The silver portal collapsed into nothing the moment Vicky's feet touched solid ground. He stood in the center of The Vault's command chamber, exactly where he had vanished three weeks earlier, though for him it had been an eternity of blood, battle, and evolution. His clothes were still torn and scorched from the soul-bomb detonation that should have killed him, but his body was pristine—reconstructed, perfected, transcendent.
The Vault itself hadn't changed. The steel walls hummed with ambient energy. The holographic map of Veros still pulsed with red dots marking Silent Dragon locations—though significantly fewer than when he'd left. Yet everything else felt diminished, smaller, almost fragile.
His stat-line alone told the story of his transformation.
Level 30.
STR 36.
SPD 35.
END 35.
Chi 30/30.
He was no longer merely a hunter ascending through the ranks. He was something that had crossed a threshold most supernatural beings would never reach. He had fought a being with the potential to reach the demi-god realm, the Necromantic Colossus that had consumed thousands of souls, and he had emerged victorious. The system notification from the Fragmented Plane still echoed in his mind:
TRIAL COMPLETION: 100%
REWARDS UNLOCKED:
Tier Advancement Pass (1x) – Can elevate a subordinate to the next tier when user is at higher tier.Race Evolution: Blood Dragon (100% Purity)Blood Dragon Chi (Complete Integration)
He didn't need to look around The Vault to know something fundamental had changed. The ambient vampire essence in the air—that faint, crimson thrumming his followers unconsciously recognized—was now a full octave deeper. Richer. More primal.
Marcus Keller was the first to sense his return.
The Lieutenant was at the central command station when the portal flared. He looked up from the holographic displays, immediately picking up the shift in the air. He felt it before he saw it: a tsunami of power, raw and unfathomable, flooding their headquarters.
Marcus moved without thinking, abandoning his station and striding to the main chamber. But when he entered and saw Vicky, his confidence faltered. Marcus Keller, who had orchestrated corporate takeovers with surgical precision, dropped to one knee—his body compelled by instinct.
"Master," Marcus said, his voice steady despite awe. "You've returned."
"How long?" Vicky asked, voice deeper now, harmonics rumbling.
"Three weeks, two days, sixteen hours," Marcus replied instantly. "The Silent Dragon's visible structure collapsed—their Iron Tier disciples scattered, their corporate fronts dismantled, their political connections severed. But their Bronze Tiers and Silver Tiers have gone underground. We'll need a full briefing—"
"Later," Vicky replied, scanning the command center. "Where is Mila?"
"The Central Financial District. She's executing the final phase of corporate liquidation. The last Silent Dragon holding company filed for bankruptcy. Their assets are being reallocated. Hayes expedited the process."
Vicky smiled. Mila Torres had been far more resourceful than anticipated, achieving with legal acumen what warfare would have taken months to complete.
"And Elias?"
"Training the expanded roster. We number four hundred seventy-three across the Crimson Pact. Your power draws them like moths. Conversion rate is ninety-seven percent; those who resist don't survive."
But Marcus's tone held concern. There was tension behind the formal reporting.
"Speak plainly," Vicky commanded.
Marcus hesitated. "The Silent Dragon's real leadership—the Bronze Tier Adepts and Silver Tier Masters—have gone completely underground. Our captured disciples say a single Bronze Tier Adept could defeat ten Tier 1 vampires; Silver Tier Masters have surpassed mortal limitations. We haven't encountered them—they've been watching, studying our moves."
"So they let us win," Vicky said flatly. "Sacrificed their front line to measure us."
"Yes. Now your return, with this power, will be clear to anyone sensitive enough. We're preparing countermeasures, tracking all leads on their hidden network."
"Good. I want them to know what they're facing. And what about federal interference?"
"The government—FBI's Paranormal Investigation Task Force. They're competent, but none of their agents are above Bronze Tier. The leaders—only four of Silver Tier power—are spread across different regions. No true match for your new strength."
"Names."
"Lead agent: Dr. Sarah Chen. Director: Reeves. Both operating with extreme discretion."
"So they're cataloguing threats, not confirming them. Have Elias locate Chen, but only for profiling; no harm yet. And keep the thirty prisoners for Bronze/Silver intelligence. The rest, prepare for harvest—I'm going to ascend."
Vicky turned toward the elevator. "Prepare a full ops briefing for tomorrow evening. Compile everything on Bronze and Silver Tiers. And Elias—bring him to me after my evolution."
He descended to Level Negative Seven, the research facility. At its center—a bio-reactive Evolution Chamber, acquired for just this kind of transformation.
BLOOD DRAGON EVOLUTION AVAILABLE (Requirements Checking..)
Level 30 ✓
100% Trial Completion ✓
Tier 2 Vampire Status ✓
Chi Integration ✓
Estimated Time: 24 Hours (Accelerated)
Status During Evolution: Vulnerable/Unconscious
Warning: Energy signature detectable by supernatural beings within 500km.
Outcome: Blood Dragon Hybrid (100% purity), Vampire Knight (Level 31, +3 stat points), new abilities unlocked.
Abilities Unlocked: Dragon's Blood (Passive, +50% to physicals), Blood Dragon Chi, Dragon Wings, Blood Fire, Mind Control, Vampire Knight Authority, Blood Dragon Presence.
Special Transformation Skill:
Blood Dragon Transformation (Active):
Can take full Blood Dragon form at will, increasing base STR, SPD, END by x4 (instead of x1.5). Duration: Limited by Chi pool and stamina; full transformation is visible to all supernatural senses and marks Vicky as a cosmic predator.
Vicky checked his XP.
30,000 / 50,000 (To Level 31)
He ordered the prisoner harvest—non-essential enemies, criminals, failures. Each one a source of power for his ascension.
An hour later, the harvest ended:
50,500 / 50,000 (To Level 31)
LEVEL UP!
LEVEL 31 ACHIEVED
VAMPIRE KNIGHT STATUS UNLOCKED
STAT POINTS: +3
He allocated:
STR: 37 (+1)
SPD: 36 (+1)
END: 36 (+1)
Then the priority notification:
EVOLUTION CONDITIONS MET
BLOOD DRAGON TRANSFORMATION INITIATED
He stripped, entered the Evolution Chamber, sealed inside as the process began.
The last thing Vicky saw before darkness claimed him was his own status screen:
VICKY THORNE: VAMPIRE KNIGHT
Level: 31
Tier: 2 - Advanced (Vampire Knight)
Race: Progenitor - Blood Dragon Hybrid (100% Purity)
BASE STATS:
STR: 37
SPD: 36
END: 36
Chi: 30/30 (Expanding to 50/50)
Special Skill: Blood Dragon Transformation (+x4 to STR, SPD, END, when activated)
The pain was immediate and absolute. Every cell torn apart and rebuilt. Memories and visions came:
He saw Albert Cole's destroyed world, consumed by the Dark Overlord. A figure of absolute darkness, a cosmic predator that moved between dimensions consuming entire civilizations. He saw worlds burning, populations enslaved, the screams of billions echoing across the void—reminders of what lurked beyond, and of the cost of unchecked power.
He saw Silver Tier Masters sensing the evolution taking place, and FBI agents aware but unable to intervene with their inadequate power. The Bronze Tier practitioners, aware through feeble wards, but afraid to act.
Outside, Marcus ordered the lock-down as alarms sounded. Across the city, ancient beings woke. Shadows waited. The true war was beginning.
[24 Hours Later]
The Evolution Chamber opened. Vicky stepped out, perfected, glowing with crimson-gold iridescence. He flexed—new muscle, new scales, new power. Wings rippled, then folded away.
The system notification:
EVOLUTION COMPLETE: 100%
NEW STATUS CONFIRMED
VICKY THORNE: BLOOD DRAGON VAMPIRE KNIGHT
Level: 31
Tier: 2 - Advanced (Vampire Knight)
Race: Progenitor - Blood Dragon Hybrid (100% Purity)
BASE STATS :
STR: 56 (37 x 1.5)
SPD: 54 (36 x 1.5)
END: 54 (36 x 1.5)
Chi: 50/50
Special Skill: Blood Dragon Transformation (Active: x4 to base STR, SPD, END)
NEW ABILITIES :
Dragon's Blood (Passive)Blood Dragon Chi (Active)Dragon Wings (Active)Blood Fire (Active)Mind Control (Active)Vampire Knight Authority (Passive)Blood Dragon Presence (Passive)Blood Dragon Transformation (Active, x4 physical stats)
Vicky grinned. The transformation made him what the supernatural world had never seen: not just a hybrid, but a new apex predator.
He summoned Elias and used the Tier Advancement Pass:
Elias becomes Tier 3 (Vampire Knight), with stats and power to fight Silver Tiers to a draw. Vicky now had a guardian able to stall or repel Silver Tier attacks if he had to leave.
Mila updated him:
Crimson Pact: 473+ active membersIndustrial, political, economic control consolidatedFBI (no agent above Bronze Tier, four Silver Tier power leaders spread across regions)Silver Tier Masters and Bronze Tier Adepts now aware, moving cautiously from the shadows
As the Blood Dragon ascended and claimed Veros, the true game was only beginning.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
VICKY THORNE: FINAL STATUS
Level: 31
Tier: 2 - Advanced (Vampire Knight)
Race: Progenitor - Blood Dragon Hybrid (100% Purity)
BASE STATS:
STR: 56 (37 x 1.5)
SPD: 54 (36 x 1.5)
END: 54 (36 x 1.5)
Chi: 50/50
Special Skill: Blood Dragon Transformation (Active: x4 physical stats)