After Selene and Amalia finished guessing the meaning behind Reuel's question, both women now stared at him intensely.
There was a spark in their eyes—a challenge—each of them curious to know who had grasped the hidden meaning better in what they had initially assumed to be a trivial remark.
Under their twin gazes, Reuel merely raised one eyebrow. His posture remained calm, almost lazy, yet there was something in his eyes—something unreadable, something beneath the surface.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that? It was just a question," he said casually, as if nothing were amiss.
He glanced between Selene and Amalia, then briefly looked down, as if trying to figure out what exactly they were seeing in him.
But to the two vampires, there was something off—something not quite right behind Reuel's eyes.
Their instincts kicked in—sharp, predatory senses creeping into their gaze.
And in an instant, Reuel realized his mistake.
Their eyes were no longer merely watchful—they now gleamed with the wild hunger of combat, the bloodthirst of creatures who were on the edge of madness.
Predator's eyes. Cannibal's eyes.
On reflex, Reuel took a step back.
Amalia's voice broke the tense silence like a dagger through cloth.
"You're bored, aren't you? That's why you're being so casual about Marcus escaping," she said sharply, her tone laced with a suspicion that felt almost personal.
Reuel offered a dry smile. He tried to play it off lightly, but the atmosphere had grown too heavy to wave away.
"Just kidding. It's not that serious."
But his words did nothing to ease the tension.
Selene spoke next, her voice cold and pressing.
"Then tell me. What are you actually doing? Just sitting here and watching?"
Reuel let out a quiet sigh.
"I'm not just observing."
He turned, facing the Dominion warship's captain standing by the control deck.
"Contact the Inquisition. Dispatch a Servo‑Skull immediately. I want that vampire mutant—Marcus—monitored around the clock. No interruptions."
"Yes, Lord Emperor," the captain replied without hesitation, quickly turning to relay the order into the system.
Reuel turned back to Selene and Amalia, his voice firmer now.
"As long as we can track Marcus's movements… we'll know who his first target is."
A thin, sly smile curled on his lips—as if he already knew the answer.
But before either woman could respond, a monitoring officer's voice interrupted the moment.
"My lord, there's something you need to see."
The tone was urgent. Serious.
Reuel, Selene, and Amalia immediately turned their focus to the main screen.
---
The live feed showed several Hungarian military helicopters flying low in the night sky.
They were chasing Marcus Corvinus, the winged figure darting through the clouds, nearly untouchable.
The pursuit was intense. Bursts of gunfire shattered the darkness. Searchlights cut through the clouds in frenzied sweeps, while the aircrafts' maneuvers seemed desperate—nearly suicidal.
Reuel clenched his jaw as he watched.
So they were really doing it… they were trying to turn Marcus into an experiment.
His gaze hardened.
Fools. The Hungarian government actually believed they could tame something like Marcus?
They must need a monster like him badly, Reuel thought.
Otherwise, they would've never sided with the vampires… and chosen to hunt Marcus instead.
Selene narrowed her eyes, not looking away from the screen.
"If that wasn't their motive," she murmured, "they wouldn't let normal vampires run free… and yet still hunt Marcus this aggressively."
Reuel crossed his arms, his expression dark but calculating.
"Maybe they already know Marcus has lived for thousands of years," he said flatly.
"If they didn't, they wouldn't be chasing him like this—especially without heavy anti-vampire weaponry."
"The Hungarian government might already know Marcus Corvinus has been alive for thousands of years. Otherwise, they wouldn't be reckless enough to hunt him down before having weapons capable of controlling a vampire."
Reuel spoke calmly, eyes fixed on the screen, watching armed helicopters chase Marcus like a pack of starving wolves.
In the live feed, Marcus was being mercilessly riddled with bullets. Gunfire tore through his wings, dark blood splattering into the night sky. He staggered midair, losing altitude—his bones fractured, his movements slowing. The eternal predator now looked... fragile.
Amalia narrowed her eyes.
"Maybe the vampires they captured spilled that information."
She glanced toward Reuel, then added coldly, her voice edged with a bitter sneer,
"In the end, humans are afraid to die… but politicians? They're even bigger cowards. They don't just want to capture Marcus to dissect him—they want to use him, study him, for their own survival."
Suddenly, the screen flickered. Something forcefully interrupted the feed.
A missile streaked across the sky—blazing fast—striking one of the military helicopters dead-on. A massive explosion tore through the night in a burst of flame and shattered metal.
Then, one by one, the remaining helicopters were annihilated in rapid succession. Precision shots took them out before they could even react. The sky turned into a scene from hell.
Selene narrowed her eyes, her voice catching in her throat.
"That… isn't our unit."
From the shadows, four Apache attack helicopters emerged. They flew in perfect formation—silent, lethal. No transmission, no warning—they wiped out the entire pursuit force within minutes. Then, like ghosts, they turned and vanished back into the night.
Marcus, still hovering weakly in the air, floated in silence. His body was soaked in blood, his wings shredded, breath ragged. He stared blankly in the direction the mysterious helicopters had come from—confused, stunned, and… almost disbelieving.
Selene broke the silence, her voice soft but certain.
"That was Alexander Corvinus. Those helicopters… you gave them to him, didn't you?"
Her tone wasn't accusatory, but it carried a weight of certainty.
Reuel raised a single eyebrow, arms crossed.
"Looks like Alexander's finally taking an interest in his son," he murmured, as if speaking more to himself than to anyone else.
Amalia turned quickly, staring at Reuel with wide eyes.
"You seriously gave him military-grade helicopters?"
Her voice was a blend of disbelief and near-anger, as though her brain was still catching up with the insanity of the decision.
Reuel shrugged casually.
"It was part of our deal. Besides... toys like that aren't very useful to me anymore."
He said it flatly, indifferent—as if armed Apaches were nothing more than trinkets to him, not weapons of war.
Amalia leaned forward slightly, her eyes narrowing.
"But that's risky. The military can trace them. The world has eyes in the sky—satellites, radar, surveillance networks. They could figure out where those helicopters came from."
Reuel gave a small, calm smile.
"They won't. Their satellites are blind. Their radar sees nothing I don't let it see. And even if some ground troops caught a glimpse… they wouldn't understand what they saw."
Amalia stared at him, silent. Then she muttered, half in shock.
"So… you're controlling their satellites too."
Her eyes widened slightly, as if she'd just realized something much bigger—something terrifying.
Reuel just gave a small smile.
"Let's put it that way," he said lightly, as if toying with a truth far more complex than he cared to explain.
Selene said nothing. She just kept her eyes on the screen, watching Marcus—the oldest creature known to vampirekind—fly off into the distance, smaller and smaller, until he vanished into the dark.
Reuel turned around.
"I'll be stepping out for a bit. I'll be back soon."
As usual, Reuel didn't wait for an answer. He made decisions without discussion.
With steady steps, he walked toward the warship's hangar and ordered one of the pilots to fly him to a specific location.
Minutes later, Reuel arrived at the estate of an old vampire noble aboard a Medivac shuttle. The entire complex looked deserted, as if it had been abandoned in a rush.
He hovered low, drifting past dark windows and doors left wide open. He circled the building completely.
But there was nothing.
No secret rooms.
No hidden experiments.
No forbidden tech or forbidden knowledge.
Just an old house now haunted by its own past.
After making a full round of the vampire lord's manor, Reuel realized he hadn't received a check-in notification.
Why was it so hard to trigger a check-in?
Usually, the check-in system activated when a major character died in this universe. Maybe that really was the only requirement.
Check-ins triggered by entering specific buildings were rare—the last time he'd seen it happen was when he first transmigrated into the Resident Evil universe.
Maybe that's just how the system worked. He'd dig deeper into it... later.
With a slow sigh hidden behind his calm expression, Reuel boarded the Dominion warship once more and soared through the clouds, heading for low orbit...
...leaving the vampire noble's manor in utter silence.
---
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
During those three days, Reuel lived a... unique routine.
By day, he monitored Marcus Corvinus from afar—making sure the man didn't cause fresh problems.
By night, he shared a bed with Selene—the cold but burning goddess of the night.
And in between, he shamelessly teased Amalia, who had begun to show clear signs of confusion and frustration from Reuel's unpredictable behavior.
Meanwhile, Marcus Corvinus hadn't emerged once from the cave he'd holed up in.
Most likely, he was still recovering from his wounds—both physical and mental.
That day, Reuel stepped into the Dominion warship's command center.
Selene walked beside him, freshly awakened. She wore semi-formal clothes; her hair was still a little tousled, but her presence remained regal and commanding.
Inside the room, they found Amalia standing in front of the tactical panel, her eyes fixed on the satellite imagery with a wary expression. She didn't even glance over when they entered. Her gaze was locked onto one point—the cave where Marcus was hiding.
"He's out..." Amalia whispered, barely audible. "I didn't think he'd move today."
Before Reuel could reply, one of the comms crew stood up from his seat, his face tense.
"Lord Emperor, we're detecting large-scale military mobilization."
Reuel remained calm. No trace of surprise showed on his face.
"Show the satellite feed," he ordered.
"Immediately, Your Grace," the officer responded quickly.
The command room's main screen lit up.
Live images from orbit displayed the full mobilization of government forces. Tens of thousands of soldiers moved in tight formations. Tanks and armored vehicles rolled out from massive barracks. Helicopters rose into the air, forming a deadly swarm of metal predators.
Selene narrowed her eyes, analyzing the troop movement.
"They're deploying this much force... but for what? Lycans? Vampires?"
Amalia was still watching the screen, then responded softly but firmly, "They're heading northeast. Into the forest region. You'll know who their target is the moment you follow where they're going."
The command room fell into silence. All eyes were on the screen as the military convoy advanced through hidden routes not listed on any official maps.
Helicopters swept the area from the sky, flying in precision formation.
More than an hour passed. Troops began entering the thick forest. A thin mist settled over the area, but the satellite feed continued tracking them with accuracy.
Amalia pointed to a single spot on the screen.
"There. They're headed for a hidden castle belonging to a vampire noble clan. They're going to confront the aristocracy of the night."
Selene quickly turned to her, her face showing genuine shock.
"There's a hidden vampire castle in that forest? How could I not know about it?"
Amalia looked at her for a moment before answering in a flat tone,
"Not all vampires are part of the world you know, Selene. Many chose to live in the shadows... far from the influence of the Elders or the control of the Death Dealers."
A heavy silence settled over the command room.
On the screen, the shadow of war closed in quickly. And everyone in that room knew—chaos had just begun.
"This castle has been abandoned for a long time. I never imagined Kraven would hide there," said Amalia.
Disbelief crept into her voice. Even she hadn't expected Kraven to choose that place—a crumbling ruin, nearly forgotten on the map of the underworld.
Up in the sky, military helicopters began circling the ancient castle hidden deep within the dense forest.
The first explosion hit like a thunderbolt from hell—rockets and artillery fired in unison, tearing through stone walls that had stood for centuries.
The castle began to collapse slowly.
The vampires hiding inside didn't even have time to react.
They scattered like a colony of ants doused in fire and gasoline.
Massive stones crashed to the ground.
Bodies were mangled and left in pieces.
Tanks and armored vehicles advanced from the ground, unleashing relentless barrages of projectiles.
The booming detonations and crackling blasts echoed through the forest like death knells ringing in the wilderness.
The vampires who survived the initial assault, realizing the overwhelming strength of their enemy, fled into the forest. They moved in pairs or small groups, leaping over roots and slipping between trunks, using the wild as their final line of defense.
But the government forces showed no mercy.
Infantry units swept through the area, firing automatic rifles with lethal precision.
Some vampires tried to retaliate with ambushes from the underbrush, but the overwhelming numbers and superior human technology rendered their efforts futile.
Two hours later, the place had become a slaughterhouse.
The air was thick with the stench of blood, gunpowder, and scorched earth.
Fewer than a hundred vampires managed to escape.
The rest were annihilated without a trace.
But the victory came at a cost. The human forces suffered heavy casualties too—especially in the thick forest terrain, where heavy vehicles struggled to move and helicopters lost visibility beneath the canopy.
---
Aboard the warship, Reuel stood tall. His gaze was fixed on the holographic display in front of him. At his sides stood Selene and Amalia—both silent in a tense stillness.
Reuel's voice came out flat, almost emotionless. As if he were reading a weather report, not the aftermath of a genocide.
"The vampires... are finished. All that remains are the dregs of the lower caste."
Selene's voice followed, soft and heavy, filled with disbelief.
"Why didn't Alexander Corvinus step in to stop this?"
"He won't interfere," Reuel replied coldly. "As long as the Lycans and vampires aren't completely extinct, he won't move. The only ones he cares about are Marcus and William."
Amalia's gaze remained locked on the now-silent battlefield projected on the holographic screen—a silence echoing the weight of the massacre.
"The blood clan in Hungary is gone. Thousands of vampires wiped out today. This feud... is over."
Her voice cut sharply through the quiet, her face expressionless, emotion buried deep.
Selene lowered her head, fists clenched. She was holding back the storm churning inside her chest.
"Those who remain… I doubt they'll survive."
Reuel glanced at her briefly.
"Don't worry. Alexander will protect them. If not... the vampire race will vanish entirely."
The words sounded like a promise, but the bitterness in his tone couldn't be hidden.
---
Reuel then turned to face the warship's captain.
"Bring up the servo-skull recording tracking Marcus."
"At once, Your Grace."
The display shifted, accompanied by the low hum of a servo-skull recording in eerie silence.
The footage showed Marcus Corvinus—in his monstrous form—staggering, his body torn and bloodied. He looked like a walking shadow of ruin, yet the determination in his eyes still burned.
Along the way, he tore through a small pack of Lycans, slaughtering them without hesitation, before vanishing into a large, long-abandoned structure.
Selene narrowed her eyes, frowning.
"What is that place?"
Amalia answered, her voice lowering, but firm. Her eyes sharpened.
"The Historian's Exile Chamber. I never thought Marcus would go there... He must be trying to save his brother."
Her gaze hardened. She knew that place.