A few moments earlier—
TAP.
Verc finally stepped out of the dark mouth of the labyrinth.
He had been running non-stop for a day and a half, and as he crossed the threshold from the dungeon into the outside world—
S W O O O O S H~!!!
He immediately activated [Dominion Aura], letting his presence explode outward like a physical weight to startle everyone around the entrance!
By doing this, he knew he would attract everyone’s attention instantly.
But he realized that they would notice him eventually anyway, so he figured it was better to do it on his own terms. He wanted to seize the initiative and give himself a few seconds.
As the sun hit his skin, he quickly came to realize that it was midday. Which meant he couldn’t use his full vampire power in his current state.
"..."
Verc’s eyes quickly scanned the surroundings with his eyes to gather as much information as possible about the situation.
He saw the knights who had been lounging around, drinking and laughing, now completely stupefied by his sudden arrival. He saw the City Lord and the local barons sitting under their expensive tent, their faces frozen in shock as their lunch was interrupted.
But not far away from him— he also noticed Elianna. Her hand was already moving, grabbing the handle of the sword resting on her waist.
Verc immediately frowned at that sight. He didn’t want to fight her, but he knew she wouldn’t just let him walk away.
So without hesitation—
"[Void Summon]"
He opened his mouth and muttered those words.
W H O O O O S H~!!!
The world around them turned pitch black instantaneously. It was as if all the light had been snuffed out by a giant hand!
This was Verc’s new skill— the one he had acquired after drinking the blood of the dungeon master.
It was an active skill that allowed him to create a massive dome, about the size of a basketball court. And inside this space—
Verc was the only one who could see properly.
And what’s more, the sun couldn’t penetrate the darkness of the dome; this meant he could use all of his power inside this area!
"W-WHAT’S GOING ON?!"
"WHAT HAPPENED? WHERE DID THE SUN GO?!"
Chaos immediately descended upon everyone the moment they realized they couldn’t see a single thing.
The knights, consumed by panic and the sudden weight of Verc’s aura, pulled out their weapons and started swinging wildly in the dark— SLASH!
"KEUK?! WHAT THE FUCK?!!"
But they weren’t hitting Verc. In their blind terror, they were only hitting each other, their blades clashing against armor and flesh as they struck at shadows.
The City Lord and the local barons, who were not warriors, immediately scrambled to hide under their table in total confusion.
The sheer terror on their faces was evident even in the dark.
They couldn’t see anything at all...
SLASH!
"URGH...?! FUCK!"
But they could definitely hear the sounds of people getting sliced up and the screams of the wounded echoing within the dome!
Verc had only activated the dome so far and hadn’t actually done anything else, but the others were already in a complete mess, destroying themselves.
"..."
But there was one person who wasn’t panicking— Elianna.
She remained perfectly calm amidst the screaming. And using her [Holy Power], she enhanced her sight by concentrating her energy into her eyes, making them glow with a soft, golden light.
It was still dark for her, and the shadows felt heavy, but now it didn’t look like she was stuck in an endless, empty abyss.
And with a firm, steady grip on the handle of her sword— SHHHK!
She unsheathed her blade, the steel humming with power.
"..."
Verc immediately realized that she could see him. After all... Elianna was staring right straight at him, her blue eyes locked onto his.
The two of them just stared at each other for a long moment, not saying a single word. The sounds of the knights fighting each other continued in the background, but between the two of them, there was only a heavy silence.
Then after a while—
"What happened to the others?"
Elianna asked that, her voice sounding as cold and sharp as her stares.
"Everyone in the pursuit party is still alive... Well, except for the one who was wearing those gold-plated armor pieces."
Verc answered her honestly, his voice calm.
Elianna remembered the man he was describing. That was the leader of the party, a direct knight serving under the City Lord.
"Why did you kill him?"
Elianna asked, her voice tight.
"He tried to kill me first, and honestly, he didn’t seem like a very trustworthy person."
Verc casually said that, as if he were talking about the weather.
"You killed him just because you assumed he wasn’t trustworthy?"
Elianna followed up, her words feeling like invisible blades pointed directly at Verc’s neck. He could tell that one wrong answer from him right now and she would strike him down.
"Assume? You can say that... But I don’t think someone who wears that kind of expensive, gold-plated armor is clean, especially when the city he serves is this poor."
Verc declared his reasoning clearly. And looking straight into Elianna’s eyes—
"I know you know exactly what I mean by that."
He followed with that, nodding in the direction where the knights and the City Lord were hiding.
Verc still remembered very clearly the story that Edgar had told him the night before he had fled into the dungeon. He knew about the corruption, the theft, and the way the common people were being crushed under the heels of these "nobles."
He looked back at Elianna... She remained silent, her brows furrowed in thought.
"Even if that’s true, that doesn’t give you the right to just kill them."
She said, her voice full of conviction.
"They killed people... Not just once or twice, but a lot of times."
Verc replied, his own voice hardening.
"Every life is equal in the eyes of the gods... even theirs."
Elianna mumbled, though her voice seemed to be getting weaker as she looked at the carnage around her.
"Then the gods are stupid."
Hearing her words, Verc spouted that with absolute conviction in his voice.
Elianna frowned deeply at his blatant blasphemy, but before she could even say a word to defend her faith—
"Do you really think that’s fair?"
Verc asked that, stepping closer.
TAP.
"Are you saying their lives are just as important as the people they’ve stepped on? That’s disrespectful to those who are actually living their lives rightfully and struggling to survive."
He added, his voice raising a bit in volume.
"Are you saying that they can go ahead and kill all they want, but we can’t kill them back because the gods said no? That’s some total bullshit right there."
He continued while looking straight at Elianna, his eyes burning. Then, he pointed a finger at himself—
"Then what about me? Why is everyone so adamant about killing someone like me? Why am I a ’monster’ just for being a vampire?"
He asked that, finally revealing his true identity to her directly.
"...!"
Elianna’s eyes widened at his words. She had been suspecting it for a long time— but hearing it directly from Verc’s mouth still managed to surprise her.
"Because your ancestors—"
"My ancestors?"
Elianna was about to give the standard church response, but Verc cut her off before she could finish.
And with a truly pissed-off look on his face—
"Why the fuck do I have to be persecuted and hunted for the things they did centuries ago?"
He asked that, his voice full of anger.
"Why do I have to be killed for the sins they committed before I was even born?"
He added. And then, with a dead-serious voice—
"I didn’t choose to become a vampire. I was just born this way... And you’re telling me that because of that one fact, I have to die?"
He questioned Elianna, challenging her entire worldview.
Verc then pointed his hand toward the tent where the City Lord and his knights were, and then he opened his mouth again—
"Those bastards in that tent have taken more lives than I ever have, and yet you’re telling me that I’m more deserving of death just because of the race I was born with?"
He followed up, his words hitting hard.
"You all are just racist."
He ended with that, the word hanging heavy in the dark air.
"..."
Elianna frowned at his rant... But she found that she couldn’t say anything to refute him.
She became a bit shaken. Her grip on her sword loosened slightly.
And looking at her—
"You don’t need the gods to tell you what’s right and what’s wrong... You can think for yourself."
Verc stated that firmly.
TAP— TAP— TAP—
Then he started walking toward the fancy tents where the others were still hiding in the dark.
"Where are you going...?"
Elianna asked, her voice sounding weak and full of uncertainty.
And without looking back at her—
"To clean this fucking city."
FWISH~
Verc declared that as he pulled his sword from its sheath.
"If you do that, the world won’t care about the reasons behind your actions— they will just label you as a monster forever."
Elianna told him, trying one to stop him.
"You care way too much about what others say."
Verc responded.
TAP.
Then arrived at the spot where the City Lord and the local barons were huddled; the corrupt leaders of the City of Zore.
And without beating around the bush—
S L A S H—!
He cut off their heads in a simple, clinical, and single stroke of his sword.
He killed them.
THUD-
And as their heads roll onto the ground—
"I think I get it now... All lives are equal..."
Verc mumbled that.
Then as he looked back at Elianna—
"That’s right, once you kill them— it won’t matter anymore if they were a commoner, a noble, or a criminal."
"They’ll just be a corpse either way."
He stated that, his voice and eyes were cold.