"Fan Ye, didn’t Zero give you anything before you came here?" Naira Sorkin shouted above the chaos, his voice sharp with urgency.

Fan Ye shook his head, his expression tight. "Just the Mithril necklace."

Naira clenched his jaw. This battlefield was an impossible labyrinth. They needed an edge to shift the tides.

Just then, a sudden, biting cold washed over the area, freezing a swath of vampires in mid-air. They fell, crashing down as lifeless, icebound statues. Naira spun around, catching sight of a young man with blue hair walking through the sky as if it were solid ground, his steps leaving trails of ice.

"You're in quite the mess, Naira Sorkin," the figure remarked, his tone calm, calculating.

It was Number 016: the White Walker, Seventh Seat of the Chaos Insurgency.

“Did Zero send you?” Naira asked, eyes narrowing.

The White Walker raised an eyebrow. “Who’s Zero? I was just passing by to see what was going on.” He glanced at the frozen vampires with a hint of disdain. “Are these… vampires?”

Naira took a steadying breath. "If you’re already here, could you lend a hand and hold them off? I’ll owe you one."

The White Walker chuckled, a wry smile forming as frost formed around his breath. “A favor from you, Swordsmith? What's that worth? Maybe a quantum leap in science, a breakthrough for humanity?”

Swordsmith looked up, meeting the icy gaze of the White Walker. "If you can keep them at bay, I’ll forge you any blade you want."

"Deal." The White Walker landed gracefully, eyes gleaming with an icy light. He stretched out his hands, summoning a glacial blast that rippled from him in a widening arc, freezing all vampires within range in an instant.

“This’ll buy you half an hour, tops,” he muttered, keeping his frosty grip steady.

“Perfect,” Fan Ye replied, glancing at Naira. “Give me a boost?”

With a nod, Naira manipulated Fan Ye’s energy, launching him skyward to confront the advancing threats.

...

Meanwhile, the relentless clash between Moon and the True Ancestor continued, both figures blazing across the battlefield with destructive fury. Moon’s wings burned with flame, countering the True Ancestor’s blood magic as a black fog began to gather, enclosing them in a shroud.

Reacting instinctively, the angel beat her wings, sending the fog spiraling away. The True Ancestor twisted, evading her attack and surging forward. But then, something shifted.

The blood-red sky suddenly cleared, the ominous glow of the Blood Moon vanishing. Dawn broke, sunlight spilling across the horizon.

Seizing the moment, the angel launched forward, fire blazing from her wings as she ripped through the True Ancestor’s form. He let out a tortured scream, his body consumed in flames.

“It can’t end… like this!” he cried, as he burned to ashes in the blink of an eye.

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Moon gazed at the smoldering remains, disbelief flickering across her face. "Could it really be… that easy?"

But then, a hiss resonated through the air, and the Blood Moon gleamed in the True Ancestor’s lifeless eyes once more.

In an instant, his power surged to new heights. Before he could fully comprehend the transformation, the angel lunged, intent on finishing him. But the True Ancestor’s body solidified, blood forming a crimson blade in his hand as he swung, cleaving her in two.

Blood splattered, and the angel’s eyes widened, her face twisted with disbelief. "How… how could this…?"

The True Ancestor looked at his hands, an unsettling thrill of power surging through him. "This… feels… strange."

A hiss escaped his lips, low and triumphant, reverberating in the now-silent battleground.

...

As the blast of Fan Ye's power enveloped them, a thick fog of unconsciousness settled over the battlefield. From that moment on, everything played out within the depths of a dream—though none within it were aware.

Naira Sorkin grabbed hold of the True Ancestor’s arm, glancing at the slumbering angel. “I can’t lift that thing. Someone else needs to haul it back!”

At his call, hidden Kitsune soldiers surged forward. They gathered around the angel’s massive form, struggling to lift her, but even together, they barely managed to raise her wings.

“How heavy is this thing?” one muttered, exasperated.

“Close to a ton, I’d wager,” replied another, straining.

“It’s not her—it’s those wings. Maybe we should cut them off?”

“No way. If she wakes, it’ll be a disaster!”

With reluctance, the soldiers left the angel behind, focusing on bringing the True Ancestor back instead. As Fan Ye and the others retreated alongside the Kitsune, he sank into a car seat, sighing with exhaustion. “Ah… finally done.”

A Kitsune soldier leaned over. “Comrade, we owe you for this.”

Fan Ye shot him a glance. “I’m here to kill, not bury. If he escapes again, don’t look to me.”

The Kitsune soldiers exchanged uncertain looks. “Understood…”

...

On a nearby street, an elderly man in white robes shuffled forward, leaning on a cane. His gaze locked onto the angel, and a look of awe lit his face. “A divine miracle! Proof of the Lord’s favor!” he cried, eyes wide with wonder. “Church of Light believers, behold! An angel sent from heaven!”

He raised his hands, voice rising. “This is the Lord’s messenger! We must revere her as a sign of divine presence. One day, God will descend to earth, cleansing it of evil, and the faithful like us will be blessed!”

He rallied his followers, eyes bright. “The world must know—the Church of Light is the true Church of God!”

...

Days after the True Ancestor’s capture, the vampire chaos in New York simmered down. Though still lurking in shadows, the vampire presence retreated from ordinary sight. Yet, deep within their hidden world, unrest brewed: with the True Ancestor’s fall, a new leader had to rise.

Lilith, having slain Faerûn and possessing unmatched strength, ascended to the throne, her claim uncontested. She was now the second True Ancestor.

Yet, two royal vampires departed without agreeing to her rule. Their mission: to find the True Ancestor, wherever he might be. Now, only two royal vampires remained in New York, the once-feared circle fractured.

In a towering skyscraper, Lilith sat in the True Ancestor’s former seat, gazing outward. “Have you found Shino?”

Zane shook his head. “No. Perhaps he perished alongside Baji.”

Lilith’s crimson eyes gleamed. “No… he’s still alive. I can sense it.”

“Mobilize every vampire,” she commanded, her voice unwavering. “We need the royal who hides among the humans.”

Zane hesitated. “Queen, such a task…”

“Our forces are splintered. Without new generations of vampires, the royals remain our highest strength,” she said, her voice like steel. “We must bring him back.”

...

At an airport in Asia, Shino stepped off a plane and looked up into the bright sun. The light wasn’t as harsh as it once was—a sign of his royal advancement.

“It’s been so many years. Returning here… it brings back memories.”

...

Deep beneath the sea, in a grand undersea palace, Chino’s eyes flew open. A Fish-Man elder holding a staff approached him. “Your Majesty, you’ve awakened sooner than expected.”

Chino reached into his robes, withdrawing three stones bearing the symbols of Ox, Horse, and Rooster. “Something’s coming,” he murmured, his voice filled with foreboding.

Hoo!

A black flame roared to life, tearing open the space before him. A figure cloaked in a black, mist-like robe stepped from the rift, her presence casting a heavy, spectral air.

Chino dropped to one knee. “Lord Aurora!”

With a wave of her hand, Mei held out a glistening potion. “Your handling of the whale matter was commendable. Take this as your reward.”