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In a world apart—a sealed dimension carved out for the vampires—the royal palace stood untouched by time.
Inside the grand hall, Queen Carmilla sat tall upon her throne, regal and coldly beautiful. Ramia Hilde, Ampusa, and the other elders occupied their seats, faces carved in stone.
Below, several hundred female vampires gathered. Each one was a vision: pure-blooded, elegant, and deadly, their beauty almost unreal, their presence humming with power. In Carmilla's realm, women ruled; every position of authority belonged to a female vampire, and these—her ministers and enforcers—had returned from the far corners of the kingdom at their queen's command.
One stepped forward, bowing low. "Lady Akasha, may we ask the reason for this summons?"
Carmilla's eyes glinted, her voice sharp as frost. "All of you—look into my eyes."
No explanation. No warmth. The command was absolute.
Confused but obedient, the hundreds of vampires lifted their gazes to the throne. Carmilla's eyes, normally a vivid crimson, darkened—black as midnight, swirling, hypnotic. Shock rippled through the crowd, but before panic could take root, their own eyes began to mirror hers, blackness seeping in, twisting. An unseen force slipped into their souls—intimate, invasive, inescapable.
Carmilla smiled, a secret curve at the corner of her lips. One by one, she planted the [Seeds of Faith]—gifts from her true master—deep within each loyal subject.
The spell broke. The vampires blinked, eyes bleeding back to red. Bewildered, a few dared to speak. "Lady Akasha… what just happened?"
"You don't need to know," Carmilla replied coolly, sweeping her gaze across the hall. She rose from her throne, the hem of her gown whispering against the marble.
"I have an announcement," she declared, voice ringing out clear and cold. "From this day forward, the vampire race will serve the Red Dragon Emperor. He is our master. He is our god. Pure-blood, half-blood, reborn—every vampire will worship him."
The proclamation echoed through the hall, freezing every heart. Disbelief erupted in a hundred voices:
"You want us to worship the Red Dragon Emperor? Call him our god?!"
"Lady Akasha, have you lost your mind?!"
"He may have aided our kind, but this is madness—utter madness!"
Chaos crashed over the assembly. Proud vampires, who'd never bowed to any god, now told to kneel before a devil? If anyone else had spoken such heresy, they'd have been executed without hesitation.
Carmilla's gaze turned lethal. "Are you questioning my command?"
A wave of oppressive power rolled off her throne. The nearest dozen vampires screamed as they were hurled backward, smashing into pillars and walls. Silence fell, thick and suffocating. No one doubted her resolve now.
A few battered elders struggled to their feet, blood at their lips. "Ramia, Ampusa—stop Lady Akasha! She'll destroy us all!"
But Ramia smiled, and Ampusa's eyes were cold. "Serving the Red Dragon Emperor is our only future. Lady Akasha has made the wisest choice."
"We elders have agreed. You need only obey."
Shock rippled anew. Not just the queen—now even the elders had turned.
A mocking voice sliced through the tension. "Idiots. Haven't you figured it out? Your queen and your elders have already been tamed by our master."
Katerea Leviathan strode into the hall, her entourage of female magicians trailing behind her. She was elegant, predatory—every inch the devil's heir.
"Who are you?!" The vampires bristled, wary and furious.
Katerea's smile was razor-sharp. "Greetings, ladies. I am Katerea Leviathan. Like your queen and elders, I serve the Red Dragon Emperor—Tenra Kamiyo."
"Leviathan? The Maou's bloodline?!"
"Damn it, why are devils here?!"
"Seize them!"
Anger snapped into action—several vampires blurred forward, aiming to subdue Katerea.
She barely spared them a glance. "Foolish."
Her staff tapped the floor, conjuring a vast magic circle. Power poured from her—Maou-class, and more. With Ophis's snake and the god-slaying [Annihilation Maker] gifted by her master, Katerea was a force few could challenge.
The charging vampires were blasted away in an explosion of force, bodies crumpling to the marble.
"Attack together!"
"Enough!" Carmilla's voice cut through the chaos, halting further resistance.
Reluctant, furious, the vampires glared at Katerea and her cohort, but none dared defy their queen's command.
Katerea strode across the hall, heels clicking, and planted a foot on the back of a fallen vampire.
"Pathetic. Your queen and elders have already submitted. What makes you think you can change anything?"
She leaned in, voice low and cruel. "You'll understand soon enough. Our master's greatness is inevitable. You'll worship him, serve him, bow before him. Generations of vampires, bound and used at his whim. That is your destiny. That is your future."
Her laughter—cold, triumphant, merciless—rang through the hall, echoing off stone and bone.
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