Chapter 231: The Varga Clan

Chapter 231: Chapter 231: The Varga Clan

Seven months passed.

Lena visited regularly — appearing on the beach every few weeks. She couldn’t stay long. The Church of Dawn kept her on a short leash. Seraphine D’Arc controlled her schedule, her training, her movements. Lucian hated it. His little sister was safe — but she wasn’t free.

But she was alive. And for now, that was enough.

The months blurred together. A montage of cultivation, combat, alchemy, and relentless progression.

Lucian’s alchemy advanced. Tier 3 pills — once a struggle — became routine. His success rate climbed. His Mental Power grew denser, more refined, allowing finer manipulation of essence fusion and flame control. With millions of credits in resources purchased from the system shop and rare herbs sourced through Knights of the Horizon channels, he pushed into Tier 4 alchemy. The first successful Tier 4 pill — a Grand Core Convergence Pill — took him three days and forty-seven failed attempts. But the forty-eighth was perfect. Ding. Blue-gold pill with 92% purity.

He refined more. Grand Core Breakthrough Pills. Mana Expansion Pills. Bloodline Tempering Pills. Each one pushed his companions closer to the next realm.

Ryan worked alongside Iris. The Vanguard Series-7 evolved into the Series-8. Better mobility, stronger armor and improved mana circuitry.

Lumina grew. The symbiotic plant beast advanced from Mid B-Rank to Late B-Rank. Its vines were thicker. Its mana capacity larger and its intelligence sharper. Ryan’s coordination with Lumina became seamless — ice and plant working in perfect tandem.

"Late B-Rank," Lucian noted during a training session. "That’s Tier 3 by standard classification."

Ryan tilted his head. "Tier 3?"

"Earth created its own ranking system," Lucian explained. "F to S. But that’s local. The standard system used outside Earth is tiered. Tier 0 covers F and E-Rank beasts. Tier 1 is D-Rank. Tier 2 is C-Rank. Tier 3 is B-Rank. Tier 4 is A-Rank. Tier 5 is S-Rank. Above that is Tier 6."

Ryan frowned. "Outside Earth? What do you mean outside Earth?"

Lucian waved his hand. "Just something I read in an ancient text. Don’t worry about it."

Ryan didn’t push. But Iris’s eyes lingered on Lucian for a moment longer.

Iris had been told the truth. Ryan told her — carefully, gradually about their bloodlines. Afterall, she was the woman he loved and Lucian permitted it.

Iris listened and accepted. Not because she didn’t fear vampires — she did. But because she trusted Ryan. And she had watched Lucian and his group fight, bleed, and nearly die to protect humans.

Rose trained relentlessly. Aegis Dominion allowed her to create, control, and redistribute defensive fields. She could concentrate an entire dome’s worth of protection into a single point. Genesis Vitality let her perceive, gather, and manipulate life energy itself — healing wounds, sensing living beings, and even accelerating cultivation. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

She practiced combining them.

Mickey expanded his arsenal. His Perfect Copy evolved — not just copying abilities but learning to switch between them with fluid efficiency. In combat, he cycled through four abilities simultaneously without pause.

Clara sharpened everything. Lunar Authority and Gravity Manipulation became extensions of her will. Her Lunar Sovereign Form grew more refined. She developed new techniques.

Everyone advanced. Rose, Ryan, and Mickey reached Mid Grand Core. Clara and Lucian reached Late Grand Core. The gap between them and the peak was closing.

The system awakened.

After months of dormancy — slumbering since Lucian’s resurrection — it flickered back to life. Ding. The white floating figure materialized beside him.

"Welcome back," Lucian said.

The system yawned. "That was a long nap. Don’t do that again. I still feel drained."

The inner training space reopened. Time dilation — five times faster than the real world. One hour outside equaled five hours inside. No mana cultivation was possible inside, but skill training, comprehension, and physical conditioning worked perfectly.

Lucian spent weeks inside. Refining sword techniques. Meditating on his Star Palaces. Practicing alchemy without wasting real-world materials. The advantage was immeasurable.

Nice, France. The villa.

Morning. Lucian sat alone in the living room. A cup of tea rested on the table beside him.

The three Apep siblings knelt before him. Apophis. Heket. Renenet. Their postures were respectful.

"We’ve been trying to track the Khamsins like you ordered," Apophis said. "But It’s been... difficult."

"Why?" Lucian sipped his tea.

Heket answered. "Their former base was in Egypt. In the deep desert. But after you destroyed the Apeps, they vanished and abandoned their stronghold."

Lucian set his tea down. Clink. "Where are they now?"

Heket hesitated. She glanced at Apophis. He nodded.

"They relocated to Eastern Europe," Heket said. "Specifically... the ruins of Sighi?oara. In Romania."

Lucian’s lips curved. A thin, cold smile. "The ruins. The perfect place to hide. Full of dark mana and dead zones that block scrying and even very difficult for even the Knights."

"There’s more," Apophis said. His voice was hesitant. "Sighi?oara isn’t just ruins. It’s territory."

"Whose territory?"

Apophis swallowed. "The Varga Clan."

THRUUM.

Lucian’s aura erupted. Predator’s Aura flared from his body like a shockwave. BOOM. The tea cup cracked. Crack. The table groaned. Creak. The three Apep siblings were driven to their knees — their bodies pressing against the floor. Thud. Thud. Thud. The blood bond resonated with his fury, amplifying the pressure tenfold.

Rose burst from the kitchen. "Lucian! What’s it?"

Lucian’s crimson eyes were blazing. His silver hair lifted slightly. The air around him was dense and suffocating. Thrum.

He retracted his aura. Fwooooosh. The pressure vanished and the siblings immediately gasped.

"It’s nothing," Lucian said. His voice was calm.

Rose studied him. Her green eyes searched his face but she didn’t push. She turned and walked back to the kitchen.

The Varga Clan.

Lucian’s hands trembled. Not from fear. From rage so deep it shook his bones.

This was the clan that destroyed his new family. The clan that murdered his mother and father — Lena’s parents back in Hollow Creek Village in France. He could still hear the screams. Still smell the blood. Still see the vampire standing over their drained bodies, calling the name.

Master Varga.

That name was seared into his soul.

Heket’s voice was small. "Are you—"

"How strong is the Varga Clan?" Lucian asked. His voice was ice cold.