Kaiser didn’t bother answering immediately. Instead, he continued inspecting the six Vampires.
[Name: Vampire Guard]
[Race: Vampire]
[Level: 454]
[Rank: 4]
’Not bad. Even the ordinary city guards are above Level 400.’
He glanced at the surrounding buildings and noticed several more Vampires watching him from the windows.
It seemed his arrival had already attracted quite a bit of attention.
However, Kaiser had no intention of wasting time fighting these guards himself.
"Take care of them."
As soon as he gave the order, his pets immediately moved into action.
His Undead Champions, Selene, Rachel, and Frank, remained behind. They had already comprehended Supreme Rules, so dealing with ordinary Rank 4 Vampires would be far too easy for them. Kaiser wanted his pets to gain the experience instead.
There was one exception, however.
Night also moved forward.
Although she possessed the constitution of a Shadow Sovereign and had exceptional stealth abilities, her current level was still extremely low. In fact, she was only Level 1 and couldn’t possibly defeat these Vampires through direct combat.
However, that didn’t mean she was useless.
Night spread her hands, and the surrounding shadows immediately began moving. The darkness beneath the Vampires’ feet twisted and stretched, forming several shadowy tendrils that attempted to bind their bodies.
The Vampires easily broke through the restraints, but that wasn’t her objective.
Even a small contribution to a battle was enough to register her participation. Once the Vampires were killed, she would also receive experience through the system.
Kaiser wanted her to grow as quickly as possible, and allowing her to participate in battles was one way to achieve that.
Meanwhile, Lime expanded his enormous body, releasing a powerful gravitational force that covered the entire street.
The six Vampires immediately felt their bodies become incredibly heavy. Their movements slowed as the surrounding gravity pressed down on them.
Before they could recover, Diablo appeared in front of them, his blood-red sword flashing through the darkness.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Several Vampires hurriedly raised their weapons to block the incoming attacks, but the force behind Diablo’s strikes was far greater than they had expected.
At the same time, Garuk charged forward with his enormous weapon, smashing into the weakened Vampires, while Luna moved like a silver streak, attacking those who attempted to escape.
The battle ended almost as quickly as it had begun.
Kaiser stood where he was, casually watching his pets eliminate the guards.
He didn’t need to participate in every battle. After all, one of the reasons he had brought his entire army was to let them handle the fighting while he focused on observing the dungeon.
’Let’s see what kind of rewards these Vampires drop.’
He waited until the last Vampire fell before approaching the corpses.
Several notifications appeared before him.
[You have killed a Level 454 Vampire Guard.]
[You have gained EXP.]
[You have obtained 36 Wisdom Points.]
[You have obtained Vampire Blood Essence.]
[You have obtained a Low-Grade Blood Rule Crystal.]
Kaiser stopped reading for a moment.
’Rule Crystal?’
He immediately opened the notification.
[Low-Grade Blood Rule Crystal]
[Rank: Legendary]
[Type: Rule Material]
[Description: A crystal containing a small amount of Blood Rule Power. It is formed from the condensed Rule Power within the body of a creature that has comprehended a Blood-related Rule. It can be used to comprehend Blood-related Rules or as a material for crafting and alchemy.]
Kaiser’s eyes lit up.
’So these Vampires can drop Rule Crystals?’
He continued checking the notifications and discovered that another Vampire had dropped a similar crystal.
’Interesting. These things are actually quite valuable.’
He wasn’t sure how frequently they would drop, but considering their usefulness, even collecting a small number of them would be worthwhile.
Kaiser collected the rewards and inspected the remaining drops.
Apart from the Rule Crystals, the Vampires had dropped Blood Essences, monster cores, and other miscellaneous materials.
Nothing particularly extraordinary, but the Rule Crystals alone made the encounter worthwhile.
What made him even happier, however, was the number of Wisdom Points he had obtained.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Vampires were intelligent beings with their own thoughts, reasoning abilities, and understanding of the world. Unlike ordinary beasts, they possessed intelligence comparable to humans.
As a result, killing them provided Wisdom Points through Wisdom Devourer.
The ability also worked when his pets, Soul Bond, or undead killed intelligent creatures under his command. Kaiser didn’t need to personally deliver the final blow.
As long as the target was killed by one of his companions or summons, the corresponding Wisdom Points would be transferred to him.
’This dungeon might turn out to be a gold mine for Wisdom Points.’
He glanced at Lime, Diablo, Garuk, and Luna.
"Keep going. There should be plenty of enemies deeper inside."
The four pets immediately moved towards the nearby streets.
Kaiser didn’t follow them closely. Instead, he continued walking at a relaxed pace, occasionally checking the notifications appearing in his system.
As they advanced, more Vampires began appearing.
Some were ordinary guards, while others wore expensive clothes and carried themselves like nobles. A few even carried weapons made from special materials.
However, most of them were still Rank 4.
Against Kaiser’s pets, they couldn’t put up much resistance.
Lime used gravity to restrict their movements, Diablo cut them down with his blood-infused weapons, Garuk crushed their defences with brute strength, and Luna hunted down those who attempted to escape.
Ripple also joined the fighting.
The Golden Fate Goblin King floated above the streets, summoning golden spears through Fate King’s Arsenal. Whenever he spotted a group of Vampires, he would happily rain spears down on them.
"Father! Look! I got another one!"
Kaiser glanced towards him.
"Good. Keep going."
Ripple laughed happily before flying towards another group.
Kaiser continued collecting the rewards.
The notifications kept appearing one after another.
[You have obtained Vampire Blood Essence.]
[You have obtained a Vampire Core.]
[You have obtained a Low-Grade Blood Rule Crystal.]
[You have obtained Wisdom Points.]
[You have obtained Wisdom Points.]
The number of Rule Crystals gradually increased.
Although most of them were low-grade, Kaiser didn’t intend to underestimate their value. Rule-related materials were extremely rare, and collecting a large number of them would certainly be useful in the future.
He also noticed that his Wisdom Points were accumulating at a steady pace.
’At this rate, I might be able to improve my Supreme Rule of Shattered Soul quite a bit.’
He had originally entered the dungeon to complete his Rank-Up Trial, but the rewards were already making the journey worthwhile.
Meanwhile, his pets continued clearing the streets.
The Vampires were beginning to realise that something was wrong.
A large number of guards had already disappeared, and the disturbances were spreading throughout the outer districts.
Some Vampires attempted to flee, while others gathered in groups to fight back.
However, Kaiser had brought an entire army with him.
And his army wasn’t interested in negotiating.
A short distance away, Selene stood in the middle of a street surrounded by several Vampire corpses.
Countless Blood Roses had spread across the ground, their crimson petals glowing faintly under the blood-red moon.
She raised one hand, and the Blood Roses began to tremble.
The blood covering the ground was quickly absorbed by their roots. Their petals expanded, while crimson energy gathered around their stems.
These Blood Roses were different from the ones Selene had created previously.
Since they had been formed using the corpses of Vampires, they possessed several abilities inherited from their original bodies. Combined with the effects of her Supreme Rule of Immortal Blood, they had even greater potential for growth.
A moment later, the Blood Roses began to change.
Their petals opened, releasing several human-shaped figures from within.
One after another, Vampire Knights emerged from the crimson flowers.
They wore elegant silver-red armour with flowing red capes. Each knight carried a massive greatsword and a sturdy shield, giving them the appearance of heavily armoured warriors.
Soon, an entire formation of Blood Rose Knights stood before Selene.
Their crimson eyes glowed beneath their helmets as they waited for her command.
Unlike ordinary undead soldiers, these knights retained almost all the abilities they had possessed while alive. Their bodies were now strengthened by Immortal Blood, allowing them to continue growing stronger as they fought.
More importantly, they had gained an extraordinary degree of immortality through Selene’s Supreme Rule.
Even if their bodies suffered severe damage, they could recover as long as their Immortal Blood remained.
Selene inspected her new soldiers before giving them a simple order.
"Continue."
The Blood Rose Knights immediately moved towards the next street, their armour clattering as they marched forward.
Not far away, Frank was doing something similar.
His enormous, cloth-covered body was surrounded by several corpses. Pieces of flesh, bones, organs, and other body parts floated around him before being absorbed into his body.
His Chimera constitution and Supreme Rule of Amalgamation allowed him to select the most suitable parts and combine them into stronger forms.
He could assimilate the strongest muscles, bones, organs, and other useful features from different creatures, creating a body far more powerful than any individual corpse.
He was also using the same ability to create new Chimera undead soldiers from the remaining corpses.
Unlike Selene’s Blood Rose Knights, Frank’s creations varied greatly in appearance. Some possessed enormous physical strength, while others had specialised organs that granted them unique abilities.
Rachel, meanwhile, had already begun forming her own Ruination Knights.
The effects of Fallen Light spread across her creations, strengthening their offensive and supportive capabilities.
Her soldiers weren’t limited to a single fighting style. Depending on how she developed them, they could serve as frontline warriors, ranged attackers, or even support units.
Each of Kaiser’s three Supreme Rule users was expanding his undead army in a different way.
And the more Vampires they killed, the larger their forces became.
Kaiser received regular updates through their mental connection.
’This is turning out better than I expected.’
He looked towards the enormous castle standing in the centre of Minvera City.
It was much larger than the surrounding buildings, with several tall towers reaching towards the blood-red moon.
A powerful aura surrounded the entire structure.
Unlike the Vampires he had encountered so far, the presence coming from that direction was considerably stronger.
’That’s probably where the important figures are gathered.’
Kaiser smiled faintly.
He had no intention of rushing towards the castle just yet.
There were still plenty of Vampires left in the outer districts, and he wanted to collect as many rewards as possible before confronting the stronger inhabitants of the city.
"Let’s clear the rest of this area first."
Ripple immediately nodded.
"Okay, Father!"
The two continued deeper into Minvera City, while Kaiser’s army spread throughout the surrounding districts.
With every passing moment, more Vampires fell, more Rule Crystals entered Kaiser’s inventory, and his Wisdom Points continued to increase.
His first Legendary Rank-Up Trial was turning into a massive hunt.