Chapter 121: Central Headquarters
The Valentine Family’s Central Headquarters loomed on the horizon like an architectural monstrosity built to crush any human sense of security. The entire structure dominated miles of vampire territory with absurdly high black walls, razor-sharp towers jutting out against the eternal sky of the Vampire Realm, and hundreds of windows illuminated by bluish lights that seemed like eyes silently watching all who approached.
Even from a distance, the place exuded absolute authority.
It wasn’t just a military construction.
It was the physical symbol of the Valentine Family’s power.
The dark version of an imperial palace created specifically to rule monsters.
The outer gardens were perfectly manicured, but there was no welcoming beauty in them. The geometrically pruned black trees, the dark fountains filled with reddish water, and the wide paths lined with ancient statues created a constant feeling of silent surveillance.
Everything in that place seemed to say exactly the same thing:
Predators live here.
Victor walked alone down the enormous main avenue leading to the central entrance of Headquarters. His dark overcoat billowed slightly as he advanced through the outer corridors teeming with vampire soldiers, lesser nobles, and aristocratic officials rushing between the gigantic gates.
Many people stared at him.
Especially after the recent rumors.
Victor noticed the stares.
He heard the whispers.
But honestly...
He didn’t care.
The whole situation had long since gone beyond the point of irritation. Now it was just unnecessary noise compared to the Ascension Ritual that was finally about to begin.
Two enormous vampire guards stood motionless before the main gates, wearing black armor adorned with ancient symbols of the Valentine bloodline. Both carried long spears made of refined blood metal, and the supernatural pressure emitted by the two alone would be enough to crush normal humans to the ground.
Victor stopped before them without altering his expression.
"Victor Valentine."
The two guards immediately exchanged a quick glance.
Then they nodded almost simultaneously.
Neither of them questioned it.
Neither of them showed hostility.
Because regardless of the rumors spread throughout the training territories...
The Valentine surname still held absolute weight in that place.
Especially during the Blood Ascension Ritual.
The enormous black doors began to move slowly soon after.
The sound of colossal metal dragging echoed through the outer corridors as the main entrance to Headquarters opened before him.
And as Victor stepped through that monstrous structure, the narrator of his own story seemed to understand exactly the meaning of that moment.
The Blood Ascension Ritual was the most important event in the life of practically any vampire of the new generation.
It didn’t matter social standing.
It didn’t matter talent.
It didn’t matter how small or irrelevant someone might normally seem.
During the Ritual...
Everyone received a chance.
A rare opportunity to be seen by the ancient generations who truly ruled the vampire world.
Because the reality was simple:
Young vampires could possess talent.
They could possess power.
But those who dominated the Vampire Kingdom were the ancient monsters.
The ancestral figures.
The Blood Kings.
The creatures who survived wars, massacres, and enough centuries to transform their own names into political legends.
That’s why the Ritual was so important.
Even the weakest participants desired to obtain some relevant result. Even if it was just surviving long enough to attract the attention of someone important.
Because in that place...
Honor had real value.
Recognition had real value.
And above all...
Interest had real value.
A vampire noticed by the right figures could ascend absurdly quickly within the Family hierarchy.
Could gain resources.
Influence.
Training.
Protection.
Or to become just another forgotten corpse in the Ritual’s underground corridors.
Everything depended on the outcome.
Everything depended on survival.
Victor walked calmly through the enormous inner corridors while observing the gigantic coats of arms of the Valentine Family scattered across the black walls. Soldiers passed quickly by him carrying documents, weapons, and equipment while nobles discreetly observed the new participants arriving for the Ritual.
And of course...
It wouldn’t just be the Blood Dragons observing that massacre.
Nor just the Kings.
Much less only the aristocratic guests scattered throughout the Headquarters.
Because in that specific Ritual...
Even the Head of the Valentine Family would be present.
The creature who ruled the entire lineage.
The vampire seated at the absolute top of that monstrous family structure.
An entity so far above most vampires that many didn’t even dare to pronounce his name casually.
And honestly...
That made everything much more dangerous.
Victor traversed the inner corridors of the Headquarters until he finally reached the enormous central area where the participants of the Ascension Ritual were being gathered. And honestly... it looked less like a traditional event and more like an organized preparation for war.
The space was colossal.
An aristocratic arena built on an absurd scale, large enough to hold thousands of vampires without seeming crowded. The circular walls rose dozens of meters towards the arched ceiling supported by black pillars adorned with ancient symbols of the Valentine Family. Large crimson flags hung between the elevated corridors while bluish lights partially illuminated the gigantic environment.
Victor slowly raised his gaze, observing his surroundings.
The upper stands formed several circular levels around the main arena, resembling a monstrous amphitheater created specifically for nobles to watch massacres. Entire rows of black seats were already partially occupied by important figures of the vampire lineage, all calmly observing the participants below like predators assessing animals before slaughter.
In the center of that gigantic structure was a huge dark rectangular platform surrounded by thousands of young vampires neatly scattered throughout the hall.
At least two thousand participants.
Perhaps more.
All belonging to the new generation of the Valentine Family.
Some conversed nervously in small groups.
Others remained completely silent.
There were clearly confident vampires displaying an aggressive aura only to intimidate nearby competitors, while others observed everything with excessive attention, trying to memorize possible threats even before the Ritual began.
And honestly...
The tension in that place was almost physical.
Because everyone there knew exactly what was about to happen.
The Ascension Ritual was not training.
It was not friendly competition.
It was survival.
Victor walked slowly among the participants, observing the surroundings without altering his expression. Some people immediately recognized the Valentine surname associated with the recent rumors and discreetly looked away. Others stared directly at him, trying to analyze if he really seemed as cowardly as the rumors claimed.
Victor just found it amusing.
Especially since most of the people spreading those rumors would die the moment the Ritual truly began.
His gaze then slowly rose to the upper levels of the structure.
And there...
The atmosphere changed completely.
On an elevated floor absurdly far from the main participant area, there was a huge isolated section protected by almost invisible magical barriers. The seats in that place were much larger, more spaced out, and clearly built for figures who occupied the absolute top of the vampire hierarchy.
The Blood Dragons were there.
The most powerful creatures of the Valentine Family.
Ancient monsters capable of destroying entire armies single-handedly.
Even from that distance, Victor could feel the absurd supernatural pressure descending from that elevated level like an invisible storm slowly crushing the entire arena below. And even above them...
At the highest point of the structure...
There was a single throne.
Gigantic.
Black.
Built directly into the arena’s architecture as part of it.
The Head of the Valentine Family sat there silently observing everything.
His figure remained partially hidden by the darkness of the elevated summit, yet his presence completely dominated the entire environment. It didn’t matter how many Blood Kings, nobles, or monsters were present...
Victor kept his gaze fixed on the very top of the arena while the rest of the participants remained too distracted to observe only the Blood Kings scattered across the upper levels. Most of the young vampires didn’t even dare to look directly at the main throne for long.
But Victor did.
Without hesitation.
Without reverence.
Without fear.
And then he finally managed to see him properly.
Kayn Valentine.
The current Patriarch of the Valentine Family.
The creature seated at the top of the vampire lineage as the absolute predator of that territory.
Even at the absurd distance separating the lower levels from the main platform, his presence completely dominated the entire environment. His long white hair cascaded down his shoulders like silver strands illuminated by the bluish light of the arena, contrasting directly with the black and red robes adorned with metallic details that seemed made for an ancient war king.
He remained seated in a relaxed manner.
Arms crossed.
Cold expression.
His red eyes calmly surveyed the entire arena below, showing no emotion whatsoever.
But that was precisely what made his presence terrifying.
Because Kayn Valentine didn’t need to demonstrate power.
He simply existed above others.
The narrator of that story perfectly understood the weight of that name.
Kayn Valentine wasn’t just the leader of the Valentine Family.
He was one of the so-called Destroyers.
A group composed of the ten most dangerous creatures in the current world.
Monsters capable of altering entire countries through brute force.
Entities treated practically as living disasters by other supernatural races.
Even among Blood Kings...
The Destroyers existed on another level.
Victor observed that figure silently for a few seconds.
And unlike the rest of the arena...
He felt no fear whatsoever.
In fact...
His objective was seated precisely on that throne.
Victor had decided this a long time ago.
He would destroy that family. He would defeat Kayn Valentine.
And steal his place.
The Patriarch’s red eyes then slowly descended across the arena.
And for a brief instant...
The two stared directly at each other.
The surrounding environment seemed distant at that moment.
Thousands of vampires.
Blood Kings.
Nobles.
Soldiers.
Everything faded into the background of Victor’s perception as he held that gaze without flinching for a second.
Kayn showed no visible reaction.
But he didn’t immediately look away either.
The Patriarch observed Victor for a few silent seconds before finally moving his fingers slightly on the arm of the throne.
Like someone analyzing something curious.
Victor continued staring.
Until another presence emerged.
Someone sat calmly beside the Patriarch.
And in that instant...
Victor felt it.
The energy.
Heavy.
Violent. Absurd.
It was extremely similar to Rakshasa’s.
Not just in intensity...
But in nature.
An overwhelming supernatural pressure that seemed to distort the very space around the newly arrived figure.
Victor slowly looked away.
And saw the man sitting next to Kayn Valentine.
Long black hair.
Traditional dark robes.
A completely indifferent expression as he observed the thousands of participants below like someone watching insects gathering before the rain.
Yu Jin-Cheon.
The Celestial Demon.
Number five among the Destroyers.
Even sitting casually, his presence made the nearby Blood Kings seem uncomfortable. Some even avoided looking directly in his direction for extended periods.
Victor narrowed his eyes slightly.
Because now it made sense.
That energy...
It was practically identical to Rakshasa’s.
Of course.
She was his daughter.
"I understand..." Victor murmured, remembering that there had been guests this time, at least he heard that from Chysis... "How strange," Victor murmured.
’Did I change the future? This guy... shouldn’t he be in isolated training?’
In the previous timeline, this guy hadn’t even set foot here; in fact, he was so far away that it wasn’t until ten years in the future that Victor learned from his mother what had happened to the Heavenly Demon Sect.
’Rakshasa... what happened?’ He wondered, but his questions were soon answered when he saw her walking with a heavy step like a child.
"What are you doing here, Dad!" She said angrily from the upper floors.
