One month has passed since Thanatos invaded Earth. While most of the world remained oblivious to the foreign threat that had come and gone, many firmly remembered the Outer Demon of Death.

The leaders of the great Vampire Houses in particular. They witnessed the battle between Jin and Thanatos firsthand. They couldn’t shake off their helplessness when experiencing the two monsters, especially…

“Thank you all for coming on such short notice…”

General Enzo opened his speech in the Blackburn House conference chamber solemnly addressing his peers. Matriarch Innocence, Sirius Moonreaver and Eminence Veralyn sat silently at the round table at their allocated chairs without much protest.

In the past, it would take months of planning to get the four of them in the same room, and it was rare for them to meet up even once a decade. Yet, they were all compelled to join the meeting for a straightforward reason.

“No, you mentioned it was an emergency regarding the Lord. We will heed the call.”

Matriarch Innocence answered like a faithful servant who served an Emperor, causing the eyebrows of the other three individuals in the room to flinch.

“Oh? So you’re calling him Lord now?” General Enzo couldn’t pass up this opportunity to tease the oldest Vampire in the room.

“The Everwinter House and I have sworn fealty to Lord Jin. I will naturally address him as such.”

“Sworn fealty, huh? I never thought I would see the day when the mighty Matriarch Everwinter would voluntarily bend the knee.”

“I’m just doing what it takes to survive,” Matriarch Everwinter smiled and didn’t answer afterwards.

The two great leaders of the Guardian Houses shared a glance for a brief moment before finally agreeing to stop their fruitless conversation. They were here on official business, and not to mention; they were now firmly on the same team. With the appearance of the Valter House and a Progenitor far surpassing Dracula, the Vampire race was set to prosper for generations to come.

But what if… That Progenitor was to disappear.

“Let me cut the bullshit and get straight to the point,” General Enzo’s tone got sombre. He double-checked the room to ensure no one could eavesdrop on their conversation before finally revealing the harrowing truth he’d learnt.

“Jin… My son-in-law is planning to invade the Demon Realm.”

“… What?”

The sudden news dropped like a bomb in the conference room. Most of those present didn’t expect this piece of intelligence, and even Veralyn Shadowgarden, the queen of intelligence, couldn’t believe her ears.

“Where did you hear this from?” Sirius Moonreaver asked with a grim voice.

“From Ysabelle,” General Enzo folded his arms while replying. “And she heard it from Jin himself, so it can’t be wrong.”

“Tch, that brat Irina… Why didn’t she tell me about this?”

“…”

Matriarch Innocence cursed her blood granddaughter for being callous while Sirius and Eminence Veralyn remained silent. Unlike the good father-daughter relationship that General Enzo and Ysabelle had, none of them was on speaking terms with the other three girls. None of those girls would leak plans regarding Jin to them, even if they were.

“… What is he planning?” Eminence Veralyn wondered out loud, not expecting anyone to reply. But to her complete surprise, General Enzo said:

“He’s planning on conquering the Demon Realm.”

“I’m sorry… What?”

“As I said,” General Enzo gave a wry smile and repeated: “He wants to conquer the Demon Realm on his own.”

“Is that even… No, what am I saying?”

Eminence Veralyn was about to question the man’s sanity, but she shut her mouth. She firmly remembered the fateful day. The powerlessness she’d felt when Outer Demon of Death appeared. How she’d thought it would be the last day of her life…

And then…

The power that Jin showed.

Her soul was constricted, and her entire body couldn’t move an inch. She wanted to raise her head but feared what it would do to her body. That power that Jin had… It wasn’t normal. It wasn’t of this world. It was nothing like anything she’d experienced before.

If Jin wished to invade the Demon Realm all on his own… Eminence Veralyn firmly believed that he could end the Demon race alone.

“Ysabelle asked me to convince him not to go on this suicide task. And if we can’t convince him, she asked us to support him. While he has become strong, she believes he can’t take on the entire Demon Realm alone.”

“That I agree,” Sirius Moonreaver answered, unimpressed. “Even if he’s become strong enough to take on Demon Lords, fighting the entire Demon race alone is suicide.”

“Is it, though?” Matriarch Innocence cut in with her own thoughts. “You’ve seen what the man can do against the Demon Lord of Death. And some of you may have passed out during his descent, but I still remember it clearly.”

The ancient Vampire leaned back on her chair as she recalled that fateful encounter.

The Hegemon, the peak of all existence. He was a powerhouse that could force her to her knees with his mere presence alone. His sanctified aura made anyone who wasn’t worthy of his grace bleed from their eyes. His power made everyone in existence feel like an ant. That man wasn’t just a Hegemon… He was the entire Universe itself.

“I heard their conversation, albeit in pieces. That power Lord Jin summoned… That was his future self. If that’s what he’s turning into, there’s no point in us resisting his will, right?”

“His future self… Yes, I heard that was the case.” Eminence Veralyn frowned as she made a remark. “He will live to dominate the future. And since he could summon his future self, everything he plans to do will work out.”

“Yes, because if he dies in this timeline, he wouldn’t be able to summon his future self.”

Was there a sense of helplessness? Or was it a relief? Nonetheless, if future Jin could be summoned, that could only mean one thing. Jin was going to succeed in every endeavour he sought.

There was no point in denying his will as his future was already ascertained. However, while they knew that Jin would still exist in the future, they knew nothing of their own fates. Therefore, to survive…

“Let’s swear our unyielding obedience to the man. If he wants to invade the Demon Realm, we’ll give him every bit of support we can muster.”

“Agreed.”

For the first time in a long time, the four figureheads of the generation agreed on one thing. They would swear their eternal allegiance to the Progenitor and the future Hegemon of the Universe.

“But… Why does he want to invade the Demon Realm?”

“That’s the million dollar question…”

❖❖❖

“Brother! Won’t you reconsider?!”

Ysabelle even suggested we go to the Demon Realm together, but I firmly rejected that plea. While I had complete confidence in protecting myself and my ability to escape should anything go awry, I didn’t know the full strength of the Demon race.

How many Demon Lords were left? How powerful was the Demon Goddess? Everything was still a blank to me.

I also didn’t want to subject my freshly married wives to the dangers of the Demon Realm.

So we had reached an impasse.

Neither party wished to budge, and we had been arguing for a week since. I could give up on invading the Demon Realm alone, but…

“Trust me on this, Irina. I know what I’m doing.”

“But you’ve just fully awakened your Vampire Aspect! Shouldn’t you train with it for a few more years before attacking the Demon Realm? Didn’t you say so yourself? The Outer Demons are incapable of invading us for the foreseeable future!”

“Yes, they won’t be able to invade us, but…”

I looked down at the glowing circle at the back of my right hand. It was beating with every colour known to man, and it seemed calm and peaceful, but I knew the truth. My Vampire Aspect… was itching for battle.

“I have a feeling that… If I don’t invade now, I will lose something. If I want to become the Hegemon in the future, I have to do this alone.”

“… What kind of stupid feeling is that?” Lilith interjected with an annoyed tone. “I know what your power is and how broken it can be. But you’ve only trained with it for a month. Plus, half of that time was spent in the bedroom with us. How can you be confident that you can defeat the Demon race?”

“I just know, my darling.”

“Tch, this fucking sweet talker…”

Lilith shook her head as she’d finally given up and punched my chest: “Let me warn you, if you make me a widow, I’ll chase your ass all the way down to hell!”

“Haha, don’t worry about it. I wouldn’t dare.”

I reassured Lilith before turning to the final two in my way. Of the four girls, Ysabelle was the one who made the most noise about my decision to invade the Demon Realm. Perhaps my recent close shave with Thanatos had triggered the bad memories she’d hidden deep within the recesses of her mind. Therefore, she didn’t want me to take such a big risk, especially since we’d recently gotten married.

“Ysabelle…”

“Jin… Really, must you go?”

“I must, my love.” I gently stroked her face and leaned in for the kiss. “Don’t worry about it. If I truly feel like I am in danger, I’ll immediately run back crying into your arms.”

“… I can’t imagine you in tears, Jin.”

“Haha, shall I cry once for you to see?”

“There’s no need…”

Ysabelle held onto my hands firmly, seemingly unwilling to let me go. However, after much persuasion, the girl finally released her grip and said:

“Come back to me… Safe.”

“Of course.”

With that done, I glanced straight at the final girl who stood by my side. Rosa and I shared one loving gaze; that was all we needed. Rosa trusted me unconditionally, and I trusted her. No matter the situation, she would support my decision, and I would do my best to meet her expectations.

“I’ll be back.”

“I’ll be waiting.”