Building A Carnal Empire In The Fantasy World-Chapter 36: Sanguine Court

In the shadowed corners of the world, including noble societies and the most wretched of slums, dwells a power that few know about, and even fewer dare name.

They call themselves the Sanguine Court. There’re not from any single bloodline or ancient throne, but from the crimson oath that binds them together across kingdoms and centuries.

To the common eye, they appear as normal human beings, lords and ladies of impeccable breeding, as merchant princes whose wealth flows like wine, as advisors whose counsel shapes the fate of nations.

Their pallor is attributed to noble refinement, their aversion to sunlight a mark of cultured delicacy. When they partake in their peculiar rituals—always behind closed doors, always among their own kind—outsiders mistake it for the eccentric practices of the aristocracy. A rare condition of the blood, the physicians telltale. An ancient tradition of the highborn, the servants gossip.

But beneath these carefully crafted facades lies a truth that would shatter empires and draw the fear of powerful cultivation factions: they do not merely drink blood, but devour the very essence of life itself from their victims.

Through this forbidden art, they have transcended mortal limitations, even within the Mortal Rank. Time bends to their will, leaving them eternally youthful while generations crumble to dust. Their voices carry an otherworldly magnetism that bends weaker minds like reeds before a storm.

They have become, in their own estimation, what humanity was always meant to evolve into—the rightful inheritors of a world populated by cattle.

Yet even gods must contend with rivals. The Church of Sacredflame, with its blazing symbols and fervent faithful, represents everything the Sanguine Court despises: the worship of light over shadow, the elevation of the common over the elite, the dangerous notion that divine power might choose a peasant over a prince.

Worse still, the Church’s growing influence threatens to illuminate corners that have remained comfortably dark for centuries.

And so, with the patient cunning that comes with immortality, the Court begun its work. In kingdoms where the Church’s roots run shallow—like this one—they plant their influence like poison in a well.

A word in the right ear, a favor to the right official, a mysterious benefactor funding the right cause. They do not seek to destroy the Church through crude warfare, but to hollow it out from within, like termites in a great wooden ship. Leaving only an empty shell that dances to their silent music.

So was the fate of any who dared to oppose the Sanguine Court, a fate sealed not in fire and steel, but in the insidious undercurrent of influence and the slow, inexorable decay of their foundations.

Velara fumbled for something in her torn dress. When her hand emerged, it held a small glass vial filled with dark liquid. "Energy Recovery Elixir," she gasped, downing the contents in one gulp.

The effect was immediate. Color returned to her face, and the trembling in her hands steadied. Her cultivation energy began to flow again, no longer completely drained.

Cole raised an eyebrow. "Clever. But it won’t be enough." 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Madam Vex pulled out her own vial and drank it quickly. The bitter liquid burned her throat, but she felt strength flowing back into her limbs. Not full power—she was still wounded, still exhausted, but enough to fight.

"Maybe not," she said, raising her enchanted dagger once more. "But we’ll make you work for it."

Cole laughed again, that musical sound that made their bones ache. "Oh, I do hope so. It’s been so long since I had a proper meal. Church rations are terribly bland."

He raised his hands, and darkness flowed between his fingers like living smoke. Not the clean power of cultivation, but something older and hungrier. Blood magic, fueled by the life force of countless victims over the years.

"You see," he continued conversationally, "the Sanguine Court doesn’t just drink blood. We imbibe the very essence of life itself. Every death makes us stronger, faster, more beautiful. Eternal youth is just the beginning."

The darkness around his hands began to take shape, tentacles of shadow and crimson mist that writhed with their own malevolent intelligence.

"And you two lovely ladies are going to provide such a wonderful feast. I can taste your life force from here. So rich, so full of power. It will be delicious."

Madam Vex and Velara stood back to back, weapons and magic ready despite their injuries. They were facing something far worse than a corrupt Church soldier now. This was a creature that had fed on human life for decades, if not centuries. A monster wearing a man’s face.

"The Church of Sacredflame," Velara said, her earth magic beginning to gather around her hands. "Do they know? Do they have any idea what’s happening to them?"

Cole’s smile turned pitying, he didn’t mind revealing bits and pieces to satisfy their curiosity before gobbling them up. "The Church sees itself as the light that drives back the darkness. They have no idea that the darkness has already consumed them from within. We are the true elite, destined to rule over the cattle that call themselves human. The Church is just another tool in our arsenal."

He gestured toward the burning mansion. "Tonight’s raid, for instance. Do you think it was really about stopping a slave auction? Please. We orchestrated the whole thing. Count Varnell was getting too greedy, too visible. He was drawing unwanted attention to our operations."

The revelation hit like a physical blow. The entire battle, all the death and destruction, had been orchestrated by the very creatures they thought they were fighting against.

"So we arranged for an informant to report him to the Church," Cole continued. "Let them do our dirty work for us. Clean up our mess while thinking they were serving justice. It’s quite elegant, really."

Madam Vex felt sick. "Jace. You used Jace."

"The jealous little worm? Oh yes. He made the perfect patsy. So eager to hurt his rival that he never stopped to question who was feeding him information about the auction’s schedule."

Cole’s shadowy tentacles began to move, reaching toward them like grasping fingers. "And now you’re going to disappear. Two more casualties of the righteous Church’s crusade against sin. No one will ever know the truth."

The tentacles struck like lightning, but both women were ready. Madam Vex rolled aside, her enchanted dagger carving through shadow-stuff that reformed almost instantly.

Velara slammed her hands against the ground, raising a wall of stone between them and their attacker.

The wall lasted exactly three seconds before Cole’s blood magic tore through it like paper.

"Now, now," he chided. "Don’t make this harder than it needs to be. Submit, and I promise your deaths will be quick. Resist, and I’ll drain you drop by drop while you’re still conscious."

His red eyes began to glow brighter, and both women felt their will beginning to weaken. The mental domination of the Sanguine Court was legendary, few could resist it for long.