Pursuit, Helena's Outburst

After the chaos caused by Tilis's bombardment of the magical barrier, Luo Wei took advantage of the confusion to bring Headmaster Danton underground in the ancient castle.

Beneath the banquet hall was a vast and dim underground wine cellar. Luo Wei casually cast a 1st-tier [Light] spell and asked Danton behind him, "Headmaster, which way do we go now?"

Headmaster Danton's eyesight wasn't the best. He squinted for a long time before answering, "It's nothing like it was back then. Just keep heading toward the southeast corner. Search carefully—you’ll definitely find the hidden room."

"Headmaster..." Luo Wei glanced back at the relentless blood shadows closing in. "Could you be a little more precise? Hesitation could get us killed!"

"Of course I’m precise!" Headmaster Danton insisted. "Hurry! Once we get there, we’ll be safe! The magic mechanisms in this castle are one of my life’s greatest masterpieces!"

From the way Danton spoke, it almost sounded like reaching that room would completely resolve the crisis in the castle, piquing Luo Wei’s curiosity.

The two continued escorting the headmaster, but before they could reach the corner, the relentless blood shadows caught up with them.

However, this time, it wasn’t the elder Vampire Clansmen but the twins—Laney and Lairs.

Their cold gazes locked onto Evelyn. Laney sneered, "Evelyn, where do you think you’re going?"

"Get lost." Evelyn had no intention of entertaining them. Vampire Magic erupted from her instantly.

The twins dodged swiftly, reappearing elsewhere with icy expressions.

They knew today was the best chance to kill Evelyn, but since they couldn’t defeat her in a fight, they resorted to...

Calling for backup.

The blood mist around Luo Wei and Evelyn began to churn as over a dozen figures materialized—and the number kept growing.

Luo Wei scanned their surroundings and recognized the younger members of the Abraham Vampire Clan, mostly from branch families.

These young vampires clearly followed Laney and Lairs’ lead. Evelyn’s irritation flared—first the elders, now a swarm of juniors.

"This time, we won’t let her escape!" Lairs shook the ornate box in his hands and glanced around.

"This is the clan’s sacred relic. Aunt Meizi has already promised to entrust it to me. Do you understand what that means?"

Lairs began painting a grand future for his followers. "Serve us now, and when our clan rules the northern territories, none of you will be left idle. Each of you will become a lord!"

At these words, the young vampires’ eyes gleamed with excitement.

Laney took over, further enticing them. "And we guarantee this—in our era, you won’t be bound by the harsh family rules of the past two patriarchs. You can do whatever you want with the humans!"

"So!" She glared at Evelyn’s figure. "Kill her! Kill them all!"

As soon as she spoke, dozens of blood shadows lunged at Luo Wei and the others.

The young vampires, eager and numerous, saw their advantage clearly. Even if Evelyn was stronger, she couldn’t withstand their relentless assault.

And indeed, maintaining such high-level defensive spells was draining Luo Wei’s magic reserves rapidly. His enchanted orb was nearly depleted.

Evelyn wasn’t faring much better. After consecutive battles against the elder vampires and now the younger ones, her Vampire Magic had been pushed to its limits. Her movements slowed visibly, forcing her to abandon her blood-thorn barrage and switch to a close-combat scythe form.

Laney watched Evelyn, now surrounded and increasingly disheveled, with a triumphant smirk.

Evelyn was doomed!

She’d waited so long for this moment!

But Laney’s smile didn’t last.

At the heart of the chaos, an indescribable, grotesque writhing suddenly emerged—followed by a furious roar.

"Don’t hurt my brother!!!"

Five or six young vampires were impaled by razor-sharp tendrils at point-blank range. The attack was so sudden that even their ability to dissolve into blood mist couldn’t save them.

Their chests were pierced by the black tendrils, which then coiled around them, thickening and lengthening before slamming them violently into the ground. A sickening crunch of shattered bones echoed through the cellar.

The remaining vampires recoiled in terror, scattering in panic.

"What—"

"What is that thing?!"

The girl Luo Wei had been carrying in his arms twisted unnaturally, her pink frilly dress swelling grotesquely as bloated, slime-dripping appendages burst forth—

Tendrils. Everywhere, tendrils!

The black, serpentine limbs lashed out in all directions. Some vampires had their skulls crushed instantly; others were constricted, bones snapping under the pressure. The cellar filled with agonized screams.

"Helena!"

Luo Wei was thrown back by a tremendous force as Helena’s body expanded uncontrollably, rampaging through the wine cellar.

[Helena]

[Pollution Level: 60↑]

[Pollution Level: 70↑]

Amid the chaos of battle and escape, Luo Wei hadn’t been able to monitor Helena’s Pollution Level. The moment she awoke to see her brother besieged by vampires, the Blood Moon Domain sent her spiraling into madness.

"Luo Wei! Your sister’s lost it again!" Evelyn barely dodged a massive black tendril that grazed her cheek, nearly sending her flying.

She backed away nervously, her body reacting instinctively. Normally, she wasn’t afraid of Helena—but this version terrified her. The memory of their last encounter in the old mansion, where she’d been obliterated in an instant, was still fresh.

"Headmaster, watch out!"

Luo Wei pulled Danton to safety. Helena had now entered her Unnameable Form 1.0—still vaguely humanoid above the waist, but one more surge in Pollution Level away from becoming a writhing black monstrosity.

"That’s your sister?!" Danton stared at Luo Wei in shock. "Since when do you have... this kind of lineage?"

Luo Wei didn’t have time to explain. He scanned the area—the young vampires had fled in disarray, leaving only the stunned twins, who kept shooting anxious glances his way.

Abandoning the idea of restraining Helena, Luo Wei turned to Evelyn. "I’ll handle Helena. You take the headmaster and go!"

"Got it!" Evelyn knew this was their only chance. Without another word, she grabbed Danton by the collar.

Headmaster Danton was suddenly lifted into the air.

"Ouch! My old bones!" The seventy-year-old headmaster let out a pained cry. "Miss, could you please fly a little slower?"

"Sorry, Headmaster, but you’re definitely giving me a raise when we get back!"

Headmaster Danton felt like his aged limbs were about to snap. He was convinced he’d be forced into early retirement at this rate...

After watching Evelyn haul Headmaster Danton away into the distance, Luo Wei turned his attention back to Helena.

The frenzied Helena wasn’t just lashing out wildly—she was also unleashing a terrifying wave of mental corruption.

Gritting his teeth, Luo Wei attempted to use [Command] to force her to follow his lead.

But [Command] had no effect. Helena roared like a mad beast, her eyes burning crimson.

"Kill!!"

"Kill you all! Kill every last one of you!!"

As the monster’s writhing tentacles lashed toward them, Laney and Lairs had no choice but to scramble back, putting as much distance between themselves and the chaos as possible.

They stared helplessly at Helena, who now blocked the center of the battlefield with her overwhelming range, then glanced in the direction where Evelyn had vanished. There was nothing they could do but wait in frustration.

"Useless, all of them!" Laney muttered darkly. "Absolutely worthless in a crisis. No wonder the family treats them like trash."

Lairs spun around and sprinted back the way they came. "No point complaining. The way Evelyn was acting—something’s definitely wrong with that Danton guy. I’m going to alert the elders!"