The moment Selene left William's truck, she rushed anxiously back to the vampire manor. Upon her return, however, she was surprised to learn that Nas, who had accompanied her earlier, never made it back to the manor.
William and his team had wrapped up their operation against the werewolves in under an hour. With news of the event tightly sealed, it was unsurprising that the vampires—who had grown accustomed to their lives of comfort—were reluctant to immediately believe Selene's alarming account.
The only one whose face betrayed any unease was Kraven, Victor's proxy and the de facto leader in Victor's absence. Selene immediately suspected that Nas had either been silenced or controlled by Kraven.
When Selene finished recounting her story, Kraven's face darkened as he said, "I'll investigate what you've said. But for now, I need you to stay within the manor. Elder Amelia's messenger is due to arrive shortly, and you'll need to be my dance partner later."
Selene opened her mouth to refuse, but her words died on her lips as she noticed the change in the way Kraven's entourage was looking at her. Their usual gazes of respect or indifference had been replaced by something colder—something dangerous.
Recalling what she had overheard in William's truck—Lucian's revelation that Kraven had been collaborating with him for over two centuries—Selene swallowed her disgust. She let out a cold snort and turned to leave, walking toward her quarters.
"Keep an eye on her," Kraven ordered coldly. "Make sure she doesn't leave the manor."
Kraven's outward demeanor of calm couldn't mask his inner turmoil. He wasn't as oblivious to external affairs as he pretended to be. At the very least, he knew that humanity was currently engaged in a large-scale operation to purge werewolves in London—and that the mastermind behind the effort was none other than the previously low-profile William.
The moment Kraven learned of this, he understood that his and Lucian's plans had been exposed.
But what truly terrified him was the sheer speed and ferocity of William's response. After only a month of playing the fool, William had managed to orchestrate and execute a comprehensive operation to eradicate London's werewolves. And judging by Nas's account before Kraven had him silenced, as well as the reports trickling in from the outside, the werewolves were utterly powerless against William's mech soldiers.
Kraven's initial shock had quickly given way to fear. He was now genuinely afraid that Lucian had been captured alive and had already betrayed him.
Meanwhile, back in her room, Selene waited until she was certain the people tailing her had left. Quietly opening her door, she headed toward the underground chambers where the elders lay in their centuries-long slumber.
As Victor's nominal "daughter" and favored subordinate, Selene had spent many hours in the chamber speaking to Victor's comatose form, confiding in him about her frustrations and worries. The guards stationed at the entrance recognized her and let her through without question.
Kneeling before Victor's sarcophagus, Selene whispered, "Forgive me, Father. In the face of Kraven's possible betrayal, I had no one else to turn to but you. You're the only one I can trust with what I witnessed today."
She hesitated for a moment before activating the mechanism that raised Victor's sarcophagus from its secure resting place. The sound of gears turning echoed through the chamber, and soon Victor's withered, corpse-like body came into view.
Biting her wrist, Selene allowed her blood to drip into Victor's open mouth. She knew that all three elders shared a unique ability: the power to extract memories from the blood of those they drank.
After stopping the bleeding from her wrist, Selene pushed Victor's sarcophagus into the rejuvenation chamber. There, she connected several blood bags to an IV system, feeding the life-giving fluid into Victor's body.
Her preparations complete, Selene moved to the center of the chamber and knelt on one knee, patiently awaiting Victor's awakening.
The guards, noticing Selene's unwavering posture whenever they peeked into the chamber every fifteen minutes, chose not to disturb her.
Over an hour later, Amelia's messenger arrived at the manor. Unable to find Selene, Kraven learned from the guards that she was in the elder's chamber. Fuming, he stormed into the underground chamber.
"Didn't I tell you to stay put?" Kraven bellowed. "Amelia's messenger is here, and you're supposed to—"
"Silence!"
The deep, commanding voice that echoed through the chamber froze Kraven mid-sentence. His rage instantly turned to shock, then panic, and finally fear as he slowly turned around to see the withered figure of Victor emerging from the shadows.
Confirming that it was indeed Victor, Kraven and the guards fell to their knees, their faces pale with terror. "Master," they greeted him in unison.
Victor's gaze swept over Kraven and Selene. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the guards.
"Leave us," he commanded.
"Yes, Master," the guards replied in unison, preparing to leave.
"Wait!" Selene interjected. "Father, I believe the guards should stay here."
Victor raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
Selene turned her piercing gaze to Kraven, who was visibly struggling to maintain his composure.
"Because," Selene began, "I have reason to believe that Kraven is a traitor. Many within the manor have already been swayed by him to join his betrayal. Only the guards, whose sole duty is to protect the elders, can ensure your safety."
Victor's expression darkened as he processed her words. His voice, low and menacing, broke the tense silence. "My child, your memories are in utter disarray. It seems that despite two centuries of existence, you've made no progress in your strength or discipline."
At this, Kraven hesitantly spoke, his voice a mixture of fear and obsequiousness. "My Lord, you have been asleep for only a hundred years. According to the cycle, Elder Amelia is still in power, and your awakening is a full century premature."
Kraven knew Victor's rigid adherence to rules and traditions all too well. He hoped to use this knowledge to deflect Victor's anger onto Selene.
Predictably, Victor's expression grew colder. He looked at Selene, his initial warmth and concern replaced with stern disapproval.
Sensing the shift, Selene quickly explained, "I will accept the punishment for my actions, but I had no choice. Father, in three days, a catastrophe will descend upon our entire race. The evidence is in my blood. If you delve deeper into the memories of what I saw today, you will understand why I had to awaken you."
Victor's stern gaze softened slightly as her words struck a chord. He closed his eyes and delved into the memories he had absorbed from Selene's blood.
Flashes of Selene's recent memories flooded Victor's mind: waves of werewolves charging relentlessly, only to be mowed down by squads of mech soldiers glowing with an eerie blue light. His initial shock quickly gave way to dread as he processed the implications.
Victor forced himself to stop the memory playback. His body was still weak from his premature awakening, and the emotional and physical strain was too much for him in his current state. For now, he would have to wait until he regained his full strength to review the memories more thoroughly.
Five hours passed as Victor recuperated. Slowly, his body and face began to regain a semblance of normalcy. With his strength partially restored, he activated his blood magic to dive deeper into Selene's memories.
When he saw the scene of Lucian—the werewolf leader Kraven had claimed to have killed two centuries ago—chained like an animal by human soldiers, Victor's simmering rage erupted.
In a blur of movement, Victor appeared before Kraven and sank his fangs into his traitorous proxy's neck.
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I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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