The forest was frozen.

A body hit the ground hard, rolling several times before crashing against a tree trunk, bark splintering from the impact.

It was Damien who was slapped without a warning.

As the scene unfolded, everyone quieted down.

The silence was deafening.

Every person stood still.

Even Zahara’s spear, which crackled with latent fire, had quieted.

All eyes turned toward the new presence—no, the presence—that now loomed over the forest like an ancient storm.

Valen Veyrannis.

The Vampire Emperor.

He stood tall at the edge of the clearing, a figure of impossible grace and horror, clad in layered crimson and obsidian robes that shimmered like a pool of blood under moonlight.

His eyes—glowing a deep garnet—burned through the shadows, piercing and predatory. His long white hair, untied and flowing like liquid silk, danced in the breeze.

Power clung to him like a shroud—not the intimidating kind but the kind that silenced the world.

He stepped forward, the earth darkening beneath his boots.

“You wretched disappointment.” His voice was a low growl, ancient and furious. “I told you—repeatedly—to maintain your cover. To keep your madness contained. To not make a scene.”

Damien coughed, blood staining his lips, but didn’t dare speak.

Valen’s fangs bared as he continued, each word sharp. “But you couldn’t help yourself, could you? You just had to toy with them. Let your sadistic urges run wild like a feral mutt.”

No one moved.

The air itself seemed to recoil from the Vampire Emperor’s wrath.

It was clear that Valen knew everything Damien had done, but he didn’t care about that.

He was angry about Damien being caught, nothing else.

He didn’t care about the lives that had been lost.

But, well, it wasn’t uncalled for.

After all, most vampires regarded any species other than themselves as lowly, especially humans.

After staring at Damien for a while, Valen’s eyes glowed brighter as his attention slowly turned to Alex.

The boy didn’t even flinch.

“You,” Valen said, voice cooling to dangerous softness. “You’re the one who orchestrated this.”

Alex stepped forward slightly, unbothered by the pressing presence of the vampire emperor. “Only part of it.”

Valen’s gaze narrowed.

“Let him go,” the emperor said. “Return my son, and I’ll forget everything you’ve done until now. Your academy… your position… will remain untouched.”

The forest held its breath.

It was clear what Valen was trying to say.

He gave Alex a chance to give up and admit defeat in return for his life and power.

Alex, however, kept his expression steady.

“No.”

A flicker of something passed through Valen’s eyes.

“You defy an emperor’s offer?”

There was anger in his voice.

He felt Alex’s fearlessness as a hot blow to his ego.

After all, he was a powerhouse way stronger than something Alex could ever hope to defeat.

‘Does he think I’m scared of his mother?’ Such a thought appeared in Valen’s head since everyone else let Alex go because they didn’t want to fight her.

After all, Vanessa, Alex’s mother, was one of the strongest people.

“I defy a coward,” Alex replied. “One who murders children out of fear they might surpass him.”

His reply froze Valen’s expression.

He couldn’t believe what he heard.

Zahara’s eyes widened slightly.

Some of the soldiers gasped.

Even Damien, sprawled on the ground, had his mouth wide open.

‘He dares?’ He wondered before ecstasy filled his mind. ‘He’s dead meat now.’

Valen, on the other hand, didn’t move.

He didn’t even twitch.

But the world did.

The ground groaned, the trees creaked, and the wind died. The mana seemed to recoil as if sensing something older than time preparing to awaken.

Then—

He vanished.

Alex’s pupils dilated as the air in front of him shattered—Valen appearing like a bloodied specter, arm raised to strike.

Valen was thoroughly enraged.

Arrogance was one thing, but the way Alex fearlessly spoke was different.

He couldn’t kill Alex, but landing a blow wouldn’t be a problem.

But before the blow could land—

CLANG!!

A resounding impact shook the ground.

A massive claw of condensed demonic mana had caught Valen’s descending arm.

The vampire emperor’s eyes widened.

Standing between them now—calm and unmoving—was a new figure.

Anos Voldigod.

The Demon Emperor.

His black cloak fluttered behind him, and his hair, as dark as night mixed with blood red, framed a face as cold as stone. His eyes were molten lava, gazing into Valen’s with pure indifference.

He hadn’t even broken a sweat blocking that attack.

Valen, perceiving the situation, leaped back, robes swirling, expression tense. “Why are you interfering?! This is not your fight!”

Anos didn’t reply immediately.

He glanced at Alex, then closed his eyes… as memories surged.

………………………..

A few hours ago.

Anos sat beneath a secluded pavilion on one of the floating academy terraces, sipping tea that he had conjured for himself. Alex stood before him, hands in his pockets, expression unreadable.

“You want to test your strength,” Anos repeated, skeptical. “Out of the blue?”

Alex gave a lazy shrug. “Maybe.”

“You’re never ‘casual’,” Anos said, narrowing his gaze. “You’re plotting something.”

Alex smirked.

“I’m giving you a good fight. You’ve been bored lately, haven’t you?”

Anos raised an eyebrow.

“And who exactly am I fighting?”

Alex’s eyes glinted. “You’ll know when he appears.”

………………………..

Present.

Anos looked back at Valen and, for the first time, spoke.

“I’m here,” he said, “because Alex’s mother asked me to look after her son.”

Valen stiffened.

He realized that Anos was here with an objective, and if he wanted to bring his son back with him, he needed to fight with the being who had defeated him once when they were kids.

‘Should I let him die?’ Valen considered, glancing at Damien, who was shocked at Anos’s interference.

He wondered if he should risk fighting Anos to save Damien.

After all, he was but a child. Another could be born.

But then, recalling the bloodline of Damien, he cursed, unable to bring himself to let a prodigy like him die.

Tension rippled like a beast through the forest.

Soldiers shifted uneasily. Zahara’s grip on her spear tightened. Even Damien, still chained and bloodied, looked confused.

Between the two emperors, the air warped and shimmered with volatile mana.

Alex didn’t even try to get involved.

He knew—this level of power was something he couldn’t touch.

Not yet.

But that wasn’t his role right now.

His gaze remained locked on Damien—calculating, cold, and unwavering.

He was here for something. Something that needed Damien and him to be alone.

So, while the skies trembled and two worlds prepared to clash…

Alex slipped toward the chained prince.

Meanwhile, between Anos and Valen, the air pulsed like a storm caught mid-scream—dense, heavy, crackling with mana that rippled across reality.

Then—

Fsshhh…

Anos lifted his right hand, fingers closing around a gleaming silver object that shimmered into existence with a quiet hum.

It hovered just above his palm, spinning slowly—a flat, rune-etched disk glowing with otherworldly light.

Every high-tier being present would recognize it instantly, and so did Valen.

The Disk of Dimension.

A battlefield catalyst.

One that separated dimensions and allowed powerhouses to fight without tearing the world apart.

Valen’s expression darkened, the weight of inevitability crashing down on him. His fangs clenched, not out of fear—but frustration.

He had hoped to settle this without opening such a door.

“You want to fight?” He growled.

Anos’s lips curled, just slightly. “Why else do you think I came here?”

The disk pulsed, and the runes along its edge flared with molten brilliance.

“It’s been a while,” Anos said calmly. “Let’s settle this properly. Just like old times.”

Valen’s hand twitched.

He didn’t want this.

Not here.

Not now.

Not against him.

It was true that he wasn’t the same as before. He might even win, but nothing was written in stone.

After all, he wasn’t the only one who could’ve grown.

But refusing now would mean backing away in front of everyone.

It would mean accepting that Alex—Vanessa’s son—under Anos’s protection, was untouchable.

That wasn’t a pill Valen could swallow.

The Vampire Emperor snarled. “So be it.”

The moment the words left his mouth, the disk flared—blaring like a divine trumpet.

WHUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMM—

The force of it sent shockwaves across the clearing. Trees bent backward, the ground cracked, and soldiers dropped to one knee under the crushing pressure of the activated disk.

It didn’t always do this, but since Anos and Valen had flared their auras before going through the disk, some pressure was left behind.

And then—

BOOM.

Both Anos and Valen vanished, their bodies erased in an instant from mortal sight as space itself folded and sealed behind them.

Only a faint shimmer of silver light remained where they had stood—flickering, then fading into nothing.

Silence returned.

But this time, it was fragile and tense.

It was like the calm after lightning but before the thunder.

Everyone was stunned.

Soldiers dared not speak. Even Zahara, whose spear still thrummed with residual heat, remained frozen, gaze fixed on where the two emperors had vanished.

Only Alex moved.

His boots pressed against the cracked earth, slow and deliberate, as he walked toward the broken body still chained against the tree.

Damien’s eyes followed him, breathing ragged, mind swirling with chaos and disbelief.

“You planned that,” Damien hissed, blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth. “Didn’t you?”

Damien hadn’t said anything before, as he was afraid of his father’s reaction, but he knew something was wrong.

Alex crouched down.

He didn’t answer right away. His expression remained unreadable.

Damien chuckled bitterly. “You’re insane. You made him fight the demon lord to get me alone?”

Alex tilted his head.

“You overestimate yourself,” he said quietly.

Damien blinked.

“I didn’t make them fight for you,” Alex continued, his gaze like a frozen sea. “I knew Valen wouldn’t back down if he saw that disk. And Anos was already ready to fight. You? You’re just an opportunity.”

A flicker of real fear passed through Damien’s gaze.

Because in Alex’s eyes, there was no emotion. No rage. No gloating.

Just purpose.

Damien, for some reason, could tell that the next few minutes would be very long.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep