A huge thank you to Xudaim for the Golden Ticket! Your support truly means a lot and keeps me motivated to continue writing and improving the story.

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The atmosphere froze in an instant.

Several terrifying Vampire auras erupted uncontrollably throughout the underground world.

Prince Lucien Mordrath’s expression darkened.

"What?"

Even Princess Selith Vaeloria narrowed her crimson eyes sharply. According to every security protocol, this location should have been impossible to discover. Not even most Vampire Nobles knew it existed.

At that moment, Prince Kael stepped forward, his voice cold and commanding.

"How many?"

The messenger Vampire answered quickly, "Large-scale Hunter mobilization. Multiple SS-Rank signatures detected."

He hesitated for a brief second before continuing.

"...Mist King Marcus Danvers and Sand King Charles Xavier are personally leading them."

The air grew heavier. Even the Vampire Princes understood what those two names meant, Humanity’s strongest combatants.

Prince Lucien’s expression turned ice-cold.

"How did the Humans discover this place?"

No one answered. None of them knew.

Prince Kael suddenly glanced toward the hidden pond area, then made his decision without hesitation. He took the crystal container holding the golden blood and handed it to Princess Selith.

"Take it. Leave immediately. Protect it at all costs."

Princess Selith understood the gravity of the situation. The golden blood was far more important than the facility itself. If necessary, they could abandon everything else, but not this.

Prince Kael’s aura slowly erupted, dark crimson pressure spreading across the entire underground world.

"We’ll hold the Hunters here."

Nearby, Prince Lucien smiled coldly.

"It’s been a while since Humans dared challenge us directly."

The other Vampire Princes gradually released their own overwhelming auras.

Princess Selith carefully stored the crystal container. Her body slowly dissolved into drifting crimson particles. Just before vanishing completely, she spoke in a calm, steady voice, "If the Hunters breach too deeply... destroy everything."

Prince Kael gave a silent nod.

In the next instant, Princess Selith disappeared into the underground pathways.

Far above, the Hunters were already descending rapidly toward the hidden world.

The clash between Humanity and Vampire Royalty was about to begin.

---

Far beneath Brooklyn City, the underground tunnels trembled continuously as the Hunters advanced deeper.

Massive sand pathways created by Charles Xavier spread rapidly through the collapsed sectors. The Mist King’s living fog expanded ahead like a sentient mist, scanning for hidden movements.

At the center of the advancing force, Vikram moved quietly beside Luna.

The deeper they descended, the stronger the strange aura became, ancient, heavy, and almost alive.

Suddenly, Luna stopped walking and gently grabbed Vikram’s sleeve.

"...Close."

Everyone’s expressions turned serious at once. Her words meant the hidden facility was nearby.

Charles Xavier slowly raised one hand. The underground walls ahead instantly crumbled apart under his sand manipulation.

RUMBLE—!

A gigantic hidden pathway gradually revealed itself. The moment the Hunters saw what lay beyond it, even several SS-Rank Hunters froze.

Before them stretched an enormous underground world.

A colossal ancient tree dominated the vast space, its roots spreading endlessly like living rivers. Surrounding it stood countless Vampires, already waiting in formation.

The atmosphere grew suffocating.

At the front, several terrifying figures stepped forward.

The Vampire Princes.

Their overwhelming pressure alone made the air feel thick and heavy.

Prince Kael Veyrion calmly observed the invading Hunters. His gaze slowly moved across them, first to the Mist King, then the Sand King, and finally landing on Vikram.

For several long seconds, neither side spoke.

Then Prince Kael smiled coldly. "So... the Humans have finally found this place."

The Mist King stepped forward, his voice calm yet commanding. His mist aura instantly spread throughout the underground world.

"You’ve been busy hiding disasters beneath our cities."

Charles Xavier’s sand aura erupted outward. The entire underground space began trembling violently.

"We end this today."

Prince Lucien let out a soft, mocking laugh.

"End?"

"You still don’t understand what you’ve discovered."

One after another, the surrounding Vampire Princes released their terrifying blood auras.

---

On the Hunter side, multiple SS-Rank Hunters immediately moved into battle positions.

Leon Hart unsheathed both black blades, a wild grin spreading across his face. Scarlett calmly raised multiple tactical barriers around the formation.

Magnus cracked the ground beneath his feet as he laughed loudly. Team 11 quietly prepared themselves, ready for the coming storm.

At that moment, Vikram’s eyes weren’t on the Vampire Princes anymore.

Instead, they were locked onto the gigantic ancient tree standing at the center of the underground world.

The instant he saw it, something deep inside him trembled violently.

A strange feeling surged through his entire body.

Because the tree before him... was identical to his own Treehouse.

The height. The structure. The flowing patterns across the bark. Even the faint spiritual aura surrounding it, everything was the same.

It looked as though someone had taken his Treehouse and planted it inside the Vampire Kingdom.

It was coming directly from the ancient tree itself.

Vikram’s heartbeat slowed. His breathing became heavier as an invisible connection formed between him and the colossal tree. The sensation was so overwhelming that, for a brief moment, even the surrounding sounds disappeared from his ears.

Deep within the enormous underground tree, a faint golden light suddenly pulsed once.

Like a sleeping existence had awakened.

Or perhaps... recognized him.

Luna slowly stepped beside Vikram, her silver eyes fixed on the ancient tree. Then she leaned closer and whispered softly, almost reverently.

"...It’s calling you."

Vikram’s expression changed instantly. His calm gaze sharpened.

Before he could process her words, Prince Kael raised his hand.

In the next second, thousands of Vampires erupted from the surrounding underground sectors all at once.

"Kill the Hunters!"

The underground world exploded into war.

---

The moment Prince Kael gave the order, chaos engulfed the cavern.

Thousands of Vampires surged forward from every direction, bursting from tunnels, swarming along massive tree roots, and leaping from shadowed cliffs. Every shadow seemed to spawn new enemies.

The Hunters responded instantly.

"ATTACK!"

Leon Hart vanished in a blur. His dual black blades tore through the battlefield like lightning.

SHHHK! SHHHK!

Several Vampires were sliced apart before they even registered his movement.

Magnus Cole charged forward with a booming laugh, his body covered in metallic reinforcement armor.

BOOOOOOM!

A single punch crushed multiple Vampires into the ground.

Charles Xavier raised both arms calmly. [Sand Domain]

The underground battlefield transformed in an instant. Massive walls of sand erupted upward, burying entire Vampire formations alive.

The Mist King released endless gray mist that spread rapidly across the cavern. Any Vampire who entered it had their senses violently distorted.

Team 11 entered the fray with full force:

Raghav fought like a berserk monster at the frontlines.

Imran shielded advancing Hunters from relentless assaults.

James sniped high-speed targets with pinpoint accuracy.

Arjun streaked across the battlefield, leaving only afterimages behind.

Pooja turning large sections of the cavern into a roaring sea of crimson flames.

At that moment, Vikram fully summoned his forces.

Massive summoning circles bloomed across the underground world. In the next instant, his entire Plant Army emerged.

Feiry. Phanty. Stormy. Frosty.

Earthy. Guardian Druid. Warrior Druids. Assassin Druids.

The sudden appearance of the Plant Army shocked many Hunters once again. Even Charles Xavier narrowed his eyes slightly.

Compared to previous reports, Vikram’s summons had grown far more terrifying.

---

At that moment, Vikram turned his gaze toward the gigantic underground tree and calmly issued his command, "Protect the Hunters."

The Plant Army responded instantly, splitting across the battlefield with perfect coordination.

Guardian Druids raised sturdy defensive barriers.

Stormy unleashed devastating lightning storms across Vampire formations.

Frosty froze entire sectors of the battlefield in ice.

Meanwhile, Phanty vanished completely into the shadows.

The massacre began.

Every few seconds, another Vampire noble fell silently. No one, not even high-level Vampires, could properly track Phanty’s movements.

At the same time, Feiry stepped into the center of the battlefield. Its inferno core blazed brighter than ever before.

[Inferno Territory Manifestation]

BOOOOOOOOM—!!

The underground world erupted in flames. Massive crimson firestorms swept across the cavern, burning entire Vampire armies alive. Even the Vampire Princes frowned at the sheer destructive power Feiry now wielded.

Suddenly, Prince Lucien Mordrath stepped forward. A violent dark blood aura exploded outward from him. In a single blur, he appeared directly before Feiry.

"Interesting summon."

His blood spear thrust forward with lethal speed.

CLANG!

A gigantic sand wall intercepted the strike. Charles Xavier appeared calmly beside them.

"You’re my opponent."

Meanwhile, the Mist King directly confronted Prince Kael. The collision of their auras alone shook the entire underground world.

The battlefield rapidly divided into multiple terrifying combat zones: SS-Rank Hunters clashing against Vampire Princes. Elite Hunters battling Vampire Nobles.

Beneath it all, the endless war between Humans and Vampires consumed the cavern.

---

Amid the chaos, Vikram continued staring silently at the gigantic underground tree. The strange connection within him grew stronger by the second, so intense that he momentarily froze in place.

At the exact same moment, the colossal tree released a faint golden glow, as if resonating with him.

Explosions rocked the underground world. Mist and sandstorms collided violently. Lightning tore across the cavern ceiling. Crimson flames raged across the battlefield. Thousands of Vampires and Hunters fought desperately in the mayhem.

Yet despite the surrounding chaos, Vikram quietly began stepping backward from the front lines. His summons continued fighting flawlessly on their own.

Feiry unleashed devastating inferno attacks.

Phanty moved like a ghost through the shadows, assassinating Vampire nobles. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Stormy and Frosty controlled vast sectors of the battlefield. Guardian Druids maintained protection over the Hunter formations.

Everything operated perfectly, even without constant direct commands from Vikram.

Isha briefly noticed Vikram slipping away from the main battlefield. She frowned.

"Where is he going?"

Carol noticed as well. But before either of them could react, another wave of Vampires surged forward, forcing them back into combat.

Other Hunters also spotted Vikram retreating from the fight. Even Leon Hart shouted while carving through several Vampires with his blades, "Oi! Where’s the Plant Guy going?!"

No one answered. The chaos of battle swallowed their attention completely.

Using the mayhem as cover, Vikram advanced alone toward the gigantic underground tree. Luna followed silently behind him.

The closer they drew, the stronger the strange resonance became. Far ahead, the enormous ancient tree continued glowing faintly in the darkness, almost as if it had been waiting for him specifically.

While the massive battle raged outside, Vikram and Luna finally stepped inside the colossal underground Treehouse.

The moment he entered, the resonance intensified a thousandfold.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The entire ancient Treehouse began glowing softly, as though it had finally sensed the arrival of its true owner.

The hidden pond area reacted as well. The mysterious transparent shield surrounding the floating golden blood vanished with a soft hiss.

SHHHH...

The secret space revealed itself once more. The instant the golden blood appeared, Vikram’s eyes narrowed.

Instinctively, he understood.

That golden blood was the true origin of the Zombies, the source of the serum that created them. He didn’t fully understand how, yet every instinct confirmed it. The serum. The mutations. The failed experiments. The undead hordes. Everything traced back to this.

The floating golden blood pulsed brighter. Its aura felt ancient, sacred, and terrifying all at once.

Almost unconsciously, Vikram stepped closer, drawn by the feeling that claiming it would reveal every secret.

But just as he reached out, a serious voice echoed directly inside his mind.

For the first time since entering the Ruin, his Plant System spoke again.

[Do not touch it.]

Vikram froze.

The System had remained completely silent until now, yet its tone was unusually grave.

[This is not the time to take it.]

[Stay away from the Origin Blood.]

[Focus on obtaining the Treehouse Core first.]

---

I have finally completed eight Chapters. Only two Chapters are left to fulfill my promise, and those will also be completed today. Thank you all for your patience and support throughout this journey. Your Power Stones, Golden Tickets, and comments have given me a lot of motivation to continue pushing forward. More exciting Chapters are coming soon, so stay tuned!