An explosion erupted across the silent wasteland of No Man’s Land, shaking the surrounding forest as several figures were blasted through the air like broken dolls.

Their bodies tore through branches and crashed heavily against the ground before rolling across the dirt and rubble in complete disarray.

The source of the explosion was a pair of gigantic black metallic doors standing in the middle of the forest like the entrance to an ancient underground labyrinth. The doors radiated an ominous atmosphere, and thick smoke continued to pour out from the partially opened entrance as if something monstrous had just awakened within.

For a few moments, the only sounds that remained were the crackling of burning debris and the groans of injured youths struggling to rise from the ground.

Then, with a thunderous noise, the enormous doors slowly began to move.

The metallic structure groaned loudly before the entrance slammed shut with enough force to send another tremor through the earth.

A figure calmly walked out from the clouds of dust and smoke.

It was a woman, more specifically, a vampire whose crimson eyes glowed faintly; her expression remained completely indifferent as she stepped forward, unaffected by the destruction surrounding her.

Not far away from her, several young men slowly regained their balance while staring at her with tense and frustrated expressions.

Ethan clenched the hilt of his sword tightly, his muscles tensed despite the pain surging through his body. Even now, he still did not fully understand what exactly had happened.

Everything had gone wrong too quickly.

Initially, their exploration had proceeded rather smoothly. After entering the ruins, they had discovered a dark and narrow pathway leading deep underground into what appeared to be an ancient labyrinth.

Along the way, they had encountered several monsters, but none of them had posed any serious threat. Through cooperation and teamwork, they had managed to defeat those creatures without suffering major injuries.

Naturally, their confidence had grown. However, before they could properly explore deeper into the ruins, the atmosphere had suddenly changed.

An overwhelming pressure had descended upon the labyrinth without warning, and then this vampire woman had appeared.

She had calmly instructed them to leave immediately.

Ethan had instantly sensed danger the moment he saw her. His instincts had practically screamed at him to retreat. Unfortunately, not everyone had shared the same caution.

More specifically, Galeion had refused to back down.

The others had at least hesitated after feeling the terrifying pressure radiating from the vampire, but Galeion’s arrogance had provoked the situation further.

The difference in strength between them and the vampire woman was simply too vast.

Before any of them could properly react, a terrifying force had exploded outward and carried every single one of them out of the labyrinth in an instant.

Ethan grimaced as he looked around to assess the situation.

The first thing he noticed was Galeion lying unconscious nearby. Judging from the condition of his body, it was obvious that he had received a harsher punishment than the rest of them.

Ethan’s gaze then shifted toward Maximus and Desmond.

Both of them were coughing blood onto the ground while struggling to steady their breathing. A few steps away from them, Alfred stood quietly with both hands raised above his head in surrender.

Ethan immediately understood Alfred’s decision.

This guy had sensed the same level of danger as Ethan, and the fact that he was surrendering like this was enough to say much of the situation.

There was absolutely no possibility of fighting back. Not against someone like her, and turning away was out of the question here.

Ethan slowly loosened his grip on his sword before letting the weapon fall to the ground. He then raised his own hands as well, choosing surrender over pointless resistance.

At this point, even the slightest wrong movement could potentially cost them their lives.

The vampire woman before them was Elavlin.

Together with Rah, she had been tasked with bringing these young men back to William.

Truthfully speaking, the task should not have taken this long. However, the ruins had been hidden beneath an elaborate illusory formation spread throughout the surrounding forest. The formation concealed the entrance completely unless someone happened to wander into the area on foot without relying heavily on mana detection.

Rah had remained behind to guard the perimeter from other monsters or entities, leaving Elavlin to locate the ruins alone.

Fortunately for her, thanks to her heightened senses and vampire physique, discovering the hidden entrance had not proven particularly difficult.

Elavlin stared down at the injured youths with cold indifference.

"I will not repeat myself," she said calmly. "Come with me. My lord wishes to meet you."

Ethan exchanged glances with the others. Every single one of them clearly understood the situation they were in.

None of them possessed the ability to refuse, so eventually, they silently surrendered.

Thin wisps of blood-red energy emerged from Elavlin’s fingertips before wrapping themselves around their bodies like restraints. The strange energy bound them effortlessly while suppressing any possibility of escape.

Once everyone had been restrained, Elavlin rose into the air.

The young men were lifted alongside her, suspended helplessly beneath the control of her blood wisps as she flew away from the forest.

Her destination was the Eternal Sun Empire.

Meanwhile, Rah established a mental connection through the slave network before summoning several slaves from the Infinite Domain. Their purpose was simple.

Guard the ruin’s gates.

William had already planned to increase the security around the labyrinth entrance, but his current lack of manpower prevented him from deploying stronger forces there for the time being.

Fortunately, the mind link allowed him to remain mentally connected to his subordinates. As long as slaves were stationed nearby, he would immediately receive information if anything suspicious occurred and would be able to arrive near them.

For now, that arrangement would have to suffice.

The summoned slaves quietly collected the unconscious guards who had accompanied the two princes earlier and transported them far away from the ruins before abandoning them in a completely different section of the No Man’s Land.

Several minutes later...

Within the Eternal Sun Empire, deep inside the imperial palace, a spacious open-air lobby stood atop a towering spire overlooking the endless city below.

The cool wind drifted peacefully through the high palace structure while moonlight reflected against the polished marble floor.

A moment later, Elavlin descended from the sky and landed smoothly upon the platform.

Without much care, she threw Ethan, Maximus, Desmond, Galeion, and Alfred onto the floor before immediately lowering herself onto one knee.

In front of her stood a lone figure facing away from them near the balcony.

The young men slowly straightened themselves despite their injuries; confusion and nervousness filled their expressions as they observed their surroundings.

None of them recognized this place.

The palace architecture, the atmosphere, the imperial aura surrounding the entire structure—it all felt foreign to them.

Then the figure near the balcony slowly turned around.

The moment they saw his face, all of them froze.

"William?!"

Every single one of them shouted in disbelief, except Alfred, whose expression merely darkened quietly.

Standing before them was William himself, dressed in majestic imperial robes that carried an overwhelming aura of authority completely different from the student they once knew.

William merely smiled faintly at their reaction.

For a brief moment, he even felt the urge to correct them properly and remind them to address him as "Crown Prince" and "the Supreme Commander." However, he suppressed that unnecessary impulse and calmly walked toward the kneeling Elavlin instead.

He stopped directly in front of her.

"Elavlin," William said calmly, "you have fulfilled your purpose."

The moment those words left his mouth, Elavlin’s expression changed completely. Cold sweat covered her face as she understood what he meant.

"My... my lord..." she stammered desperately. "Please... please spare me. I can still be useful to you. If I die, you will lose a valuable pawn."

William let out a soft chuckle. However, instead of warmth, the sound carried an unsettling chill.

"Who said your death would be a waste?"

Elavlin’s body trembled violently.

"I hope you rest peacefully in your next life, Elavlin," William continued calmly. "And perhaps try not to target my mother again."

As he spoke, William slowly raised his hand before placing it atop Elavlin’s head.

Elavlin immediately tried to move. She wanted to escape and resist.

Unfortunately for her, the slave mark engraved upon her soul suppressed every attempt entirely. Her body refused to obey her commands, no matter how desperately she struggled.

"My lord!" she screamed frantically. "I will apologize to Lady Anastasia! Please let me live!"

Her eyes had already become bloodshot with panic.

Yet William’s expression never changed.

"As I said," he replied coldly, "do not target my people in your next life."

Then his fingers tightened.

In front of Ethan, Maximus, Desmond, and Alfred, an absolutely horrifying scene unfolded.

William began absorbing everything from Elavlin: her cultivation, her talent, and her traits.

He also extracted the bloodflame and stored it in the inventory for now.

Elavlin’s appearance rapidly withered as her vitality was devoured piece by piece beneath William’s hand.

The atmosphere turned deathly silent. None of the young men could even speak.

For the first time in their lives, they truly understood what genuine terror looked like; after all, they had never seen someone’s vitality and life force being sucked out like this.

At that moment, Ethan, Maximus, and Desmond, all three of them, sincerely wished they had been unconscious like Galeion instead of being forced to witness this scene with open eyes.