Leaving that simple grey tent, the forced calm on Andura’s face quickly faded, replaced by a look that was a mix of pain, humiliation, and urgency.
He ignored the suspicious glances from the clansmen along the way, clutched his still-aching abdomen with his remaining right hand, and quickened his pace, heading straight for the core area of the camp—the tallest and most magnificent purple tent.
The tent’s fabric was a deep violet, its surface embroidered with intricate silver-threaded patterns of thorns and bat wings.
The edges were adorned with small dark crystals that flowed with a restrained and noble luster even under the dim sky of the Demon Realm.
The tent flaps were tightly closed.
Two vampire warriors dressed in black light armor, their presence clearly much stronger than the guards at the entrance, stood like statues on either side.
Seeing Andura approach, they merely nodded slightly and did not stop him.
A few steps away from the tent, Andura stopped.
He took a deep breath, suppressed his physical discomfort and churning emotions, slowly knelt on one knee, lowered his head, and spoke respectfully toward the inside of the tent, deliberately raising his voice slightly:
“Andura Chilrezina, Captain of the Warriors of the vanguard, has urgent matters and requests an audience with Elder Shaloria!”
His posture was extremely humble.
Shaloria Lequindis was one of the top five powerful elders in the Vampire Clan’s Council of Elders.
Her status was exalted and her strength unfathomable, far beyond what a mere ‘Captain of the Warriors’ could compare to.
In the presence of such a figure, he did not dare to be the least bit negligent or overstep his bounds.
There was silence inside the tent, save for the faint sound of the restless winds of the Demon Realm brushing against the top of the tent.
Andura remained kneeling, waiting patiently.
The numbness at the site of his severed arm and the cramping pain in his abdomen constantly reminded him of the defeat he had suffered.
After about the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, a slightly lazy but unquestionably majestic female voice, like cold silk, came from within the tent:
“Enter.”
Andura felt as if he had been granted a great pardon.
He immediately stood up, tidied his tattered and blood-stained formal attire, then carefully lifted the heavy purple tent flap and walked in with his head bowed.
The interior of the tent matched its outward magnificence, being perhaps even more extravagant.
In the center of the tent, a figure reclined lazily on a large chair covered with velvet cushions.
It was a female vampire.
She wore an extremely intricate and magnificent dark red gown, its hem spreading across the chair and carpet like a waterfall of blood.
Her sleeves and collar were inlaid with countless tiny black gemstones that shimmered with a dark light.
She had long, deep purple hair as smooth as the night sky, partly tied up with an exquisite silver crown, while the rest draped over her shoulders.
Her face was pale and beautiful, her features deep and well-defined.
Her icy purple eyes were half-closed, carrying a sense of nonchalant scrutiny and the aloofness of one who had long held a high position.
Her slender, pale fingers toyed with a tall crystal glass, the liquid inside a startling shade of red.
This person was indeed one of the five great elders of the Vampire Clan, the highest decision-maker and the pillar of stability for this Demon Realm exploration mission—Elder Shaloria Lequindis.
Her voice betrayed no emotion.
“It seems you’ve gained quite a lot from this trip.
Tell me, in this…
desolate and barren world, what ‘interesting’ discoveries have you made?”
Her tone carried a hint of faint mockery, clearly showing that her initial impression of the Demon Realm was not good.
Andura did not dare to look up directly.
He bowed slightly and began his narration with a voice full of pain and indignation, naturally adding some self-serving embellishments to his words:
“Reporting to the Elder!
While exploring the outskirts, I encountered a powerful native who claimed to be from the ‘Demon Clan’!
To gauge his strength, I attempted to negotiate with him, but to my surprise, the opponent was arrogant and unreasonable, suddenly launching an attack!
I had no choice but to resist with all my might, engaging him in…
in a fierce battle for three hundred rounds!
Unfortunately, this scoundrel possessed strange methods and immense strength.
I was unlucky enough…
to have an arm severed by him and was further ambushed, suffering internal injuries!
Had I not fought my way out with my life on the line, I fear I would not have been able to see you again, Elder!”
He omitted the facts that he had initiated the sneak attack, was easily suppressed, and was even forced to lead the way to save his own life, instead portraying a one-sided crushing defeat as a fierce and tragic battle.
“‘Demon Clan’?” Elder Shaloria’s icy purple eyes opened a bit wider, a glint of contemplation passing through them.
“An indigenous race of this realm?
How is their strength?”
This was the point she truly cared about.
Whether the Vampire Clan could establish a foothold in the Demon Realm depended on the comparison between their power and the top-tier forces of this world.
The Council of Elders had sent her here precisely to evaluate the risks and opportunities.
“This person’s overall strength…
should be on par with mine, or perhaps…
half a step superior.” Andura hesitated for a moment before giving a relatively objective comparison of strength, but immediately after, his tone became hurried and suspicious as he added the most crucial piece of information.
“But Elder, this person’s magic…
is extremely bizarre!
He could actually…
actually replicate another’s artifact out of thin air!
My ‘kirato’, after clashing with him, was somehow completely replicated by him, even its properties were identical!”
She set down the crystal glass in her hand and sat up slightly straighter, a sharp and intense interest flashing in her icy purple eyes.
“Replicating artifacts?
Are your words true?”
The ability to replicate artifacts was unheard of.
“Absolutely true!
I saw it with my own eyes and felt it personally!
The aura and properties emitted by that replica were no different from ‘kirato’!” Andura replied decisively, while also lifting his bare left shoulder to demonstrate.
Elder Shaloria’s gaze fell back onto Andura’s pathetic severed arm, and she pondered for a moment.
She did not immediately press for more details about the ‘Demon Clan’ member.
Instead, she reached out toward Andura with her right hand, which was so pale it was almost transparent and adorned with several magnificent rings.
She pressed her index and middle fingers together, lightly touching her lips, which were the color of rose petals, in a gesture as elegant as a kiss.
Then, her lips parted slightly, and she slowly drew her two fingers outward—
A wisp of misty, magnificently peach-pink life energy, accompanied by specks of light, was drawn out as if from some invisible storage space, coiling around her fingertips.
That energy was not violent; instead, it gave off a warm, sweet, and even slightly seductive, eerie feeling, as if it were the condensation of the purest essence of life.
This was precisely the unique magic held by Elder Shaloria—[Devour].
Its effect was to absorb and store the life force and magical essence of other living beings.
This stored energy could not only be used to maintain her own long lifespan and quickly recover from injuries but could also, as it was now, be consumed to heal others with an effect that could be called bringing the dead back to life.
Elder Shaloria, with that mass of peach-pink life energy coiling around her fingertips, lightly flicked her finger toward Andura’s severed arm.
Whoosh—!
The peach-pink energy shot out like a spirit snake, accurately plunging into the hideous wound on Andura’s left shoulder.
In the next moment, light flared brilliantly!
A warm and slightly stinging sensation came from the wound.
A shocking scene unfolded: at the site of the severed shoulder, granulation tissue frantically writhed, grew, and intertwined at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The cross-section of the bone began to extend and reshape!
Skin, muscle, blood vessels, nerves…
all tissues, under the shroud of that peach-pink light, followed their original blueprint and regenerated at high speed!
In just a few minutes, the light gradually subsided.
Andura moved his left shoulder somewhat stiffly, and then he slowly raised his left hand—the five fingers were long, moved freely, and the skin was smooth.
Except for the slightly pinkish hue of the new skin, it was no different from his original arm!
Even the minor old scars left from previous battles had disappeared without a trace, as if he had never lost the arm at all.