The interrogation of Master Shen was brutally efficient.
Vicky didn't use torture. He didn't need to. With his Mind Control skill now boosted by his massive level jump, Shen's mental defenses were like wet tissue paper against a battering ram.
Vicky sat in the interrogation room of The Vault, staring at the broken old man strapped to the chair. Shen's eyes were glazed, his will completely submerged beneath Vicky's dominance.
"The Summit," Vicky said calmly. "Who will be there?"
"Everyone," Shen mumbled, his voice devoid of inflection. "The Council of Shadows. The Lupine Brotherhood. The Obsidian Circle. The Fae Court of the Under-Hill."
"And their leaders?"
"Lord Valerius for the vampires. Alpha Kincaid for the wolves. Archmage Thorne—no relation—for the mages. Queen Mab for the Fae."
Vicky leaned forward. "And what was their plan for the Silent Dragon?"
"We... were the enforcers," Shen admitted. "We kept the peace. We eliminated upstarts. The Summit tolerated us because we were useful. But they feared the Master."
"The Dark Overlord?"
"Yes. They knew we worshipped something from the Void. They were afraid that if they pushed us too hard, we would open the door. They didn't know we were already trying."
Vicky sat back. So, the supernatural politics of Veros were a delicate balance of fear and utility. The Silent Dragon had been the nuclear option—a dangerous faction allowed to exist because removing them might trigger an apocalypse.
And Vicky had just removed them.
"What will the Summit do now that you are gone?" Vicky asked.
"Panic," Shen said. "You destroyed the balance. You killed the boogeyman. Now... you are the boogeyman."
Vicky smiled. "Good."
He stood up and walked to the door. "Keep him sedated, Marcus. He's a useful archive of history. But if he tries to channel Chi, kill him."
"Understood, Master," Marcus said.
Vicky ascended to the command center. Mila was waiting, her face pale as she watched the news feeds.
"It's all over the networks," she said. "Explosions at the Steelworks. Gang war. Terrorist attack. The FBI has locked down the site. Dr. Chen gave a press conference an hour ago. She looked... rattled."
"She found bodies," Vicky said. "And ash. And unexplainable energy readings. She's rattled because her worldview is cracking."
"Vicky," Mila said, turning to him. "Your power levels... the sensors in The Vault almost burned out when you returned. What happened?"
"I leveled up," Vicky said simply. "Seven times."
Mila stared at him. "Seven? In one night?"
"The Silent Dragon provided a nutritious meal," Vicky said coldly. "And their pet monster provided a lot of experience."
He looked at the holographic map of the city. The red dot of the Steelworks was gone. But now, new icons were blinking. The meeting points for the other factions. They were mobilizing.
"The Summit is tomorrow night," Vicky said. "At the Old Cathedral. It was supposed to be a negotiation. Now, it's going to be a trial."
"They'll try to sanction you," Mila warned. "They'll say you broke the masquerade. That you endangered the city."
"Let them try," Vicky said. "I'm not going there to apologize. I'm going there to take my seat at the head of the table."
The Old Cathedral was neutral ground for a reason. It was built on a ley line nexus, a place where holy ground, blood magic, and ancient earth power intersected. No single faction could claim it because the energy was too volatile. It belonged to everyone, and no one.
The main sanctuary was lit by thousands of candles. The pews had been removed, replaced by a large, circular table of dark oak. Around it sat the rulers of Veros's night.
Lord Valerius, a vampire of the Old World, sat with the regal boredom of a man who had seen centuries come and go. He wore a velvet suit that looked like it belonged in the 19th century, and his skin was the color of marble.
Alpha Kincaid was a massive man, bearded and scarred, wearing a biker vest over a chest that looked like a barrel of cement. He smelled of wet dog and violence.
Archmage Thorne (Vicky noted the name with amusement) was a woman in her forties, dressed in modern business attire but holding a staff made of twisted weirwood. Her eyes crackled with blue energy.
And Queen Mab... she was tiny, barely five feet tall, with skin like porcelain and hair like spun silver. But her presence was suffocating. She smelled of flowers .
They were arguing.
"He destroyed a foundational pillar of our society!" Valerius sneered. "Without permission! Without consultation!"
"He killed a death cult that was summoning a Void entity!" Kincaid roared back, slamming a fist on the table. "I smelled that thing from the woods! If he hadn't killed it, we'd all be dead!"
"He was reckless," the Archmage said coolly. "The magical fallout has destabilised the grid. My apprentices are having seizures."
"He is... interesting," Queen Mab giggled. "New blood. So vibrant. So destructive."
The massive oak doors of the cathedral groaned.
Silence fell over the table.
The doors swung open.
Vicky Thorne walked in.
He didn't come with an army. He didn't bring Elias or Marcus. He walked alone.
He wore a simple black suit, no tie. His hands were in his pockets. He looked like a college student who had wandered into the wrong party.
But his aura told a different story.
With his new stats—Base STR 54, SPD 53, END 53—he was physically stronger than anyone in the room. But it was his presence that hit them. The Blood Dragon Presence. It wasn't just vampiric predator intent; it was the weight of a mythological apex predator.
Valerius stiffened. Kincaid's hackles rose. The Archmage's staff flared. Mab stopped giggling.
Vicky walked to the empty seat at the table—the one that had been reserved for the Silent Dragon. He pulled it out and sat down.
"Sorry I'm late," Vicky said. "Traffic was too much"
"You have some nerve," Valerius hissed. "You march into our city, slaughter an entire faction, and then sit at our table like you own the place?"
"I don't own the place yet," Vicky said calmly. "I'm working on it."
"You broke the Compact," the Archmage said. "You exposed us. The FBI is swarming the Steelworks."
"The FBI is chasing ghosts," Vicky countered. "They found gang bodies and drug residue. I planted the evidence myself. The masquerade is intact."
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "And as for the Silent Dragon... you should be thanking me."
He reached into his inventory and pulled out the Fragment of the Void. He tossed the black crystal onto the table. It slid across the wood and stopped in the center, radiating a cold that made the candles flicker.
"That's what they summoned," Vicky said. "An Avatar of the Dark Overlord. Level 45. Void affinity. If I hadn't put it down, you wouldn't be arguing about politics. You'd be food."
The Archmage stared at the crystal, her face pale. "By the Ley... it's true. That's pure Void matter."
Kincaid sniffed the air. "He smells like dragon," he rumbled. "Not just vampire. What are you, boy?"
"I am the evolution," Vicky said. "I am what comes next."
He looked around the table, meeting each of their gazes.
"The Silent Dragon is gone. Their territory, their assets, their seat at this table... they are mine by right of conquest. The Crimson Pact is now the dominant power in the industrial district."
"You think we'll just accept that?" Valerius stood up, his fangs extending. "You are a child! A mongrel!"
"Sit down, Valerius," Vicky said softly.
He didn't shout. He just let a fraction of his Blood Dragon Transformation leak out. His eyes turned to vertical slits of burning gold. His shadow stretched across the floor, forming wings.
Valerius froze. His instincts screamed at him. Predator. Run.
Slowly, the ancient vampire sat back down.
"Good," Vicky said. "Now. Here is my proposal. I keep the Silent Dragon's territory. I keep their business interests. In exchange, I will guarantee the security of Veros against external threats. The FBI, the Void, whatever else comes crawling out of the dark... I will handle it."
"And if we refuse?" Queen Mab asked, tilting her head.
"Then we have a war," Vicky said simply. "And looking at this table... I like my odds."
It was a bluff. Mostly. Fighting four factions at once would be suicidal, even for him. But they didn't know his limits. They only knew he had killed a Void Avatar and wiped out the Silent Dragon in a single night.
Fear was a powerful negotiator.
Kincaid laughed. A deep, booming sound. "I like him! He's got guts. The wolves vote to recognize the Crimson Pact."
The Archmage hesitated, then nodded. "If he can contain the Void... he is useful. The mages agree."
Mab smiled. "The Fae love chaos. I vote yes."
Valerius looked around, realized he was outvoted, and scowled. "Fine. But mark my words... this arrogance will destroy you."
"Noted," Vicky said.
He stood up. "Then it's settled. The Crimson Pact is a member of the Council. We'll send a representative for future meetings."
He turned to leave.
"Wait," the Archmage said. "The Dark Overlord. If his Avatar was here... he knows where Earth is now."
"I know," Vicky said, stopping at the door. "That's why I'm building an army. And that's why you're going to help me."
He walked out of the cathedral, leaving the rulers of Veros in stunned silence.
Outside, the night air was cool. Vicky took a deep breath. He had won. He had secured his position.
But as he walked down the steps, he felt a vibration in his pocket.
It wasn't his phone.
It was the Fragment of the Void.
He pulled it out. The crystal was pulsing. A slow, rhythmic beat.
And then, a message appeared in his vision. Not a system notification. A text message, floating in the air, written in letters of purple fire.
"INTERESTING PERFORMANCE. BUT CAN YOU SAVE THE GIRL?"
Vicky's blood ran cold.
The girl.
Mila.
He pulled out his phone and dialed her number.
It rang. And rang. And rang.
Then, it picked up.
But it wasn't Mila's voice.
It was a distorted, digital rasp.
"Hello, Progenitor. We have your Queen. If you want her back... come to the Void."
The line went dead.
Vicky crushed the phone in his hand.
The Dark Overlord didn't just have avatars. He had cultists. Sleeper agents. And while Vicky was playing politics at the cathedral, they had struck at his heart.
Vicky's eyes ignited with Blood Fire.
The Summit was over. The war had just begun.
END OF CHAPTER 45
VICKY THORNE: STATUS
Level: 38
XP: 10,500 / 120,000 (To Level 39)
Tier: 2 - Advanced (Vampire Knight)
Race: Progenitor - Blood Dragon Hybrid (100% Purity)
STATS:
STR: 81 (54 base x 1.5)
SPD: 79.5 (53 base x 1.5)
END: 79.5 (53 base x 1.5)
Chi: 120/120
Special Skill: Blood Dragon Transformation (Active: x4 to base STR, SPD, END)
CURRENT SITUATION: ( For Readers )
The Summit: Successful. Crimson Pact recognized as a major power.
Mila Torres: Kidnapped by agents of the Dark Overlord.
Location: Outside the Old Cathedral.
Objective: Find Mila. Kill everyone involved.