Magnus and Niall slipped out of the brothel and left the red light district early, careful not to be seen as they left through the window. If anyone had looked up, all they'd see were two blurred shapes moving quickly against the sky.
From there, they traveled by rooftop, their footsteps almost silent as they ran and leaped from building to building, crossing entire streets in moments.
"This is the direction of the Upper City," Magnus murmured to himself, using his mental map and their current path to figure out where the Hierarchs might have gathered.
After landing on another rooftop and springing off toward the city center, Magnus glanced at Niall beside him.
"Have you ever been summoned to this part of the city by a Hierarch before?"
Niall shook his head, a hint of tension in his face.
"No, my Lord. I've been to the Upper City plenty of times, but never to where I'm sensing the Hierarchs now." His voice made it clear that something about this bothered him. One Hierarch was one thing—he'd seen Magnus handle them easily—but four in one place, especially with all those vampires gathering, was unsettling. Something was off, he just couldn't tell if that feeling was because of their power, or something instinctive from being one of their lesser.
In any case pushed the feeling aside as they neared their destination.
Magnus landed first, briefly activating [Self Body Puppetry] to cancel out his momentum as soon as he touched down. The nights in Arlcliff City were usually quiet, and in the Upper City, it was even more so; people here rarely wandered about after dark.
When Niall landed beside him, Magnus scanned the empty street. The nearby mansions looked empty, and the one directly ahead seemed the most deserted of all. Grand as it was, it blended into the shadows, surrounded by stone walls set with luminous crystals. Most windows were covered by thick curtains, and there was no sign of life anywhere. Still, Magnus knew better than to trust appearances. He looked at Niall, who nodded in confirmation—this was the place.
Magnus gave a thoughtful hum.
"Well, I suppose since it's so empty out here, there's no harm in letting 'him' take over." Closing his eyes, he drew in a deep breath and pictured the structure of his own brain. In his mind, he began rewiring—shutting down areas tied to fear, aggression, even disgust, while boosting the circuits that kept dopamine flowing. It took care and precision to avoid frying anything important, but with all the improvements Magnus had made to himself, it only took a moment.
When he opened his eyes again, the wariness was gone, replaced by a sharp, eager spark.
"Ah, that's much better." He stretched a little, then fixed his gaze on the mansion ahead. Without another thought, he strode through the open gate, heading straight down the path through the grass to the mansion's entrance.
As he went, Magnus tossed a question over his shoulder.
"Niall, how much do you want to bet we'll get ambushed the second we step through that front door?"
Niall blinked, thrown off by the sudden question.
"Huh?"
Magnus didn't explain, just shot him a wide grin as he climbed the short steps and stopped at the door. For a second, it looked like he might knock.
Inside the mansion, the foyer was pitch black. Hidden in the darkness, figures shifted and waited.
Just as Magnus had guessed, dozens of vampires were stationed throughout the entry hall. Some clung to the shadows near the ceiling, others crouched behind statues or deep recesses. The darkness didn't dull their other senses—they could hear the footsteps outside, and they all knew Magnus had stopped just in front of the door.
Orders had been simple: attack anyone who sets foot inside, no matter who they are.
The situation in Arlcliff City was tense. The killings of Hierarchs had rattled every vampire in the city, even more than when the Nocturne had been destroyed. Some had even thought about fleeing, but the remaining Hierarchs made it clear—any deserters would be hunted down and killed. They had no choice: either face the human coming after them or risk the wrath of the Hierarchs.
But with so many gathered here, surely they had a chance, right?
Maybe the stories about the Nocturne were blown out of proportion. How could one human wipe out that many vampires with two Hierarchs present? He must have had help or set things up in advance. That was the only thing that made sense—or at least, it was what they told themselves to keep from breaking and running.
Truthfully, they weren't wrong. Magnus had made careful preparations when he attacked the Nocturne, which made everything easier. But tonight, he hadn't done the same.
A few vampires hiding in the shadows wondered if he'd really try to take them all head-on.
They didn't have to wonder long.
Outside, Magnus moved. The front doors exploded off their hinges, light spilling into the dark foyer. The heavy doors crashed up the staircase to the second floor, shattering as they went. Every vampire in the shadows tensed, senses on high alert. Their strategy wasn't complicated—the only advantage they had was their numbers; if their opponent could kill a Hierarch, anything else was pointless.
The plan was simple: as soon as their target showed himself, everyone would attack at once.
A wave of tension swept through the room as dozens of eyes fixed on the open entrance, everyone ready to spring at the first sign of movement.
But what flew into the foyer wasn't a person—it was a condensed sphere of swirling white and black. It shot in so quickly that none of the vampires had time to react, let alone stop the spell from going off. Suddenly, the sphere expanded, unleashing a blinding light in every direction. The brightness was so intense that every shadow vanished, leaving all the vampires completely exposed as light flooded the foyer and even spilled out the open doorway, lighting up the outside of the mansion.
"Agh, magic!" One of the vampires shouted, throwing up their arms to shield their eyes.
Vampires didn't have a sixth sense like knights did. They had their own ways of sensing and communicating with each other, but mostly, they relied on natural senses that were far sharper than any human's—perfect for high-speed fighting. But with this much light, those same senses turned against them. The brightness was even worse for them than for a regular person, leaving them momentarily helpless.
Because they were too busy turning away or scrambling for cover, none of them noticed that only the white parts of the sphere were glowing. The swirling black mixed in with the white started to shift and bulge, then shot out in all directions like spears. The black mana began to change, turning into a darkness that gave off no light, only flickers of mana, like ghostly flames.
These were Magnus's Abyssal Flames, a magic he'd created just for fighting vampires.
The black protrusions lashed out and pierced every vampire they touched, thin and sharp like streams of black fire, setting their victims ablaze the instant they made contact.
As the light faded, the foyer filled with a chorus of screams. It was the first time any of them had faced Abyssal Flames, and they found out right away that the flames couldn't be snuffed out or negated like the usual magic they were used to. Vampires who'd been hiding on the ceiling crashed to the ground, while those who'd been crouched in the shadows writhed and thrashed, desperate to put out the flames that were eating them alive. They tried to shift between shadow and solid form to shake the flames, but the more the dark embers danced through the air, the worse things got.
Soon, the flames began eating away at the building itself, devouring everything from the wooden floor to the fancy paintings on the walls. Even the heavy curtains started burning up, and the foyer was suddenly brighter than ever.
In the midst of it all, Magnus walked through the open doorway, framed by the faint light of the stars and the moon behind him. He took in the chaos of the burning foyer, watching vampires squirm and struggle across the floor.
"You know, for a bunch of immortals who've lived for centuries, you're really not much for strategy," Magnus remarked, hands resting at his sides. He glanced back to see Niall stepping inside, carefully picking his way past the snapping abyssal embers and the growing flames.
After a second, Magnus just shrugged.
"Though, I guess I can't blame you. Most mages and knights probably don't even know you exist, so you hardly ever get to fight for real. And if you're all immortal, there's not much point in fighting each other, is there? I suppose centuries of life don't add up to much actual combat experience."
"I guess that means it's up to you to break the cycle, Niall." The sudden mention caught Niall off guard, and he stared at Magnus in confusion.
"What do you mean, my Lord?"
Magnus's eyes glinted.
"Well, you've almost finished adapting to all that energy you absorbed from the Hierarchs, haven't you?"
"Yes, I have," Niall confirmed with a nod.
Magnus smiled, pleased.
"Good. Then it's time to put you to work. After taking in so many Hierarchs, I doubt devouring regular Nightborn will make much difference now—it's like adding drops to a barrel that's already full. Still, no offense, but I don't think you'll be much help against the Hierarchs themselves. So, while I handle them, I want you to take care of the rest." It was the first real order Magnus had given Niall, aside from telling him to hunt down Hierarchs and absorb them after a fight. Niall hesitated only for a moment, then lowered his head.
"Of course, my Lord. You can count on me."
Magnus chuckled, rolling his neck.
"Glad to see you're motivated."
He glanced up.
"Now then, which floor are the Hierarchs on?"
Niall closed his eyes, focusing on what he'd sensed earlier.
"I believe they're on the second floor, at the far end of the mansion."
"So, right above us." Magnus looked up, his eyes tracking where his body started to float upward. He extended a finger, tracing a circle in the air. A beam of mana shot from his fingertip, slicing clean through the ceiling. The cut section was blasted away by the force of the spell, leaving a perfect hole to the second floor.
Magnus began to float upward, pausing to glance down at Niall. His smile stayed, but his gaze turned razor-sharp.
"Don't let a single one of them escape, Niall. Not a single one, understand?"
A chill ran down Niall's spine as he nodded.
"Yes, my Lord."
Magnus's expression softened again, and he vanished through the hole.
Now alone, Niall turned his attention back to the burning vampires around him. The Abyssal Flames weren't something any Nightborn could put out. They would keep burning, along with the mansion, until nothing was left—just as Magnus had intended.
I'll need to keep an eye on the perimeter. Once he starts fighting the Hierarchs, this whole place will become their battlefield, and the others will definitely try to escape.
With that, Niall's body melted away into shadow, gliding swiftly and silently across the ground.
Meanwhile, on the second floor, Magnus strolled through the hallways, whistling to himself. Along the way, he bumped into a few vampires who hadn't joined the ambush downstairs, but none of them were any trouble for him.
"He said the opposite end of the mansion, so... it should be around here somewhere," Magnus muttered, scanning the halls as he walked. After a few more minutes, he nearly walked right past the end of a crossing hallway, only stopping when he noticed a pair of doors—double doors, unlike all the single ones he'd seen so far.
"Huh." Magnus tilted his head at them.
"Yeah, that definitely feels like a boss room." Spinning on his heel, he changed direction and headed straight for the double doors. When he reached them, he paused, thinking for a moment about how to go in.
In the end, he just opened one of the doors normally and peeked inside. The room was much brighter than the rest of the mansion. It looked like a music room, and the air carried a smell Magnus recognized immediately—old, dried, but definitely blood.
He glanced around until his eyes landed on five figures. Four of them were kneeling on the ground, heads bowed low. They were lined up in front of a wide couch, where the fifth person lounged, hands folded over his crossed legs. The moment the door clicked open, everyone in the room turned. The man on the couch looked up, curiosity flickering in his eyes as he studied Magnus.
The four kneeling vampires seemed startled and started to rise, but the man on the couch spoke before they could move.
"I didn't say you four could stand." His voice was calm, not even stern, but the four froze instantly and settled back into their places.
"Okay... I feel like I just walked into something that needs some context," Magnus remarked, stepping fully inside and shutting the door behind him. The heavy door thudded shut, echoing through the music room.
The man on the couch tilted his head, dark eyes taking in Magnus's appearance, lingering for a second on his hair.
"An elf? But I thought... no, not an elf. Strangely human. Ah, now I understand. I was wondering about all that noise earlier. You must be Magnus. I have to admit, you don't look quite how I imagined."
Magnus lifted both eyebrows. Unlike his usual self, he found it funny how often people mistook him for an elf.
"Oh, you know who I am? In that case... judging by their eyes, the four kneeling in front of you are the Hierarchs I've been tracking down. And if they're kneeling to you, then you must be the Lord that Austra served—the Umbrarch. Is that right?"
Heiman chuckled, nodding as he stood up from the couch.
"That's right. I'm Heiman Valethar d'Umbraxis. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Magnus. I've heard plenty, and I've been curious to see the human who's been taking my operation apart piece by piece."
Magnus just shrugged, answering with an easy tone, "Eh, I'm nothing special. Once I got strong enough to fight them head-on, your Hierarchs started fumbling around quite a bit."
One of the Hierarchs kneeling in front of Heiman clenched his teeth at that, turning as if he wanted to say something, but Heiman's eyes suddenly locked on him. In an instant, Heiman's gaze shifted from flat black to a vivid red—something Magnus had never seen in a vampire before. The Hierarch froze, trembling, and quickly snapped back into place without a word.
Heiman's eyes faded back to normal. He sighed.
"I'm afraid I have to agree with you. I ordered them to kill you and clean up this mess, but all they did was get themselves killed. And these four... believe it or not, they showed up to beg for their lives and asked me to deal with you. Can you imagine that? They're so useless, it's almost unbelievable."
Magnus gave him a playful grin.
"Sounds like you need better help. You should find someone like Niall—he's a vampire I picked up. Smarter than most I've come across."
"Oh, don't worry. I'll be making replacements soon enough. But actually... would you be interested in joining me?" The question came so suddenly that the Hierarchs almost flinched, but Heiman just barely moved, and they instantly stilled.
"Me?" Magnus pointed at himself.
"That's right. You're clearly sharp, for a human, and strong, too. I'm especially interested in whatever ability lets you kill us so easily. I can offer you a rank higher than any of these four. Even immortality, if you want it. Not a bad deal, wouldn't you say?"
Magnus stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"Oh, wow, you're actually serious?"
Magnus rubbed the back of his neck, his laughter fading back into a smirk.
"See, I've already made up my mind to wipe out every last one of you. Well, except for Niall—I hate going back on my word. Besides, with the source of the infestation and a possible Nightshade executive standing right in front of me, working with you would just be a waste of time."
At that, a look of disappointment crossed Heiman's face, and he let out a short huff.
"Oh, really? That's a shame." He waved his hand, and the Hierarchs responded instantly—two moving to the left side of the room, the other two to the right.
Magnus watched them for a second, but Heiman raised a hand.
"No need to worry about them. I just don't want them getting in the way."
Magnus nodded, glancing back at Heiman.
"Oh, well, that's convenient."
In the very next instant, Magnus vanished from where he stood. The aftershock of his movement blasted through the music room, sending the furniture flying. Suddenly, he appeared right behind Heiman, fist primed for a punch. As his fist shot forward, Heiman's eyes shifted to that bloody red again, his expression unreadable.
Alright, let's see what makes you so special that even an Archmage is willing to personally protect you.