of corpses so tall that it was taller then them.

Joy and Carmela stood unable to speak and then, as their eyes adjusted to the dim light, they saw him.

Cassius.

Sitting cross-legged on top of the heap of bodies as if it were a throne. His arm rested lazily on his knee, his head propped against his palm.

His expression was casual, almost bored, as though he had been waiting for them for quite some time.

When he met their gaze, he looked up at them with an easy smile.

"Oh." He said lightly. "You’re finally here."

Carmela and Joy were utterly stunned.

It wasn’t just the sight of the corpses—though the mountain of mangled flesh and shattered bones was horrifying enough—it was the silence that surrounded it.

Not a sound had reached them from inside the castle while they were outside killing.

No screams.

No clash of steel.

No spells flaring, no cries for mercy.

Nothing.

If a battle had taken place here, they should have heard it.

There should have been noise—desperation, panic, the sound of men dying.

Yet the castle had been as silent as a grave.

That meant only one thing.

Cassius hadn’t just killed them.

He had moved so fast, so quietly, that none of the priests had even realized what was happening.

They had died before their minds could even register death.

Carmela whispered under her breath. "It’s like...death itself just passed through here."

Joy could only nod slowly, her eyes darting toward Cassius, who sat on his throne of corpses as if he had merely finished reading a book.

And the most terrifying part—there wasn’t a single drop of blood on him.

Not on his face, not on his cloak, not even a smear on his white shirt.

He looked as clean as when he had left them earlier.

It wasn’t just power—it was control.

Cassius finally exhaled softly and stood up. Then, with the ease of a man stepping off a porch, he jumped down from the pile of corpses, landing lightly before them.

"So." He said with that infuriatingly calm smile. "how many did you two manage?"

Joy’s eyes twitched, as she snapped.

"There’s no need to ask, is there? You clearly got more. And tell me honestly..."

Joy narrowed her eyes, frustration bubbling under her composed tone.

"Did you really give us that ’head start’ you talked about? Or did you just walk in here and start slaughtering the moment we turned our backs?"

Cassius gasped theatrically, pressing a hand to his chest.

"Joy, please. Do you take me for a cheater?"

Her glare didn’t soften.

"I’m Cassius Vindictus Holyfield!" He said, puffing his chest slightly in mock pride. "The most noble, the most righteous, the most fair man you’ll ever meet. I wouldn’t dare sully my honor by breaking the rules of my own game!"

Joy’s eye twitched again. "You’re also the most insufferable."

"Insufferable but victorious." Cassius chuckled softly.

That earned a low growl of irritation from her, but before she could retort, Carmela stepped forward, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Hold on." She said, scanning the courtyard again. "How are there even this many people? I thought this was just a small group of corrupt priests—a few dozen at most. But there are...over a hundred bodies here."

Cassius gave her a slight pityful and guilty gaze.

"Ah, yes. I should have clarified."

Carmela frowned. "Clarified what?"

He gestured lazily around them.

"These people weren’t just a ragtag bunch of heretics hiding from the Church. The Mourners are a full-fledged organization with a proper hierarchy—high priests, bishops, even some rogue cardinals."

"They’re well-funded, well-connected, spread across multiple territories. I’m guessing this outpost alone had at least two hundred members."

Joy’s eyes widened slightly. "Two hundred?"

Cassius nodded. "Mhm. You only met the outer layer—the low-ranking scum camping outside. The ones inside were the big dogs—the ones who handled the ’sacred trafficking,’ divine extortion, and all that holy nonsense."

Joy bit her lips. "Wait...you’re saying the ones we fought outside were just low-level clerics?"

Cassius tilted his head. "Mmhmm. The true monsters were all in here."

For a moment, neither woman said anything.

But then Joy’s aura flared faintly gold as she glanced around.

Now that she was paying attention, she could feel it—the residual traces of magic, heavy and refined.

She knelt near one corpse, noticing a shattered pendant glowing faintly on the dead man’s chest.

"These...These are artifacts used by high-level healers." She murmured.

Carmela clicked her tongue, glaring at Cassius.

"So you’re telling us our share of opponents were the scraps, while you got the actual challenge?"

"That about sums it up." Cassius gave a half-smile before adding, "After all, you already took so long to take care of the ones outside, so I can only imagine how long it would take if you went after the ones inside. That’s why..."

"...I decided to take care of them myself."

Hearing this clear accusation of weakness, their jaws tightened at the same time.

Then, to Cassius’s surprise, they both turned away from him in unison, scowling.

Cassius blinked. "...Oh, come on." He said, raising his hands. "This isn’t fair! You can’t just ignore me because I won."

Neither looked back.

"You’re acting like I cheated!" He protested. "If you were fast enough, you could have finished up and come inside for the rest.."

Still nothing.

He let out a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.

"You two are acting like children you know?"

That got a reaction—two sharp glares cutting in his direction.

He raised both hands defensively.

"Alright, alright. I get it. You’re upset. You lost. You thought this would be your moment of triumph—and now your pride’s a little bruised." 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Carmela crossed her arms tighter. "A little?"

Cassius smiled faintly. "Fine, very bruised. But hey—"

His tone softened, the teasing fading into something more earnest.

"...the night’s still young."

That made them both glance at him again.

"What do you mean?" Joy asked warily.

"This is just one stop." Cassius spread his arms. "You didn’t think this was the only nest of filth we’d visit tonight, did you?"

"You’re saying there’s...more?"

"Oh, plenty more." Cassius said with a satisfied grin. "Bandits, mercenaries, slavers—all sorts of scum."

"I told you, my estate’s practically crime-free now. I’ve already cleaned up most of it myself. People are too terrified to misbehave within my borders—the smart ones, anyway."

"So tonight, we’ll be touring the filth of neighboring lands, where there are plenty of scum left."

He looked between them, eyes glinting.

"So. What do you say? Shall we keep the game going?"

Joy’s irritation faltered, replaced by sudden interest.

"...Then what are we waiting for?"

She brushed her bloodied hair back and started toward the exit.

Carmela followed, smirking.

"But just so you know, that victory was a fluke. Next time, we’ll show you that you’re not the only monster here."

Cassius chuckled. "Sure, sure. I’ll look forward to it."

And with that, the three of them vanished into the night once more.

Their next stop: a bandit lair deep within the woods over a hundred miles away but with their speed it didn’t take too long to reach there.

This time, Joy and Carmela were determined to win.

They unleashed their full power—Carmela’s daggers danced through the air like a blur of shadows, while Joy’s aura flared like a sun, splitting the darkness as she cut down one enemy after another.

They tore through the camp in a whirlwind of fury.

But when the dust settled...Cassius had once again outdone them.

His count doubled theirs, his kills brutal and effortless.

It made them grind their teeth in frustration.

The next stop was a mercenary brigade—killers for hire who targeted nobles.

This time, the women refused to hold back.

They went all in, using everything at their disposal—blood arts, holy seals, weapon enchantments—everything.

And yet, somehow...Cassius still came out on top.

He didn’t even look tired.

Carmela nearly screamed in frustration. Joy just glared at him in disbelief.

And Cassius? He only smiled while constantly giving them underhanded compliments.

"You’re improving. You only lost by forty this time."

They simply hissed at him like feral cats before running off to the next place, making it clear they wanted get their before Cassius for an advantage.

And just like that, over and over, they went from place to place—hidden dens, raider camps, smuggler hideouts.

Everywhere they went, blood followed.

And no matter how hard they pushed themselves, no matter how much magic or strength they poured into it...

...Cassius always came out on top.

But somewhere along the line, their frustration began to fade.

The rage, the rivalry—it all faded into adrenaline, into laughter, into the intoxicating rush of battle.

Joy, who always followed the laws of execution, and Carmela, who usually killed from the shadows—both were free for once.

No witnesses, no politics, no hesitation.

Only the thrill of the hunt.

They didn’t realize it yet—but by the end of that night, as they painted the world in red beside Cassius, both women had stopped trying to beat him.

They were simply having the time of their lives.