"I came to see the lovely ladies you were procuring for us, but the scent of those rustic jackals drew me in."

"There's no need to worry. Your efficiency is impressive, and we're very pleased with your work."

"Your position is beneath you though," the old ape glanced at me, then turned to Anil Patel and sneered. "Being bossed around by such mediocrities must be unbearable. Today, we'll take care of that. You'll be Lieutenant Kane, or perhaps even higher."

Anil Patel's eyes bulged in terror. "I didn't kill the jackals..." he shrieked. "I'll resign immediately... please don't kill me... John Kane! I've never crossed you! Why are you doing this?"

The three apevamps erupted in raucous laughter, their voices sharp and grating.

"Release him," I said, my voice cold.

The old ape's amusement vanished. They had always considered me a meek and obedient lapdog, not a threat to their dominance. Their little display of power was meant to reinforce that perception.

But they were wrong.

The old ape bared its yellowed fangs in a grin, suppressing its anger. "And what would be the point of releasing him?" It asked, curiosity sparking in its eyes.

Though it had no intention of freeing Anil Patel, it was intrigued by the spectacle I, a human-faced, animal-hearted creature, was creating.

I met its gaze, considering my words before responding with a chilling offer: "Let him go, and your death will be less painful."

Silence descended upon the room.

The old ape's eyes smoldered with growing rage. "Interesting," it hissed. "And if I refuse?"

I looked up, my voice devoid of emotion. "I will reduce you to bones."

Before the apevamp could react, Anil Patel's face contorted in terror, his teeth nearly shattering.

He finally grasped the truth: I had no intention of leaving this place alive.

Reduced to bones? Whose bones?

The apevamps of East Berkshire were not like the jackals of the western suburbs. Jackalvamps were numerous, their strength varying wildly. The weaker ones could be subdued by a handful of officers.

But there were only five apevamps in total.

Excluding the ancient, unseen great beastvamp who named itself Dyvia Simian, the remaining four brothers were all elite fighters. Their combined might rivaled that of the Golden Chief’s entire army. And now, three of the four stood before me.

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As expected, the old ape's eyes turned glacial at my words.

There was no need for taunts or intimidating roars. It simply tightened its grip, sharp nails digging into Patel's forehead, the cracking of bone echoing like a prelude to a gruesome explosion.

A sidelong glance, cold and calculating, served as a warning: this was the price of defiance.

But then, a flicker of doubt clouded the ape's eyes, swiftly morphing into rage.

Ignoring the escalating brutality, I turned and walked towards the door, positioning myself between the two startled ape vampires.

After a brief assessment, I singled out the one responsible for the earlier carnage.

With blinding speed, I lashed out, my hand connecting with the first vamp's skull with a bone-crushing force. It collapsed like a felled tree, its face vanishing into the shattered tiles .

The second vamp snapped out of its startle and let out a piercing shriek. Even in its panic, it maintained an eerie composure.

Its arms, unnaturally long and agile, carved an arc through the air. Fists like boulders, covered in coarse black fur, plummeted towards my spine with deadly precision.

This was no longer a feral attack, but a calculated martial arts maneuver. Its left arm poised for the kill, ready to deliver a fatal blow once my spine was shattered.

Unfazed, I didn't let my hand go from the first apevamp’s skull, continued to push it down into the floor.

Just as the strike descended, my free hand intercepted the attack. The razor-sharp claws, capable of cleaving bone, glanced harmlessly off my forearm, their immense force dissipated like a wave crashing against a cliff.

In the same fluid motion, my fingers closed around the vampire’s throat. With a subtle twist, I crushed its cervical vertebrae.

From start to finish, I never even turned to face it.

My cold gaze fixated on the gradually deforming ape head in my grasp. With each desperate struggle, the strength in my hand intensified.

"Gah!"

The old ape in greatcoat faltered, its movements growing erratic. It couldn't comprehend how the familiar figure before it could wield such devastating power.

The death of its kin shattered what remained of its composure. It instinctively sought to use Anil Patel as a bargaining chip, but the words died in its throat as it met my unwavering stare.

It realized the chilling truth: I held its brother, while the hostage it clutched meant nothing to me.

With a roar of fury, it flung Anil aside and leaped onto the table: "Stop!"

Screams and dull thuds erupted simultaneously.

I withdrew my hand, flicking away the red and white gore clinging to my fingertips.

I side-eyed the figure hurtling towards me, my palm resting on the hilt of my waist dagger. But before I could draw, the ape abruptly slowed.

Black mist billowed from its bloodshot eyes, then snaked out from its fur, forming chains in the blink of an eye.

These chains, emanating a bone-chilling cold, whipped towards me like a writhing dragon, seeking to bind me.

I frowned, a flicker of surprise in my eyes. This was my first encounter with magic.

The icy aura carried a sinister chill, promising to freeze flesh and erode sanity.

I had believed that with my perfectly reconstructed body, nothing below the First Realm could pose a threat. And I had not sensed any transcendent power in these apevamps.

Yet, in this moment, a sliver of danger pricked at my senses.

As I contemplated, my movement to draw the dagger shifted. Gone was the swift agility, replaced by a deliberate, measured motion.

Energy surged through my veins, the heat radiating through my skin.

Inch by inch, the blade slid free of its sheath, a layer of crimson mist clinging to the steel, flowing like blood.

In a flash, the blade cleaved through the air!

The old ape vampire’s eyes widened as it stared at the young man mere feet away. It felt as though it could rip his face apart with a single swipe, yet its sharp nails trembled, unable to reach their target.

It glanced down in bewilderment.

Its greatcoat was severed with an impossibly clean cut. From waist to foot, its thick, powerful legs lay on the ground, yet it still hung in the air, momentum carrying its torso forward.

"Lightstrike!"

I sheathed my dagger and stepped over the bisected remains of the ape monster.