Lucifer’s voice clearly pierced through the thick fabric of the tent, echoing in the center of the silent camp with an unquestionable penetrative power.
After a brief silence, the deep purple tent flap, which had remained tightly closed, finally moved.
It was as if it were being slowly lifted from the inside by an invisible hand, the movement elegant and composed, carrying the air of a master in control of everything.
From beneath the flap, a tall and graceful figure stepped out.
She stood at the boundary between the shadows of the tent entrance and the dim light of the outside world, her icy purple eyes like two congealed gemstones, falling directly upon Lucifer.
That gaze carried scrutiny, evaluation, and a hint of condescending curiosity, as if she were examining a novel collectible.
“Such strong mana fluctuations…
even more solid than what I sensed.”
Lucifer felt a slight chill in his heart.
“Impressive mana quality, young man.” Elder Shaloria spoke first, her voice lazy and magnetic yet sharp as a needle.
“At your level, to be able to control and compress mana to such an extent, and even mimic my clan’s spatial tools…
it is indeed rare.
Unfortunately…”
She tilted her head slightly, the corners of her mouth curling into a beautiful arc that mixed pity with cruelty.
“…You are still too ‘green’ after all.
To think you could run wild in my Vampire Clan’s camp with just this much…
you have overestimated yourself.”
As she softly uttered the last syllable—
Boom—!!!
A dark red torrent of mana, far larger and colder than what Lucifer had released before—seeming to contain the wails and despair of countless living beings—suddenly erupted from Elder Shaloria’s slender body!
It wasn’t just a simple release of energy, but a pressure with substantial weight!
The mana appeared as a viscous dark red, like boiling plasma, frantically spreading and sweeping outward with her as the center!
In an instant, sand and stones flew everywhere!
The gravel and dust paving the camp ground were violently kicked up, as if hit by a tornado!
Several small tents nearby were uprooted and torn to shreds!
Even the heavy ground fixtures creaked under the terrible pressure, nearly snapping.
“Elder!
Andura, being the closest, bore the brunt of it.
His expression changed abruptly; he only had time to cry out before being struck hard by this merciless tide of mana.
He was sent flying backward like a broken kite, crashing heavily onto the ground over ten meters away.
He rolled several times before barely stopping, coughing up a mouthful of blood as he stared at Elder Shaloria’s back in shock—the Elder’s pressure had actually affected him as well!
However, in the center of this destructive dark red mana storm, Lucifer stood firm like a black reef amidst crashing waves.
His feet were nailed to the ground as if rooted there, and a layer of dark, solid mana barrier naturally flowed around him, steadily blocking and diverting the rushing crimson tide.
The raging mana turbulence blew the black hair on his forehead into a wild dance and made his clothes flutter loudly, but his upright posture did not waver in the slightest.
His pure black eyes pierced through the surging dark red light, calmly locking onto Elder Shaloria.
“Is this ‘welcoming ceremony’ of yours only at the level of a draft, Elder?”
Lucifer’s voice remained clear amidst the howling mana storm, even carrying a hint of faint mockery.
He deliberately controlled his mana output, maintaining a delicate balance with the opponent’s pressure.
He didn’t appear to be struggling, nor did he counterattack with full force, as if he were measuring his opponent’s true weight.
A flash of genuine surprise finally crossed Elder Shaloria’s icy purple eyes.
She could feel that Lucifer’s resistance wasn’t exactly easy, but that composed steadiness and exquisite control over mana far exceeded her expectations.
“Interesting…
it seems I truly underestimated you.” The laziness on Elder Shaloria’s face vanished completely, replaced by a sharp expression like a predator discovering prey worth taking seriously.
She stopped the meaningless mana depletion and slowly retracted the vast mana she had released; the dark red storm gradually subsided.
But her attack had only just begun.
She raised her pale right hand, adorned with several magnificent rings, and extended her index finger, lightly tapping it against her temple.
Simultaneously, those beautiful icy purple eyes suddenly lit up with a demonic and piercing red light!
The red light wasn’t just radiating; it was like a living flame, burning intensely deep within her pupils!
“Connect.”
Her red lips parted slightly, uttering two cold syllables.
Buzz—!
An invisible and intangible yet strange fluctuation carrying intense mental and mana interference rapidly spread out from Elder Shaloria like ripples on water!
“Ugh!
This is…
Elder?!
My body…?!”
He suddenly clutched his head, letting out a pained and confused low growl.
Within his eyes, the same demonic red light as Elder Shaloria’s abruptly ignited!
The red light didn’t cover the whites of his eyes; instead, it shone from the deepest part of his pupils, making his gaze instantly become hollow and dull, yet it also held a sense of cold and violent power that had been forcibly injected.
He tried to struggle, tried to rid himself of this power invading the depths of his consciousness, but his body began to tremble uncontrollably as if two consciousnesses were fiercely fighting for dominance.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
…
Following that, muffled impact sounds and chaotic roars rang out one after another in the surroundings.
Lucifer’s gaze swept over the scene.
Those elite vampire warriors who had been knocked away by his mana pressure, groaning on the ground or unconscious, were now standing up one by one in stiff and eerie postures!
The same crimson light as Andura and Elder Shaloria burned in their eyes, their expressions either twisted in pain or completely numb.
Their movements were initially somewhat staggering and uncoordinated, like marionettes, but soon, under the steady flickering of the red light in their eyes, their movements became unified and full of pressure.
They slowly moved their feet, reforming the encirclement.
But this time, the focus of every “person’s” gaze was locked onto Lucifer with a non-human, pure killing intent.
“Mana that controls the mind and manipulates the body?” Lucifer’s eyes narrowed, instantly understanding what kind of ability Elder Shaloria was using.
This wasn’t a simple mental suggestion or charm, but a more domineering and direct ‘linking’ and ‘domination’.
Through some pre-planted or forcibly established mana link, she injected a portion of her own will and mana into the target’s body, temporarily seizing or overriding their physical control and turning them into puppets that followed her every command.
This was precisely the other mana ability Elder Shaloria possessed—[Connection].
Its effect was to quietly plant invisible “Mana Seeds” inside a target or forcibly establish a temporary mana channel within a certain distance.
Once activated, she could manipulate the target’s actions like a puppet and even share a portion of their senses.
The connected individual’s mana circulation and physical functions would then achieve a deep level of synchronization with the caster.
More terrifyingly, [Connection] formed a perfect complementarity and synergy with Elder Shaloria’s other mana ability, [Devour].
Through [Connection], she could take the complex life force stored via [Devour] and, after preliminary refinement, directionally transmit and inject it into the “puppets” she controlled.
Elder Shaloria hovered in mid-air, her dark red long dress moving without wind, the red glow in her eyes as seductive as a blood moon.
She looked down at Lucifer, who was surrounded by dozens of vampire warriors with glowing red eyes and connected auras acting as a single entity, a cold smile of absolute control appearing on her face.
“Now, let me see just how long you can remain…
‘calm’?”