Chapter 418: Chapter 418 The Night Before Chaos

Irina let out a long breath, the kind that came from deep in her chest, heavy with things she had carried for too long. She looked around the ruins once more before speaking, her voice steady but tired.

“They will do it again,” she said. “A population of two thousand. Killed. Seven different locations.”

The words sat there, ugly and heavy.

Lana turned sharply toward her. “What the hell do they need sacrifices for again?” Her voice cracked despite her trying to keep it together. “Haven’t they already crossed every possible line?”

Irina’s jaw tightened slightly. “Because vampires never stop,” she replied. “They never stop searching. Never stop exploring. Power. Longevity. Control. They are obsessed with reaching their maximum potential.”

“To be immortal,” Lana said quietly.

Irina nodded. “Exactly.”

Liam frowned. “Aren’t they immortal already?”

Irina shook her head slowly. “No. Their lifespan is five hundred years. Long, yes. But still limited.”

She paused, then added calmly, “Only one of them is truly immortal.”

Liam’s eyes sharpened. “And that’s why you brought me here.”

Irina turned to face him fully. “Yes.”

“To fight him,” she said. “And kill him.”

Liam didn’t react the way either of them expected. He didn’t tense. Didn’t scoff. Didn’t question it.

He simply nodded.

“Alright,” he said calmly.

Irina continued, her voice lowering as the weight of what she was saying became clearer. “He is one of the original vampires. One of the first. He orchestrated everything you see now. The sacrifices. The dark magic. The evolution.”

She gestured around them again. “But he is not just a vampire.”

Lana’s stomach dropped. “Then what is he?”

“A witch,” Irina replied. “A powerful one.”

That made Liam straighten slightly. “Both?”

“Yes,” she said. “A witch-vampire hybrid. Something that should never have existed.”

Irina continued, “If he dies, the dark vampires lose their unnatural power. The rituals collapse. The curse that was broken has nothing to anchor itself to. They revert. Back to what they were before.”

Lana blinked. “So that’s it?” she asked. “Take out the leader and the rest fall apart?”

She exhaled slowly, some of the tension easing from her shoulders. “That actually sounds… manageable. Maybe I worried too much.”

Irina looked at her.

And then she said the words that shattered that fragile hope.

“It’s not that simple.”

Lana stiffened. “What do you mean?”

“All of us together,” Irina continued, her tone flat and honest, “at our peak, at our strongest… we wouldn’t stand a chance against him.”

Even Liam turned to her fully now, disbelief flickering across his face. “You’re joking.”

She wasn’t.

Liam studied her expression, searching for doubt, exaggeration, fear-driven exaggeration. There was none. Just certainty.

“Are you serious?” he asked.

Irina met his gaze without flinching. “Completely.”

Liam let out a short breath, then chuckled lightly, shaking his head. “You haven’t even seen a fraction of what I can do.”

For a moment, Irina just stared at him.

Then she laughed.

It wasn’t mocking. It wasn’t cruel. It was… genuine. Light. Almost amused.

“You think you can outpower a three-thousand-year-old witch-vampire?” she said, smiling faintly. “A man who has had centuries to sharpen his mind, his magic, his instincts?”

She stepped closer, her voice calm but firm. “He has lived through empires rising and falling. He has watched entire bloodlines disappear. He has fought beings you don’t even know exist.”

Liam’s smile faded, replaced by focus.

“To bring him down,” Irina continued, “we need every bit of help we can get. Allies. Preparation. Strategy. Power. And even then… there are no guarantees.”

Lana swallowed hard. “If he’s that strong,” she said quietly, “why hasn’t he already taken over everything?”

Irina looked toward the horizon, where endless trees stretched into the distance. “Because he is patient. And because the ritual requires time. Seven locations. Seven sacrifices. When it’s complete, he won’t just be immortal.”

She turned back to them. “He’ll be untouchable.”

Silence settled between the three of them.

Liam looked down at the bones beneath his feet, then back up at Irina. “So you’re asking me to go after something that all of you together can’t handle.”

“Yes,” she said without hesitation.

“And you still think it’s possible?”

Irina met his gaze. “I think you’re the only variable he hasn’t accounted for.”

Liam didn’t answer immediately. His shoulder shifted slightly beside him, reacting to something deeper than anger. Purpose. Challenge.

“Then we stop him before the ritual finishes,” he said finally.

Irina nodded. “That’s the plan.”

Lana looked between them, fear and determination mixing in her chest. Whatever was coming next, she knew one thing for certain.

This wasn’t just another fight.

This was a war.

Chapter 417

Part Two

Liam flew them back in silence.

The cold air rushed past them as the ground disappeared beneath his feet, the ruined land shrinking into nothing but shadows and memory. Irina guided him only once, pointing toward the direction they needed to go before letting him fly freely again. Lana stayed close to him, her arms wrapped around his waist, her forehead pressed lightly against his back. Neither of them spoke. There were no words that fit the weight of what they had just seen.

When they arrived, it was already night.

Since Liam and Lana would be staying in Russia for a long time, Irina had arranged a place for them. A penthouse. High above the city, quiet, guarded, isolated from the streets below. It was safe. That was the point.

Liam stepped inside and looked around slowly.

Glass walls. A wide open living space. Soft lighting. A view that stretched endlessly across the city skyline.

He let out a slow breath.

Personally, He had never lived in a penthouse before. Truth was, there were many things he had never done. Things people dreamed about. Comforts. Luxury. Peace.

But all of that felt distant now.

The world had changed. Or maybe it had always been like this, and he was only seeing it clearly now. There was no time for fun anymore. No room for careless living. Too much blood had already been spilled.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

The sound pulled him out of his thoughts.

At least not all fun.

He turned his head slightly.

Water droplets hit the floor one after another, soft but steady. He followed the sound until his eyes landed on Lana.

She stood near the hallway, dressed in a loose, comfortable gown that clung lightly to her body from the moisture. Her hair was still damp, long strands sticking gently to her neck and shoulders. Water slid down from the tips and fell to the floor beneath her feet.

She sighed in frustration and muttered, “How the hell did I forget to dry my hair?”

She turned a little, frowning to herself. It wasn’t like she hadn’t dried it at all. Just not properly. Her mind had been elsewhere. Anyone would understand that.

Before she could turn fully, Liam reached out.

He caught her hand and gently spun her back toward him.

Lana looked up, surprised for just a second, before her expression softened.

Liam lifted his other hand and carefully tucked her sticky brown hair behind her ears, one side at a time. His touch was slow, familiar, careful in a way that said more than words ever could.

Then he leaned down and kissed her.

It was soft. Unhurried. A kiss that carried relief more than hunger.

Lana responded immediately.

She grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer, kissing him again, deeper this time. It surprised him. Not because she wanted him, but because of how strongly she held on, like she was grounding herself through him.

One of her hands slipped under his clothes, her palm moving over his stomach, feeling the warmth and firmness beneath. Not rushed. Just there.

Liam exhaled through his nose, a quiet sound, and without breaking the kiss, he slid his arms around her and lifted her off the ground.

Lana let out a small sound of surprise, then laughed softly against his lips, her arms wrapping around his neck without thinking.

He carried her down the short hallway and into the bedroom.

The room was dim, lit only by the city glow slipping in through the curtains. He laid her down gently on the bed, like she was something precious, something he refused to rush with.

He kissed her again, slower now, deeper, his hand resting at her side, steady and warm.

Lana pulled back slightly, her forehead resting against his.

“Are you sure about this?” she asked quietly.

Liam smiled.

It wasn’t playful. It wasn’t cocky. It was calm and real.

“The next couple of days are going to be chaos,” he said. “Fighting. Death. Decisions that can’t be taken back.”

He brushed his thumb lightly along her cheek.

“I might as well enjoy my last peaceful moments with my woman.”

Lana’s eyes softened at that.

She didn’t answer right away. She just reached up, cupped his face, and kissed him again, slow and certain.

Outside, the city continued moving. Cars passed. Lights flickered. People lived their lives, unaware of what was coming.

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