The drive back to The Vault was a silent study in contrasts. Outside the tinted, armored windows of the Koenigsegg Regera, Veros City hummed along, oblivious. People rushed to appointments, argued over trivialities, and lived their small, fleeting lives under the illusion of order. Inside the car, a new god sat beside his most trusted servant, contemplating the intricate, invisible war that was about to engulf them all.
Vicky kept his eyes on the road, but his mind was a whirlwind of strategic calculations. His meeting with Dr. Chen had been a calculated risk, but a successful one. He had simultaneously asserted his dominance, fed her a controlled narrative, and misdirected her formidable intellect toward a disposable, secondary threat. The FBI, for now, would be chasing ghosts in the city's port, leaving him free to deal with the more immediate and dangerous players on the board.
The Silent Dragon.
Their presence at the restaurant, the silent, observing Bronze Tier disciple, was a clear message: We see you. We are not afraid. It was a classic tactic of an established power dealing with a rising challenger—observe, assess, and wait for the perfect moment to strike. They believed they had the advantage of patience and superior knowledge of the city's supernatural landscape. They were about to learn how wrong they were.
"Marcus," Vicky said, his voice a low rumble that barely disturbed the car's silent interior. "The watcher at the restaurant. I want him found. Not captured, not eliminated. Just found. I want to know his name, where he lives, and what his role is within the Silent Dragon's hierarchy. He is our first thread. I want to pull on it and unravel their entire hidden network."
"It will be difficult, Master," Marcus replied, his eyes focused on the tactical display that was integrated into the car's dashboard. He was already cross-referencing security camera footage from the restaurant with the Crimson Pact's own network of informants. "His ability to mask his Chi signature was impressive. He's a professional, not a common thug."
"I don't expect it to be easy," Vicky said. "I expect it to be done. Use whatever resources you need. If you need to leverage Mila's political contacts to get access to city-wide surveillance, do it. If you need to 'persuade' some of our less... cooperative informants, do that as well. I want his file on my desk by tomorrow morning."
"As you command," Marcus said, his fingers flying across the holographic keyboard.
They arrived at The Vault through a private, concealed entrance that led directly into the heart of the underground fortress. The moment the Regera's engine went silent, the atmosphere of the garage shifted. It was no longer a simple storage space for exotic cars; it became the throne room of a king returning to his castle. A dozen Tier 2 Vampire Knights, clad in black tactical gear, snapped to attention, their loyalty a palpable force in the air.
At the head of the formation stood Elias Vance. The Tier Advancement Pass had transformed him. He was no longer just a large, intimidating man. He was a titan. The raw power rolling off him was immense, a physical presence that was second only to Vicky's own. He had the quiet, coiled intensity of a predator who knows he is at the top of the food chain.
Elias dropped to one knee, his head bowed. "Master. The Vault is secure. We detected three separate attempts at psychic intrusion during your absence. All were repelled by the new warding systems Mila procured."
"Excellent," Vicky said as he stepped out of the car. He looked at his newly-promoted general, a flicker of satisfaction in his crimson-gold eyes. "Rise, Elias. You are a Knight of the Crimson Pact, a Tier 3 warrior. You kneel to no one but me."
Elias rose, his eyes burning with a loyalty so fierce it was almost a physical force. "I am your sword and your shield, Master. Always."
"I know," Vicky said. He placed a hand on Elias's shoulder, and for a moment, the two most powerful beings in The Vault stood side-by-side. "Your first official command as a Tier 3 Knight is this: you are to take command of the Alpha Squad and begin a systematic purge of the city's remaining low-level supernatural threats. The Deep Ones in the port that I mentioned to Dr. Chen—they are your first target. I want them eradicated by sunrise. Leave evidence for the FBI to find. Let them have their victory. Let them believe they are making progress."
Elias's lips curled into a predatory grin. "It will be a pleasure, Master. The men have been eager for a real hunt."
"This is not a hunt, Elias," Vicky corrected him, his tone turning cold. "This is sanitation. The real hunt will begin soon enough. Once the FBI is occupied with their... 'case'... we will turn our full attention to the Silent Dragon. We will drag their Bronze and Silver Tier masters out of the shadows and into the light. And we will show them what happens when old relics challenge a new god."
Vicky left his lieutenants to carry out his orders and ascended to his private quarters—a sprawling penthouse suite within The Vault that combined opulent luxury with fortress-like security. The floor-to-ceiling windows were made of a reinforced, polarized quartz that could withstand a direct hit from an anti-tank missile, and they currently showed a high-definition, real-time projection of the Veros skyline at night.
He walked to the center of the room and closed his eyes, focusing his senses inward. His evolution was complete, his power settled, but he had yet to truly explore the limits of his new abilities. He started with the most profound change: the Blood Dragon Transformation.
He took a deep breath, and for the first time, he let the full power of his draconic nature surge to the surface. His body erupted in a storm of transformation. It was not a grotesque, painful process like a werewolf's change, but a fluid, elegant unfolding of his true form.
His bones lengthened, his muscles swelled with terrifying power. His skin shifted, the pale complexion of a vampire replaced by a shimmering coat of scales, each one a perfect hexagon of obsidian and gold. His face elongated into a more reptilian, predatory visage, his teeth sharpening into fangs that could tear through steel. A pair of magnificent, crystalline horns erupted from his brow, and his crimson-gold eyes began to glow with an inner fire.
From his back, his dragon wings unfurled to their full, majestic span, casting vast, bat-like shadows across the room. A long, powerful tail, tipped with a wicked-looking barb, whipped through the air, cracking like a bullwhip. He had grown to a height of nearly ten feet, a monstrous, beautiful creature of myth and nightmare.
The power was intoxicating. He looked at his status screen, which had updated in real time.
VICKY THORNE: BLOOD DRAGON FORM
Level: 31
STR: 148 (37 base x 4)
SPD: 144 (36 base x 4)
END: 144 (36 base x 4)
The numbers were staggering. He felt as if he could shatter the entire city block with a single punch, fly faster than a fighter jet, and wage war for a week without tiring. This was true power. The power to remake the world in his image.
He held out a clawed hand, and with a thought, he summoned his Blood Fire. A sphere of incandescent, swirling energy, the color of a dying star, materialized in his palm. It did not burn with normal heat; it radiated an aura of pure, unmaking energy that caused the very air around it to warp and distort. He could feel its hunger, its desire to consume. He knew, with absolute certainty, that this fire could turn a Silver Tier master to ash in seconds.
He dismissed the fire and the transformation, his body flowing back into its human form with the same fluid grace. The sheer power of the Blood Dragon form was a temptation, a siren song that called to the predatory instincts that now resided at the core of his being. But it was also a trump card, a weapon to be held in reserve until it was absolutely necessary. Its energy signature would be a beacon to every supernatural being on the planet, and perhaps beyond. Using it would be an open declaration of war on a scale he was not yet ready for.
His next experiment was more subtle. Mind Control. He closed his eyes and extended his consciousness beyond the walls of The Vault, reaching out into the city. His Vampire Knight Authority gave him a perfect sense of where all 473 members of the Crimson Pact were. He chose one at random—a newly-turned Tier 1 vampire, a former street thug named Rico, who was currently on patrol in the industrial district.
Vicky's mind touched Rico's like a phantom hand. He didn't just sense the young vampire's thoughts; he entered them. He felt Rico's boredom, his lingering fear of his new existence, his unwavering loyalty to the distant, god-like Progenitor who had given him this power.
Then, Vicky issued a simple, silent command: Turn left. Walk to the end of the block. Pick up the discarded newspaper you see in the gutter. Read the headline on the front page.
Miles away, Rico's body moved without his conscious consent. His legs turned, carrying him down the street. His hand reached down and picked up the grimy, rain-soaked newspaper. His eyes scanned the headline: "Billionaire Philanthropist Vicky Thorne Pledges New Grant to City Hospital."
Rico felt a surge of pride, a fierce, possessive loyalty. That's my Master, a thought that was not his own echoed in his mind. He is the true king of this city.
Vicky withdrew his consciousness, leaving Rico standing on the street corner, confused but filled with a renewed sense of purpose. The level of control was absolute. He could turn his entire army into a perfectly synchronized, hive-mind fighting force. He could walk into the White House and make the President of the United States declare him the new ruler of the world. The possibilities were endless, and terrifying.
A chime from his internal communication system interrupted his thoughts. It was Mila.
"Vicky," she said, her voice a mixture of excitement and concern. "I have something. It's... strange. I was running a deep data-mine on the Silent Dragon's known financial transactions, cross-referencing them with property deeds and corporate registries going back fifty years. I found a pattern."
"Go on," Vicky said, his full attention focused on her report.
"The Silent Dragon, through a series of shell corporations and proxies, has been purchasing properties in a very specific, seemingly random pattern all over the city. A warehouse here, an abandoned office building there, a residential property in the suburbs. On their own, they mean nothing. But when you map them out..."
A holographic map of Veros appeared in the center of Vicky's room. Dozens of properties were highlighted in red.
"They form a circle," Mila said, her voice tight. "A perfect, city-spanning circle. And the properties aren't random. They're all located at points of... I don't know what to call it. Geomantic significance? Places where the city's energy grid, its water mains, its subway lines all intersect. It's like they're not just owning property; they're occupying strategic nodes."
Vicky stared at the map, his mind processing the information with the speed of a supercomputer. A circle. Strategic nodes. It wasn't a real estate portfolio. It was a ritual circle. A massive, city-wide array.
"They're not preparing for a war, Mila," Vicky said, a slow, cold realization dawning on him. "They're preparing a cage."
He understood now. The hidden Bronze and Silver Tier masters weren't just waiting and watching. They were building something. A trap. A city-wide magical construct designed to contain or neutralize a powerful supernatural entity. An entity like him. His evolution, his massive energy signature—it hadn't just alerted them; it had likely been the final trigger for their plan.
The Silent Dragon wasn't going to fight him with an army of Chi users. They were going to try to excise him from reality itself.
"Find the center of that circle, Mila," Vicky commanded, his voice a low, dangerous growl. "Find their primary ritual site. I don't care what it takes. I want to know where they plan to spring their trap. Because I'm not going to walk into it. I'm going to tear it apart from the inside out."
The game had just escalated. This was no longer a simple war for territory. This was a war of magic, of ritual, of powers that could rewrite the laws of physics. And Vicky Thorne, the new-born Blood Dragon, was ready to play.
END OF CHAPTER 42
VICKY THORNE: STATUS
Level: 31
XP: 500 / 55,000 (To Level 32)
Tier: 2 - Advanced (Vampire Knight)
Race: Progenitor - Blood Dragon Hybrid (100% Purity)
STATS:
STR: 56 (37 base x 1.5 from Dragon's Blood)
SPD: 54 (36 base x 1.5)
END: 54 (36 base x 1.5)
Chi: 50/50 (Blood Dragon Chi)
Special Skill: Blood Dragon Transformation (Active: x4 to base STR, SPD, END)
NEW ABILITIES (Unchanged):
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)