Zeres opened his mouth, his voice a whisper. "Fuck off."

Kale’s smile faded as he withdrew his hands. "I see. It’s unfortunate. Kill him," he said coldly, already turning away.

The apostles all charged at him. Some prepared their own spells.

"If I use the heiress of Azure Tower, will you join me?" he asked, a smile tugging at his lips.

"That won’t happen. After all, you’ll all die here," Zeres replied as he raised his hand—then he swung it. The apostles before him stopped moving, then a massive claw strike tore through their chests as their bodies fell lifeless.

"Interesting." Kale’s steps halted as he glanced over his shoulder. "Even in that state, you can still think."

"Don’t stop! Kill him!" one apostle barked, their palms sizzling with mana while several magic spells hovered before them.

Zeres gritted his teeth, then tilted his head sideways—narrowly avoiding a dagger plunging straight at his throat.

"Kill them all~"

"Humans don’t deserve to live~"

The maddening voices in his head grew stronger. He struggled just to keep standing—but he couldn’t give up now. Not after all the shit he had gone through.

The air stilled as Zeres extended his palm; the pools of blood splattered everywhere trembled before gathering at his outstretched hand.

The spells cast by several apostles roared to life as they all charged straight at him.

"Useless," Zeres muttered, his voice low. Then all the magic circles in front of the apostles shattered into pieces.

"Huh? What? He’s an Eclipse?!" one apostle staggered back, panic flashing across his face.

"There’s no doubt about it. Only an Eclipse-rank could distort mana’s flow like that," another replied, his voice trembling.

The pool of blood in Zeres’ hands shook faintly. Then it separated into tiny droplets of blood hovering before him.

He snapped his fingers. The droplets moved—too fast. The apostles fell one after another, their hearts and throats pierced.

"Interesting." Kale turned around, an unnerving smile plastered on his face. The coat hanging from his shoulders fluttered in the cold wind.

"Yes, it is interesting. Watching you humans struggle just for power—even going so far as to serve the Forsakens," Zeres’ voice echoed. His aura had completely changed; the restrained vampire was nowhere to be seen. Only a being driven by hunger remained.

Kale’s eyes sharpened, and he lifted his hand. The air shifted, and multiple black magic circles formed behind him. They hissed with energy before he unleashed them.

The vitality drained from the trees, the land turned dry, and numerous tree roots gained a will of their own—all surging straight toward Zeres.

"Wanna know something?" Zeres chuckled, his gaze drifting upward to the moon. "Vampires grow stronger under the moon." A maddening grin spread across his face as he lunged at Kale.

"It’s useless," Kale said coldly. "I have absolute confidence in my barriers." He smiled at Zeres. He couldn’t possibly break through the sturdy defense he had set, and the roots were still advancing, biding their time until Zeres’ guard slipped.

"I’m also confident in my own strength," Zeres replied, his voice carrying a teasing lilt as he drove his claws deeper. Kale’s smile faded the moment he spotted tiny cracks spreading across the barrier—then it shattered completely, leaving him with a gaping wound in his arm.

"You really are skilled. I planned to take your head, but that didn’t quite work out," Zeres said, tilting his head sideways. His long white hair was soaked with blood, and his eyes burned with desperate hunger.

"You dare wound me?" Kale gritted his teeth as his mana erupted. Violent black energy swirled around him like a striking serpent.

"Let’s have one last contest," Zeres smiled, stepping back. He extended his hand and opened his mouth.

"You’re too slow," Kale said coldly. The black magic circles behind him roared to life, summoning multiple beasts, every one of them pitch-black.

"A Summoner?" Zeres halted mid-cast, his focus snapping back. The Kale he remembered wasn’t a summoner—he was a mage. So he had completely changed his path before his fight against Saelyz.

The shadow beasts all charged at him, their maws wide open as they tried to tear him apart.

A searing pain shot through his arm as one, shaped like a hound, bit down, its eyes blazing with hunger.

Not yet! he gritted his teeth. The beasts continued to sink their fangs into his body while he stood there, motionless.

Is he planning something? Kale’s instincts screamed at him, and he quickly reinforced his own barrier.

"Kill~"

The maddening whispers in his head grew louder as he stared at the moon. It had turned blood-red.

Then a ringing sound echoed inside his mind, and a glowing red screen appeared before his eyes.

======

[Assimilation: 4 ——— 7%]

His eyes widened in horror as he stared at the display. He laughed bitterly. He realized now—suppressing his desires would only make the assimilation process worse.

The air went still as he shifted slightly. Every beast biting into his body exploded instantly, leaving nothing but fading black shadows behind.

"You know what really pisses me off? Whenever I sense your kind. Your blood reeks, and your mana is far too vile," Zeres mumbled, his voice low, as he stared at the blood-soaked ground.

"What are you rambling about all of a sudden?" Kale’s brow twitched. His instincts were still screaming at him, even though the vampire was obviously gravely injured.

Zeres’ arm was mangled and dripping blood, and he was panting heavily. Then he lifted his head, and crimson eyes—filled with insatiable hunger—locked onto him.

"What—" Kale never finished his sentence. He felt his own blood turn against him! The vampire had manipulated the blood inside his body, condensing it into a sharp spear that pierced straight through him.

His vision blurred, and he collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Zeres stared at Kale’s corpse, then his knees gave way. He crouched on the ground as blood trickled from his mouth, eyes, and nose.

"Fuck... using Blood Origin really takes it out of you," he cursed under his breath, then crawled toward Kale’s body.

"You must have something valuable on you," he whispered, searching through his clothes. Nothing—except for a single badge.

"What is this?" He held it up. The crest depicted a crown overflowing with ashes.