"Who is it~!"
Viktor and the other vampire councillors immediately turned toward the source of the voice.
At some point, a handsome and mysterious young man had appeared in the seat that should have belonged to Marcus.
Viktor stared at the young man, suspicion filling his expression, his blue eyes wide with fear and disbelief.
He was certain that no one had been sitting in Marcus's chair during the meeting.
So when did he appear?
How long has he been there?
With so many eyes in the room, how had no one noticed his arrival?
Viktor became instantly alert.
"Youth, you may have come to the wrong place," said the vampire lord closest to Vlad.
This lord was a sturdy and powerful vampire, his strength second only to Viktor and Amelia.
When the hall fell into a tense silence, it was this hot-tempered lord who spoke first, unable to hold back.
Though he seemed rash, the tension in his stance and his subtle readiness to retreat revealed his true caution. His hot temper was only a facade.
Vlad ignored the noisy vampire lord. He remained seated on the black iron chair, one leg crossed over the other, his toe lightly pointed toward the tamed werewolf, nodding thoughtfully from time to time.
With his elbows resting on the armrests and his fingers rubbing his chin, he gazed at Viktor and the werewolf with interest.
The casual posture left the vampire lord who had spoken feeling momentarily humiliated.
Before he could react, Vlad spoke in a calm tone:
"Can anyone tell me where Marcus is?"
The vampire lords exchanged uneasy glances, but no one answered.
"What do you want with Marcus?" Viktor asked cautiously, his tone guarded.
At the same time, he subtly signaled the other vampire lords.
"Oh, I don't think that's any of your concern," Vlad replied with a smile. He clearly noticed their small gestures but made no move to stop them.
"You must've overheard some of our conversation. Do you think we'd just answer you?"
"I don't know how you got in here, but I suggest you leave. You've come to the wrong place."
As Viktor finished speaking, a wave of vampire soldiers suddenly stormed into the hall, surrounding Vlad in an instant.
"I had hoped to speak peacefully, but since you don't understand manners, don't blame me for what happens next."
Viktor frowned at Vlad, who sat fearlessly amid the encirclement. Though suspicion lingered in his heart, seeing the clear numerical advantage gave him confidence to act.
He glared at Vlad and gave a cold order: "Kill him~!"
At his command, the vampire soldiers leapt forward, weapons raised. Their speed far exceeded that of any ordinary human as they lunged toward Vlad.
But Vlad remained seated, unbothered, and sneered with disdain:
"Who gave you the courage to attack me?"
As the weapons came crashing down toward him, a strange red light flashed in Vlad's eyes.
In that instant, the vampire soldiers let out blood-curdling screams. Without resistance, blood spurted from all seven orifices of their heads, and their bodies began to swell grotesquely.
"Ah~!"
"Don't—!!"
Screams echoed throughout the hall.
Under the stunned gazes of the vampire lords, the blood in the soldiers' bodies surged out of control.
Within moments, each soldier bloated like an overfilled balloon, swelling to the brink.
Under the immense pressure, veins, organs, and eyeballs ruptured in an instant. Blood poured from their faces, and their bones snapped, shattering inch by inch.
Then, strange cracks spread across their skin.
"Boom!!" "Boom!!"
Explosions burst through the hall as blood mist filled the air, dyeing everything in sight.
The vampire lords stood frozen in horror, drenched in blood. A deep and primal fear gripped them.
All it took was a single look—and they died.
Impossible. Incomprehensible.
Shocked beyond belief, the vampire lords exchanged fearful glances.
"Run~!"
One shouted, and the rest scattered in a panic, rushing to escape the blood-drenched hall.
Their only thought now was to get as far away from this monster as possible.
Yes—Vlad, with his unexplainable power, was no longer a man to them.
He was a monster.
"You want to leave... but did you ask for my permission?"
Vlad slowly stood, placing his raised leg down. He stared coldly at the fleeing lords, his voice calm as they scrambled to flee the now blood-soaked hall.
Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the passageway connected to the hall.
The vampires trying to flee immediately froze, expressions shifting from fear to hope as they looked toward the approaching presence.
"Amelia! Help us! There's an enemy behind us!"
One of the vampire lords cried out frantically. The others didn't stop him—his intention was clear.
They wanted to use Amelia, who likely hadn't grasped the situation, to buy time.
Unfortunately, their plan was fatally flawed.
Amelia stepped out from the corridor and took in the horrific scene.
In that moment, any remaining hesitation vanished from her heart.
To the complete disbelief of the vampire lords, Amelia raised her crossbow and fired without hesitation.
The bolt struck one of them in the head and chest, catching him completely off guard.
Though the hit didn't kill him immediately, Amelia followed swiftly, drawing a dagger from her waist and slitting his throat with a clean stroke.
His head fell to the floor.
The remaining vampire lords froze in terror.
Now, vampire soldiers also appeared ahead of them, blocking their escape routes.
"Amelia, have you lost your mind?!" one of them shouted, shocked.
They stared at the severed head and the growing wave of soldiers pouring in from every passage.
Only now did they realize—they were trapped.
Amelia ignored their furious cries.
Instead, under their stunned gazes, she approached Vlad, dropped to one knee, and pledged her loyalty without hesitation.
As if unaware of the astonished eyes on her, Amelia bent forward, deliberately raising her plump, round buttocks in a provocative pose, and addressed Vlad:
"Master~ The guards outside the castle have been eliminated. What shall we do with the rest?"
Vlad looked down at Amelia—kneeling in submission, curves proudly on display.
How could he not recognize her playful intentions?
Still, he appreciated Amelia's qualities: competent, efficient, and ruthlessly decisive.