Sitting on the throne, William stared at Marcus's resting place within the hidden chamber. Suddenly, the heavy door creaked open, and Selene walked in. In her hand, she held the other half of the key—previously lodged in Victor's chest—that could unlock the prison holding the first lycan, William Corvinus.
"This is the key you were talking about?"
Taking the key from her, William nodded. "Yes," he replied, reaching out to pull Selene onto his lap. "Now that you've avenged your family, and most of Victor's vampires have been dealt with, what are your plans for the future?"
Selene froze for a moment, then, after some thought, she clung to William, her voice filled with uncertainty. "I don't know. Ever since I became a vampire, my only goal has been to hunt lycans relentlessly. But now that the truth is out, I've realized that the true culprit was the man I respected and feared most—Victor."
She fell silent, her eyes filled with confusion as she rested her head on William's chest, whispering softly, "What else can I do?"
Tilting her chin up with his fingers, William smiled. "If you're lost, why not become the guardian of the Devonshire family and my woman?
"Help me manage affairs involving vampires and lycans, and handle the shadows for me."
Selene hesitated for only a few seconds before nodding softly. "Okay."
She sighed. "It's just a shame that I'll always be trapped in the night. I can never stand in the daylight like your other women and support you publicly."
William chuckled. "Truthfully, the only one actively helping me is Abigail. One is obsessed with fame, and the other only cares about her vineyard and staying by my side.
"That's why I need someone I can truly trust to manage my subordinates and handle the matters that lie in the dark."
Hearing this, Selene's tone brightened with a hint of joy. "Mm," she said softly, leaning against William's chest. After a moment of silence, she unexpectedly began reciting a blood oath.
As she spoke the ancient vampire words, similar to those Nissa had once used, William couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction.
It seemed that his earlier conversation with Amelia at the park—where he had remarked that earning his trust required a blood oath—had taken root in Selene's mind.
Moments later, William felt the spiritual bond link him to Selene, and he finally relaxed completely.
He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her deeply.
Much later, after Selene experienced the world of "fitness routines" for the first time—and indulged her curiosity in a variety of positions—she collapsed onto William, utterly spent.
Satisfied, William held the exhausted and breathless Selene in his arms. After a long moment of warmth and tenderness, he carried her upstairs to a room.
The moment they left, a golden portal appeared outside the chamber's door. Once they reached Selene's room, William told her to go prepare a bath while he gave instructions to Sunday.
"Bring all the lycans held in the secret Yellowstone base in the US to this chamber and execute them here. Then, use standard blood packs to awaken Marcus.
"Seal the chamber door completely, leaving only the hidden tunnel as an exit."
"Understood, Sir."
William considered for a moment, then glanced at Victor's charred remains in the room. Placing the half-key back onto Victor's body, he ordered, "Have the robots drag his corpse into the chamber.
"And that messenger Victor sent to Alexander Corvinus—what's his status?"
"He's alive, Sir," Sunday replied. "As per your instructions, the spider drones knocked him unconscious, and the combat robots have restrained him in the forest at the hidden tunnel's exit."
"Perfect," William said, a glint of calculation in his eyes. "We'll make sure to keep a close eye on Marcus when he flies out using those wings of his, won't we?"
"There will be no issues, Sir. Twelve drone carriers are stationed over the estate and the hidden tunnel's exit.
"Additionally, Gunnar is on standby with the support truck, ready to resupply the carriers and combat robots at any time."
"Then begin," William said with a grin, heading into the bathroom to resume his "activities."
Back in the chamber, several combat robots dragged five captured lycans through a portal.
A short burst of gunfire followed—"ratatatata"—as the robots executed the lycans with silver bullets and arranged their corpses into specific, preplanned positions.
Next, the robots placed several damaged older-generation combat units and a dozen guns loaded with liquid silver and ultraviolet rounds around the room, creating the illusion of a fierce battle.
Finally, they retrieved a dozen blood packs from the estate's blood storage and scattered them over Marcus's coffin, leaving nearly a hundred spider drones in the room before welding the chamber door shut.
An hour later, Marcus burst out of his coffin, his massive bat-like wings spreading wide. Shaking his head as if to clear his mind, his gaze fell on the carnage before him: lycan corpses and six charred vampire bodies scattered across the room.
"What happened here?" Marcus muttered, his voice filled with disgust as he looked over the lycan corpses. He moved from one charred vampire body to the next, stopping abruptly when he recognized Victor's remains.
A chilling sensation coursed through him. "Victor?" he gasped in disbelief.
Descending from the air, Marcus crouched beside Victor's burned corpse. "How could this happen? How could this happen?"
As he examined Victor's body more closely, his eyes fell on the bronze key lodged in Victor's chest.
Curiosity piqued, Marcus retrieved the key and stared at it, memories of his brother—the first lycan, William Corvinus—flooding his mind.
Looking down at Victor's corpse, Marcus muttered with a mix of disdain and revelation, "I never thought you'd keep the key hidden inside your body all this time."
With the key he had desired for centuries now in his hands, Marcus's grief for Victor evaporated. Instead, a sense of excitement overtook him.
"Wait for me, my brother," he whispered. "We'll be reunited soon."
With this thought, Marcus hurried to the chamber door. He pushed against it but found it sealed shut.
After several attempts, he roared in frustration and slammed his shoulder against the door.
Bang, bang, bang. The sound of his strikes echoed throughout the estate.
Just as Marcus was fuming at his inability to open the door, he heard a series of heavy, metallic footsteps reverberating through the marble floors outside the chamber.
He paused for only a second before concluding that whoever was outside wasn't an ally. Otherwise, Victor and the others wouldn't have perished in the chamber.
Moments later, a thunderous crash echoed from beyond the door.
Bang!
A clear indentation of a fist appeared on the metal door. Before Marcus could react, several more indentations followed.
"Damn it," Marcus muttered under his breath.
He quickly realized that even at his peak, he would have struggled to create such deep impressions in the metal. Whoever—or whatever—was outside was stronger than him, especially in his weakened state.
As the dents spread across the door, revealing the immense power of those on the other side, Marcus's mind raced.
When he glimpsed several glowing red eyes through the gaps in the metal, a chill ran down his spine.
"Robots," he muttered, his voice trembling. Glancing back at the damaged combat units strewn across the chamber, Marcus's unease deepened.
"Damn it," he cursed. "Have the lycans advanced to this level of technology? Or has humanity completely seized control of warfare?"
The pounding on the door intensified.
Bang, bang, bang! The metallic crashes echoed relentlessly.
------------------
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American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
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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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