Chapter 267: Intruders
Cain emerged quietly from beneath the underground.
The earth beneath the colosseum-like arena rippled faintly for only a moment before his body reformed naturally from flowing blood mana near the outer edge of the gathering. No one noticed his return.
Not Lord Vord.
Not Elder Achilor.
Not even GrandLord Dreath.
Because everyone remained occupied.
The atmosphere above ground had become completely different compared to earlier.
The fear.
The chaos.
The destruction caused by the reddened Moonshade family members.
All of it had already faded into the background.
Now the entire vampire gathering had transformed into celebration once more.
Laughter echoed throughout the massive arena while countless vampires surrounded the Moonshade family enthusiastically. Some continued asking questions about their strange bloodline abilities while others praised the three sisters endlessly.
The Moonshade elders themselves still looked overwhelmed.
Former Patriarch Rivik stood speaking with several emperor-level vampires while trying to maintain composure despite the absurd amount of attention directed toward them.
Zenaya’s Blood Owl perched silently beside her while numerous vampires continuously asked her questions regarding the family’s bloodline.
The ten ancestors remained surrounded by powerful nobles offering resources, territories, training opportunities, and alliances endlessly.
Even GrandLord Dreath himself occasionally laughed loudly while speaking about how fortunate the vampire race had become.
And in the very center—
The three cocoons remained suspended peacefully.
Cornelia.
Faith.
Ivira.
Their giant crimson cocoons floated quietly above the arena while countless streams of blood mana continued flowing around them like rivers nourishing future monsters yet to awaken.
The sight made the surrounding vampires even more excited every time they looked upward.
Because to them—
Those three sisters represented the future.
The rise of the vampire race.
Possibly even beings capable of surpassing Ascendant blood authority itself one day.
Cain stared at the cocoons silently for a brief moment.
His expression remained calm outwardly.
But inwardly—
His thoughts remained occupied elsewhere entirely.
That old curse monster.
The hidden creature.
The upper realm traces.
The blood pact.
The realization still lingered heavily in his mind even now.
Cain slowly exhaled.
"...Troublesome..."
He muttered internally.
Still, at least he handled the traces already.
Everything should be fine now.
That thought had barely settled—
When suddenly—
The sky rumbled faintly.
Very faintly.
A low distant sound echoed across the heavens above the vampire realm like weak thunder rolling endlessly behind clouds.
Most vampires ignored it immediately.
After all, realms like this often experienced strange atmospheric disturbances due to blood mana concentration. Crimson lightning storms and unstable skies were not uncommon here.
The surrounding vampires continued talking casually.
Laughing.
Celebrating.
Lord Vord remained loudly discussing future plans for integrating the Moonshade family into vampire society while GrandLord Dreath occasionally nodded proudly nearby.
No one paid attention.
The weak rumbling continued faintly overhead.
Rumble...
Rumble...
Soft.
Distant.
Almost insignificant.
Cain’s steps slowed slightly.
His eyes narrowed faintly.
Something felt...
Wrong.
The rumbling did not resemble natural blood storms.
Not exactly.
And then—
Another distant rumble echoed overhead.
This time slightly louder.
The surrounding vampires still mostly ignored it.
Only a few glanced upward briefly before returning to conversation.
One vampire even laughed casually.
"Probably another blood storm."
Others nodded carelessly afterward.
But Cain—
Stopped moving completely now.
Because suddenly—
A sharp headache struck him.
"...Tch."
His brows tightened instantly.
Pain spread faintly through his head while an uncomfortable sensation crawled across his instincts.
Not fear.
Not exactly.
But warning.
A very old instinct warning him something massive was approaching.
Cain slowly raised his gaze toward the heavens above.
The sky still appeared mostly normal.
Dark crimson clouds floated high overhead while moonlight shone faintly across the vampire realm.
Yet somehow—
The atmosphere had changed.
The air felt heavier now.
Much heavier.
Another rumble echoed overhead.
This time stronger.
The massive arena trembled faintly afterward.
Some nearby vampires finally paused briefly.
"...Hm?"
"What was that?"
Still—
No one looked genuinely concerned yet.
The gathering remained mostly relaxed.
Cain’s headache worsened slightly.
And now—
He could feel it.
Not clearly.
Not precisely.
But enough.
A lot.
Something—
No.
Many things—
Were moving.
Far away still.
Yet approaching.
And the sheer number alone made Cain’s instincts react unpleasantly.
His expression darkened faintly.
Because this feeling—
Reminded him of upper realm invasions long ago.
Mass movement.
Mass pressure.
Mass chaos.
The distant rumbling continued growing stronger gradually.
Rumble...
Rumble...
RUMBLE...
The crimson sky trembled faintly now.
Finally—
More vampires began noticing.
Conversations slowly quieted throughout parts of the arena as groups started glancing upward curiously.
GrandLord Dreath himself narrowed his eyes slightly.
Lord Vord paused mid-conversation.
Even Elder Achilor finally looked toward the sky with faint confusion.
Cain remained completely silent.
But internally—
His thoughts had already become serious again.
Because the timing—
Was too suspicious.
Far too suspicious.
And the uncomfortable pressure building in the distance continued growing rapidly now.
The sky rumbled louder again.
This time the entire arena shook faintly afterward.
Several vampires frowned immediately.
"...What’s happening?"
"That doesn’t sound natural..."
The blood mana in the air had begun fluctuating strangely now.
The crimson moonlight dimmed slightly.
And somewhere far above—
Darkness slowly spread.
Not ordinary clouds.
Something denser.
Heavier.
The surrounding vampires gradually fell quieter now as more eyes turned upward toward the heavens.
Even the Moonshade family stopped their discussions.
The atmosphere slowly shifted from celebration—
Toward uncertainty.
Cain’s headache worsened again.
And deep inside—
His instincts screamed.
Then finally—
One vampire pointed upward suddenly.
"...The clouds..."
Silence spread gradually across the arena.
Because now—
Everyone noticed the clouds.
The moment everyone noticed the clouds—
The atmosphere changed completely.
The earlier celebration vanished instantly like shattered glass.
The laughter stopped.
The conversations died.
And panic spread across the massive arena faster than wildfire.
Because the clouds above them—
Were wrong.
Terribly wrong.
The crimson sky that once belonged peacefully to the vampire realm had darkened almost completely now. Endless black clouds rolled violently overhead like an ocean of darkness swallowing the heavens little by little.
And worse—
The clouds moved unnaturally.
Not drifting with wind.
Not forming naturally.
They twisted.
Rotated.
Expanded.
Like living things descending slowly from above.
RUMBLE!!!
The sky shook violently again.
This time the entire arena trembled hard enough to crack sections of the surrounding structure.
Several weaker vampires stumbled immediately.
Others looked upward with pale expressions.
"What... what is that?"
"That’s not a blood storm..."
"Impossible..."
The fear spreading throughout the gathering intensified rapidly now.
Because everyone could feel it.
Pressure.
Terrifying pressure.
Not one source.
Many.
Far too many.
Cain’s expression had already darkened completely.
His headache worsened further while his instincts screamed louder and louder inside him. The distant sensations approaching from above no longer felt faint.
Now—
They felt overwhelming.
And countless.
GrandLord Dreath slowly rose into the air.
The earlier arrogance and amusement on his face had vanished entirely. For the first time since appearing, genuine seriousness filled his expression.
His eyes remained fixed on the heavens above while blood mana surged violently around him.
Elder Achilor appeared beside him instantly afterward.
Lord Vord followed next.
All three Ascendant vampires stared upward with increasingly ugly expressions.
Because they sensed it clearly now too.
The things inside the clouds—
Were alive.
RUMBLE!!!
Another violent tremor shook the heavens.
The dark clouds spread wider again, covering nearly the entire sky now until even the crimson moonlight disappeared completely beneath the endless darkness.
The vampire realm had become dim.
Cold.
Heavy.
And then—
Screams erupted from parts of the arena.
Several vampires suddenly pointed upward in horror.
"There’s something inside!"
"What are those?!"
"Look!"
Countless eyes turned upward immediately.
And faintly—
Very faintly—
Shapes could now be seen moving inside the clouds.
Large.
Distorted.
Massive shadows drifting endlessly behind the darkness.
Some moved slowly.
Others twitched unnaturally.
Some appeared enormous enough to rival mountains.
Others resembled giant winged entities circling high above.
The panic intensified instantly afterward.
The Moonshade family themselves had already gathered together tightly now.
Zenaya’s Blood Owl fluffed its feathers violently while releasing uneasy screeches.
Several emperor-level vampires surged upward into defensive positions around the arena.
Others began activating blood barriers rapidly.
The atmosphere had completely transformed into emergency chaos.
GrandLord Dreath suddenly roared across the entire realm.
"FORMATION!"
BOOM!!
His voice exploded through the sky like thunder.
Instantly—
Every vampire reacted.
The emperor-level vampires surrounding the arena shot outward rapidly toward designated positions while giant blood formations began unfolding across the heavens one after another.
Massive crimson barriers expanded above the realm.
Ancient blood runes ignited throughout the skies.
Countless vampires activated defensive magic simultaneously.
The earlier celebration grounds transformed into a war fortress within moments.
Even Lord Vord moved immediately now.
"Protect the cocoons!"
Several powerful vampires rushed toward the three giant cocoons instantly, surrounding Faith, Cornelia, and Ivira with layers upon layers of blood barriers.
Because everyone understood one thing clearly.
Those three sisters—
Were now treasures of the vampire race.
And whatever approached from the heavens—
Could not be allowed to touch them.
The ground trembled again.
RUMBLE!!!
This time the dark clouds split apart briefly.
And something enormous moved behind them.
A giant shape.
Too massive to fully see.
Several vampires screamed immediately afterward.
"What IS that?!"
Even GrandLord Dreath’s expression had become ugly now.
Because the pressure descending from above continued increasing endlessly.
Not ordinary invaders.
Not ordinary beasts.
Something far worse.
Cain remained near the back of the gathering silently while staring upward.
His headache throbbed violently now.
And deep inside—
A horrible realization slowly formed.
"...That old bastard..."
His expression darkened further.
Because now the timing no longer felt suspicious.
It felt deliberate.
The dark clouds churned violently overhead.
Then suddenly—
The darkness rippled.
And one by one—
Shapes began emerging clearly within the clouds.
Humanoid silhouettes.
Tall.
Distorted.
Not human.
Not vampire.
Not any ordinary race.
Shadows of monstrous humanoid beings slowly appeared one after another inside the dark cloud shadows.
