Chapter 300: The King of Vampires
The sounds of footsteps echoed throughout the dark castle, where only one man could tread, the one who had walked for thousands of years on the sacred ground of his kingdom, the one who created an entire generation of Vampires that surpassed the previous ones. He had many famous titles associated with his name, a human who ascended to a King.
Some said, "He is dangerous," others said, "He is insane," but... Who was he really?
Who knows?
When you live for so long, these existential questions just become part of what you think doesn't matter anymore. And for the one who claims to be supreme, why does life need to have any meaning? He just lives as he wants, eats when he wants, kills as he wants, and... has fun when he wants.
Well, at least that's what he thought... He was the Vampire Progenitor, all Vampires came from him, he is the beginning of everything, the strongest vampire that exists.
The creature that no other ruler dared to underestimate, and those who did... well, you will never know them. Someone whose weakness is unknown becomes immortal in the eyes of the lesser, and so was Vlad. In fact, some people still wondered if it was possible to kill this man... Well, everyone has already given up facing this Monster.
The Impaler, Vlad Tepes, the King of All Vampires... Or almost all...
"Don't make any wrong moves, you're here as a guest. Act like it." Rose said as they walked through the dark and luxurious castle. They had entered quietly, after all, Rose has free passage to come and go as she pleases. "And leave my daughter here." She said, looking at Dante with a devastating look that made him even think... "So cute...
Too bad she must die in battle if she wants to mess with me like that." Dante thought, he had been evaluating this woman for a long time, why? Because he knew she was not ordinary, especially because of the little girl she called daughter.
But in the end, he just decided it wasn't worth fighting her. Because he would kill her. If she has something to hide, one thing only means: There is a Trump Card, and she wouldn't use it against a man like Dante, even if it meant her death. She seemed to be a meticulous woman focused on her goals. And it was something Dante admired... But after all, how is he so sure of that?
Well, he doesn't know, it's just his primal instinct speaking for itself... And we know that when his instinct is talking, he is mostly right.
"Yes, don't look at your lovely daughter who will probably be at the meeting, yes Rose, I understand." Dante said, looking at her, "I'm married," Dante said while holding Nagasawa's hand.
Rose stared at the two Vampires who were different from the other Vampires that existed... One was a Vampire with Demon characteristics, while the other was a Vampire of an unknown lineage who could use Acids and Poisons... "No, you don't know..." She murmured as she approached the Throne room door... He felt something coming, several extremely powerful auras. .net
"Hm... I assume it's them..." Dante murmured with a smile. Of course, he didn't know who they were, but the level of power... was almost three times greater than all the Royal knights of the King's personal guard, so he just analyzed them meticulously... "The remaining Vampire counts in..." Dante murmured.
"I would love to see how a fight would unfold..." Dante murmured and felt Nagasawa squeezing his hand, "Control yourself." She said, looking at him seriously. "Let's go, it seems that the annoying old man is already waiting," Rose said after receiving some sort of signal. She picked up the little girl in her arms and opened the door.
Following Rose, who was about to open the door... His eyes glowed blood-red. He wanted to see... He wanted to catch a glimpse of the top, he wanted to see in person the man whom even Valentina respects in some way. Well... He thinks she respects him.
The expressions Valentina uses when referring to Vlad seem like they have a childish rivalry. He clearly remembers Valentina saying:
"I wonder why you summoned us," the cold voice of one of the counts resonated in the room, full of restrained respect and mistrust. Dante, as he approached, used his keen hearing to catch every word, every sound that spread in that imposing space. He could already feel the tension in the air as all the summoned positioned themselves before a man whose presence dominated the room.
"Be quiet." The sharp order came from another man, whose authority was immediately felt. He was the royal advisor of the Vampire King, an imposing figure with black hair and a flawless black suit that reflected his role as the sovereign's loyal right hand. The silence that followed his words was heavy, loaded with expectation.
"This is so boring..." The little girl's voice was soft, almost inaudible, as she murmured in Rose's arms. With a resolute look, Rose continued walking ahead of Dante, without hesitation, as if she knew exactly what was coming next.
Dante moved forward, turning the corner of the corridor that opened into a vast hall. There, in the center of the hall, stood the King's throne, a symbol of unquestionable power and dominance. Near the throne, the royal advisor observed everything with a critical eye, and in front of him, three of the four vampire counts were kneeling, as if awaiting orders from their sovereign.
"Rise, the King is here," ordered the advisor, his firm voice reverberating through the hall.
Suddenly, a cloud of bats began to materialize in the room, emerging from the large open window. The bats whirled in the air in a sinister ballet until they started to cluster, slowly forming the figure of a man. The transformation was both majestic and terrifying, announcing the presence of the Vampire King.
"How long has it been since I last used any of my Vampire transformations?" Dante questioned himself. Was he a Vampire? By race? Probably, but he had long since stopped using those powers—Vampire transformations, Vampire wings, and even drinking blood were things he never cared about. Why? Because they didn't make sense to him.
Despite being a Vampire, his soul had been human from the beginning... Even though it was now also that of a Dragon, a Demon, an Angel, and a Human... "I should restart my techniques," Dante concluded. If he wanted to become stronger, he would have to take every small aspect of his body and reprogram and relearn how to use everything at his disposal.
Before Vlad could say anything... All the Vampire Counts immediately turned their attention to Dante, who seemed to be an intruder in that place... "Impure Vampire..." The first to speak was Elijah SilverBlood... how ironic, the first to speak being precisely the one Dante had little desire to deal with.
"Idiot Count..." Dante heard the almost inaudible murmur from Arieta, who was behind him with Ranni...
"I brought him, Majesty." Arieta passed by Dante and bowed along with Ranni, who also did the same and knelt, while all the counts watched them.
The King opened his eyes and looked at them with his blood-red eyes.
"Very well, you may go."
Their entire bodies visibly trembled, and they quickly stood up and walked away, but before leaving, as they passed by Dante. "Good luck," Dante heard, coming from Ranni who said it very quickly... "So she's worried? How cute..." Dante chuckled lightly as he let go of Nagasawa's hand.
The Vampire King began to move, about to stand up, but before he could... "Dante!" Everyone heard in unison, coming from the slightly opened door behind the Vampire King's throne. A woman with black hair, bangs, and blood-red eyes came running and passed by all the Vampire Counts recklessly, and hugged Dante, who had just let go of Nagasawa's hand...
"Bitch..." Nagasawa thought immediately, seeing that Elizabeth wouldn't let go of Dante unless he reciprocated the hug... The scene left everyone in shock... The Daughter of the Vampire King... Just Hugged... The Demon King?...
The shock wasn't just about the physical proximity between the two, but about what that proximity implied. Elizabeth, the heir to the throne, had shown evident affection for the man who, by right and nature, should be an enemy, or at least, a dangerous rival. This wasn't just an affront to traditions and hierarchy, but a veiled threat to the very balance of power...
"Dante Effect..." Nagasawa thought immediately, seeing that another of the heirs was falling for Dante...
Morgana, Velryna, Sara, and now... Elizabeth Tepes...
Well... He also had the three Empresses by his side... Aldria Luminus and Lilith Origin... not to mention Lyrianna Vortex... who, well... was still a target to be reached soon...
"I should have stayed home..." Nagasawa said as she stepped back a little while Rose placed the little girl on the ground.
"Cough-Cough, Daughter." The Vampire King coughed, drawing her attention as if he cared about showing this to the most important Vampires...
"Oh! Sorry, daddy." She said a little embarrassed and disappeared, reappearing beside him again as a woman entered... "Damn, I tried to stop her, but she sensed this boy's aura ever since he entered the city," the Vampire Queen appeared...
Now in the room were all the Main Vampires of the Supernatural World, with only one woman missing, the strongest living Vampire.
"So, I'm sorry," Lisa said, bowing, as if she were apologizing, "It's okay. I wouldn't have been able to stop her anyway..."
Dante observed the scene with a smile that mixed amusement with cold understanding. He had already realized what was happening. Vlad, the Vampire King, was not there to intimidate him—not directly, at least. It was clear to Dante that the real targets of the tension were the Vampire Counts themselves, especially the two men, Elijah SilverBlood and Klaus Goodman.
They were anxious, almost impatient, to provoke a battle, seeking any excuse to challenge the Demon King and assert their own superiority.
With a sigh that contrasted with the heavy atmosphere, Dante finally broke the silence. "Sorry to break the mood," he said, his voice laced with casual irony, as if discussing a trivial matter.
"But respect is important," he continued, and the moment those words left his lips, something changed. The atmosphere around Dante began to warp, as if the very air had been subjugated by an invisible and overwhelming force. A demonic aura, dense and terrifying, emanated from him, growing in intensity until it seemed to engulf the entire hall.
Dante's dark power spread like a black tide, falling over the two vampires present with a weight that made their bones tremble.
The vampire counts, who moments before were ready to attack, froze in place. The smiles disappeared from their faces, replaced by expressions of surprise.
"I am not one of you, to be viewed as inferior, you worms," Dante said, and the ground where they stood began to sink.