"Wait!" Goethe called out to the two blood kin who were unsure what to do, just as they were about to leave. He then added, "While the Daywalker is important to us, the safety of the castle is even more crucial..."
"From today onwards, no one is to leave here without my permission, lest they draw the attention of the MIB outside."
"Do you all understand?"
Out of caution, Goethe even displayed the demeanor of a leader.
The grim situation outside made it impossible for the Vampires to be too careful.
Since the "leader" had spoken, the pure-bloods, who originally had many ideas, bowed their heads in silent agreement.
Among them, although Maguire also lowered his head, his gaze, subtly glancing upwards, still conveyed his dissatisfaction.
'You have the "Shadow Descent" talent, so you're not afraid of sunlight and can enter and exit the castle freely, but have you considered us?'
'Not only do you not help capture the Daywalker, but you're also stopping those who want to do something for the pure-bloods...'
Yes, Maguire was still grumbling about Goethe in his heart.
"Alright, since everyone has eaten their fill, you may all go rest!" Goethe announced the end of mealtime. Before leaving, he noticed the little girl Scarlett again and then said, "As for this little girl, lock her in the basement for now. She can either be developed into a blood kin later or serve as food."
After issuing the command, Goethe was the first to leave the dining hall, followed by the other pure-blood Vampires.
Before long, only Maguire, the two blood kin who had failed their mission, and the little girl Scarlett, who had been mistakenly captured, remained in the dining hall.
"What is your relationship with Karl?" Maguire looked at the little girl, who seemed like a miniature adult, and a different plan seemed to form in his mind.
"I won't tell you. You won't harm my sister again!" Little Scarlett declared proudly.
Although she was relatively mature for her age, she was still just a five or six-year-old child.
And just like that, one sentence gave away her "hand."
"Very good." A smile appeared on Maguire's face; his plan seemed to be taking shape.
Then, he said to the two blood kin still kneeling on the ground, "You two take this little girl to the basement. From now on, the task of taking care of her is entirely yours."
"Remember to take good care of her and don't let anything go wrong again."
For Vampires with long lifespans, a decade or so is merely a few more sleeps, and it passes quickly.
But for human young, a decade or so is enough time for them to grow into adults.
Maguire's plan was to raise Scarlett into an adult, then transform her into his own blood kin, and finally, have her capture her own Daywalker sister.
This kind of wicked kin-slaying plan certainly fit the Vampire's persona.
"Yes, we will definitely take good care of this little girl!"
Although they didn't know the superior's intentions, Thorn and Rose, who still carried the "sin" on them, decisively accepted the task.
They planned to atone for their sins by rendering meritorious service—
As the little girl Scarlett was led away, the dining hall became completely quiet. A small bat that had been "peeping" from the window for a long time now flapped its wings and flew out of the ancient castle.
...
On the other side, Mike, who had just finished his day's graduate courses at Columbia University, had just returned to the villa with Paige and Collins when Tina sought him out.
"There's news from Marius? He's quite fast then—" In the luxurious villa, Mike's expression was a little surprised after hearing the news Tina brought back, but he quickly regained his composure.
Then, he comfortably took a sip of the milk offered by the beautiful young girl Paige, and then waved his hand, telling the beautiful young girl, who still wanted to linger by his side, to go play elsewhere.
Mike, whose strength was now sufficient to protect the girls around him, did not want Paige and the other girls to be involved in supernatural events.
This was good for her, and for him too—
After watching Paige reluctantly leave, Mike continued to discuss the previous topic with Tina: "What does Marius mean now? Does he need me to go to the scene to help?"
"Yes, Marius has discovered a pure-blood Vampire den. According to him, the strongest pure-blood Vampire in that ancient castle is of Marquis rank, and he is not entirely confident in taking down the opponent." Tina relayed the information she had gathered.
Marius, having suffered two major injuries, was now in a situation somewhat similar to Akasha's before. Although his Vampire rank was preserved, his combat power had significantly declined.
He, who originally only had the strength at the threshold of a Marquis, now probably only had a true combat power slightly better than a Viscount-level miscellaneous Vampire.
"Alright then, let's call Needy and go take a look. Let's try to solve the problem before dinner—" Mike made a decision.
Moreover, he had long anticipated this kind of situation today.
After all, Marius's current strength was truly not good. If he encountered a slightly stronger pure-blood Vampire, he would definitely come back for help.
This could also be considered a small punishment for him.
Before long, Mike arrived at the shoe factory in the car driven by Needy. There, he met the pale-faced Marius, and the two little girls, around five or six years old, following behind him.
"Tell me the situation. What kind of help do you need?" In the factory's specially made compartment, Mike looked at Marius.
At the scene, besides Needy and the others, Van and his son, and Joe's girlfriend Stacy, had also arrived.
"Farm... A group of pure-blood Vampires sent their blood kin to attack the farm. After killing the owner there, they seemed to want to capture this little girl..." Marius said, pulling out a little girl from behind him: "It's her. My Noisy Cricket tracked the ancient castle where that group of pure-blood Vampires hid, and overheard them calling this little girl a Daywalker."
Mike did indeed sense the same aura from this little girl named Karl as he did from Blade.
[Pure-blood * Human bloodline Energy +100]...
Sure enough, this special little girl possessed an ancient human bloodline.
As long as she grew up healthy, this little girl's potential might not be inferior to Blade, who had been contaminated by Vampire bloodline.
"You should know where that ancient castle is, right? Take us there now—" Mike didn't intend to listen to too many explanations. Being in a hurry, he only needed to know that Marius had found the pure-blood Vampires' lair.
"Yes, yes—" Marius originally had more to say, but seeing Mike's urgent demeanor, he chose to close his mouth and lead the way.
As for other matters, there would be many more opportunities to discuss them later.
Before long, guided by a swarm of Noisy Cricket, two cars drove into the desolate suburbs under the cover of night.
Mike and Needy were in the supercar in front, while Van and his son Joe, who insisted on coming along, were in the used car behind.
"It's here—"
Upon arriving in front of an eerie ancient castle, Marius reverted to his human form.
"I didn't expect such an ancient castle to be hidden here..." Mike looked at the black mist above the ancient castle, which blended with the night, and roughly guessed the method the pure-blood Vampires inside used to evade the X Squad intelligence agents.
However, once someone clearly saw the castle, the hidden mist above it no longer had any effect.
"Let's go. The sooner we eliminate the Vampires inside, the sooner we can finish work—" After examining the structure of the ancient castle, Mike led the way inside.
Beside him, Needy had already drawn her alloy twin blades, ready to deal with any trouble at any moment.
Behind Mike, the fully armed Van and his son were vigilant, watching the situations on both sides.
As for Marius, he was unknowingly left behind. Realizing this, he was left with only the role of bringing up the rear.
However, facts proved that the vigilance of Needy and Van and his son was entirely superfluous.
There was no security force whatsoever in this ancient castle.
Mike and the others effortlessly rescued the imprisoned little girl Scarlett from the dungeon.
"Let's say hello to our enemies."
Mike, who had returned to the first-floor hall, still hadn't encountered a single Vampire, and he didn't intend to search for them one by one.
Then, at Mike's instruction, Needy took out the modified "Noisy Cricket" and fired a shot at the second floor of the ancient castle.
Amidst the rumbling, moonlight faintly streamed down into the three-story ancient castle.
Yes, the powerful modified "Noisy Cricket" had directly shot through the ancient building, leaving only the roof of the topmost floor not completely shattered.
"Damn it, what happened..."
"There are intruders..."
The pure-blood Vampires living on the second floor, who were most affected, rushed out of their rooms in a panic, and then saw the large hole above the living room.
'Is this kind of power something humans can possess?'
Looking at the scene of shattered stones covering the ground and rolling smoke, many Vampires who spotted Mike and the others on the first floor had the same thought.
It can only be said that they were too well protected by Goethe and lacked a lot of necessary knowledge.
Just right, today they will have a good eye-opener.
"Give them a few UV bombs to try!"
Mike continued to say to the Van Hellsing father and son duo behind him.
This ancient castle is indeed very old, and if the improved "Noisy Cricket" fires two more shots, there is a high risk of collapse.
Although Mike was not afraid, he didn't want to eat old dust.
Therefore, it is very reasonable to use UV bombs, which have little destructive power but are effective against Vampires.
It's just that Marius, the Vampire following behind, will have to suffer a bit.
As for the Van father and son, although they held the crossbow and great axe left by their ancestor Van Helsing, they were not averse to the new weapons provided by the MIB.
After hearing the command, both of them simultaneously pulled out a few UV bombs from their bodies and then threw them with all their might towards the densely packed Vampires on the second floor.
"This thing is really useful—!"
Looking at the unlucky Vampires on the second floor being melted by the UV rays, Van, a descendant of a demon hunter who had used cold weapons and crossbows all his life, let out a heartfelt sigh.
Even Joe, who had only participated in two Vampire battles, felt that eliminating Vampires was not as difficult as he had imagined.
"Someone actually wants to escape right under my nose, naive—" Just then, Mike seemed to sense something, and with a wave of his hand, he placed a faint confinement shield over the ancient castle.
This is a small trick in using the Power of Faith.
At the same time, at the third-floor skylight, Goethe, who was preparing to escape by climbing over the ancient castle, accidentally touched the light shield and was then struck back to the third floor as if by an electric shock.
Of course, the Vampires on the second floor did not know about these things.
"Their weapons are used up, charge with me and kill all the invaders!"
Not long after, Maguire, who had been suppressed by the UV bombs and couldn't raise his head, immediately felt capable again when he realized that the humans below had run out of bombs.
He organized the Vampires around him who could still fight, then specifically had Thorn and Rose lead the charge, shouting as they rushed down to the first floor.
[Vampire Energy + 500]...[Vampire Energy + 240]...[Vampire Energy + 180]...
As the small but numerous energy traits came into hand, Mike's extraordinary level reached nine, almost reaching ten.
And the grand hall on the first floor of the ancient castle also began a fierce melee. Marius transformed into a bat and went after Thorn and Rose, while Needy directly charged towards the Vampire organizer Maguire.
As for the other pure-blood Vampires of weaker strength, only at the Baron level, they were chased around the ancient castle by the Van father and son, who were wielding Van Helsing's weapons.
This kind of one-sided situation was probably unimaginable to the Vampires before they charged down.
After all, in their perception, humans were merely food. Who would have thought that the people in the X Squad were all highly skilled?
"Aren't you coming down yet? You should be the leader of this group of Vampires, right?" Mike urgently needed energy clusters to raise his extraordinary level to ten, so he could see what changes would occur next.
However, he found that the relatively powerful Vampire on the third floor was still testing the light shield outside the ancient castle and had no intention of coming down to help its kind.
"Since you won't come down, I'll go up and find you!"
Realizing that the Vampire on the third floor only wanted to escape, Mike didn't wait any longer. His body quickly ascended and flew towards the top of the third floor.
At this moment, at the third-floor skylight, Goethe had found many miscellaneous items, but discovered that while items could be thrown out of the light shield, it itself could not get out.
So, it had a sudden inspiration and squeezed itself into a small cabinet, then used black mist to support itself and the small cabinet, wanting to break through the thin light shield in front of it.
"It's useless."
Just as it was about to act, a soft sigh suddenly came from its ear.
The familiar voice made Goethe's hair stand on end, and it dared not stay any longer. It immediately activated its Shadow talent with all its might, wrapping itself and the small cabinet in black mist, and crashed into the light shield.
Then, the faint light shield above the ancient castle was like its death warrant, with a slight ripple, it bounced it back to the top of the ancient castle, person and cabinet alike.
The immense force directly shattered the small cabinet into sawdust, and Goethe lay weakly on the rooftop slab.
By the moonlight, this pure-blood Vampire of Countess rank saw a young man, like a "god," looking down at it with interest.
[Shadow Descent (Talent)]...[Vampire * bloodline Energy + 1100]...
Finally, Mike obtained the energy cluster he wanted, and this cluster was enough to raise his extraordinary level to above ten.
However, after the extraordinary level reached ten, there was no further movement.
Even the excess energy value disappeared for no reason.
"Is this the energy cap?" Mike was puzzled for a moment, then a white light of Retribution Power rose in his hand as he looked at the disheveled Vampire on the ground: "No matter what, you're useless now."
"No—!" Seeing the white light, Goethe seemed to have met its nemesis. Before its plea for mercy could even escape its lips, it was melted into ashes amidst its terrified screams.
'Is it that the energy value is not enough, or does the physique need to evolve again...'
After casually dealing with a small problem, Mike carefully considered the reason why his strength no longer increased.
In a short while, he had a rough guess in his mind.
One must know that when he initially only had demon bloodline and Vampire bloodline, it was difficult for his physical energy to reach thousands.
Only after acquiring Alexander's pure human bloodline did his physique enter the extraordinary stage, and only then did his strength achieve a leap-like improvement.
From this perspective, if Mike wanted his strength to increase significantly again, he would need to acquire a stronger bloodline to evolve his physique once more.
But now, Mike had almost seen all the powerful beings on Earth. Should he go look for that God who went on an "outer space tour"?
'No, I haven't seen a true devil yet... If I could see Satan...'
"Forget it, things will work themselves out. Thinking so much is useless." Mike shook his head, pulled back his thoughts, and walked down towards the ancient castle.
Anyway, he was almost invincible now, and it would be nice to enjoy life for a while.
And when Mike returned to the first-floor hall, the battle here had also ended, and all the pure-blood Vampires from before had been eliminated by Needy and the others.
"Alright, the operation is over, it's time to get off work."
Mike, in a rather good mood, gathered everyone and walked out of the ancient castle.
"Oh, and Marius. The Vampires in New York have been pretty much dealt with properly. You can stay at the shoe factory from now on. Start as Van's assistant first..." Walking out of the ancient castle, Mike gave Marius a relaxed job again.
It was considered a reward for him finding such a pure-blood Vampire lair this time.
"Okay, boss." Marius, who had been busy and terrified outside for over a month, had also learned some ways of dealing with the world.
After gladly accepting his next work arrangement, this pure-blood Vampire of Countess rank then said: "Um, boss. Miss Emma, one of the two little girls I brought back earlier, was accidentally bitten by a Vampire. Could you please help her? After all, she's still so young."
The attacked couple at the farm had adopted three little girls from the orphanage in total. Emma, the eldest among the three children, was the oldest of the three sisters.
When Thorn and Rose attacked, this elder sister Emma was bitten by Rose while protecting her two younger sisters.
"Just an antidote, here you go—"
Unlike the last time with Lestat, this time Mike directly took out a potion and handed it to Marius, instructing: "From now on, you're also an official member of the X Squad. You can tell me if you have any difficulties."
Then, the two cars, which had been at the ancient castle for less than half an hour, immediately set off on their return journey.
Mike rode in Needy's car, heading directly towards his villa.
As for the used car Joe was driving, it headed towards the shoe factory.
"Congratulations to you, you finally found an organization—" In the passenger seat, Van turned his head and chatted with Marius, who was sitting in the back, while secretly making a funny face to amuse the little girl Scarlett, who was also sitting in the back.
As mentioned before, Van is a very cheerful old man in private.
Because of his identity as a demon hunter descendant, he actually had a great prejudice against Vampires before. However, Marius's actions in saving the three little girls this time earned the old man a lot of goodwill.
...