None of the vampires remaining in the dining hall had their gear or weapons. How could they possibly predict that anything like this would actually happen at their dinner table? They could hear the echoing screams and war cries of the vampire knights, as well as the loud, coarse voices of the intruders. The metallic sound of swords clashing and small, concussive explosions could also be clearly heard from inside the dining hall. Anna knew at that moment that this was not a random assault, but a meticulously planned attack orchestrated by the very man they had trusted.
"Reina, Helen, take the kids and use the secret escape route immediately!" The voice of the matriarch, though sharp, was perfectly controlled as it cut through the fear. "Warn everybody and tell some of the vampire maids to take all the children, specifically those who are below eighteen. The rest must gear up and take up their weapons. Now, hurry! Go!"
Zeno instantly seconded the order, quickly leaving the task to the two women, knowing that their first priority must be the protection of the young.
Carmilla did not want to leave her mother. "Mommy!" she cried out, her eyes wide with terror.
Cassandra knelt, embracing her daughter quickly. "Go with sister Reina. I will be there as soon as I get the chance. Don't worry, darling, everything is going to be fine," she promised, though her eyes were already scanning the room for a weapon.
The three remaining vampire knights, stood ready. "Guards, lend me your swords," Zeno commanded.
"Yes, my lord." The guards quickly handed their weapons to Zeno, Markus, and Caden.
Markus took the blade and swung it once, his massive hand dwarfing the hilt. He instantly found it was far too light for his powerful frame and fighting style. "Go arm yourselves, we will deal with these fools" he said, his glare fixed sternly on Decker and his partners at the breach.
Zeno wore a cold, furious expression as he lifted his arm and aimed the guard's sword directly at the intruder. "Speak, Decker. Where is my father and the young boy? They were last seen riding in the carriage with you."
Caden moved swiftly to Emma and Cassandra, speaking in a low, urgent tone. "Go arm yourselves and try to help the others. We will handle the situation here."
The young vampire believed it was best for them to exit and assist those who needed their strength. He knew Decker must have something sinister planned; no one would be foolish enough to launch a full scale frontal attack on the Crimson family without a massive, hidden advantage. If his assumptions were correct, he did not want the women caught in the immediate disaster.
The two vampires nodded and exited the room efficiently, leaving only Zeno, Markus, Caden, and Anna to face the traitor at the broken window.
Decker smiled at Zeno, the expression utterly devoid of warmth. "Your father and the boy are probably troll dung by now, hahahaha."
Anna fought to suppress her rising primal anger. "What do you mean, Decker?"
Just then, three other figures entered through the shattered window. They were clad in top grade armor, moving with coordinated aggression. Among them was Kilo, the leader of The Storming Hornets.
The mercenary leader surveyed the dining hall and the trapped, unarmed family. "Hahahaha! Today, I am going to be known as the man who took down the Crimson clan!"
All three armored figures wore green plating, though the designs of each set were distinctly different, marking them as specialized elites.
Decker looked at Anna with a sinister smirk. He had waited and meticulously planned for this moment for a long time. "Your husband, as well as the boy, they are both dead," he said ominously. "But you need not grieve or be angry, Milady. You will all be joining them soon in hell."
Blood veins began to bulge violently under the eyes of Anna. Her beautiful irises instantly turned crimson red, and her razor-sharp fangs started to fully reveal themselves. The eyes of the matriarch blazed with fury, while her heart was filled with raw, overwhelming grief.
Without warning or command, she launched toward Decker, exploding across the room. Her nails extended, morphing into sharp, lethal talons of compressed bone and muscle. Her fingers were poised to strike the heart of the traitor, ready to end the conflict before it truly began.
Decker maintained his evil grin as he saw the enraged woman approaching ever closer.
Just as she reached her intended target, a shadow figure erupted from the body of Decker. It was a dark shadow clone, a solid and exact physical replica of Decker himself but rendered entirely in a deep and featureless black. The figure matched his powerful physique and height perfectly, appearing as a pitch black void standing in the precise shape of the man. This ink black double intercepted her lethal strike with cold and immovable force, and Anna was slammed backward by the unexpected, solid defense of her target's twin shadow. "What the hell!" she cried, her voice filled with utter disbelief as she stared at the void like copy of her enemy.
The dark figure immediately tried to strike back, but Zeno acted with impossible speed. With a swift, downward motion, he chopped off the arm of the shadow with the vampire knight's sword. The severed limb instantly dispersed into nothingness, buying Anna and her son a critical second to retreat. When they looked back at the dark figure, its arm had already started to regenerate into its original form.
"Are you okay, Mother?" Zeno demanded, moving the woman behind his borrowed blade.
Anna, shaken but furious, focused on the villain. "What the hell was that? Decker, what did you do?"
The man extended his arms out to his sides, palms facing upward in a grandiose, almost theatrical gesture. He held his arms wide, fingers splayed, as if presenting himself and his new power for all to see. "I simply leveled the playing field."
Just as Decker finished his taunt, two more shadow figures erupted from his body. The entities materialized with an eerie grace, their presence exuding an aura of silent menace. With their sudden arrival, the balance of power shifted decisively in favor of the traitor and his mercenaries.
However, the strange thing was that Markus was actually grinning, his massive shoulders shaking with anticipation. "This is what I wanted."
He pointed his finger directly at Decker, his immense bulk radiating pure conviction. "There is no way my father would lose to such a weakling. If what you say is true and you killed Leonidas, then I will bet my left nut that you tricked him! Also, you are not from the Ombra family; that shadow power you got is not like theirs. I sense that those shadow figures are not from this world. You probably had to give up something to receive that power, right?"
The smirk on the face of the traitor tightened. "And here I thought that you were just a dumb brute. You are right, I did give up something, but you won't find out as your family will not live past today."
"Then no more talking. Let us find out who will not live past today," Markus declared, his voice full of savage excitement.
"With pleasure." The two new shadow figures instantly dashed toward Markus, one attacking from the front and the other from the side.
The giant warrior acted with surprising speed, unleashing a devastating right hook. His fist connected squarely with the shadow figure that attacked him from the front, punching the head of the entity clean off. However, his left side was now dangerously exposed for the second shadow clone to land a vital strike.
Caden appeared instantly behind the attacking shadow figure. With a swift horizontal swing of the guard's sword, he cleanly decapitated the entity. "Nice try," the young man said, his voice tinged with grim satisfaction. Markus looked over at his nephew and softly nodded his head in silent acknowledgment of the timely save.
"Decker!" The furious voice of Anna echoed through the chaotic dining room. The ground beneath her feet cracked as she sprinted toward her target to attack for a second time, rage fueling her speed.
But Kilo intercepted her, stepping directly into her path. "Mind if I cut in?"
The appearance of Kilo caused Anna to skid to a halt, the shattered glass crunching under her boots. Her eyes narrowed as she observed the unfamiliar figure blocking her from the target. Her fury rising, she sneered with disdain. "A mere human has the gall to stop me? Are you tired of living?"
Kilo smiled at Anna, completely dismissing her question. As the matriarch regained her composure, the mercenary leader stepped forward with a cold smirk. "Kehehe, no. I stood in your way because I want the honor of killing the wife of Leonidas, since Decker already sent him to the afterlife."
A volcanic surge of anger ripped through the veins of Anna at the cruel mention of her fallen husband. "If Leonidas is in hell, then I will make sure you keep him company. Now die!"
Without a moment's hesitation, she pounced at the mercenary, intent on ending him quickly to reach the traitor. Kilo gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, his eyes fixed on the vicious vampire coming his way. The armor he wore started to emit a faint green glow, the intricate carvings on his arms illuminating with an otherworldly light.
The leader of The Storming Hornets could feel immense strength empowering him. When Anna reached striking range, he swung his sword at full force in a deadly vertical slice. Her eyes widened with focus as she saw the blade coming toward her, mere inches from its mark.
Lightning started to flicker in her eyes. Her innate lightning ability, triggered by extreme crisis and grief, began to manifest and significantly increased her speed. These lightning reflexes allowed her to violently bend her body backward, narrowly avoiding the blow. She watched, tracking the steel as it sailed past her face.
Kilo wore a look of profound surprise. He had assumed the advantage of surprise would grant him an easy victory. Anna quickly regained her balance, realizing the missed attack had left the human momentarily vulnerable. This was her critical chance to strike a lethal blow.
"Shit, I did not expect this to happen," Kilo cursed under his breath, his mind racing as he found himself defensively exposed under the assault of Anna.
In a split second, the matriarch attacked the leader of The Storming Hornets, her determination unyielding. But just as her strike was about to connect, one of the dark shadow figures intervened. The entity appeared instantly, saving Kilo by kicking Anna with tremendous, unnatural force, sending her crashing toward the nearby wall. She reacted swiftly, raising her arm to shield herself from catastrophic damage.
Kilo recovered quickly, a sadistic smirk returning as the intricate carvings on his arms and legs started to emit a radiant glow, further increasing his strength and speed. Seizing the opportunity, he dashed toward the recovering woman, denying her a chance to regain her footing. When he reached striking range, he prepared to deliver a devastating horizontal attack with his sword.
"You are dead, bitch!" Kilo seethed with sadistic satisfaction.
However, Zeno intervened instantly, his borrowed blade rising to block the attack with a heavy clang of steel. The mercenary was caught off guard once more. "What the hell!"
Zeno glared at the man, his eyes blazing with protective fury. "Mother, I know that you don't need my help, but this fuking cnt tried to kill you in front of me. That is unacceptable!" Without hesitation, the young man retaliated with a swift, punishing kick to the stomach of Kilo, sending him tumbling backward. Blood instantly started to leak from the mouth of the mercenary as the concussive impact of the kick took its toll.
"You will pay for this, Zeno!" Kilo growled, his expression twisted with fury and pain as he struggled to rise.