Chapter 184: The Storm Brews
I am sorry for the unedited Chapters; it’s a busy month. These past Chapters will be edited.
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In the outskirts of District Kazi, the night air was thick with tension. The crumbling buildings cast long, jagged shadows under the pale moonlight, and the distant sound of sirens echoed through the empty streets.
Cael, Luke, and Lysa stood in the shadows of a crumbling warehouse, their breaths heavy, their bodies trembling with exhaustion. Sweat dripped from their brows, mixing with the dust and grime of the district. Just an hour ago, they had killed the Vampire Prince. Their mission was complete. But the unexpected appearance of an [Adamant] vampire had turned a simple assassination into a desperate escape.
Cael’s mind was still racing. The Elder’s presence had been overwhelming, a pressure that had nearly crushed them. But they had survived. The Space Clone had appeared at the perfect moment, delivering the killing blow. And Cael had acted fast.
The moment the Elder’s head had fallen, he had grabbed Luke—still unconscious from the battle of wills—and used Teleportation to get them out. They had regrouped at their designated meeting spot, a rundown warehouse on the edge of the district. The walls were cracked, the windows shattered, but it offered cover.
Lysa had done her part spectacularly. She had drawn attention away from the main assault, creating chaos at the district’s edge while Cael and Luke struck the Prince. Explosions, shouts, the sound of breaking glass—she had made sure no one was looking in the right direction. Her role had been executed with precision, and she had escaped without a scratch.
But they did not have time to rest.
The moment the Elder had released his [Adamant] rank mana, they all knew it was only a matter of time before the Council arrived. Any [Mythril] ranker or above was required to ask for permission before entering foreign territories. The mana-reading sensors across the region would have detected the spike immediately. It was a beacon in the night, a signal that could not be ignored.
Cael had used Mana Sovereignty to conceal their presence, wrapping them in a veil of silence. But even he could not hide the Elder’s power. The damage was already done. The sensors had already recorded the surge.
"We need to move back to the academy, " Cael said, his voice low. "The Council will be here soon."
Luke nodded, his eyes still heavy from the battle. The battle of wills had drained him more than he wanted to admit.
They moved quickly, disappearing into the maze of alleys and broken streets. Their footsteps were silent, their presence hidden. The night swallowed them whole.
The streets of District Kazi were a labyrinth of decay. Broken streetlights flickered weakly, casting pools of dim light that did little to pierce the darkness. Rats scurried through piles of garbage, and the wind carried the faint smell of smoke and rot. It was a place where people came to disappear, and tonight, that was exactly what they needed.
At the same time, a lone figure stood atop a building in District Kazi.
The Space Clone frowned, his gray eyes fixed on the distant sky. His hand rested on his chin as he muttered under his breath. The wind tugged at his cloak, but he did not move.
"Strange... why did I fail to use my abilities?"
He had tried to use his spatial powers to track the main body, but something had blocked him. It was the same feeling he had sensed earlier, when the Wind Clone had failed to use Teleportation. A barrier, invisible but impenetrable.
Something is wrong.
He had never experienced this before. His spatial abilities were as natural to him as breathing. But now, something was blocking them. Was it the realm? The main body? Or something else entirely? The uncertainty gnawed at him, but he pushed it down. There was no time for doubt.
But he did not dwell on it. Whatever was happening, he could not solve it here. He created a portal and stepped through, disappearing from the rooftop. The swirling light closed behind him, leaving no trace.
Not long after he left, several figures descended from the sky. They hovered above the ruined building where the Elder’s body lay, their eyes scanning the scene below. They were all [Mythril] rankers, dispatched immediately after the sensors detected an [Adamant] mana spike. Their faces were grim, their movements efficient.
One of them landed beside the Elder’s corpse. His expression was unreadable as he studied the wound.
"This is an [Adamant] vampire," he said. "Killed here, in human territory."
Another ranker knelt beside a woman who was huddled in the corner, her body trembling. She was the girl the Vampire Prince had been harassing before his death. Her clothes were torn, her face pale with fear.
The ranker pressed a healing potion into her hands. "What happened here?"
The girl’s voice was shaky, barely above a whisper. "Two men... with silver hair... they came into the room. They killed the prince. Then an old man came... he was so powerful... I passed out."
The rankers exchanged glances. The weight of her words hung in the air.
"The dead vampire is the Vampire Prince," one of them said, his voice low.
The room fell silent. Just yesterday, the Council had announced an alliance with the vampires to take down the wraiths. And now, the Vampire Prince was dead in human territory. The culprits were unknown.
The rankers exchanged uneasy glances. The implications were staggering. If the Vampire Prince had been killed in human territory, the alliance could crumble before it even began. And if the culprits were never found, the blame would fall on the Council. The weight of the situation pressed down on them like a physical force.
"This needs to go to Ervath," the lead ranker said. "Immediately."
Ervath, humanity’s strongest ranker, received the news within the hour. His office was silent as he read the report, his green eyes scanning the words with cold precision.
He contacted the Vampire King directly, his voice calm but firm.
"Your son is dead," Ervath said. "Killed in human territory. We did not authorize this."
The Vampire King’s response was unexpected. There was no anger, no grief. Just a flat, indifferent tone.
"Hm," he said. "I already ordered all vampires to leave human territories and not attack humans. Since my son did not obey my command, I do not care. I will not make an issue of it."
Ervath raised an eyebrow but said nothing. The Vampire King’s indifference was unsettling. A father who did not mourn his own son. Something was wrong.
"Rest assured," the Vampire King added. "This changes nothing."
The call ended.
Ervath stared at the screen for a long moment. His fingers drummed against the desk. Something was off. He could feel it in his bones. But he could not place it.
He replayed the conversation in his mind. The Vampire King’s voice had been too calm, too controlled. A father who did not care about his son’s death was either a monster or a man with a plan. And Ervath had learned never to underestimate monsters with plans.
The pieces were scattered, but they did not fit together. The Vampire Prince’s death. The Elder’s presence. The alliance. The realm. It was all connected somehow, but the thread was still hidden. Ervath made a mental note to keep a closer eye on the White Sea District.
...
Two days passed.
Cael, Luke, and Lysa had returned to Everbright Academy.
And today, the Grand Summit Trials were about to begin.
Across the continent, people were eagerly waiting for the trials to start. News of the event had spread far and wide, drawing attention from every corner of the world. The trials were not just a competition—they were a spectacle. A chance for the younger generation to prove themselves, to carve their names into history.
The academy was buzzing with activity. Students moved through the halls in groups, their voices filled with excitement and nervous energy. The trials were the most important event of the year, and everyone wanted to prove themselves. But it was not just the students who had gathered, even professors from various academies also gathered.
The atmosphere was electric. The trials had not even begun, but the excitement was already palpable.
Everyone was waiting.
...
But far away, in the White Sea District, something far more significant was unfolding.
Vampire elders and human [Origin] rankers had arrived into district’s.
They stood together, their eyes fixed on the shimmering sea that marked the entrance to the realm. The air was thick with anticipation. They were here to enter it. To claim whatever lay inside.
And they were not alone.
A few miles away, the Wraith King stood on a hilltop, his eyes fixed on the same barrier. His daughter stood beside him, her expression cold and unreadable. Behind them, an army of powerful wraiths waited in the shadows, their forms barely visible in the darkness.
The storm was brewing. All it needed was a single spark to ignite.