"Cough… what's happening…" Kemi brushed the dust from his hair.
"What's happening?" Adam's voice was expressionless. "Space traversal doesn't work every time. Guess… can you survive leaving here alive?"
"You… you figured it out…"
"Guess. And while you're at it, guess whether you can dodge my attack again." Adam raised his right hand once more.
Space traversal—a supreme-level vampire secret art. It allowed a vampire to instantly move through dimensional gaps to another location. When Adam attacked Kemi moments ago, Kemi had technically vanished to another space and returned in an instant. From Adam's perspective, it looked like Kemi had never moved.
But Adam, though unable to wield such an ultra-high-level art himself yet, had studied every high-level vampire manual available.
At the precise moment Kemi crossed dimensions, Adam used the simplest high-level secret art—telekinetic capture—to intercept him!
Kemi, extremely familiar with this art, naturally knew it could be countered. But in a thousand years of practicing it, he had never imagined facing Adam.
Even if other vampires knew his weakness, catching him mid-transit with telekinesis required absurd reflexes—something only a vampire king could do.
Yet Adam lacked nothing in reflexes or physicality—he was the vampire progenitor!
The outcome was obvious. Kemi felt as if the sky had collapsed. Moments ago, he was floating in the clouds; now he plummeted into the abyss. Perhaps his life would end in the next instant.
"You should strengthen your body. Tricks and shortcuts aren't always useful."
Adam raised Kemi into the air with telekinesis, drawing him slowly closer. Kemi tried several space jumps, but Adam forcibly pulled him back each time. He struggled, but physical endurance had always been his weakness.
A high-level vampire, rendered powerless by a single progenitor's telekinetic spell—unable even to resist!
"P-please… spare me… I beg you!"
"You think that's possible?"
"You must need help, right? I… I'm willing to assist! Whatever you want, I'll do it!"
"Alright. Then offer your blood. I'm lacking it right now." Adam smiled warmly, yet the chill in his aura pierced Kemi's very soul.
"No—!" Kemi's scream was hysterical.
Before his eyes, Adam slowly opened his mouth, sank his fangs into Kemi's neck. The snap of bone silenced his screams instantly.
Adam's throat worked furiously. Kemi convulsed violently in the air. His once plump hands withered like dying flowers. His open mouth could make no sound.
Moments later, Kemi went completely still. A mummified husk.
Adam dropped him to the ground, inhaling the thick, stale air of the basement.
He could feel the blood pulsing inside him, merging, spreading a faint heat through every corner of his body, pores widening.
This pseudo-third-generation vampire had relied all his energy on space traversal—his combat ability was negligible. Captured by Adam's telekinesis, he had no chance of escape. But his age had granted him potent blood—far stronger than ordinary vampires.
Draining him alone yielded five times more vitality than all the previous vampires combined. The gap between aged vampires and their younger kin became starkly clear.
With just this blood, and a month's time, Adam could essentially master high-level vampire secret arts. Not mastery, but sufficient. At that point, besides the seven vampire kings, no vampire could confront Adam head-on.
Could he now hide in the basement? Of course not. Time was too short. Opportunities like this don't come twice.
Adam wouldn't just defeat the pseudo-second-generation vampires. He'd eventually face the vampire kings—the seven of them. Behind them, twelve chief gods, the First City, the world… and Uriel!
One month was too long to fully digest this blood and convert it to power. He needed a faster method.
Turning, he stomped on Kemi's mummified head, crushing it.
Then, under Smoke's watchful gaze, he slowly cut his own wrist…
For Adam, cultivating subordinates was the fastest way to increase power besides absorbing blood and practicing secret arts.
…
In the heart of Athens, the battle sounds gradually subsided. The Western European vampires were at a disadvantage and began to retreat.
Only an hour remained until dawn.
On the grand square before the Athenian Senate, besides the Spartan Legion elite units pursuing vampires, tens of thousands of city soldiers and police had gathered. Even the yawning, bulky Lizard Lord was among them.
Groups of soldiers were pushing carts, distributing weapons and gear.
"What are you planning?" Carey, clad in heavy Greek noble robes, rushed up the steps.
"Doing what needs to be done," Robert stood atop the steps, sword planted, voice low and hoarse.
"What needs to be done?"
No answer.
Carey pressed, "You want to attack the vampires in broad daylight?"
"Isn't that common sense?" Robert slowly turned, his gaze through the gaps in his icy armor deep as an abyss. "Darkness belongs to the vampires. Sunlight belongs to humans."
"How do you distinguish the Western European vampires?"
Still no answer.
"Our intelligence shows the main culprits of destruction are Western European vampires—you know this!"
"I don't know. Did His Highness the Underworld inform you of this?"
"No… but…" Carey faltered. The proud Athenian vampires had never given him a clear answer. Even confirming that the destructive vampires were Western Europeans had come through private channels.
"No buts. Put away your messy reports. I only recognize official documents!"
A soldier approached, saluted: "Sir, all weapons have been distributed."
"Good. Prepare to march! Search every corner of Athens. Anyone refusing cooperation—execute on the spot… civilian, noble, or elder!"
"Wait… this is the Athenian vampire list, don't—" Carey tried desperately to hand over a stack of papers, but Robert didn't take it.
"I said put away your messy intelligence. I only recognize official documents. If His Highness truly wanted us to discriminate among the Athenian vampires, he would have provided the list, stated the facts, and coordinated with us."
"You're deliberately provoking them—!" Carey shouted, nearly hysterical, but his words were swallowed by coughing.
Robert said nothing, simply waited. When Carey caught his breath, Robert spoke slowly:
"Don't you see? Your cowardice is why Athens is in crisis today. Why are you afraid to offend them, yet they fear no offense against you? Don't forget: vampires cannot exist without humans, but humans can exist without vampires."
He fixed his gaze on Carey, whose face was pale with fear:
"Vampires are like dogs. Only when they feel pain will they learn."