Chapter 232: Isolation

Chapter 232: Chapter 232: Isolation

Apophis raised his head. His crimson eyes met Lucian’s.

"They have more than two Astral Realm cultivators," Apophis said. "We don’t know the exact number. Our father never met their leadership directly. But the Apep clan’s intelligence placed them at a minimum of three Astral Realm elders."

Lucian’s expression didn’t change.

"Among the vampire clans on Earth," Apophis continued, "there are three that stand above all others. The Varga Clan, located at the Eastern Europe ruins. The Dravens, based in Asia. And the Darkblood, located in South America."

Heket nodded. "These three are the oldest. The most powerful. Every other vampire family on Earth — the Du Mauriers, the Khamsins, the Apeps — they’re all subordinate clans. Branch families. Lesser houses."

"I see," Lucian said quietly. "So all three of them are clans far more powerful than the Du Mauriers."

"Yes," Heket confirmed. "The Du Mauriers are powerful by human standards. But compared to the Varga, the Dravens, or the Darkblood? They’re insects."

Lucian absorbed the information.

Lucian stood. Tap. His crimson eyes swept across the three siblings.

"Prepare. We’re going to isolate and wipe out the Khamsins."

Apophis’s eyes widened. "The Khamsins are under Varga protection now. If we attack—"

"I don’t care whose protection they’re under," Lucian said. His voice was ice. "They tried to sacrifice me to awaken the Dark King. They will die."

The siblings exchanged glances. They didn’t argue.

They left to prepare.

The system flickered. Ding.

[System Quest: Destroy the Khamsin Family]

[Reward: Bloodline Shop unlocked, 70,000 SC, Bloodline Seal -2%, Blood Art: Blood Puppetry]

Lucian dismissed the notification. Bloodline Shop. That was new. Something he hadn’t seen before.

A day later. The villa.

The villa in Nice was bustling. Lucian had called everyone back. Clara and Rose returned from their cultivation session. Mickey walked in from the beach, wiping sand from his pants. Ryan and Iris arrived from the research district in London, carrying luggage filled with blueprints and mana crystals.

Arthur Chevalier was absent. He had returned to Paris to support the Chevalier family. As the heir, his responsibilities to the human political world couldn’t be ignored.

Heket, Apophis, and Renenet sat in the corner.

Lucian stood at the head of the dining table.

"We’re moving against the Khamsins," Lucian announced.

"The Khamsins relocated to Sighi?oara, Romania," Lucian began. "The ruins of the old city."

He looked at each person. "This is not a Knights operation. We don’t have their support. If things go wrong, no one is coming to save us. Understand?"

Nods.

"If the knights go will us, they will only hold us back and stop us from going all out. Now if anyone, I mean anyone, wants to back down now, I ain’t stopping you."

Lucian smiled seeing no one wanted to leave.

"Clara, Mickey, and I will breach the interior. We find the patriarch, Tariq. He dies." Lucian’s eyes swept the room. "Ryan, Iris, you stay on support. Ryan, your Series-8 suit and Lumina are our crowd control. If anyone gets injured, Rose, that’s on you."

Ryan gave a thumbs up. Rose nodded firmly.

"Apophis — you’ll handle their ground-level fighters. Heket and Renenet — support Rose."

"We leave in an hour," Lucian said.

Location: Sighi?oara, Romania. Eastern Europe.

The group arrived in three vehicles after a flight here. The road was rough — cracked asphalt, overgrown weeds, abandoned buildings on either side. The ruins stretched across the hillside — ancient stone walls covered in moss, collapsed towers, and cobblestone streets shattered by centuries of neglect. Dark mana hung thick in the air, creating a natural dead zone.

The group arrived under the cover of night. They parked their vehicles two kilometers out and approached on foot.

Lucian, Mickey, and Rose took point, moving through the ruined streets toward the Khamsin mansion. It sat at the center of the ruins — a massive, restored medieval estate with stone walls, dark windows, and glowing mana barriers. It looked ancient but impeccably maintained. The surrounding streets were surprisingly active. People walked the cobblestones. Market stalls sold food and artifacts. Humans and vampires mingled in the shadows.

Rose’s eyes widened. "Lucian, there are a lot of civilians around here."

Lucian didn’t slow his pace. "Then it’s up to you to protect them if you want."

Rose stopped. The coldness in his voice sent a chill down her spine. He didn’t care about the collateral. He only cared about the mission. She opened her mouth to argue— "Lucian—"

But Lucian was already gone. Flick. He reappeared at the mansion gate. Rose hurried after him and Mickey followed.

Beyond it, the mansion’s courtyard was visible. Figures moved inside and crimson eyes glinted in the shadows.

An old man appeared at the gate side. He looked to be in his late sixties — silver hair, weathered face, calm eyes. He wore simple dark robes.

He looked at Lucian as he studied him. "What do you want, young man?"

Lucian smiled. "Just came to visit some old friends. Surely, you wouldn’t deny me that right."

The old man’s expression didn’t change. "I’m afraid there’s no one here except this old man."

Lucian’s smile widened. "Old man, stop kidding me. I can literally sense at least more than forty vampires in that fucking mansion of yours."

The old man sighed. Exhale. His shoulders dropped slightly. "Young man, you ain’t making this easy for me."

"Oh, right." Lucian’s smirk widened.

The old man’s aura exploded. BOOOOM! Peak Grand Core Realm. The iron gate rattled. Rattle. The cobblestones cracked beneath his feet. CRACK. His calm eyes turned sharp as his fangs extended.

Lucian’s aura blazed. THRUUM! Late Grand Core.

The old man’s eyes flickered.

"Young man," the old man said carefully. "I’m sure your aura is too weak for you to be capable of destroying the Apeps. Why don’t you call your little friends?"

Lucian tilted his head. "You’ll be surprised by what I’m truly capable of. But too bad — I’m not your opponent."

"Apophis."

SSSSS.

A shadow erupted from the ground behind Lucian. Apophis materialized — Peak Grand Core aura blazing. His Shadow Serpent coiled around his arms. His crimson eyes locked onto the old man with cold familiarity.

"Mr Cain," Apophis said.

The old man’s eyes widened. "Apophis? You— you betrayed—"

Apophis attacked. BOOM! The gate disintegrated. CRASH! Stone and iron exploded outward. Shatter. Apophis’s shadow serpent launched toward the old man.

The old man reacted. Fire mana erupted from his palms. FWOOOM! A wall of flame met the shadow serpent. CRASH! The collision sent shockwaves across the street. BOOM. Windows shattered. Tink. Tink. Tink. Civilians screamed. Aaaah! They scattered.

Lucian reached into his shadow storage. The Absolute Isolation Monument appeared in his hand — a small black flag, unassuming, radiating dense spatial mana. Thrum.

He planted it.

FWOOOOOOM.

The flag pulsed. A dome of invisible energy expanded outward — five kilometers in every direction.

"The Absolute Isolation Monument," Lucian said. "Its dome blocks teleportation, spatial communication, and scrying. We have six hours. Jump into the formation before it closes!"

Rose breathed a sigh of relief as she felt the barrier settle. "At least the civilians outside won’t be harmed by the shockwaves of the fight."

Mickey, Clara, Ryan, Iris, Heket, and Renenet moved immediately. They leaped into the expanding dome’s radius just as the energy barrier solidified. Fwooooosh. The dome sealed. The outside world was cut off.

Multiple auras blazed from the mansion.

Crimson eyes appeared in every window. On every rooftop. In every doorway. Vampires — dozens of them — emerged. Their auras ranged from Core Realm to Grand Core.

The war for Sighi?oara had begun.