A large electric eel fired lightning throughout the water around Enrico. Jumping high into the air, he created two water spears beneath his feet to support himself and advanced until he was very close to the creature.
"Zero Impact!"
Six punches were thrown in succession against the eel, causing only minor damage. The creature's body, however, remained practically intact and, in the next instant, it released another bolt of lightning around itself. Enrico was hit directly and thrown backward, feeling his entire body become sore.
"Shit! I should have stayed in the zombie dungeon."
[I told you that you entered here too quickly, idiot.]
"You didn't say anything."
[...But I thought it.]
All the bosses in that dungeon were at the Faizes 2 level, making it practically difficult to defeat them alone. To make matters worse, Enrico was still weaker because of the damn restrictions imposed by the system.
Another bolt of lightning hit him and threw him into the water. Before receiving the attack, however, he had noticed the eel charging its attack and tried to disappear the instant the lightning was fired. His body, however, did not respond as it should.
'That was hell... So this was the boss that the Shengtian students faced?'
When he opened his eyes again, Enrico realized that it was already night. Yumeha was resting against his shoulder, pretending to sleep. How did he realize it? It was simple: despite keeping her eyes closed, they were trembling slightly.
"Corvina, I know it's good to sleep near me, but you don't have to pretend. You can lean on my shoulder whenever you want."
"Really?"
Yumeha immediately stood up, happy with the permission. However, upon noticing the looks from Valen and the guard beside him who had just entered, she became embarrassed and sat back in her place. Until that moment, she had pretended to be sleeping in front of the two of them just to be able to stay closer to her master.
'I can't believe I showed that. Yumeha, idiot! Don't ruin your disguise.'
"...So, miss, we already know the name of the guard outside. But what is yours?"
"Nyxaria. And I'm not a miss. I'm twenty-three years old."
Apparently, she was also a transformed vampire. When Enrico looked at Verlate, he noticed in the guard's eyes that he did not want to be in that dimension. Well, that was how transformed vampires lived. While another vampire or human with better blood did not appear, they could not refuse any order from their current master. Nyxaria, on the other hand, seemed willing to follow her master of her own free will.
"Sorry for the question, but how strong is Lord Belthar?"
"He is a Tenth Circle."
Valen seemed to tremble upon hearing that. For an instant, his expression indicated that he might give up on the plan to join the rebellion. Even so, that possibility would never be accepted by him. Even in the face of such a powerful enemy, Valen would not abandon what he had decided to do.
"I found you interesting, so I would like you to see something. Before that, however, I want Verlate to answer me honestly. Are there more vampires following us?"
"No, sir."
"If you are lying, my master will punish you in a way you will never forget."
Sweating cold, Verlate closed his eyes and tried to sense any presence around them through his tree magic. Through it, he could clearly perceive the surroundings, searching for any sign of other vampires.
"Yes, sir. I'm certain."
"It seems the confidence of the vampires of Sanos will play in my favor once again."
"What do you mean?"
Nyxaria began to become suspicious of Sylas. She held her whip, preparing to restrain him, while the other two were still confused. Upon noticing Nyxaria advancing to capture him, Verlate prepared to stop her.
That was when the three of them smelled something.
For just one second, their minds seemed to go blank. But that single instant was enough for their instincts to awaken. With each passing second, their reason became weaker, and their eyes began desperately searching for the source of that smell. When they saw the small vial of blood in Sylas's hands, the three were about to attack him.
"If you make any mess, I'll destroy this vial."
As if they had just heard something terrible, the three immediately stopped. Their eyes were red, and their faces showed obvious agony at the possibility of the vial being destroyed. They had lost much of their reason and, at that moment, could only obey those words.
'It seems all three have a weak mind just like Ysabella.'
The stronger a vampire's mind was, the more they could resist the influence of that blood. That was precisely why Enrico had not used it against the councilors.
It was very possible that they would simply try to take the blood by force as soon as they discovered its existence, even before any negotiation. Besides, they would hardly agree to ally themselves with him, since their goals remained focused on the destruction of other races.
'I wanted to have all of them, but I can only imagine them causing trouble in the future. So I'll use this blood only on vampires with weak minds.'
Since most of those vampires possessed weak minds, it would be relatively easy to control those who were useful. Only about thirty percent of them possessed a mind strong enough to offer any significant resistance.
Even those who had strong minds could still be controlled under certain circumstances. The only exception would be those who, regardless of anything, desired to continue destroying other races and primarily using humans as food.
"From now on, you will follow the orders of the owner of this blood and my master. And don't worry, you will receive many rewards."
"I agree."
The first to approach was precisely Valen. He did not know why that person wanted him, but he knew that, besides being extremely delicious blood, it could make him stronger.
The other two remained behind, trying to resist. Each had a different reason for doing so. Verlate, for example, seemed to hate the idea of continuing to follow another vampire, while Nyxaria was still trying to understand what was really happening.
'If I do this, won't I just be following another hateful vampire?'
'I have to think about my master. Even if he doesn't like me anymore, he is the one I must follow.'
The two were still full of doubts. Enrico then extended his hand toward Valen and placed a few drops of blood in his palm. For some reason, as soon as the blood appeared, the smell seemed to become even more intense.
"You can drink, Valen."
"Right."
Valen began drinking the blood. When he finished, his eyes turned toward the other two, who remained quiet and trembling. Despite all their resistance, both could still control themselves relatively well. Enrico realized that he had underestimated their mental strength.
'Let's see how long they can hold out.'
"Valen, you can drink it all if you want. It seems your companions don't want it."
Valen's eyes glowed red as he desired more. He could feel his power increasing, and that sensation of adrenaline was indescribable. His Circle was close to evolving.
Nyxaria seemed increasingly desperate.
'The ma... master's... is... bett— What am I talking about? This is impossible.'
Seeing Valen approach to get more blood, Nyxaria immediately approached to drink as well. She could not resist.
"Sorry for the delay, Sir Sylas. I thought about my decision and I accept. You can punish me for the delay, sir."
She drank an amount of blood that was placed in her palm.
Enrico looked at the vial and realized that there was little blood left. A smile appeared inside the mask. He waved the container in front of Verlate and pretended to be disappointed.
"What a shame. There is only this little left. But I could get much more for the two of you who accepted."
Before they could speak, Valen and Nyxaria felt their Circles beginning to evolve. The two immediately left the carriage so they would not destroy it with the explosion of energy caused by the evolution.
Yumeha placed her hand on her chin, thinking about how to help her master.
"I wanted you to follow my master... It's a shame because I receive quite a lot of this blood as a reward."
The man in front closed his eyes tightly before clenching his fists.
"I accept... Are you satisfied now?"
Smiling, Enrico threw the vial to Verlate. The vampire immediately caught it and began drinking before leaving the carriage, following the other two. Yumeha, who was watching everything behind her master, began clapping, satisfied with the spectacle of seeing three vampires kneeling before him.
'With this, my master has three new subordinates.'
Enrico noticed that the ground was beginning to tremble, but that was not coming from the evolution of the three vampires. In the distance, a light appeared, catching his attention. He left the carriage, followed by Yumeha, while the earth continued trembling beneath his feet. Everything around them seemed to shake, as if the world itself were about to be destroyed by the manifestation of a much greater power.
"It seems Ysabella found her father... That's good. Very good."
Now that the pieces were on the board and both sides were beginning to balance in power, it was time to begin the third phase of his plan.
'And since all this magic is coming from him, she possibly told him what happened to her.'