Free Web NovelChapter 269: Weakened Vampires
Silence lingered heavily throughout the arena.
The dark clouds above continued churning endlessly while countless distorted humanoid shadows moved slowly behind the darkness like predators observing prey from beyond the heavens.
No one relaxed.
Not anymore.
The surrounding race leaders remained tense while secretly preparing themselves for the possibility of battle at any moment.
Yet despite everything—
GrandLord Dreath still had not moved.
That fact continued bothering everyone more and more.
Because the GrandLord Dreath they knew—
Was not cautious.
Not patient.
Certainly not passive.
Ancient stories described him as violent, prideful, overwhelming, and terrifyingly direct in battle.
A being who once crushed invading races personally simply because they annoyed him.
And yet now—
He floated there silently.
Watching.
Careful.
Almost restrained.
The longer it continued—
The stranger it became.
Finally, the giant werewolf Kael slowly crossed his massive arms while staring upward at the dark clouds.
Then his glowing wolf eyes shifted toward GrandLord Dreath.
"...You seem unusually calm."
GrandLord Dreath glanced toward him briefly.
"What’s your point?"
Kael grinned faintly.
But the grin lacked warmth.
"Those things above us are clearly hostile."
His voice became lower.
"So why haven’t you ripped them apart yet?"
The surrounding race leaders quietly listened.
Because Kael had asked what everyone was already wondering.
GrandLord Dreath remained silent briefly afterward.
Then he simply replied.
"I’m observing."
The answer immediately made several race leaders exchange glances.
Observing?
The dwarf forge king frowned deeply.
"That doesn’t sound like you."
Several others silently agreed internally.
Even Elder Achilor looked slightly awkward afterward.
Because honestly—
He understood their suspicion.
GrandLord Dreath normally would have exploded upward already.
Yet now—
He remained strangely cautious.
The ancient elf Sylvera slowly narrowed her emerald eyes.
"...You recognize those things?"
GrandLord Dreath’s expression did not change.
"No."
Another uncomfortable silence followed.
Kael’s wolf eyes sharpened slightly.
"You don’t recognize them..."
"...yet you still haven’t attacked."
The surrounding leaders gradually became increasingly wary now.
Not only toward the clouds.
Toward GrandLord Dreath himself.
Because something about his behavior felt wrong.
Very wrong.
The winged race leader suddenly spoke next.
"...Are they stronger than expected?"
GrandLord Dreath snorted lightly.
"Nothing here surpasses me."
That answer sounded confident.
But somehow—
It still failed to reassure everyone.
Because if that were truly the case—
Then why was he still waiting?
The dark clouds rumbled violently again overhead.
RUMBLE!!!
This time several of the humanoid shadows moved much closer to the cloud surface.
One silhouette slowly pressed against the darkness itself from inside the clouds, its distorted shape becoming more visible.
Long arms.
Too many joints.
Glowing pale eyes.
Several weaker race members shivered immediately afterward.
The atmosphere became increasingly oppressive.
Meanwhile—
The surrounding Ascendant leaders continued observing GrandLord Dreath carefully.
Because older existences like them noticed details younger beings would miss.
Small things.
Tiny hesitations.
Subtle caution in his blood mana circulation.
The way he continued measuring the sky instead of directly suppressing it.
And most importantly—
His aura fluctuated slightly.
Very slightly.
Ordinary beings would never notice.
But fellow Ascendants?
They noticed.
The dwarf king’s expression slowly changed.
"...Hold on..."
Kael’s wolf eyes narrowed further.
The ancient elf Sylvera became very quiet suddenly.
Then slowly—
Several race leaders exchanged increasingly strange glances.
Because a dangerous thought had begun forming in all their minds simultaneously.
Impossible.
Surely impossible.
Yet...
The clues continued piling up.
Kael finally spoke again.
This time more carefully.
"...GrandLord Dreath."
The ancient vampire glanced toward him.
Kael’s tone remained casual outwardly.
But probing underneath.
"You’ve been gone for a very long time."
GrandLord Dreath narrowed his eyes faintly.
"So?"
The giant werewolf slowly shrugged.
"Just curious."
His gaze lingered carefully on Dreath’s aura.
"...Were you injured somewhere?"
The surrounding leaders immediately became even quieter afterward.
Because now—
The probing had begun openly.
GrandLord Dreath’s expression darkened slightly.
"Watch your mouth, wolf."
Kael grinned again.
But this time the grin looked sharper.
"Relax."
He lifted both hands slightly.
"I’m only asking because this situation feels strange."
The dwarf king nodded afterward.
"...Very strange."
The ancient elf Sylvera slowly added calmly.
"A being of your temperament normally would not hesitate this long."
GrandLord Dreath’s eyes narrowed further now.
The pressure around him increased faintly afterward.
But instead of backing down—
The surrounding Ascendant leaders became even more suspicious.
Because that reaction—
Almost felt defensive.
The winged race leader suddenly asked casually.
"...How long has it been since you fought seriously?"
Silence followed immediately.
Lord Vord looked increasingly uncomfortable now.
Even Elder Achilor frowned slightly.
Because the questions were becoming dangerous.
Very dangerous.
The surrounding emperor-level beings also gradually noticed the tension shifting now.
Not just fear toward the clouds anymore.
But suspicion.
Toward GrandLord Dreath.
The ancient vampire’s expression slowly became uglier.
His blood mana pressure rose slightly again.
Yet somehow—
The surrounding Ascendant leaders looked less intimidated than earlier.
Because now—
A possibility had entered their minds.
And once such thoughts appeared—
They became difficult to suppress.
The dwarf king suddenly rubbed his flaming beard thoughtfully.
"...Now that I think about it..."
His eyes lingered on Dreath carefully.
"...your aura feels strange."
GrandLord Dreath’s gaze snapped toward him instantly.
The dwarf did not retreat.
Instead he continued slowly.
"Still overwhelming..."
"...but unstable."
Several nearby race leaders quietly stiffened.
Kael’s eyes widened faintly afterward.
Then slowly—
Understanding appeared across his face.
The ancient elf Sylvera became very quiet again.
The winged race leader narrowed his eyes sharply.
Meanwhile—
Lord Vord internally panicked slightly.
Because now things were becoming troublesome.
Very troublesome.
GrandLord Dreath’s earlier Ultimate Blood Magic against the reddened Moonshade family had indeed drained him heavily.
Extremely heavily.
Normally nobody here would dare question him openly.
But now—
With the strange invasion overhead—
And his unusual caution—
The Ascendant leaders had started connecting things together.
Kael slowly stared at GrandLord Dreath.
Then finally—
The giant werewolf spoke carefully.
"...Don’t tell us..."
The surrounding race leaders looked toward Dreath simultaneously now.
"...you’re weakened?"
The moment the words "you’re weakened" spread across the arena—
The atmosphere became dangerously strange.
Not openly hostile yet.
But no longer respectful either.
The surrounding Ascendant leaders continued staring carefully at GrandLord Dreath now, their earlier caution gradually mixing with curiosity and calculation.
Because if—
If—
The ancient vampire truly had weakened somehow...
Then the balance between races suddenly became very different.
GrandLord Dreath’s eyes darkened immediately.
The pressure around him surged violently afterward.
BOOM!!
The entire arena trembled beneath the overwhelming blood aura erupting from his body. Several weaker vampires immediately collapsed to one knee while blood barriers throughout the sky flickered intensely.
"Careful."
His voice became heavy.
Dangerously heavy.
The giant werewolf Kael grinned faintly despite the pressure crushing downward.
"Oh?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"Sensitive topic?"
The dwarf forge king frowned thoughtfully while staring at Dreath carefully.
"...Interesting..."
The ancient elf Sylvera remained silent.
But her emerald eyes continuously observed every fluctuation in Dreath’s blood mana.
Because now—
Everyone was paying attention to the details.
And the more they observed—
The stranger things felt.
GrandLord Dreath’s aura remained terrifying.
That much was undeniable.
Still overwhelming.
Still monstrous.
Still vastly beyond ordinary Ascendants.
Yet somehow—
It lacked stability.
Tiny fluctuations spread continuously throughout his blood mana circulation, especially whenever the dark clouds above rumbled again.
Almost like his energy reserves had not fully recovered.
The winged race leader suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"...You fought recently."
GrandLord Dreath did not answer.
That silence alone became answer enough.
Kael’s wolf grin widened slightly afterward.
"Hahaha..."
He slowly crossed his arms again.
"So that’s it."
Lord Vord immediately frowned.
"Enough."
But now—
The surrounding leaders had become interested.
Very interested.
Because if GrandLord Dreath truly fought recently hard enough to weaken himself—
Then what exactly happened here before they arrived?
The dwarf king suddenly glanced around the arena.
His burning beard flickered thoughtfully.
"...Wait."
His eyes slowly moved toward Elder Achilor next.
Then toward Lord Vord.
Then back toward Dreath.
Something clicked inside his mind.
"...Hold on."
The surrounding Ascendant leaders followed his gaze.
And suddenly—
Expressions slowly changed again.
Because now they noticed something else.
Not just Dreath.
Elder Achilor’s aura also fluctuated faintly.
Lord Vord too.
Not heavily.
Not obvious.
But there.
Tiny signs of exhaustion hidden beneath their powerful blood mana.
The ancient elf Sylvera narrowed her eyes further.
"...Your blood circulation is unstable too."
She looked directly at Elder Achilor.
The old vampire immediately frowned.
"It’s nothing."
Kael barked out a laugh.
"Hahaha! Nothing?"
His glowing wolf eyes sharpened.
"You’re terrible liars."
The surrounding race leaders gradually became more suspicious now.
Because one weakened ancient monster was one thing.
But all three?
At the same time?
Impossible to ignore.
The winged race leader slowly spoke next.
"...What happened before we arrived?"
Silence.
Lord Vord’s expression became awkward.
Elder Achilor looked irritated.
GrandLord Dreath’s face grew darker.
And that silence—
Only confirmed things further.
The dwarf king suddenly laughed loudly.
"...You actually fought something serious!"
Several nearby leaders stiffened faintly afterward.
Because honestly—
That possibility sounded absurd. ƒreewebɳovel.com
What kind of enemy could weaken GrandLord Dreath, Elder Achilor, and Lord Vord simultaneously inside vampire territory itself?
Kael’s wolf eyes narrowed upward toward the dark clouds again.
Then back toward the vampires.
"...Those things above..."
"...they aren’t related somehow, are they?"
Lord Vord immediately shook his head.
"No."
Too fast.
Kael noticed immediately.
So did everyone else.
The giant werewolf grinned wider afterward.
"Oh..."
"Now I’m even more curious."
The atmosphere throughout the arena had become extremely strange now.
The surrounding races still feared GrandLord Dreath deeply.
That had not changed.
But now—
That fear mixed with realization.
Realization that the legendary ancient vampire was not currently at full strength.
And if GrandLord Dreath weakened himself...
Then what exactly exhausted him?
Several emperor-level leaders from other races quietly exchanged glances now.
Even some vampires themselves looked increasingly nervous.
Because this situation was becoming dangerous politically.
Very dangerous.
The vampire race originally stood overwhelmingly dominant here.
But now—
Too many powerful races had gathered simultaneously.
And they all realized the vampire leadership had weakened somewhat.
The dark clouds overhead rumbled violently again.
RUMBLE!!!
Several humanoid shadows moved closer within the darkness.
One silhouette pressed partially through the cloud layer briefly before retreating again.
Its glowing pale eyes lingered downward toward the arena.
Watching.
The pressure descending from above intensified further afterward.
Yet strangely—
The surrounding Ascendant leaders no longer focused entirely on the sky.
Part of their attention remained fixed firmly on the vampires now.
The ancient elf Sylvera finally spoke calmly.
"...You exhausted yourselves before this invasion appeared."
Not question.
Statement.
Elder Achilor snorted irritably.
"So what if we did?"
Kael immediately barked out another laugh.
"Hahaha!"
He pointed upward toward the clouds.
"And now you can’t freely deal with THAT."
The dwarf king rubbed his beard thoughtfully.
"...Interesting timing."
The winged race leader slowly narrowed his eyes.
"...Very interesting timing."
Lord Vord internally cursed.
Because now the surrounding leaders were probing constantly.
Testing reactions.
Observing.
Calculating.
And the vampires could not openly explain the truth about the Moonshade family incident earlier.
Not completely.
Certainly not in front of all these races.
Meanwhile—
Cain silently watched everything unfold from near the Moonshade family.
His expression remained calm outwardly.
But internally—
He was beginning to realize the situation was becoming far more troublesome than expected.
Because the surrounding races were no longer simply worried about the clouds.
Now they were measuring the vampires themselves.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Especially if the invasion above truly escalated.
Then suddenly—
The dwarf king’s eyes widened slightly.
He slowly looked toward Elder Achilor again.
Then toward Lord Vord.
Then toward GrandLord Dreath.
And finally—
A grin spread across his face.
A very dangerous grin.
"Oooh..."
The surrounding Ascendant leaders slowly understood too.
And one by one—
Expressions changed.
Because now they all realized something together.
Not just GrandLord Dreath.
All three of the vampire leaders were weakened.
