Chapter 267: Count Seraphina (GT Bonus)
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While preparing for the Ashveil Settlement mission, Vikram also took time to review the reports submitted by the other Hunter teams.
Unlike freely chosen missions that Hunters could accept based on rewards and contribution points, assigned missions were mandatory. Every team was required to complete them with no exceptions.
As he read through the reports one by one, Vikram gradually discovered something strange.
Team 1 had completed their settlement operation.
Team 3 had finished theirs. Team 5, Team 7, Team 8, Team 10 (before Carol’s transfer), and the remaining teams had all successfully carried out their assigned missions.
At first glance, everything appeared normal.
However, the deeper he read, the more unusual the pattern became.
Because every report shared the same unsettling conclusion:
The settlements had been captured. The Vampire forces had been eliminated. Human survivors had been rescued. Mission objectives had been completed.
But... the Vampire Barons assigned to those settlements were nowhere to be found.
One report stated that the Baron had apparently left several days before the attack. Another claimed the Baron disappeared the night before the Hunters arrived. One settlement showed signs of a sudden evacuation. Another contained abandoned command centers.
The same pattern repeated itself across nearly every mission.
Vikram’s expression gradually grew serious. He called Isha over and handed her several of the reports.
After reading them, even Isha frowned. "That’s strange."
Vikram nodded. "Very strange."
Normally, a Vampire Baron ruled their settlement with absolute authority. Their power came from strength. Abandoning their territory wasn’t impossible, but it was extremely rare.
Yet now, multiple Barons had vanished almost simultaneously.
At this moment, Carol also walked over and looked at the reports. She frowned. "Are they running away?"
Vikram immediately shook his head. "No. If they were retreating, we would see signs of organized movement, supply transfers, army movements, communication intercepts. There should be traces. But there aren’t any."
The room fell quiet.
Rohit looked over from nearby. "Maybe they’re gathering somewhere?"
That suggestion made everyone pause. Because it was possible. Very possible.
After all, one missing Baron could be a coincidence. Two could be luck. But when almost every assigned mission reported the same thing, it stopped being a coincidence.
James quietly spoke, "Then what about Ashveil Settlement?"
Everyone looked toward him. Unlike the others, their assigned mission still remained unfinished. And unlike the other settlements, Ashveil was ruled by Baroness Seraphina, the weakest Baroness according to Federation intelligence.
Vikram slowly looked toward the mission file resting on the table.
Then he calmly said, "That’s exactly what we’re about to find out."
For some reason, he suddenly had a feeling.
When Team 11 finally arrived at Ashveil Settlement, they wouldn’t be finding an abandoned settlement like the others.
Instead, they might finally discover where all those missing Vampire Barons had gone.
---
The next morning, shortly after sunrise, Team 11 had already completed all preparations.
Unlike their previous casual missions, the atmosphere this time was completely different. There was no joking, no relaxed conversations, and no one underestimated the mission anymore.
After discovering that multiple Vampire Barons had mysteriously disappeared from their settlements, everyone understood that something unusual was happening behind the scenes. And Ashveil Settlement, their final unfinished assigned mission, might hold the key to the answers.
Soon afterward, several armored Federation vehicles departed from Cameron City. The roads gradually became increasingly deserted the farther they traveled. Ruined towns, collapsed highways, and abandoned checkpoints dotted the landscape. The entire region surrounding Ashveil felt strangely empty and unnaturally quiet.
Inside the lead armored vehicle, everyone remained on high alert. Even Carol wasn’t acting playfully today. Instead, she quietly observed the surroundings through the reinforced windows.
At this moment, Rohit broke the silence. "Do you guys think Seraphina also disappeared like the other Barons?"
No one answered immediately. Honestly, nobody knew anymore.
Isha calmly checked the mission file once again.
[Assigned Mission]
[Investigate Ashveil Settlement]
[Target: Baroness Seraphina]
[Threat Level: Low-Baron Territory]
At first glance, the mission still appeared simple. Seraphina was officially classified as the weakest Vampire Baroness in the region. Her territory was small, her forces were limited, and according to previous intelligence, she rarely engaged in direct combat.
However, after everything that had happened recently, no one trusted simple intelligence reports anymore.
At this moment, Vikram finally spoke in a calm but firm voice, "We stay fully alert. Even if Seraphina is the weakest Baroness, she is still a Baron-level Vampire. A single mistake could still cost lives."
Everyone immediately nodded seriously. No one disagreed. After all, they had already experienced firsthand how dangerous even seemingly weaker Barons could become, especially when unknown variables were involved.
Vikram himself quietly gazed out at the desolate roads, lost in deep thought.
---
Meanwhile, while Team 11 steadily advanced toward Ashveil Settlement, something entirely different was unfolding deep beneath it.
Inside the upper fortress corridors, numerous Vampires moved busily between sections, carrying documents, blood containers, and sealed metallic cases. However, the moment a certain figure appeared, the entire atmosphere shifted.
Every Vampire who saw him instantly lowered their heads in deep respect. Some even stepped aside completely to clear the path.
Because this was no ordinary Vampire.
He wore a long black royal coat embroidered with dark crimson patterns resembling flowing blood veins. Silver chains adorned his shoulders elegantly, and a dark-red gemstone rested at the center of his collar. Even his gloves were crafted from rare black leather marked with ancient Vampire runes.
His pale silver hair was combed neatly backward, revealing sharp crimson eyes filled with cold, calculating intelligence. Everything about him radiated refined nobility and unmistakable danger.
This was someone who belonged to the true upper echelons of Vampire aristocracy.
As he calmly walked through the corridors, every Vampire saluted him with utmost reverence. Yet he barely acknowledged their presence.
Eventually, he arrived before a massive metallic elevator hidden behind several security gates. Unlike ordinary access points, this elevator had no visible buttons, only a retina scanner.
The Vampire calmly placed his eye before the device.
"Identity Confirmed."
"Lord Alaric Von Draven."
"Access Granted."
The heavy metallic doors slid open. Without expression, Alaric stepped inside and pressed the lowest hidden button.
The elevator began descending.
One floor. Three floors. Ten floors. Still descending.
The deeper it went, the colder and heavier the atmosphere became.
After several long minutes, the elevator finally stopped with a soft chime.
"DING."
The doors slowly opened, revealing an enormous underground research facility.
Bright white laboratory lights illuminated the vast space. Countless metallic chambers extended endlessly in every direction. Rows upon rows of glass containers filled the area. Inside them, human beings floated motionlessly in strange crimson liquid.
Men. Women.
Various pipes and tubes were connected directly into their bodies. Through those tubes, dark red blood and an unknown glowing green substance continuously flowed into them.
Some humans twitched painfully in their suspended state. Others remained completely still. Several bodies already showed horrifying mutations, darkened veins bulging beneath the skin, distorted limbs, sharpened teeth, and unnatural biological growths spreading across their flesh.
---
Meanwhile, deep beneath Ashveil Settlement, something far more sinister was unfolding.
Alaric arrived before a gigantic circular chamber located at the heart of the underground facility. The moment the doors opened, the scene inside would have shocked any Hunter to their core.
Gathered within the chamber were multiple Vampire Barons, the very same ones who had mysteriously vanished from their territories.
Victor Draven, the Baron of Black Hollow.
A pale woman in crimson armor from the eastern territories.
A giant scarred noble from the western settlements. And several others, all standing or seated in silence.
Every single one radiated terrifying power.
Yet despite their status, all of them remained unusually quiet and respectful.
Because seated at the very center of the room was a beautiful young woman calmly operating an enormous machine.
At first glance, no one would have guessed she was a Vampire. She wore a clean white research coat instead of noble attire. Her long black hair was tied neatly behind her back, and thin silver glasses rested on her crimson eyes as she carefully adjusted glowing green liquid containers connected to the machine.
The atmosphere around her felt cold, intelligent, and almost completely emotionless.
After Alaric entered, the girl briefly glanced at him before immediately returning her focus to her work, as though the arrival of a Viscount was barely worth her attention.
Without even looking back, she spoke calmly, "Viscount Alaric. The task I assigned to you... was it completed?"
Her tone remained indifferent.
Alaric lowered himself onto one knee respectfully. "Yes, Count. The task has been completed."
He carefully presented several sealed blood containers. "These are the blood samples taken from A-Level Awakened Hunters."
The girl finally paused her work for a moment. She slowly turned around, revealing her full face.
If Team 11 had been present, they would have recognized her instantly.
Baroness Seraphina.
The supposed weakest Vampire Baroness. The ruler of Ashveil Settlement. The target of Team 11’s assigned mission.
But everything the Hunters believed about her was false.
She was not a Baroness. She was a Vampire Count. And almost no one in the Hunter Federation knew this secret.
Seraphina calmly accepted the blood containers and observed the glowing crimson liquid inside. A faint, satisfied smile appeared on her beautiful face.
"Excellent. These samples should finally allow us to stabilize the next phase."
At this moment, Victor Draven frowned slightly from the side. "Count... are we truly continuing this project? The risks are increasing."
The massive underground chamber fell silent. Several Barons exchanged uneasy glances. Over the past few months, the experiments had grown increasingly unstable. Entire facilities had been lost. Research teams had disappeared. And Hunters had begun discovering traces of their work.
However, hearing Victor’s concerns, Seraphina didn’t show the slightest hesitation. She calmly adjusted her silver glasses while continuing her research. Complex data screens reflected in her crimson eyes.
"The risks are irrelevant," she said emotionlessly. "Humans are already declining rapidly. Some evolve into Awakeners. Others are slaughtered by Vampires simply for entertainment."
She paused briefly while injecting another green liquid sample into an experimental container.
"If humanity disappears completely... what will remain for us to feed upon?"
The surrounding Barons remained silent. Every one of them understood the truth behind those words.
Unlike mindless monsters, Vampires depended entirely on human blood. Without humans, their species would gradually weaken and eventually collapse.
Seraphina continued speaking while calmly operating the machine. "For centuries, Vampires believed humans were nothing more than livestock. Food. Slaves. Disposable creatures. But now... that arrogance is becoming our greatest weakness."
The chamber remained deathly quiet.
Seraphina finally looked toward the floating experimental subjects suspended around the room. Countless humans remained trapped inside the glass containers while green liquid and blood continuously flowed into their bodies. Some twitched violently from mutation. Others remained eerily motionless.
Then, for the first time, a faint trace of obsession appeared in Seraphina’s otherwise calm eyes.
"We do not need ordinary humans anymore," she whispered. "We need a stable blood source. A superior species. One capable of continuously regenerating blood endlessly."
At that moment, one of the nearby containers suddenly shook violently. Inside it, a human body rapidly mutated, dark veins spreading beneath the skin, bones distorting unnaturally. Then, with a sickening "CRACK!", the entire body exploded into rotten flesh.
The surrounding scientists immediately began recording the failure without emotion.
Seraphina didn’t even flinch.
"And when this experiment succeeds..." She said softly, "Vampires will never need to fear extinction again."
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Dear Readers , I hope everyone likes this, and also going to mass upload 5 Chapters today, and 5 Chapters tomorrow. Thanks for waiting for it. I will not break my promise.
