Formations are different from spells. Spells draw power from the caster. The cost can be mitigated by Arcane Tools but a connection between the spell and the caster is still necessary. Formations however are complex Arcane scripts capable of self-sustenance. i.e., drawing power from the Arcane itself and not from the Formation Master.

A formation etched on a scroll isn't as 'everlasting' as one prepared against stable structures such as buildings or the very ground but that was fine. It didn't have to be everlasting. The cries of the vampires forced to freeze as the flames of the formation licked their bodies confirmed how effective it still was.

Despite the cries, only a few vampires fell to the flames of the formation. Pain jolted most of them to action quickly enough to cast defensive spells to survive and others were simply let go by Caius. It wasn't intentional, of course. He just had too much to pay attention to with Kerwin still fighting Brogan.

Speaking of which, Brogan had stopped trading blows with Kerwin. For one, he realized he was out of his depths. Those two Magic Circles Kerwin had over him could not be overcome unless he could command Kerwin with his Noble Authority. But since Caius was still countering that authority, he was forced into the defensive and was constantly on the back foot.

So it was time to strategize. Calling his Lieutenants close, Brogan left fighting Kerwin to them. Each Lieutenant was at the Seventh Circle and with over ten of them to barrage Kerwin, Brogan was optimistic.

That was until a lance forged from darkness pierced one Lieutenant's head and another's upper jaw was grabbed and ripped clean off his lower jaw.

'By Nyx!' Brogan swore in his head, his eyes wide in horror.

In a flash, Brogan realized that the fact that he had survived Kerwin thus far was only because he was a Noble. Take away that authority and Brogan was sure he would have suffered the same fate as his Lieutenant.

On the other hand, Caius smirked. Kerwin had never been a pushover. With so many centuries of existence, the leader of the Leopold Coven was a formidable threat. Hell, in the original timeline, he came close to taking over the Empire, proving a challenge for Caius's father, Lucian Von Helsing, the man who eventually killed Athenodora.

The only reason Caius had been able to get Kerwin as a subordinate was because he had acquired Nobility. Had he not, he never would have dared to storm the Leopold Coven.

It really put into perspective just how unfair Vampiric Nobility was. What one had worked for, for centuries—all the experience, all the knowledge, all the power—could be rendered useless by Noble authority.

Brogan looked over at Caius then, seemingly noticing for the first time how many of his minions had already been killed and how many more were being killed that very second.

Caius looked at it all with pride. Even cloaked and masked, he could tell who was who;

Meline Leopold wielded two daggers. Her claws would rip flesh better but her daggers had better reach. Also, her fighting style just seemed to rely more on a kind of dance, as she sort of skated along, twirling and slashing at enemies. Cutting them down methodically before delivering a final strike.

Kyre Leopold had a staff, keeping a distance and just casting spell after spell. All branding between the seventh and the Eighth Circle.

Hadine and Nadine wielded swords.

And Hugo, tall and hulking figure as he was, wielded a massive mace that he swung with reckless abandon. At first glance, he looked crude and lacking technique but watch for long enough and there's an art to his movement. There is a music to the squelch sound of heads bursting as his mace made contact. Hugo also used his fist and really, it's a wonder which is more devastating: the mace or the fist.

And then, there was Roxanne. She stood closest to Caius, drawing scroll after scroll from her storage ring and setting formation after formation down to either attack the Vampires or trap them to be attacked by any of the others.

With her and Caius providing Crowd control, their little squad of eight seemed like 50.

Brogan's eyes grew larger and larger, as if he could not believe what he was seeing. He reached out with his authority to stop the rampage of the Gold-Black Vampires but Caius just countered his every order.

While Caius did have limitations on how many vampires he could order at a time and how long he could keep that order going, he had no issues reversing any Order Brogan gave.

'This fight won't be won by minions,' Brogan thought and then said out loud in a booming voice,

"TITLE STEALER, I WANT YOUR HEAD!"

Brogan barreled over then, the Leopold Council members wheeled away from whatever opponent they were battling and tried to make a wall between Brogan and Caius.

"MOVE ASIDE!"

That order gripped them and they obeyed it faster than Caius could counter it, clearing a path for Brogan. But it wasn't them Brogan should have been ordering but rather Roxanne.

With a flourish, Roxanne unfurled an immensely long scroll from her storage ring. It swayed like a piece of linen and could have wrapped around her and Caius like robes. She tossed the scroll into the air, slamming it with her palm to burn it to ashes, leaving behind complex Arcane Formations that created a Dome around her and Caius right before Brogan arrived.

*BANG!*

Brogan struck the Dome with the one fist he still had but it wouldn't give.

"Open this!" Brogan ordered Roxanne.

Caius didn't bother to counter the order and once it hit Roxanne's ears, she twitched for a moment and then relaxed with a smile. Once activated, she had no control over the Formation and could not 'open it'. The best Brogan could do was order her to break it down for him.

*BANG!*

*BANG!*

*BANG!*

*BANG!*

Over and over, Brogan struck the Dome and even when a tiny crack appeared, Caius wasn't worried because while Brogan concerned himself with breaking the Dome, even more of his minions fell.

Try as he might, there was only so much Brogan could focus on at the same time;

Countering Caius's order to free his minions, ordering Caius's men to stand in place and having to counter Caius's eventual attempt to counter that… By Nyx, just thinking about it all, was making Brogan's head ache.

And then he froze.

He caught a familiar scent and his expression became one of pure hate as he subconsciously reached his hand toward the stump that was all that was left of his other arm.

"She's here!" Brogan said in a whisper and then his voice became louder and seethed with rage,

"The Hunter is here."

Brogan stepped away from the Dome then, moving like he was stumbling with his eyes darting around and his nose sniffing out his enemy's scent.

'But… where exactly are you?' He asked in his head.

And then, driven by instinct, he wheeled around and raised his one arm, conjuring a defensive water spell just in time to intercept a sword as Alexia's narrowed eyes finally met his.

"There you are," Brogan said through gritted teeth.

"Yes," Alexia said, "Here I am."

Caius frowned behind his mask.

"Ma'am, he said in his best attempt at a different voice to avoid being recognized,

"This is not your fight."

"Don't speak to me, Bloodsucker," Alexia snarled at him,

"You, him. All of you. You all die."

There was a shimmer then and the Hellsong Boxes appeared and blasted their infernal frequencies, striking the ears of all vampires in the Hall and sending them to the ground, with an intent to rend whatever was left of their souls clean from their bodies.