The throne room was carved in power. A twisted cathedral of gold and red, where walls shimmered like molten sun and the floor bled the color of old wine. At the center stood a throne—obsidian carved, sharp-edged, and massive.
Behind it, a portrait loomed.
A man, regal and impossible. Hair like gold spun in firelight. Eyes red as blood, yet colder than ice. His painted gaze watched them, and for a second—it almost seemed alive.
Hunters ran across the chamber, eyes wide, breath caught, clutching things they didn't understand—gems that pulsed, scrolls written in no known tongue.
Freya stepped forward. Her voice cracked against the silence. "Enough hiding! Come out, coward!"
And then he appeared.
A figure bled into view, seated on the throne like he'd always belonged there—legs crossed, head resting lazily on one hand. His skin shimmered under the golden glow. His features sculpted like sin. Smooth jawline, piercing eyes, a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Mocking.
Amused.
Cain stiffened. "A humanoid… It speaks our language. This isn't a C-Rank."
"This is something else."
He turned to Holt. "If we kill it… its core alone could set us for months."
Holt grinned. "F**k it. I don't care about the core. I just like strong opponents."
In a heartbeat, Holt vanished.
He reappeared before the throne, fist cocked—and drove it into the figure's face.
The air cracked.
A wave of pressure exploded out, rippling through stone and bone alike.
The man didn't move.
He looked up, a smile now blooming.
"You? You think you're my opponent?"
He rose slowly, one fist slamming into Holt's stomach.
Crunch.
Blood erupted from Holt's mouth. He flew backward like a cannonball, slamming into the wall with a sickening thud.
"Vic!" Cain barked.
Vic's arm stretched out, glowing green. Holt's body surged—muscle swelling, bones reforging.
Then his body shattered.
Bones split. Flesh twisted. A scream, cut short.
Everyone froze.
Cain charged.
Fast. Sharp. Brutal.
A blur of muscle and speed.
He was caught mid-air—by the face.
The man held him like a doll.
And crushed.
Skull split. Brain matter sprayed. Cain's body hit the floor like meat dropped from a counter.
Ethan couldn't breathe.
His mouth hung open.
His legs refused to move.
The others wept—real tears, animal sobs, terror unchained.
The figure disappeared.
Then reappeared—behind them.
Slaughter.
Jin's head rolled before it hit the floor. Kara's limbs torn like cloth. Milo screamed once, then never again.
Ethan ran.
Or tried.
A hand caught his collar.
He was thrown.
Landed in the throne. Blood dripped from his lips.
A blade appeared—long, thin, curved like a fang. The hilt pulsed with red light.
It pierced Ethan's shoulder.
Pain shot like lightning.
He took down A-Ranks. And the C-Ranks. Like nothing.
The man's hand lifted. Ethan's body dragged forward like a ragdoll.
He gripped his throat.
But Ethan stared back—no fear in his eyes. Just fury. And something darker.
He moved—fast.
A dagger, hidden in his boot, stabbed forward. Caught the man in the gut.
No flinch.
No pain.
Only amusement.
He tossed Ethan away.
Ethan hit a statue—arms twisted, ribs cracked.
He rose, dragging himself forward.
Ahead… the crushed skull of Vic.
Freya's eyes, still open in death.
He's toying with me, Ethan thought.
But he wouldn't die like this.
Not without a fight.
"I've been hit before. Beaten. Broken. But I won't die on my knees."
He ripped the sword from his shoulder. Blood spilled, but he stood.
Staggered forward.
The man laughed, walking toward him—lazy, loose.
The sword flew again.
Ethan didn't see it.
He was pinned to the wall. Metal buried deep in his stomach.
He coughed.
Blood sprayed.
"I became a hunter… for power. For control. Not for this."
The man stepped forward.
One punch to Ethan's chest.
His ribs collapsed.
More blood.
The man leaned down.
"I want to taste a soul like yours," he whispered.
Then sank his teeth into Ethan's neck.
And everything—
Faded.
[You have been cursed by the Vampire Lord.]
[A mortal cannot contain this power… unless they evolve.]
[Do you wish to evolve? If you won't, you shall die.]
[Yes] [No]
[Yes]