For a long mont after the ssenger’s words rang out, the entire ancestral hall seed to lose its breath.
The air itself felt heavy, thick with disbelief.
"A vampire..." soone whispered faintly.
"Almost severely injured both of them?"
Even the Blood Ancestors, suspended above their ancient coffins, wore expressions that were no longer calm or dignified but deeply shaken.
Their pale faces, lined with age and centuries of bloodshed, tightened as if struck by an invisible force.
The bat ssenger nodded firmly, his small body trembling with the weight of the information he carried.
"Yes," he said. "The reports are confird by multiple observers from the outer territories. The Chira Ant Demon Emperor and the invading Human Emperor were both left heavily drained. Their auras weakened. Their domains shattered."
The hall erupted into layered murmurs that rolled across the chamber like a restless tide.
"A vampire did that..."
"To two Emperors..."
"That is beyond reckless..."
"That is beyond brave..."
"That is beyond madness..."
So vampires pressed their hands against their chests, trying to steady their racing hearts.
Others leaned toward their neighbors, whispering in awe and disbelief, as if saying the words too loudly would make them vanish.
Even if it was only an ambush, even if the unknown vampire had struck at a mont of weakness, the fact remained that soone from their race had stepped into a battlefield between two Emperors and lived to tell the tale.
That alone was enough to ignite pride.
"It is not easy to even approach an Emperor level being," a noble muttered. "Their blood mana alone can crush lesser vampires into dust."
"And yet he not only approached them," another added, "he injured them."
The murmurs shifted slowly from shock to amazent.
The idea of it grew larger and larger in their minds the more they repeated it.
Cain stood silently beside Cornelia, his posture relaxed, his chin slightly lifted. There was a faint curve at the corner of his lips that he did not bother hiding completely.
Cornelia caught it from the corner of her eye.
That smug look.
Her heart skipped.
He really did it.
She did not say anything, but her gaze lingered on him for a heartbeat longer than necessary.
The bat ssenger raised his voice again.
"There is more."
The excitent in the hall paused abruptly.
"What more could there be?" soone asked impatiently.
That thing was as big as a storm already.
Injuring both present Emperors? That’s a whole plane calamity!
The ssenger swallowed and spoke carefully.
"It looked like an ambush at first... but it cannot truly be called an ambush."
Silence fell like a blade.
The vampires stiffened.
The Blood Ancestors narrowed their eyes.
"What do you an?" one of the ancestors asked slowly, his voice deep and controlled.
"Right, what do you an? Be straight to the point!" Another vampire added.
The bat flapped its wings nervously.
"The witnesses said... the unknown vampire appeared first. He provoked both Emperors."
The chamber trembled with collective confusion.
"Provoked?"
"He made them attack him?"
"Yes," the ssenger confird. "He cast spells that forced them into combat. His magic was too powerful. The Human Emperor and the Chira Ant Emperor both attacked him together. They exhausted themselves trying to suppress him. Only when they were drained did he strike back and injure them."
The words hung in the air like thunder.
For several seconds, no one spoke.
The implication sank in slowly, then all at once.
If it had been a simple ambush, they might have assud the unknown vampire relied on stealth or cunning, perhaps striking from the shadows while the Emperors were distracted.
But this...
This ant he stood against them.
He endured their attacks.
He exhausted them.
And then he injured them.
That was not the act of a scher.
That was the act of an equal.
One of the Blood Ancestors’ eyes widened slightly.
"Then... that ans..."
Another ancestor finished the thought in a whisper.
"He is Emperor level as well."
The hall exploded.
Gasps.
Shouts.
Uncontrolled laughter.
Hands clutching robes.
Eyes burning with disbelief and rising ecstasy.
"An Emperor!"
"We have an Emperor!"
"Our race has birthed an Emperor!"
The bat ssenger lifted his voice high.
"Rejoice, vampire race! We have an Emperor!"
The ancestral hall shook with the roar that followed.
Vampires threw their heads back in wild laughter.
Others knelt and pounded their fists against the floor in fervent excitent. So even wept openly, overco by emotion that had been buried for generations.
"After so long..."
"After so many centuries..."
"Our race was suppressed by the Chira Ant Empire..."
"The Lycannis family awakened an Emperor bloodline..."
"And now..."
"Now we have one too!"
The Blood Ancestors themselves could not maintain their composure. Their ancient eyes glistened faintly.
"This is the will of the Blood Moon..."
"This is destiny..."
"This is the rise of our vampire race..."
Cornelia felt the vibrations of their cheers through the floor beneath her boots. The hall that had once been heavy with doubt and suspicion now overflowed with triumph.
Cain glanced around at them, his expression almost amused.
Heh.
Emperor?
He looked down at the cheering vampires as if they were children celebrating a shiny stone they had found in the dirt.
I am not an Emperor.
Do not compare to blood food supply.
He suppressed a faint scoff.
To him, the title of Emperor was nothing more than a stepping stone. A category for beings who had barely scratched the surface of true power.
Still, he remained silent.
The bat ssenger continued excitedly.
"And since the Chira Ant Demon Emperor was severely injured, their empire will enter a vulnerable state. Their expansion will slow. Their influence will weaken!"
The crowd roared louder.
"This ans the Vampire race can dominate this Nightmare Realm!"
"Our territories will expand!"
"Other races will fear us!"
"They will offer tribute!"
"Food supply will increase!"
"We will rise!"
Visions of conquest ignited in their eyes.
They imagined territories once disputed now falling into their hands. They imagined caravans of tribute arriving from lesser races, filled with blood slaves, exotic beasts, and resources.
So whispered eagerly about the Lycannis family.
"If the ants weaken, the lycans lose balance."
"They will be forced to negotiate."
"And if they do not..."
"We will crush them."
The excitent spread like wildfire.
Even those who had been scheming earlier for internal power now shifted their focus outward.
An Emperor level vampire changed everything.
The entire political landscape of the Crimson Blood Kingdom would tremble.
Cornelia observed the crowd quietly.
Their fear had turned to ambition in re monts.
This is how fragile they are.
One shift in power, and they forget everything else.
Cain’s thoughts drifted darker.
Heh.
You think I will let you low level blood suckers benefit from this?
His eyes flickered faintly.
I’ll get bored of insects and humans in the future so I decided I’ll make more emperors from other races...
He imagined it casually.
Dark elves with refined blood rich in shadow magic.
Red goblins with volatile mana.
Brown kobolds with earth infused vitality.
Other nightmare races.
If they all produced Emperor level beings...
Then the quality of his food would increase across the realm.
Variety.
Flavor.
He almost chuckled inwardly.
I will grow Emperors for other races too.
It would be boring to drink only insect and human blood.
Let this realm beco more interesting.
The bat ssenger flapped its wings once more, bowing toward the Blood Ancestors.
"My duty is done. The news will spread across all vampire territories."
With that, it turned and flew out of the ancestral hall, disappearing into the shadows beyond the massive doors.
For a while, the cheering did not stop.
Vampires embraced each other. Nobles exchanged excited plans.
Even the Blood Ancestors allowed the noise to continue, their expressions proud and satisfied.
Cornelia stood beside Cain, her posture steady.
She glanced at him again.
He remained calm.
Too calm.
And that smugness had not entirely faded.
Her heart tightened slightly.
You!
She did not say it aloud.
But she was certain.
Finally, as the noise continued to swell, one of the ten Blood Ancestors lifted his hand slowly.
His bald head glead faintly under the red glow of blood mana. His ancient eyes, sharp and calculating, swept across the hall.
He coughed.
The sound was not loud.
But it carried weight.
The vibration of it cut through the cheers like a blade slicing silk.
Gradually, the noise diminished.
Then he cleared his throat.
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