Chapter 1: The Bloodline Queen’s Unperturbed Reign

Within the resplendent castle, a white-haired Maiden sat regally upon a dark crimson throne.

Beneath the throne, three men and three women, covered in blood, either knelt or lay sprawled.

“Who are you? Why do you disturb me?”

The clear, melodious voice, reminiscent of a skylark, emanated from the Maiden seated upon the throne, a symbol of her sovereignty.

The attackers, thus questioned, remained silent.

Observing their silence, the Maiden’s displeasure grew; even their initial assault had not vexed her as much as this quiet defiance.

“Oh my, how terribly impolite you are,” the Maiden said, tapping a finger lightly against her lips, a faint smile gracing them. “To refuse an answer when questioned—how utterly ill-mannered.”

At her words, a Young Man beneath the throne immediately bellowed in fury at the Maiden. “Demoness! How dare you call *me* ill-mannered? It is you blood-sucking vermin who lack all civility!”

Gazing at the Young Man, whose eyes burned with a desire to devour her alive, the Maiden felt a flicker of curiosity.

“Oh my, no matter what you say about me, I won’t grow angry,” she mused. “I’m merely a touch curious: do you truly despise me so much?”

The Young Man, on the verge of responding to the Maiden’s query, abruptly halted, his companion having restrained him.

“Oh, what a shame,” the Maiden drawled, covering her mouth with a delicate hand as a soft laugh escaped her. “I was so close to coaxing some information out of you.”

The Young Man, realizing the implication of her words, instantly darkened. The other attackers, too, wore grim expressions; indeed, this ancient being, having lived for centuries, was truly unlike any other. Was every gesture, every movement, imbued with cunning calculation? It was impossible to tell.

Knowing that further questioning would be futile, or perhaps simply growing weary of it, the Maiden slowly turned her head to gaze at the moonlight outside the window. It was no ordinary moonlight, but the crimson glow of a blood moon, a constant fixture in this realm.

“Ugh, I’ve grown quite tired of seeing this moon every day, and being bathed in its light,” the Maiden grumbled, tilting her head and puffing out her cheeks.

After appreciating the moon, the Maiden’s gaze drifted towards the shadowed area, specifically the floor-to-ceiling windows shrouded by curtains. “Wouldn’t you agree, unknown adversary?”

“As expected, nothing escapes Your Majesty’s notice!” A Youth, whose skin was so pale it seemed unnatural, emerged from the shadows.

“You are the one who orchestrated these young men and women, aren’t you?” the Maiden stated, her tone more of an assertion than a question.

“Esteemed Bloodline Queen, you are indeed correct!” The Youth bowed with an elegant flourish, addressing the white-haired Maiden with refined deference.

“Given your reverence towards me, are you perhaps a noble from within the Bloodline?” the Maiden inquired, her curiosity piqued. She had detected no vampiric aura from the Youth, yet he displayed the sophisticated etiquette of a Bloodline aristocrat.

“Both yes and no.” A crimson glow flashed in his hand, and a longsword materialized from thin air, which he then brandished, pointing its tip at the Bloodline Queen.

“Another impudent fellow, then?” The Maiden’s delicate brows furrowed. Any nascent goodwill she might have felt towards his earlier demeanor instantly vanished, replaced by a swift aversion.

“Not at all,” the Youth countered. “I merely desire something from Your Majesty.”

“Oh? Take something from me?” the Maiden mused. “Now I’m rather curious; what could I possibly possess that you would want?”

“Your blood, Your Majesty.”

As he spoke, the Youth, brandishing his rapier, darted forward with the speed of a lithe leopard, appearing instantly beside the Maiden, thereby encroaching upon the very seat of her power.

“Am I to interpret this as a challenge?” the Maiden questioned, her eyes glowing with a fierce crimson light as she fixed her gaze upon the Youth. The throne of a monarch would not suffer such desecration.

With a sudden *clang*, a scythe materialized in the Maiden’s hand, deftly parrying the Youth’s sword and producing a resounding clash of metal.

Feeling the Youth’s strength, the Maiden’s elegant brow arched in surprise. While the power of the Bloodline generally surpassed that of an average weightlifting champion only slightly, this Youth possessed the ability to momentarily overwhelm her. Was he not of the Bloodline? Yet, his earlier etiquette had undeniably been that of a Bloodline noble. Or perhaps, had he been planning this for a considerable time?

Unable to fathom it, the Maiden resolved to subdue the Youth and then question him.

With a mere exertion of strength, the Bloodline Queen effortlessly flung the Youth a considerable distance away.

“Your Majesty, you are truly formidable,” the Youth declared, placing his left hand over his right breast and offering a slight bow. “To think you so easily nullified my attack.”

“You flatter me,” the Bloodline Queen replied, returning his smile.

Seizing the moment of the Maiden’s smile, the Youth, catching her off guard, abruptly hurled his sword.

Observing the incoming blade, the Maiden merely flicked her scythe, deflecting it effortlessly.

As her gaze returned to the Youth, he had already descended from the vicinity of the throne and now stood beside the six attackers.

The Youth then drew forth six drops of his own blood, forcibly made the six drink them, and promptly moved behind them.

Suddenly, a crimson glow erupted from the six weakened young men and women, enveloping them in a shroud of blood-red light.

The Bloodline Queen raised an eyebrow, then settled firmly back onto her throne, intrigued to see what other tactics they might employ against her.

Sharp fangs elongated from the mouths of the six, who then dropped to all fours like predatory wolves, lunging at the Maiden.

“Wolves?”

Deflecting the attackers with a casual swing of her scythe, the Maiden spoke, her tone unperturbed.

Yet, no one answered her query; only vicious claws greeted her.

Pursing her lips, the Maiden began to chant an incomprehensible incantation. As the final words left her lips, her scythe began to shimmer with a blood-red radiance.

A wave of ripples surged forth, sweeping the six attackers aside as if they were mere refuse.

“Do you possess any further abilities?” the Maiden declared, rising from her elevated seat and tilting her head slightly. “Unleash them all for me to witness, for if this is the extent of your power, you shall face judgment under the laws of the Bloodline.”

The Youth seemed entirely unsurprised by the Maiden’s effortless dispatch of the six. Indeed, for the Bloodline Queen to be so easily defeated would be a laughable absurdity.

Nevertheless, his true objective had been accomplished.

In a flash of lightning, a Black-Robed Figure, holding a closed object and shrouded entirely in dark cloth, abruptly appeared behind the Maiden.

With a soft *shick*, a sharp dagger sliced across the Maiden’s arm. Her skin, as pristine as snow, was cut open, and swiftly, copious amounts of crimson blood surged forth.

‘How could this be…!’ Having her skin pierced, something she hadn’t experienced in an age, left the Bloodline Queen momentarily stunned. Yet, she quickly recovered, her formidable Bloodline physiology restoring her arm to its original state mere seconds after the blood had flowed from the wound.

Her brows tightly furrowed, the Bloodline Queen turned her gaze towards the Black-Robed Figure, who had already drifted to stand beside the Youth.

In the Black-Robed Figure’s hand was a test tube, within which glistened a vibrant, eye-catching stream of blood. It was her own blood, and this sight caused the Maiden’s previously playful mood to darken considerably.

Sensing the shift, the Youth and the Black-Robed Figure both looked towards the Queen. A vast, ocean-like aura of power began to emanate from the Maiden.

“I had merely intended to amuse myself with you, driven by boredom, seeking a touch of diversion,” the Bloodline Queen declared, her voice now imbued with chilling power. “Yet, you have made me feel a pain I haven’t known in an age. Though utterly trivial, this is nonetheless a first since my ascension to the throne!”

Sweeping away her dark gaze, the Bloodline Queen revealed a smile. This smile, which would ordinarily have been sweet and inviting, now filled the Youth and his companion with profound dread.

“Run!!”

With a synchronized shout, the Youth and the Black-Robed Figure turned and fled towards the castle’s exterior.

Watching the Youth and the Black-Robed Figure depart, the Bloodline Queen’s smile widened even further. She made no move to pursue them, however, instead descending step by step from her throne.

The young men and women trembled before the Bloodline Queen, who seemed both enraged and yet strangely calm. After all, their mastermind had been no match for her, and now that orchestrator had fled in disarray. Their own fates were surely dire.

Before the young men and women could even conceive of a counter-strategy, they felt their vision drop. Ah, it was because the Bloodline Queen had swung her scythe, severing their heads from their bodies.

“Guards!” Casting an indifferent glance at the six corpses, the Bloodline Queen turned and began to ascend towards her throne. As she reached a single step away from it, she let out a commanding shout.

“Here!” A resounding, spirited cry echoed through the hall.

A troop of Armored Figures, clad in dark crimson armor adorned with golden patterns, had appeared beneath the throne at some unknown moment, now kneeling with expressions of profound reverence towards the Maiden.

“Apprehend those who dared disturb my tranquility.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Upon her command, each armored knight unfurled a pair of bat-like wings from their backs, then rose in an orderly ascent, flying out towards the castle’s exterior.

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