"GRAAAAAAHHH!!!"
The centaur chief let out an ear-deafening scream, it filled the surrounding area and the warriors around couldn’t help but be nervous.
The sound was so incredibly loud that it shook the ground a bit. It echoed out into the surrounding area. The raw pain inside that roar was something the tribe had never heard from their leader before.
They were all looking at Verc like he tricked their leader.
The surrounding centaur warriors instantly tightened their grips on their fallen or remaining weapons, their eyes flashing with a mixture of pure terror and extreme anger. They did not understand what was happening to their chief, so they immediately assumed that the pale attacker had used some kind of dirty poison or a curse under the guise of giving him more power.
They even all agreed unconsciously to attack Verc if their chief dies!
The tense atmosphere reached a boiling point where a single wrong movement would cause a massive explosion. Over two hundred beastmen were holding their breath, silently communicating with each other through sharp glances, ready to throw away the surrender order and tear the intruder apart if their leader’s life ended right here.
A few moments after drinking Verc’s blood—the centaur chief fell onto the soil and started screaming in pain.
His large upper body collapsed heavily into the cracked dirt, kicking up a small cloud of dust under the cool moonlight. The immense pride he held just a few minutes ago was entirely wiped out by the agonizing process happening inside his body.
Then his body started twitching uncontrollably.
"..."
Verc already expected this; this happened to everyone he bit and let his blood drink after all.
He stood perfectly still a few feet away from the thrashing giant, his arms crossed over his chest as he calmly watched the entire event unfold. He did not show any signs of panic or surprise because he had already witnessed this exact same agonizing evolution with Tatum, Jed, and the others who he turned.
He does think that during this process of turning into a vampire, one can die.
The transformation was not a simple spell or a basic power upgrade; it was a complete and violent rewriting of a living creature’s biological structure after all. If the subject’s physical shell or spirit was too weak to handle the sudden influx of his dense vampiric essence, their core would simply collapse and explode from the inside out.
The only reason none of those who turned is dead—is because they’re already strong beforehand, and they have a strong willpower.
That’s why Verc wasn’t really nervous watching the centaur chief like that—he’s the strongest he had decided to turn into a vampire, and in terms of will—he’s not going to fall short as well.
The chief had ruled the entire western sector for probably decades now through his raw strength and tactical mind, meaning his spirit was undoubtedly much tougher than anyone else Verc had met so far.
’Still, receiving this kind of gaze from the centaurs is still prickly.’
Verc thought, feeling the eyes of the warriors around.
The hundreds of hostile glares coming from the perimeter were practically burning holes into his back. The intense hatred and suspicion radiating from the crowd was so thick that a normal human would have collapsed from the pure mental pressure alone.
He know what they were thinking.
He just decided to ignore them because doing something might make the situation messy.
If Verc were to draw his sword or even release a small amount of his mana to threaten them right now, it would definitely spark the exact panic he was trying to avoid, forcing the centaurs to attack him in a blind rage.
He might have to kill unnecessarily if ever.
His main goal was to take the entire tribe under his rule to increase the military power of his kingdom, so wiping out half of his future workforce because of a misunderstanding would be an absolute waste of good resources.
And so, in silence—
"..."
Verc watched the centaur chief.
He kept his red eyes locked onto the thrashing body, observing the subtle changes in the mana flow around the chief’s skin to make sure the transformation was proceeding along the right path.
The warriors around did the same thing for now.
They remained frozen in their kneeling positions, their upper bodies tense as they kept their weapons ready, their eyes shifting between their suffering leader and the quiet pale attacker standing beside the pit.
’This will take a few hours as usual... I hope the centaurs doesn’t run out of patience.’
Verc thought to himself, his brows forming a frown for a bit.
When Tatum and the others turned, the entire process had lasted for a very long time, requiring a massive amount of waiting before the new vampires could finally open their eyes. He really did not want to stand in the middle of a hostile circle for the rest of the night while the surrounding beastmen slowly lost their minds from the stress.
But then, to his surprise—
The violent thrashing suddenly began to slow down, the loud noises echoing from the center of the crater diminishing much faster than he had originally calculated.
"Hmm?"
The centaur chief’s screaming stopped.
The sudden absence of the heavy roars made the entire courtyard feel incredibly quiet, the silence settling over the village like a thick blanket under the dark night sky.
He hasn’t hear him for a while and only noticed now.
Verc blinked slightly, his internal focus returning to the immediate reality of the situation as he realized the sound had vanished entirely.
"...!"
Verc turned around to look at him on the ground, fearing that an unexpected thing happened and the chief actually died during the process of turning into a vampire!
A sudden spike of worry hit his mind because losing a high-tier combatant like the western king due to an unstable transformation would be a massive loss for his upcoming expansion plans.
And when he looked at where he last saw him—the centaur chief was there; still on the ground, and this time, not moving!
The large body was completely flat against the dirt, his chest showing no signs of movement, and his powerful limbs lying entirely limp across the shattered soil. There was not a single twitch or a sound coming from his mouth, making him look exactly like a fresh corpse.
’No fucking way...’
Verc quickly crouched down, he was really surprised by this, but he showed no emotion on his face to not let the warriors know.
He maintained a completely blank, icy expression on his features, knowing that if the surrounding centaurs saw even a minor hint of panic or hesitation on his face, they would instantly realize something went wrong and launch their attack.
Facing the unmoving centaur chief, Verc secretly checked his vitals, and just as he feared—he couldn’t feel anything.
He placed his hand near the chief’s chest, trying to catch the steady rhythm of a heartbeat or the warmth of breath leaving his lungs, but there was absolutely nothing present.
’Uhh, wait... was it supposed to be like that because vampires are undeads as well?’
Verc asked in his head, this was his first time doing this.
He had never actually stayed around to check the physical heartbeats of his previous subordinates during the exact moment of their transition, usually just letting them rest until they woke up on their own.
This never happened before after all.
He had always assumed that the body maintained some level of mortal functions during the middle of the change, but now he was forced to question the basic rules of his own race’s anatomy.
He then checked his own vitals, and just like the centaur chief; he felt nothing.
He placed his fingers against his own neck, confirming that his own heart was completely still and his lungs did not actually require air to function normally under the moonlight.
This just made him even more confused.
And then, at that moment—FWISH~
A cold breeze of air brushed past him—he also felt a new connection being linked to him; similar to Tatum’s and the others who drank his blood!
And the next thing he knew—
SWOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSHHH—!!!
The quiet night air completely shattered as a massive eruption of raw energy exploded outward from the center of the crater! A strong gust of wind erupted from the centaur chief all of a sudden!
The dirt, stones, and broken pieces of wood around were violently blown away in a neat, circular shockwave that raced across the area!
"...?!"
It was so strong that it almost blew Verc away!
He had to quickly plant his boots deep into the soil and cross his arms in front of his face to keep his balance against the sudden pressure of the blast.
’UGH?! WHAT THE FUCK?!’
Verc cursed in his head.
*****
The sudden pressure disappeared as fast as it appeared, and when everything calmed down--Verc saw the centaur chief standing!
"..."
The centaur chief was looking at his own hands, staring with a blank look on his face. He can feel the incredible flow of dark mana circulating through his newly altered veins with absolute clarity.
So basically; the centaur chief survived and was successfully turned into a vampire.
But that’s not the end of it--Verc... he immediately know that the centaur chief became the strongest vampire he had even turned!
’What the hell happened...? I didn’t expect him to be this strong.’
Verc was even thinking that the centaur chief was probably on match with the dark lich he fought underground before!
The sheer density of the aura was immense. The chief had not only retained his original physical might, but his new vampiric properties had multiplied his combat capabilities to a terrifying degree.
Anyway, the centaur chief felt his new power, he was astonished, and being connected to Verc now—
"..."
He can feel that even with his new power—he still fell short to reach him.
He also instinctively know he can’t disobey or cause harm to Verc ever again.
The absolute authority of the blood contract was permanently engraved into his soul, forcing his mind to accept Verc’s will as his own supreme directive for the rest of his existence.
But, he didn’t really care about that—Verc kept his words of giving him more powers.
"Fwaaah~"
The centaur chief let out a deep, satisfied breath as he clenched his massive fists, feeling a level of physical strength and magical density that he had never been able to achieve during his countless years of living.
The promise of supreme power had been fulfilled completely, erasing any lingering regret he had about surrendering his independence to Verc.
And so, in response—the centaur chief kneeled.
THUD!
"My name is Diyael—the leader of the western."
He introduced himself.
He spoke clearly, his booming voice echoing through the silent surrounding with an absolute clarity that everyone could hear.
The centaur chief, Diyael, lowered his massive frame smoothly into the dirt once more, but this time his posture didn’t contain a single trace of defeat or humiliation, filled instead with a deep, voluntary respect.
And while looking at the ground—
"From this moment on, my life and my blade belong entirely to you."
He swore loyalty to Verc!
His words were much sincere than before, he wasn’t doing this just to keep his and his people’s lives.
He was really going fully under Verc!
And this scene—it was watched by all the centaurs around.