A chaotic wave of memories flooded his mind, quickly revealing events from over two centuries ago. A vampire squad sent to eliminate Lucian was completely wiped out before even catching a glimpse of him. The only survivor, Kraven, remained alive solely because Lucian needed someone to carry back a fake report of his death to the vampire headquarters, sparing himself from being relentlessly hunted by vampires.
Lucian also used this opportunity to blackmail Kraven into providing intelligence about the vampires.
"Traitor," Victor spat.
Releasing his bite, Victor glared at Kraven. "You dared to conspire with werewolves to attack Amelia and me? You shall be forever exiled from Marcus' protection."
A growl escaped from Victor as Kraven attempted to plead for mercy. Without giving him a chance, Victor bared his fangs and bit into Kraven's neck once again. His glowing red eyes bore into his victim as he drained him dry. Finally, Victor raised a clawed hand and smashed Kraven's desiccated head, reducing it to dust.
He stood, feeling the return of his strength while watching Kraven's corpse crumble into ashes. Turning to the guards outside the chamber, he issued an order, "Summon Amelia's envoy to meet me immediately. As for Kraven's followers and collaborators, arrest them all. Any who resist are to be executed without mercy."
"Yes, Master," the guards promptly responded.
Victor pulled out the blood transfusion tubes from his back, stepped into the chamber's dressing room, and adorned himself in regal attire. After sitting on his throne, his gaze softened as he looked at Selene.
"Rise, my child," Victor said gently. "I owe you an apology and my gratitude for everything you've done. Without you, Amelia and the Council members returning to London tomorrow would have faced merciless attacks from werewolves."
Selene bowed her head briefly before rising. "Everything I have is because of you, Father. If you hadn't saved me from the wolves centuries ago, I would have died long ago. I would never have had the chance to avenge my biological parents. You owe me no apology."
Victor's face beamed with a smile at Selene's gratitude, but a hint of worry flickered in his eyes. The truth was far from what she believed. Centuries ago, Selene's family had served Victor as craftsmen, overseeing the construction of the prison to confine the first werewolf, William Corvinus.
When the prison was completed, Victor, fearing that others might learn of its location, decided to eliminate everyone involved in its creation. The only reason he spared young Selene was her striking resemblance to his daughter Sonja when she was a child. Sonja, who had fallen in love with the werewolf Lucian and carried his child, had been executed under Victor's own orders.
Sonja's death became one of the main reasons Lucian had waged war against vampires for centuries.
Now, the Lucian they had battled for hundreds of years had been captured alive by humans, whom both species had long considered mere food. Victor didn't know whether Lucian was dead or alive, but he was well aware that humans capable of eliminating hundreds of werewolves wouldn't find vampires much harder to deal with.
"Tell me everything you saw today, and who exactly is this William Devonshire," Victor demanded.
"Yes, Father," Selene replied, recounting everything she knew.
Victor stared intently at the floor in thought before muttering, "Who would've expected two grand dukes to emerge from the descendants of bald-headed Devonshire from a thousand years ago?"
"You… you know William Devonshire's ancestor?" Selene asked, astonished.
Victor nodded with a smile. "Of course. The Knights Templar were old enemies of ours. If the Church hadn't purged them centuries ago, they'd likely still be formidable opponents today."
"Enough about that for now," Victor said, his ears twitching as he heard movement outside the chamber. "Invite Amelia's envoy inside."
"Yes," Selene replied. She turned, opened the chamber doors, and escorted the envoy in.
The envoy, upon confirming that Victor had awakened, was initially stunned. Then, he immediately knelt on one knee and said, "Master."
Victor nodded. "Selene, inform the envoy of what you know."
After hearing Selene's report, the envoy, visibly shocked, remained silent. Victor, uninterested in his reaction, directly commanded, "Tell Amelia that she and her guards must appear before me tomorrow night."
As the leader of this vampire faction, Victor's authority far exceeded that of Amelia or any other Council members. The envoy immediately nodded. "Yes, my master," he said, pausing before asking, "Should we also notify Marcus' followers?"
"No, Father," Selene interjected urgently. "Father, the situation is still salvageable. If Marcus' followers—those bloodthirsty lunatics who only understand war—find out, they might attack William Devonshire immediately."
"Silence," Victor said, displeased as he shot Selene a cold glance. The envoy also looked at Selene with dissatisfaction.
The hierarchical structure within the vampire society was far stricter than that of humans. Though Selene was nominally Victor's daughter, her authority was limited to leading the werewolf hunting teams. She had no say in other matters.
"Notify them. Let's see if this Duke Devonshire is as formidable as he seems," Victor said coldly.
"Understood, Master," the envoy replied, bowing deeply. He respectfully stepped back several paces before turning and leaving to relay Victor's orders to Amelia.
What Victor didn't know, however, was that his every word was being transmitted to Sunday, a spy system in the form of spider-like robots hidden in the chamber. Before Victor and his faction could make any moves, their plans had already reached William's ears.
William, who had been sleeping with Abigail, opened his eyes as Sunday relayed the information. Quietly slipping out of bed, he walked to the small sitting room outside their bedroom in his pajamas. Pouring himself a glass of whiskey, he sipped it and asked, "Have all the streetlights around the manor been replaced?"
"Yes, sir. The entire Kensington Garden area and Oxford Castle have had their public lighting systems replaced with high-powered ultraviolet lamps. Additionally, the lights within the manor and surrounding walls, including festive decorative lights, have been modified. Once activated, the entire area, except for underground spaces, will be bathed in ultraviolet light," Sunday reported.
"Heh, to be honest, vampires are easier to deal with than werewolves. Ultraviolet light is no longer exclusive to the sun," William chuckled, taking another sip of whiskey. Squinting, he mused, "Do you think Victor and those ancient vampires will flee England in fear after this? No, I can't let them escape. Where else would I get the chance to make a big profit?"
After a moment of thought, William said, "Equip the silver powder models of the spherical probes with ultraviolet emitters. Produce a thousand units and completely surround Victor's lair."
"Understood, sir. Production of one thousand units is estimated to take ten hours."
"Wait," William said, pausing. "Make it two thousand units. Distribute the remaining units equally between the castle and the manor. Also, once this matter is resolved, I want the technology for my new ultraviolet lamps licensed out. Make it available to anyone willing to pay. When practical needs lead to the widespread adoption of ultraviolet lights that don't harm humans, these vampires will finally understand that this world belongs to humanity."
------------------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get early access to chapters by joining my Patre@n!
Find me at: patre@n*com/Mutter
You can read each novel for $5 or get them all for just $15.
Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]