Adhering to the "a leader should never explain things too clearly" principle, Lorien offered Evens and Michel some casual words of encouragement but didn't express many personal opinions.
By now, it had been over half an hour since he had witnessed the police raiding Sheldon's operations.
As night fell, a detective lay peacefully on the bed of a cheap apartment, Room 204—
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.
Lorien immediately removed the ring from his finger.
Meanwhile, back at Evens and Michel's location—
The crimson apparition that had been speaking to them vanished with a burst of silent energy, leaving only a lingering echo in the air.
Evens remained bowed for a long while before slowly straightening himself.
He turned to see Michel's face, which was now filled with a fervent devotion, his faith even more unshakable.
Then, Evens shifted his gaze toward the rain-soaked cityscape beyond the window—
The corners of his lips curled up.
"Our night has only just begun."
Apartment, Front Room
Evens had thoroughly investigated the previous owners of Benson's luxury apartment—
When reporting on Oathbound Cross' development earlier, he had also included this information.
Lorien reached to pull out a blank sheet of paper, but—
The moment he opened the drawer, he suddenly remembered—
It was filled with blood-drinking spiders.
"...Right."
For a brief second, he nearly forgot.
Instead, he opened a lower cabinet, retrieved a fresh sheet of paper, and spread it across his desk.
While he thought, he marked notes with his pen.
"The owner before Benson was Jonathan Will, a surgeon, currently residing in..."
"The owner before that was Goodrian Fallon, a professor at Miskatonic University..."
There wasn't enough information to draw any conclusions yet.
For now, all Lorien could do was document the names and backgrounds of these former owners.
Perhaps none of them were responsible for the silver ring's origin—
The ring could have been hidden there long before the house was ever sold or rented.
With this in mind, Lorien set the matter aside and turned his attention inward—
To his own body's changes.
New Ability: "Ghostly Echo"
A few days had passed since Benson ingested vampire blood, and now—
Lorien had finally received his feedback ability.
"Ghostly Echo"
A rare offensive skill, AOE-based, affecting the mind.
By vibrating his vocal cords, Lorien could emit a powerful soundwave, disrupting his targets' mental state and interrupting spellcasting.
Current Abilities Review
Since he couldn't test Ghostly Echo in a crowded apartment, Lorien instead reviewed his full list of abilities:
"Environmental Awareness" – Originally gained from No. 2 blood-drinking ants, allowing him to sense his surroundings at an extreme level. "Shadow Manipulation" – Gained from Jack Arnold, letting him control shadows for movement and attack."The Ripper's Grip" – Also from Jack Arnold, significantly enhancing his physical strength and hand-to-hand lethality."Flesh Regeneration" – Another skill from Jack Arnold, enabling quick recovery from injuries.
Aside from those core skills, his overall physical abilities had now reached the absolute peak of human limitations.
To push beyond this, he had two possible options:
Option 1:Create another "First-Generation Vampire", instantly breaking his limits. Option 2:Expand the Oathbound Cross and cultivate more blood-drinking creatures, using quantity to trigger qualitative change.
"The first option is unlikely.
Not only was his "Blood Bestowal" ability still on cooldown, but he also hadn't found a suitable candidate.
"The second option is a slow process.
If he rushed it, it could attract unwanted attention.
A Lingering Sense of Danger
For some time now, Lorien had felt an unshakable sense of unease—
Like an invisible blade hovering above his back.
Something's not right.
If this were about Oliver Winston, that situation only began after the Tepes Manor investigation.
But this unease had been there long before that.
His pen tapped rhythmically against the desk as he pondered deeply.
Then, a thought occurred to him—
"If I didn't cause this change myself…
Then it must have already existed before I arrived.
Something I don't remember."
"What the hell did you get yourself into?"
The former Lorien must have done something terrible.
Even after death, his residual consciousness was still worried about it.
However—
Since he had no concrete leads, there was no point dwelling on it.
After all—
Some problems solve themselves.
As he leaned back in his chair, he realized—
His perspective had changed.
Before, as a mere detective, any major threat would have been a matter of life or death.
Now, as a Vampire Lord and ruler of a growing cult, issues that once seemed insurmountable were now mere inconveniences.
And damn—
It felt good.
Setting aside his unresolved worries, Lorien turned his focus back to the police investigation into "Jack the Ripper."
Two Days Later – Meeting with the Police
The appointed day arrived.
A black police car pulled up outside his apartment.
"Detective Lorien!"
A cheerful Greve Police Chief stepped out, grinning.
"Haven't seen you in a few days—why do you look even more handsome?"
"Nonsense," Lorien countered, "You're the one who looks better, Chief."
A quick exchange of flattery later, they got down to business.
"The police have completed their analysis of all victims killed by 'Jack the Ripper.'"
"We've also re-examined every crime scene."
"Here's the full report."
"Understood."
Lorien gestured for Chief Greve to take a seat and accepted the file folder.
Flipping through the pages—
The report was impressive.
Concise.
Precise.
Efficiently compiled.
"Looks like the police have done their homework."
Chief Greve nodded.
"Now, let's go meet the rest of the investigation team."
"Aside from you, we've brought in another detective—Hermann.
"He should already be at the precinct."
"No problem."
Lorien rose, ready to accompany them.
Unexpected News
As they exited the building, Chief Greve suddenly remembered something.
"Oh, I almost forgot—"
"The head of this special task force is a rather experienced young Inspector."
"Oh?" Lorien raised an eyebrow.
"His name is Aaron Hastings—
Captain of the Whitechapel Enforcement Squad."
Lorien paused.
"...Interesting."
TO BE CONTINUED…