Chapter 478

Chapter 478

Night falls in the desert without warning.

Under a sky where even the stars have vanished, swallowed by sand and dust, Katlak’s strike team made ready to sleep early.

They would begin their assault on the vampire dungeon at dawn.

Rest well now—so they could enter the dungeon tomorrow in peak condition.

Katlak’s voice carried across the camp.

“Before you turn in, elves—check your weapons again.”

“Yes, sir! Don’t worry.”

“If any of you go into battle tomorrow with a dull blade, I’ll personally tan your hides.”

“Come on, Captain. We’ve raided dungeons more times than we can count. We’ll be ready.”

In perfect unison, the elves answered and began tending to their weapons.

Each blade had been specially forged with silver for this operation.

Pure silver was too soft for real combat, so it had been alloyed with harder metals.

Such weapons couldn’t pierce the thick hides or scales of monsters—

but they were the perfect bane for vampires.

Naturally, they required meticulous care.

Once the elves finished polishing and inspecting every edge, they lay down to sleep.

The beastkin settled beside them, curling up to rest.

Only a few awakened stood watch.

Everyone else drifted into deep slumber.

Zeon, Tesserina, and Grain lay on one side of the camp, resting quietly like the others.

Fuuu… fuuu…

Steady breathing echoed softly through the encampment.

That was when it happened.

The sentries exchanged brief, silent glances.

Once they confirmed that everyone else was asleep, they began to move—

slowly, soundlessly.

Their targets were Zeon and Grain.

Creeping close, they opened their mouths wide—revealing sharp, glinting fangs.

Just as they lunged to bite—

BOOM! CRACK!

Their heads snapped backward under a sudden impact.

“Guhk!”

“Khah!”

One was struck in the skull by a blast of sand, the other by an invisible force that shattered his jaw.

The unexpected shock left them reeling.

Grain frowned and muttered as he stood.

“You were right. They’ve already been bitten.”

“They didn’t even go through the blood-fiend stage,” Tesserina said coldly. “They turned straight into vampires.”

“Then there’s a progenitor inside the dungeon,” Grain replied. “Only a true ancestor could create thralls that strong.”

Tesserina, who had woken later than the others, looked at the attackers—

men who, just hours earlier, had greeted them cheerfully beneath the sun.

No wonder no one had suspected a thing.

Moments later, Katlak and his soldiers came running at the sound of commotion.

“What’s going on?! Why are you attacking my men?”

“Your men were bitten,” Grain said flatly.

“That’s impossible—”

“Look at their teeth.”

Katlak turned sharply toward his subordinates.

They tried to hide their faces, but it was too late.

He saw them—those long, needlelike fangs unique to vampires.

“Gods… they really were bitten?” Katlak’s face twisted. “Then the vampires inside have already escaped the dungeon?”

His jaw clenched tight.

At that very moment, the bitten soldiers lunged again—

their hesitation gone now that their nature was exposed.

They snarled, baring fangs, and pounced on the nearest awakened.

“What the—?!”

“You bastards! Snap out of it!”

“It’s no use!” Grain barked. “They’re thralls now. The only mercy is to kill them.”

Katlak’s warriors drew their weapons, striking at the vampires that had once been their comrades.

In an instant, the peaceful camp turned into chaos.

“This can’t be…” Katlak stared in disbelief.

Some of those men had served under him for years—ten, even more.

They had fought together, bled together, trusted each other.

He couldn’t accept it. But the truth stood before his eyes—his own soldiers, now vampires, attacking their brothers.

They hadn’t yet mastered the full powers of their new form, but their movements, their ferocity—there was no mistaking what they were.

Grain’s eyes swept the camp.

“Then where’s the one who bit them? Has it already fled?”

“No,” Tesserina answered. “It’s still near. Vampires like those can wander for a bit, but they’re bound to their dungeon.”

Grain looked at her in the dim firelight—a strange glimmer in his eyes.

That tone, that knowledge. She knew too much about vampires—about things even he didn’t.

Her vast mana, her calm certainty… The more he saw her, the deeper her mystery grew.

“Grahhh!”

“Khuh!”

Screams tore through the night.

Katlak’s men had run their corrupted comrades through with silver blades.

Those struck with silver shrieked in agony, smoke rising from their wounds.

Katlak stepped forward.

He dipped both hands into a vial of holy water, then his body swelled and shifted—fur bursting across his skin as he became a towering werebear.

“Grrraaaaahhh!”

“C–Captain… please… spare us…”

“We didn’t want this…!”

Their pleas fell on deaf ears.

With one brutal swing, Katlak’s claw—slick with holy water—sliced through their hearts.

Slash!

The moment his claws pierced them, their bodies turned to ash and scattered into the wind.

“Damn it all…”

“Those vampire bastards!”

The survivors cursed bitterly.

No one had imagined they would be forced to kill their own before even setting foot inside the dungeon.

Zeon looked toward the black maw of the dungeon entrance.

“They knew we were coming,” he said quietly. “This was a trap.”

“Vile creatures,” Grain spat. “They turned our guards into thralls just to weaken us.”

Even Grain—who had seen countless horrors—looked unsettled.

But the one most shaken was Katlak.

His men—trusted veterans who had guarded the dungeon faithfully—

had become the enemy. He could hardly meet Zeon’s or Grain’s eyes.

And those vampires hadn’t attacked at random. They’d gone straight for Zeon and Grain—as if they already knew who posed the greatest threat.

Information had leaked from somewhere.

“Damn it… vampires…” Katlak growled, grinding his teeth.

Grain asked, “So? What’s your plan now?”

“We go in. Now.”

“That’s rather hasty.”

“They already know we’re here. The longer we wait, the stronger their defenses become.”

“Good judgment,” Grain said, nodding.

Sometimes, hesitation killed faster than a blade.

When Katlak ordered, “Everyone—prepare to enter the dungeon! We’re burning those bloodsuckers to dust!”

His troops roared back as one.

“Yes, Captain!”

Anger fueled their resolve.

They’d just slain their own comrades with their own hands. They wanted retribution.

Within minutes, every warrior was armed and ready.

Katlak took position at the center. The beastkin—transformed and hulking—led the vanguard. The elves followed in formation.

Zeon, Tesserina, and Grain brought up the rear.

As they stepped into the dungeon, a damp, fetid air closed in around them—half the scent of blood, half the reek of moss.

They’d been here before; they knew the layout.

Their pace was swift, coordinated.

“Stay sharp,” Katlak warned. “They could strike from anywhere.”

His words proved true.

Screeeech!

A monstrous shriek burst from the shadows—a vampire lunging at them from the dark.

“Grrahh! Arrogant wretch!”

A beastkin—transformed into a werewolf—caught the creature by the throat before its fangs could reach him.

Crunch!

His claws sank deep into its neck.

A normal being would have died instantly, but vampires were immortal creatures—this wound barely slowed it.

The vampire thrashed wildly, snapping its jaws toward his face—

Until an elf’s rapier, forged of silver, flashed in the dark.

Slash!

The blade cut clean through its neck. The severed head spun upward—and turned to ash before it hit the ground.

They had won easily, but no one celebrated.

This was only the beginning.

Flap-flap-flap!

Suddenly, a violent fluttering filled the tunnel.

“Bats, they’re transforming into bats!”

Just as beastkin could assume animal forms, vampires could scatter themselves into swarms of bats.

Their bodies splintered into hundreds of pieces, each piece sprouting wings.

Moments later, thousands of bats poured from the ceiling—their tiny mouths full of needle-like fangs.

It was a nightmare swarm.

But no one here faltered.

“Throw the UV grenades!”

Katlak ordered.

“Yes, sir!”

An elf hurled a blue crystalline sphere into the heart of the swarm.

Fwoosh!

The crystal exploded midair. A blinding burst of light flooded the chamber—bathing the bats in searing radiance.

One by one, they turned to dust, erased by the ultraviolet blaze.

“Heh! How’s that, you leeches?” Katlak roared with a grin. “A little ultraviolet lunchbox, just for you!”

The UV grenade—one of Neo Seoul’s finest magitech weapons.

It unleashed concentrated ultraviolet light—deadly to vampires, harmless to others.

Even a pureblood vampire could endure sunlight for only a few moments,

but not this—not the condensed fury of a UV grenade.

BOOM! BOOM!

“Graaagh!”

“Khuhk!”

Those caught in the blast disintegrated instantly, their ashes scattering like waves under the assault.

The few that survived were swiftly dispatched by elven blades.

Grain watched the organized advance and nodded with approval.

“Impressive. Katlak trained them well.”

Their coordination, their precision—it reminded him of a disciplined army, something rarely seen among modern awakened units.

“At this rate, we’ll clear this place in no time!”

But Tesserina’s voice cut through the optimism.

“They’re underestimating vampires, these were only the lesser ones. The real ones haven’t even shown themselves yet.”

As if to prove her right, the air grew heavy.

From the depths of the dungeon, shapes began to emerge—vampires untouched by the UV blast, their crimson eyes gleaming in the dark.