-----

  Ihe Iron Blood Empire’s imperial castle, the Iron Blooded Emper the projes in front of him; his tall, muscur, overwhelming figure sent shivers down the spines of every servant surrounding him. His tremendous Aura, posed of both Ara, Blood Power, and a third, darker force, seemed to be always active at all times.

  The Emperor was not good at trolling his own powers. It was also one of the reasons he only accepted strong females as es; if he chose weaker women, they would die before they could even ceive a child with him.

  And he was indeed surrounded by powerful Vampires, all pure-blooded, the stro beings iire Empire and perhaps among the stro of the Realm of Obscuritas.

  Their sharp crimson eyes g the projes, video-like recreations of what had happened in the Elderbridge Duchy just two days ago.

  “Hmmm…” The King’s sharp eyes squinted as he saw the son he ohought a failure fighting aing two mighty foes with ease. “Iing. Is this truly Vd, my son?”

  "Yes, it is,” he woman by his side. It was a vampire woman with short silver hair and sharp blue eyes, wearing a golden monocle. “I oversee most cities after your orders, your majesty. Without a shred of a doubt, what my golems were able to capture in that moment was indeed Prince Vd. Somehow, he had gairemendous power. He, his mother, and his friend have singlehandedly mao stop the entire destru of that city.”

  “By a Dungeon Raid, as you called them...?” the Emperor spoke again. “Hmm. I could feel the presence of that thing all the way here. If it had dared to take a siep into the capital, I would have acted. However, it seemed fixated on burning Elderbridge instead.”

  “It might be another of those s, natural phenomena happening all across our world after the appearance of the Pyers, your majesty,” a young vampire man with long green hair and sharp crimson eyes spoke. He was quite handsome, with a slender body and a long . “My respected and great father, if you were to let me i and see if Vd had been lying or hiding his strength, I would make sure to make him pay for su offeh his blood!”

  “That’s enough, Agreus,” the Emperor said. “You might be one of my most gifted sons, but that doesn’t give you the right to put your noses everywhere. That you are here only means I reize your power. Learn your pce.”

  His crimson eyes hit Agreus instantly; the green-haired vampire trembled, nodding, ao his knees. His powerful Aura was nothing against his father’s Aura.

  Vampires, and most h-ranking demons, would always release their Auras and fight with them alone. A way to make oneself respected was by suppressing the Aura of others.

  “M-My apologies…”

  Agreus clicked his tongue as he lowered his head.

  “My son, you mustn’t be hasty,” his mother stepped in, a beautiful vampire woman with shreen hair and a bck horn in her forehead. “Your Majesty, I find that you’re quite fused about the situation. Would you allow me to share my thoughts?”

  “Go on, Lucrecia,” the Emperor said with a light nod.

  “As everyone here could see, what has happened in Elderbridge is no small matter,” Lucrecia said. “I am sure many of you would agree with me that it is quite unbelievable what we’ve seen. It’s not that we are doubting the projes of Hee, but we ’t simply judge everything based on that. Vd’s strength, and perhaps that of his sister too, must be tested.”

  “Additionally, I believe we must also discuss what has happened in Elderbridge. The Dungeon Raids seem to be an incredible new dangerous phenomenon, and aside from this i, we know very little of them and how they work, even less who is the culprit behind everything. I believe it would be in the best of our is to ieressa and her family to the capital and to interview them personally. At the same time, we’ll be able to also test Vd and Camil’s strength.”

  The vampires ihrone room began talking to one another as the Emperor remained silent and heard all their opinions. Most of them seemed to agree, although Hee seemed slightly angered.

  “Lucrecia, you, someone below me, dares to question the capacity of my abilities and of my powerful golems?” the vampire asked. “Yuments are valid, but your attitude is what’s a bit siing. Would it not be too troublesome for you to treat me with more respect? I have been helping this Empire for thousands of years, dare I say. And I have been a greater asset than everyone else here bined. Your majesty, don’t you think so as well?”

  “Hahh…” the Emperhed. “Women, stop bickering already. I am not in the mood to hear your tiresome discussions. However, Lucrecia is right; her idea is good, and I was thinking of doing something simir.”

  “B-but your majesty…” Hee sighed, feeling slightly betrayed, as Lucrecia smiled at her, viciously so.

  “Enough,” he said. “Lucrecia, Agreus, I’ll leave this task to you. Bring back Teressa’s family.”

  “Uood,” Lucrecia bowed. “It shall be done, your majesty.”

  “Yes, father,” Agreus lowered his head once more.

  “Now, all of you leave! I dislike when you all gather around my throhe Emperor was moody today, the big vampire family all went scurrying away, leaving him alone.

  He closed his eyes as he held his rge sword, which was incrusted into the flht in front of his throne. Although it seemed he wao take a nap, that wasn’t the case.

  He was expanding his Aura, and his Senses, all across the Capital, and then beyond, reag the skies and pierg the bubble that protected the entire Realm from outside.

  There was something here, something in this Realm, threatening it beyond anybody else’s prehension.

  The Dungeon Raid was merely the beginning, a little game at most.

  The real danger had yet to befall Obscuritas.

  Endless heat, red crystals, monstrous, demonic wails—an all-enpassiy beyond the os and the stars.

  Its monstrous, never-ending influence was expanding across the Realms, especially Obscuritas, which had take i.

  “This presence…!”

  The deep darkness he was trying to go, the abyss itself he was trying to prehend... It suddenly opened tless eyes, gng back at him.

  “Ugh?!”

  For a sed, the Emperor felt like his entire body was burning endlessly; his flesh melted, his bones were calated into ashes, and even his soul was eaten away and exploded.

  “Agh…!”

  His eyes opened again, and as he gasped for air, he felt an intense pain in his chest, yet that pain dissipated instantly, as if it had never been there.

  “That thing…!” he muttered. “Why have the Gods said nothing about it?! That entity might threatehing we know…”

  The Emperor stood up and then walked downstairs across his imperial castle, being revered and greeted by hundreds of servants and family members. He swiftly made his way towards the church of the Seven Evil Gods of Obscuritas.

  Other people paid respect to it, never daring to enter without permission. Because it was a sacred pce where all seven of them were worshiped at the same time, it could be said to be a locatioheir alliance was made.

  BAAAM!

  He smmed the stone doors open without any respect as the Emperor’s immeall figure of over three meters stepped inside. His tremendous aura makes most of the people w inside pass out instantly.

  As he walked, surrounding him were the seven statues of the seven evil gods, and standing at the end of the rge temple, there was someo couldn’t be identified if they were exactly a man or a woman—with an androgynous appearance.

  They had long bck hair that ended in red spots, seven eyes, eae of a different color, Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, White, Bck, and Purple, and three pairs of golden hrowing upwards across their head down into their necks.

  Their skin was of a fair white color, but it was covered in several areas with dark purple, red, and bck scales, as well as silver-colored fur ed around their fair ned hips, with four arms and a long scorpion-like tail of bck color. Ending on a crimsohe entity gred at the Emperor, smiling and showing their sharp teeth.

  They wore silver, bck, and red colored robes over their bodies, but showed most of their bare skin as their dress was made into particurly sexy designs, lustful and sinful; it wasn’t a church of goodness and holiness after all, but ohat worshiped the sins themselves given form, the Evil Gods.

  “Aaah~! My dear Emperor!” They greeted the Emperor. “What is the meaning of this wonderful visit? I’ve been just thinking about you!”

  They walked towards the Emperor, caressing their chests and gng into his soul with their seven colorful eyes.

  “Have you e to embrace me once more~?” They giggled, and their voice was just as androgynous. “The Evil Gods seem rather worried you’ve not been taking good care of me, you see.”

  “Enough; you know why I am here, Paimon,” the Emperor’s crimson eyes said. “You too… As the Archbishop of the Seven Evil Gods Church, you must have already learned what happened in Elderbridge, right? And what is ing from the skies? Why have you not told me a sihing?!”

  “Hm? Oh my, did you just find out today? Gyahahaha!” giggled Paimon; their ughter was demonid wailing, making the entire church tremble. “Well… Ihe Evil Gods have been oddly silent about it. I am not so sure what they must be pnning, but well, they’re Gods. We mortals ’t truly hope to prehend them, they’re higher beings.”

  “I’ve sin a god before,” the Emperor said.

  “The A Progenitor of Vampires, us, who had attained a power simir to the gods, does not t, my dear~!” The Archbishop giggled. “Ohing is to attai power; the other is to asd and reach a higher pne of existehough, if I were you, I wouldn’t have e here asking for answers. The Evil Gods embody Sins, they’re not beings that prioritize the safety of our Realm either. And they would only act if it was within their is. So, tell me, what do you have to offer them for their prote? For their help? They’re very ied in you; they want you.”

  “I am not going to give myself away to those things,” the Emperor said. “If yoing to act like this, then I will simply give you an order, Paimon. Gather the churd quickly begin an iigation of every Dungeon within the nearby cities. Increase the security surrounding them by using your dark padins if necessary. We ’t risk taking another ued Raid.”

  “Hmm~ I suppose I do that, yes.” Paimon giggled, then touched the Emperor’s , which had a short silvery-white beard. They licked their lips. “But what I get in exge, my dear? I need something. We don’t work for free.”

  “How about maintaining your chur my Empire and not having to cut down all the wealth you accumute every year?” asked the Emperor. “I have given you too much, I would say; asking for more would only be foolish.”

  “Hahhh~ You’re no fun!” Paimon pined, suddenly ag like a childish girl. “Oh well, fine... I do owe you quite a lot, heheh~ However!”

  “What now?” The Emperroaned. “Hm?!”

  Suddenly, Paimon had appeared behind him, sitting over his shoulders and ing their tail around his neck. Then, he licked his face gently.

  “I want you… e to me tonight.”

  “…”

  The Emperhed, grabbing the demon by their tail, and throwing them into the ground.

  “Do you think you have the position to ask the Emperor for sexual gratification, you demon?!” he roared, suddenly grabbing Paimon.

  The demon moaned in pleasure as the Demoed them badly.

  “Ahh~! Yes! I ’t get enough of that anger… of that wrath, of that power!” Paimon said. “I LOVE IT!”

  “Tch…”

  The Emperor felt slightly disgusted, sighing, and then leaving Paimon behind.

  “Do as I say! And if you do it well, then you might earn yourself a reward for your efforts.”

  “Oh my, are you yourself as the reward then~? Fufufu, then Demon King Paimon will do their very best~!”

  “Hahhh…”

  The Emperhed as he walked away, looking at the three moons.

  The Church of the Three Moons, ohat greatly opposed the Church of the Seven Evil Gods.

  To be on good terms with these gods and Paimon, he had to exile them from the capital, but now he wishes he could have thhteous people by his side.

  Although they were much weaker pared to the Seven Evil Gods Church, at least they weren’t led by an uable lunatic.

  “Vd… I do wonder what stance you will take in this world now that you’ve shown us what you truly do, my son…”

  He smiled lightly as he walked away.

  “I am looking forward to seeing what you’re capable of… Vd, the son of the only woman I ever truly loved.”

  -----

  Pach