Supreme Hunter of Beautiful Souls-Chapter 467: Plan

The silence that followed wasn’t just heavy.

It was... decisive.

Those words weren’t a hypothesis.

They weren’t a distant concern.

It was a fact.

If nothing was done... the vampires would be hunted down to the last one.

Elizabeth kept her eyes fixed on Kael for a few seconds, absorbing the weight of it all, while the four around her remained rigid, attentive, like soldiers awaiting orders that could define the future of their entire species.

Kael was the first to move.

Always.

He slowly uncrossed his arms and took a few steps, his feet crushing dry leaves with a low sound, almost insignificant in the face of the growing tension.

But there was no hurry in his movements.

There never was.

He stopped in the center of the small open space between the trees, his eyes scanning them all, one by one.

Assessing.

Calculating.

"First," he said, his voice calm and firm, "we need to stop reacting."

One of the vampires frowned slightly.

"Reacting...?"

Kael nodded.

"You’re running. Hiding. Surviving." He tilted his head slightly. "That’s not strategy. That’s desperation."

Silence.

No one objected.

Because it was true.

"Whoever is behind this..." Kael continued, "is already two steps ahead. He controls the king, controls the narrative... and controls the fear."

Elizabeth crossed her arms, her gaze becoming more serious.

"So what do you suggest?"

Kael looked directly at her.

"Control."

A single word.

But loaded with intention.

"If someone is manipulating your people... then we won’t attack first." He paused briefly. "We will take control of the situation." The four vampires exchanged glances.

"How?" one of them asked, his voice lower.

Kael smiled.

But there was no humor there.

"Information."

He raised his hand, and the shadows around him seemed to respond subtly, as if recognizing his presence.

"I already have eyes inside the city." He looked at Elizabeth. "And now... I have you."

One of the vampires stepped forward.

"We have contacts. Small groups that also fled. Some are still hiding within the kingdom."

Kael nodded slowly.

"Great. Then we’ll start there."

He began to walk again, now more directly, more focused.

"Phase one: gather information." He raised a finger. "Who is still loyal to the princess. Who has been marked as ’impure’. Who has disappeared."

Second finger.

"Phase two: cut off the enemy’s information flow." His eyes narrowed slightly. "If someone is manipulating the king... that person needs to communicate. Needs to influence. Needs to maintain control."

He looked at the surrounding forest.

"And everything that moves... leaves a shadow."

The meaning was clear.

He would find it.

Sooner or later.

Elizabeth took a deep breath.

"And then?"

Kael stopped.

And then... he turned completely to face her.

"Then... we go back."

The air seemed to freeze.

The four vampires tensed immediately.

"Go back...?" one of them murmured.

Kael nodded.

"To the kingdom."

Silence.

Heavy.

Dangerous.

"That’s suicide," said another bluntly.

"No," replied Kael, without even hesitating. "Going in without a plan... is suicide."

He took a step forward.

"Going in prepared... is execution."

His tone didn’t change.

But the meaning... changed everything.

Elizabeth watched him intently, her eyes more focused than before.

"And what would that plan be?" she asked.

Kael tilted his head slightly.

"We don’t enter as invaders."

He raised two fingers.

"We enter as... inevitable."

One of the vampires frowned.

"I don’t understand."

Kael looked at him.

"Chaos."

Simple.

Direct.

"The kingdom is already unstable." He began to walk slowly. "Executions. Fear. Distrust. ’Impure’ blood."

He paused briefly.

"We just need to... push."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes.

"You want to start an internal war."

Kael shrugged.

"It’s already begun."

Silence.

But no one disagreed.

Because they knew.

"When the kingdom is divided..." he continued, "we enter."

He looked directly at Elizabeth.

"And you... take control."

The words hung in the air.

Heavy.

Definitive.

Elizabeth didn’t answer immediately.

Her eyes lowered for a moment, as if she were organizing her own thoughts, as if she were confronting something that, deep down, she had always known.

But avoided.

"I don’t want to... rule through fear," she said, finally.

Her voice low.

But firm.

The four vampires looked at her immediately.

Kael... no.

He just listened.

"If the kingdom is falling apart..." she continued, "then we cannot rebuild it with more violence."

She looked up again.

"I want to expose the truth."

Kael was silent.

"If someone killed the queen..." she said, "if someone is manipulating the king... then this needs to be revealed."

Her eyes hardened.

"To everyone."

A pause.

"No lies."

"No executions."

"No more unnecessary bloodshed."

Silence returned.

But this time... different.

More balanced.

Kael watched her for a few seconds.

Long seconds.

Assessing.

Weighing.

And then—

He smiled.

Slightly.

"Idealistic," he said.

She frowned slightly.

"And you think that’s wrong?"

Kael shook his head.

"No."

A pause.

"I think... rare."

This made her hesitate for a moment.

"But..." he continued, "you’ll need enough power to sustain this."

He took a step forward.

"Because the truth... only matters when you survive long enough to tell it."

Elizabeth held his gaze.

Without flinching.

"Then give me that power."

Silence.

The four vampires held their breath.

Kael tilted his head slightly.

"That’s where I come in."

He turned slightly, looking at the distant city beyond the forest.

"I have... connections."

His tone changed.

More subtle.

More dangerous.

"People who owe me favors."

"People who have an interest in stability."

"And people... who like to overthrow kings."

The four vampires stood completely still.

"Humans?" "What’s the price?" one of them asked hesitantly.

Kael gave a small, wry smile.

"Among others."

He looked back at Elizabeth.

"If you want to do it your way..." he said, "then I’ll make sure you get the chance."

She took a deep breath.

"And the price?"

Kael didn’t answer immediately.

He just stared at her.

And then—

"Trust."

A single word.

Simple.

But weighty.

"For as long as this lasts..." he continued, "you follow the plan."

Elizabeth didn’t look away.

"And you?"

Kael shrugged.

"I’ll do whatever is necessary."

Silence.

But this time... there was no tension.

There was agreement.

The four vampires exchanged glances.

And then, almost simultaneously—

They knelt again.

But this time... not just for her.

"We followed the princess," one of them said.

"And the plan," another added.

Kael watched the scene in silence.

And then—

"Great," he said.

Simple.

Direct.

But definitive.

He looked again into the darkness of the forest.

At the shadows.

At the world beyond.

"So let’s start a war..." he murmured.

A pause.

A slight smile.

"The right way."

The slight smile still lingered on Kael’s face as silence settled between them again, but this time it wasn’t the same silence as before. It was no longer heavy with doubt or uncertainty.

It was a silence... aligned.

Decided.

Each one there already knew what they needed to do.

And, most importantly, they knew there was no turning back.

Kael let his gaze slowly sweep over each of the four kneeling vampires, analyzing once more their expressions, their postures, the way they kept their heads bowed—not out of fear, but out of respect. That was important. Loyalty couldn’t be forced. Fear broke. Loyalty... sustained.

He then turned his face slightly, looking at the dark sky between the treetops.

"We’ve stayed here long enough," he said, his voice low, but firm enough to cut through the atmosphere.

Elizabeth immediately looked up.

"Is anyone coming?" she asked, her senses already instinctively expanding.

Kael shook his head.

"Not yet."

A pause.

"But someone will."

Simple.

Direct.

As always.

He looked back at the four.

"This kind of movement..." he continued, "doesn’t go unnoticed for long. Especially now."

One of the vampires nodded slowly.

"They’re more alert..." he murmured.

"Exactly," Kael replied.

He took a few steps forward, now fully in control of the situation, his relaxed posture gradually disappearing and giving way to something more... authoritative.

Colder.

"So let’s make this perfectly clear," he said.

The four vampires raised their heads slightly, attentive.

"From now on... you don’t move unnecessarily."

Silence.

"No big gatherings. No obvious meetings. No patterns."

He raised his hand, pointing to the ground.

"Each of you... disappears."

The weight of the word fell heavily.

But no one objected.

"You know the territory better than I do," he continued. "Use this. Abandoned places. Forgotten routes. Underground areas. Forests. Anything that isn’t being monitored."

One of the vampires frowned.

"And the other groups?"

Kael looked directly at him.

"Indirect contact."

A pause.

"Always."

"Messengers?"

"No."

The answer came immediately.

"Messengers are traceable."

He tilted his head slightly.

"You use signals."

They exchanged glances.

"Ancient codes. Marks. Anything only you recognize."

Another vampire nodded slowly.

"We have some... ancient systems."

Kael made a small gesture with his head.

"Then use them."

He took another step, now closer to them.

"And pay attention to this," he said, his voice growing slightly colder. "If anyone... acts strangely... you don’t confront them."

The four stood still.

"You step away."

Silence.

"Any behavior outside the norm... could be influence."

The word wasn’t used lightly.

Influence.

Manipulation.

Control.

They understood.

"And if it’s confirmed?" one of them asked hesitantly.

Kael held his gaze for a second.

"Then... you do nothing."

This surprised them.

"Nothing?" another repeated.

Kael nodded.

"You’re not in a position to resolve this."

A pause.

"I am."

The tone left no room for discussion.

He wasn’t suggesting.

He was setting boundaries.

"You survive," he continued. "You observe. You gather information."

He then glanced quickly at Elizabeth.

"And you wait."

The four followed his gaze.

To her.

The princess.

"No one makes big moves... until I say so."

Silence.

And then, one of them spoke:

"And how will we know when?"

Kael smiled slightly.

This time... there was something more in that smile.

Something... dangerous.

"I will find you."

They were silent.

But not out of doubt.

They believed.

After what they had seen... there was no reason not to believe.

Kael then turned completely around, as if he had already finished.

But he paused for a moment.

"One more thing."

They became attentive again.

"If anyone asks..."

He looked over his shoulder.

His eyes were cold.

"The princess is dead."

The impact was immediate.

Elizabeth turned her face quickly to him.

"Kael—"

But he interrupted her with a look.

Not harsh.

But... definitive.

She understood.

Even if she didn’t like it.

One of the vampires lowered his head slightly.

"This... will help."

Kael nodded.

"It will."

A pause.

"The dead... are not hunted."

The silence that followed was heavy.

But logical.

Strategic.

Elizabeth closed her eyes for a brief moment.

She took a deep breath.

And then nodded.

"Do it," she said finally.

The four immediately knelt again.

"Yes, princess."

But this time... there was something different.

It wasn’t just loyalty.

It was purpose.

They stood up, one by one, slowly retreating into the shadows, their bodies dissolving into the darkness of the forest, disappearing almost completely in a matter of seconds.

And then... they were gone.

Only two remained.

Silence returned.

Lighter now.

But still laden with meaning.

Elizabeth remained staring at the space where they had vanished, as if she could still see them there.

As if she were trying to accept... the weight of what had begun.

"Dead, huh..." she murmured softly.

Kael shrugged, already starting to walk away.

"It works."

She let out a small sigh.

"I hate to admit it... but yes."

He paused for a moment.

And then looked at her.

"You’ll have to get used to it."

A pause.

"To things you don’t like."

Elizabeth held his gaze for a few seconds.

"I know."

The wind rustled through the trees again.

Cold.

Constant.

"And now?" she asked.

Kael took a step toward the shade of a nearby tree.

"Now..."

He looked into the darkness.

And then back at her.

"We’re back."

He extended his hand slightly.

"Before someone starts to miss us."

Elizabeth looked at his hand for a moment.

And then... she took it.

The next second—

The shadow swallowed them.

And the forest... was empty again.