A group of people walked toward an immense castle located in a remote forest in the region.
"Why are we coming this way, Alex? Tepes is in the other direction."
Arthur Pendragon, the descendant of King Arthur, spoke up while looking at the group's leader.
The group assembled by Alex, which included himself, Cao Cao, Mitsuya, Arthur, Le Fay, Arlecchino, and Kuroka, walked calmly through the forest.
Arthur's maid and lover, Elaine, had been moved to another location by Alex's magic, as he didn't want her involved in the fight at Arthur's request.
The castle before them was colossal, and at the same time, it maintained an ancient and well-preserved architecture; simultaneously, it was possible to feel strong barriers emanating from it.
"Despite having confidence in our power, allies are never too many, which is why we're here."
In the past, under the command of the founder of the Vampire Clan, Vlad Tepes I, the Faction flourished, but when the leader died, the pureblood vampires fought over who should inherit the position of the true vampire and leader of them all.
Vampires were those who exalted blood purity more than anyone else; even demons weren't as fanatical as they were.
Vampires considered only those of pure blood as equals and saw all races, and vampire half-breeds, as nothing more than food.
At the same time, even among purebloods, there was always a rivalry between men and women, as each considered the other insignificant, despite tolerating each other to maintain the lineage.
When Vlad Tepes I died, that was when the vampires split.
Several noble houses allied with the Noble House of Carmilla, believing that house should succeed the throne, giving rise to the Carmilla Faction.
Meanwhile, others allied with the original and noble House of Tepes, as they supported the House of Tepes, becoming the main power among the vampires, giving rise to the Tepes Faction, which began to fight with the newly formed Carmilla Faction for the right to inherit the position of vampire leader.
The Vampire Faction was then divided between the Tepes Faction and the Carmilla Faction.
While the Tepes Faction was led by male vampires who oppressed women of their race and treated them as slaves.
At the same time, the Carmilla Faction, led by female vampires, hated the men of their species and oppressed them, with most men treated as slaves.
Each side hated the other to the core of their being and sought to destroy the other to be the 'True Vampire Faction.'
That's why Alexandre had told everyone to seek the help of the Carmilla Faction.
As an old saying goes—"The enemy of my enemy is my friend."
According to Alexandre himself, if the Tepes Faction were simply annihilated, it would cause a lot of confusion, but if they involved the Carmilla Faction, the rest of the world would think it was the work of the Carmilla Faction.
And thus, they wouldn't connect the entire incident to them.
Cao Cao didn't know what to expect from this; his brother was very confident in obtaining the Carmilla Faction's help.
**Flashback.**
"So, the goal is to destroy the Tepes Faction?"
After Arlecchino's arrival, the entire group gathered while listening to Alexandre's words.
"That won't be easy, Alex," Arthur commented while adjusting his glasses.
"There's a reason why, despite being hated, the Tepes Faction has never been exterminated by others."
Hearing Mitsuya's words, everyone had to agree with them.
All things considered, the vampires, especially their leaders, weren't exactly weak.
"I know, even so, I believe we all have the perfect means to deal with them with our holy weapons," Alexandre said casually.
The damage from holy weapons was lethal to beings of darkness, and vampires were far more vulnerable than demons to holy attacks.
And each of them had their own means.
"Arthur and I have our Holy Swords, Cao Cao has the [True Longinus]," Alex spoke calmly. "Besides, you, Mitsuya and Arlecchino, I'm sure you can use holy attacks with your powers."
The two darker members of the group nodded slightly.
"And even if there are many vampires, I'm sure we won't be overwhelmed, after all…" Alexandre's eyes turned to Arlecchino: "We have great support here."
The woman nodded slightly.
"Besides, the Longinus that's with the vampires is the [Sephiroth Graal], which has the power to revive the dead, so we can't rule out the fact that we might face some enemies who are already dead."
Hearing the group leader's words, no one disagreed; after all, if it was a plan formulated by Alexandre Ikuse, it would surely succeed.
"By the way, I heard you obtained the Longinus [Incinerate Anthem]."
Arlecchino commented, drawing everyone's attention, who looked slightly surprised at Alex, except Cao Cao.
"Yes, and it's one of the facts that makes me confident."
With Cao Cao's Holy Spear and Alexandre's Holy Cross, the vampires had no way to oppose the overwhelming holy power of these weapons.
"Alex, considering this mission, wouldn't it be wise to ask for the help of the SlashDog Team?"
Tobio Ikuse had evolved greatly over the years and mastered his Balance Breaker, capable of painting the region in darkness.
Moreover, Lavinia Reni, with her Ice Princess, could easily freeze a vast territory.
"I don't want to involve my brother in this," Alexandre said, shaking his head.
"Besides, I already have an idea of who can help us."
Hearing those words, the group nodded.
**End of Flashback.**
One would think that entering a castle that serves as the base of a Faction would provoke immediate retaliation.
So, Cao Cao and the rest of the group were surprised by what happened.
As they approached the Carmilla Castle, the massive gate opened for them, and no hordes of enemies came.
They walked through the corridors calmly, while Alexandre led the way; Cao Cao couldn't help but notice that his brother knew the castle's layout.
Moreover, despite feeling the red eyes of dozens of vampires on them, none of the creatures made a move.
"Are you sure we'll get their help, nya~?" Kuroka asked while keeping her guard up.
"Don't worry, I have an acquaintance here."
Cao Cao's eyes turned to his brother; he had a hunch about how far this 'acquaintance' went.
Why would he really expect anything different?
When they reached the end of the corridor, what was revealed was a vast hall with a grandiose throne in the center, surrounded by several very powerful noble vampires.
"So, you came back with your tail between your legs and decided to submit to me, my little pet dragon?"
Of course, everyone's attention turned to the seductive voice that came from the one sitting on the throne.
Even among the beauties of the supernatural world, her appearance would not be found lacking. Rich crimson hair cascaded down her back, ending just above her slender waist, showcasing her perfect hourglass figure.
Juicy ruby-red lips, her tongue lightly tracing them, the gleam captivating even Cao Cao, and the other men in the group found it impossible to look away.
Her emerald eyes gleamed with barely contained power, windows to her soulless form that exuded predatory grace.
Desire and lust, the dark sides of passion, her eyes seemed to tempt everyone overwhelmingly.
In her gaze, her unrestrained power flooded the room as she enchanted every man and woman within it.
The strongest-willed, like Cao Cao, Arthur, and Mitsuya, managed to hold themselves back before doing something foolish, discreetly wiping some drool that began to trickle from the corners of their mouths, while the weaker ones fainted in euphoric ecstasy, their pants stained as they were subjected to pleasures that could and would drive men to madness.
The only one who didn't seem affected was the golden-eyed man, who defiantly locked eyes with those emerald eyes gleaming with mischievous light.
With a toss of her hair, she would enchant every man in the room, and at her command, entire armies would give their lives to please her.
Cao Cao, unconsciously, found himself moving toward her, while she smiled maliciously at everyone.
Before he could do so, he received a slap from Alexandre, snapping him out of it.
In the abrupt attack, Cao Cao finally managed to break eye contact with the enchanting woman before him.
"What?" he wondered, his hand going to his head as he fought a headache.
"A pity your mind is so weak, easily malleable," the woman sighed.
"Don't look into her eyes," Alexandre warned everyone. "Mystic Eyes of Enchantment, anyone who looks at her will be compelled to fulfill her desires; it takes strong magical defenses in your mind to resist."
"Tch," the woman smiled dangerously, her sharp fangs visible as her emerald eyes, having glowed with supernatural power, darkened and returned to their normal venomous green.
It so happened that most of the room's inhabitants suddenly found the floor very interesting or were looking at the people beside them.
"Don't you know it's rude not to look at the person speaking?"
As she spoke, Arthur turned to Alexandre.
"When you said you had an acquaintance here, I didn't imagine it would be her!"
The crimson-haired woman smiled dangerously at everyone.
Alexandra Yeva, the Blood Countess.
A dhampir responsible for committing horrific atrocities in her quest for knowledge, and although her half-blood status would normally not allow her to gain prestige within the Tepes or Carmilla Factions, her absolute power and knowledge of ancient rites made her a force to be reckoned with.
She had killed all those who opposed her until her body count became uncountable, and she stood at the top, where no one would question her.
Through rituals and the darkest of arts, her strength surpassed that of her pureblood kin, while, at the same time, her human half allowed her to wield the prodigious magics of humanity and remain unscathed by her kin's weaknesses.
Among all vampires, half-blood or not, she was the most powerful to have been born in recent centuries. Her power was not inferior to Satan-Class, and even one of the Great Demon Kings would not face that woman lightly.
Even someone like Alexandre knew how dangerous she was, and the frightening knowledge of black magic and Forbidden Magic that this woman wielded.
"So, you decided to submit to me?"
The vampire woman said with a soft and seductive voice, her emerald eyes gleaming, and a beautiful smile adorning her lips.
One that promised pain depending on Alexandre's response.
"What Lady Yeva means is that she's happy to see you, Lord Alexandre."
Another voice was heard, from a woman who walked to the side of the Queen and Leader of her Faction.
Though not as overwhelmingly striking as the crimson-haired woman, she was beautiful in her own way.
Possessing long, sleek silver hair; she was like a work of art: refined and incredibly beautiful, with deep red eyes capable of illuminating an abyss.
"Been a while, Millarca Vordenburg."
Alexandre greeted with a smile on his face.
Millarca, a noble and pureblood vampire, the one who acted as Alexandra's right hand, and among all the vampires of the Carmilla Faction, her power was second only to her leader.
"So, you must have taken your time to think; will you submit to me and become mine?"
The dark and seductive voice of the woman, full of promises and pleasures capable of bending anyone to her will.
"Unfortunately, I'll have to decline."
An unyielding iron will, forged and tempered in battle, met hers in response, seasoned by experience and failure. The pleasures promised by the sweet feminine voice would only bring pain and suffering to the unprepared.
A delicately raised eyebrow greeted his response as she graced him with a beautiful and wicked smile that sent chills down the spines of all the men gathered.
"What a pity; when you came to me seeking knowledge about black magic and our rites, I treated you well, better than anyone," the woman's seductive voice was heard. "Millarca and I gave you a wonderful night, didn't we?"
The sweet and gentle voice spoke her words without care, while the silver-haired vampire had a slight blush on her features.
Cao Cao turned to his brother; why was he really not surprised that Alexandre had slept with the leader of the Carmilla Faction and her assistant?
Meanwhile, internally, Arthur and Mitsuya saluted Alexandre as a true man among men.
Arlecchino remained expressionless, while Kuroka shot a look at Alex, and Le Fay blushed in embarrassment.
"Yes, and I'm grateful for that," the Hakuryuukou smiled cheerfully. "But I came here for another reason; I'm sure you already know what Tepes got their hands on…"
"One of the Thirteen Longinus—[Sephiroth Graal], so what?"
The woman's dismissive voice surprised Alexandre.
"You don't care what they can do with it?"
"I don't care; maybe they'll become a challenge with it."
Between the Tepes and Carmilla Factions, Alexandra Yeva was by far the most powerful existence.
If a war between these two Factions occurred, the victory would belong to the Carmilla Faction purely due to this woman's power, but there was no denying that the damage caused would be immense.
"I see, but what the Tepes Faction is planning is something I can't let happen, which is why my friends and I will exterminate them tonight."
At the words of the White Dragon Emperor, none of the vampires could hide their surprise; not even Yeva could avoid being shocked.
"That's why, Alexandra Yeva, this is my only warning: help me with this, but if you stand against me and interfere, I will end you."
The shining golden eyes focused on the Dhampir, who suddenly stood from her throne.
A gigantic smile adorned her luscious lips.
"So that's what you're planning."
The voice of the Faction's leader was filled with joy.
Her emerald eyes gleamed with a mischievous and malevolent light, challenging him, tempting him to take a single step toward her, to surrender and grovel before her, for only then would he be worth anything in her eyes.
In the face of such beauty and grace, it was natural that they would be captivated, and yet he refused to yield, defying her.
Raw, unbridled lust and passion met the cold, relentless power of winter's fury as he unleashed temperatures that cradled the weak in the embrace of death.
Push and pull, the two opposites of nature vying for supremacy. Perfectly manicured nails traced her collarbone, descending lower and lower, drawing his gaze to the scandalous cut of her blouse revealing the swell of her breasts, and still he refused to yield, defying her.
He could feel the heat of her breath on his ear as her tongue lightly traced his neck, her favorite spot.
Very well.
An insidious whisper in his ears as her voice echoed in his mind.
She stepped back a few centimeters from the golden-eyed man, while the man's allies were shocked at the speed with which the woman covered the distance.
"This time, and only this time, I'll do it your way."