"I find it despicable how those royals can celebrate when the world we live in is so flawed, so broken," Raphael continued, sauntering towards a table placed on the far corner of the room to grab himself a drink. "The weak are forced to cover, while the strong freely exert their will and authority. That has been the nature of this kingdom, if you can ever call it that in the first place. "If you ask me, this civilization is more so a jungle that a society, one where power is everything. No one cares about what you know, as long as you have thr power to back it up," his gaze went back to the helpless state of his brother. He walked back to the chained vampire, a delighted expression forming on his face as he spoke: "Therefore, since I'm stronger than you, it's only right I enforce my own wishes upon you, no matter how insidiously twisted they may be." An exoberant howl permeated the lightless skies, the cry of a shadow-bound monstrosity. Life had returned to the somber street

Agonizing screams persisted, escalating the cancerous dread that clung feverishly to their yearning hearts. A final, resounding bang concluded the torturous ordeal, the menacing grin on Levi's face dwindling as his grip loosened.Raphael's body was sent flying as the latter eventually let go of his arm, his body crashing against the wall not too far away.Darion looked back at his brother's pitiful state—blood pouring from his pierced lips, head and appendages fearsomely bashed. His eyes remained corrupted by acidic hatred. Their blood cloths appeared crudely ripped, severely diminishing his vision.Moments later, he pressed his hands against the floor, spat out a concerning amount of blood, and forced himself back up to his feet.Crazed eyes stared back at Levi, unflinching as the latter met his gaze.He took a step forward, then two, then three.His every move was garnered by the involuntary swaying of his body, his compromised vision slowly being cleared by the power of Blood

"Who is that man? I don't believe I've ever seen a vampire like him before.""How foolish can you be? Can't you tell from his smell? He's not one of us!""Then, what is he? He doesn't give off the same odour as the beasts, nor does he smell or even appear like the others.""You all are just wasting your time. Whatever he is, I'm sure Kael will deal with him before he can do anything. From what I can see, the emperor already has his eyes set on his prey.""I can see that as well. If not for the fact that I knew him, I would have assumed he was a wild animal, especially with that long hair of his."The next moment, Kael shifted his feet, disappearing from his position right after. Slade instinctively raised his hands in a cross shape, the crimson blade pressing hard against his arms. The sharp edge easily pierced through his sleeves, tearing through flesh within seconds. A viscous, purple liquid trickled down Kael's sword, his eyes sparking with intrigue."Purple… that's different," he

The sense of time callously eluded the dismembered minds of the henpecked spectators. Many sported drained countenances, deep bags digging through flesh beneath veiny eyes. Their lips remained parched, stomachs rumbling within the noise of iron striking hardened flesh. As powerful as they were, not requiring rest or nourishment for a considerable time period, even they could concede to the fact that a concercing amount of time had elapsed.Still, the fight progressed, both contestants remaining locked in a fearsome battle for supremacy. This was, of course, vastly different from the matches from a decade ago. Back then, each match lasted a maximum of several hours, the more dreadful clashes spanning for over forty-eight hours, but not something like this.Witnessing it all, how far Kael had grown after ascending to the throne, a multitude of them couldn't help but silently wail in damnation, wishing their scions had truly crushed the rising devil before his powers could fully mature.

Raphael swung his blood sword, unleashing a wave of crimson light that glided swiftly through the air. Vanessa quickly dodged the attack, shooting forward with frightening speed.She threw her hand out, hardened claws clanging against the crimson blade repeatedly. Their clashes were constant, repetative, tainting the shadowy terrain with a surging increase in swirling flames and agonizing screams.All across, civilians lost their lives at a dreadful pace, many incapable of escaping the cataclysmic throes of searing pain. It was an insidious cleanse, a final, exoberant release from the callous clutches of eternal suffering and stagnation.Still, many wished, ran, and kicked their way past weaker folks. They fought against all odds to remain sentient, rushing across acrid smoke and crackling flames in search of illusive sanctuary. But still, no matter what they did, no matter how far the ran, they were never quick enough. They were weak, that was the irrevocable truth. And so, the only