Chapter 409: Domain

The TMC leader crushed his cigar into the crystal ashtray and leaned back in his leather chair, locking his eyes on the young man.

"Anything else you’d like to ask?" said the leader. "Usually, securing an audience with our Guardian requires points, but we made an exception since I have something to negotiate with you."

Alexander took a breath, holding the leader’s gaze before facing the holographic projection.

"Just one more question," said Alexander. "Tell me, All-Seeing Eye, what skills do I possess?"

"You are aware, are you not?" replied the AI in a flat voice. "I have monitored your moves using your phone, so I understand you possess a copying ability capable of cloning any skill from the women you sleep with, and that you can slay beasts, humans, and other races to acquire their skills. You are a more advanced version than Stephen."

The revelation fell like ice across the room. Alexander didn’t hold back; he unleashed the might of the night at once. In his clash against Big Black, his power had been suppressed by the sunlight—fortunately, the minotaur form of his foe was equally weakened. But now it was midnight. Darkness enveloped him, snuffing out the ambient light of the room and leaving his red eyes glowing with intent.

"Easy, kid," said the leader. "If I wanted you dead, I could deal with you now. You have infinite potential, but potential means nothing unless you survive long enough to reach it. Your destructive output is high, I admit, but do you know what separates a Platinum Rank from a Gold Rank?"

Alexander didn’t answer, keeping his guard up from the gloom.

"It’s called Domain," said the TMC leader.

The man extended his right hand. In a fraction of a second, the darkness surrounding Alexander was bound and crushed, stripping him of his ability to draw breath due to the spatial compression around him.

"This is why I can afford to stand against the Federation," continued the leader in a measured tone. "If they tried to face me, it would result in mutual destruction. Even Stephen holds the power to collapse a government single-handedly."

Telekinesis? No, this is something else... thought Alexander.

Despite not grasping the exact nature of that pressure, he forced himself to calm down. The compression was suffocating, but for his body, that wasn’t enough to bring him down. Furthermore, thanks to [Adaptive Body], his pores began absorbing oxygen directly from the surrounding air, feeding his bloodstream and keeping him conscious.

Alexander cracked a smile and stared straight at the man.

"Is this the best you’ve got?" said Alexander.

"Well now," said the leader, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "You are more special than you look. I suppose you won’t show me respect until you witness my true power. How about it, Stephen? You don’t mind if I give your disciple a sparring session, right?"

"Do whatever you want," said Stephen from the sofa, crossing his arms.

"Alright. Follow me, rookie, I don’t want us wrecking my building," said the leader.

The three stepped into a private elevator. The heavy blast doors slid shut, and the cab plunged downward at speed. The descent dragged on for ten minutes before coming to a stop.

As they stepped out, a wave of heat slammed into them.

"This facility is located thousands of kilometers underground and is reinforced with an alloy retrieved from that planet, Vulcan," explained the leader, taking off his suit jacket. "Before you ask, yes, Vulcan is my personal domain, which is why I can bring material from there without hassle. Feel free to come at me with everything you’ve got; don’t hold back."

Alexander didn’t hesitate. He unleashed the full form of [Vampiric Emperor Lvl 1]: two dark wings erupted from his back, his fangs lengthened to graze his lower lip, and his hands transformed into bone claws.

"[Shadow Vampire Summon Lvl 1]!" roared Alexander.

"[Storm Steel Claws Lvl 1]!" added Alexander immediately after.

A tide of shadowy summons surged from the glowing floor, driving spears of darkness toward the leader’s torso. Right after, Alexander cut through the air, delivering a claw swipe charged with cutting energy. However, neither the shadows nor his claws managed to touch him; the attacks ground to a halt, stopped by an invisible wall millimeters from his skin.

Alexander spun mid-air, tightened his fist, and drove a strike with his shadow-draped claw toward the man’s face. The shockwave echoed through the underground chamber, yet once again it stopped inches from the leader’s nose.

"Is that all?" asked the leader in a bored tone.

Alexander gritted his teeth and lunged once more, but before he could connect a strike, his entire body was suspended mid-air, immobilized.

"Too easy," said the leader.

Alexander felt the air around him compress, trapping him inside an invisible vice.

"They say vampires possess great healing, so I suppose I’ll make you suffer a bit," said the boss.

The leader extended his hand and slowly began closing his palm. Alexander’s body cracked; the crushing pressure snapped his ribs, sending fractured bones tearing through his skin and turning his torso into a mess. His regeneration attempted to halt the damage, and [Adaptive Body] began crafting extra joints and secondary bone layers in an attempt to counter the external force.

"He does the same thing you used to do when I met you, Stephen, how sweet," said the leader with a smile. "Well, I’ll squeeze you like a fruit."

He snapped his hand shut, and Alexander’s body exploded into a mass that slammed against the alloy floor. However, before the remains hit the ground, [Divine Regeneration Lvl 1] flared at capacity, reconstructing flesh, muscle, and bone at speed.

"Oh... I see vampire healing is no joke," said the leader, raising his eyebrows in interest. "That is a fine skill."

Alexander got back to his feet awkwardly, wiping a stream of blood from his chin with the back of his hand. The wings of his [Vampire Emperor] form folded back slightly as the skin on his chest finished knitting itself back together in plain view.

"Yours isn’t too bad either..." Alexander said, gasping heavily as he locked his crimson eyes onto the leader.