My Three Beautiful Vampire Wives can hear my Inner Thoughts-Chapter 33: Predator Time

Suddenly, Cain picked up something. He could hear about ten people coming.

Immediately, his lips curved upward.

"The humans," he said softly, almost amused.

A short laugh escaped him as he glanced down at Cornelia’s healed body resting below, peaceful now but still fragile in a way that made his chest tighten.

He had been searching for blood, weighing risks, calculating timing, and now they were delivering themselves straight to him.

"Just when I was wondering what to feed you next," he whispered. "Humans really have terrible timing."

Or perfect timing.

Cain leaned forward and then immediately vanished in a blur of red.

...

On the other side of the ruined plain, armored humans moved in a tight formation, boots crunching against broken ground, weapons drawn but held close as if sound itself might invite death.

Their armor gleamed faintly under the dim sky, etched with runes meant to ward off nightmare beings, though every man wearing it could feel how thin those protections truly were here.

A mage at the center of the group turned slowly, staff raised, eyes darting as he scanned the darkness.

"This place," one knight muttered, voice low. "It feels wrong."

"Quiet," another hissed. "You’ll draw attention."

The mage swallowed and wiped sweat from his brow. "The mana density just changed. It’s heavier. Like something breathed."

They froze.

A scratching sound echoed nearby, soft but deliberate, like claws dragged across stone.

Every weapon snapped up. Shields locked. The mage sucked in a sharp breath, heart pounding so hard he could hear it.

Then a strange owl-like creature burst from the shadows, wings beating wildly as it fled into the sky.

The mage exhaled in a shaky laugh. "Just a creature," he said, though his voice trembled.

"Damn it, I thought—"

"Careful," he added quickly, senses flaring again. "Something’s coming."

The warning came too late.

A black blur swept through them, cold and fast, and the world spun. Capes snapped. Armor rang. One moment they were standing, the next the ground rushed up to meet them, vision fading as a crushing force wrapped around their minds.

Silence fell.

When their awareness returned, it came with pain and helplessness.

They were suspended in the air, limbs bound by blood-red crosses that pinned them in place like insects on a board. Panic surged as they struggled and found nothing moved. Not even fingers.

Cain stood before them, arms crossed, head tilted as he examined his catch.

"Hmppp," he said with mild disappointment. "They’re weak. Not enough to completely heal Cornelia." 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

One knight tried to speak, mouth opening in a silent scream.

Cain closed his eyes.

Then he moved.

A sharp sound split the air and one of the humans went limp as his body burst open, blood spraying outward in a violent fountain that soaked the ground beneath.

The smell hit instantly, rich and warm, and Cain inhaled deeply.

"Blood mana trail," he murmured.

The spilled blood glowed faintly, lines forming and stretching away like veins across the land, pointing toward something distant, something familiar.

Cain smiled wide, teeth gleaming.

"Alright," he said. "Time to visit the otherworld human plane."

He laughed softly, wings spreading. "A plane where the humans don’t need contracts with nightmare beings to use mana. A plane that suppresses my power."

His laughter grew louder as he turned away.

"Hahaha. How generous of you to invite me."

The remaining humans never even saw him leave.

...

Far away, within the towering halls of the Chimera Ant Empire, shadows pulsed along the walls as the Emperor sat upon his throne, his form massive and still, eyes fixed on a hovering orb before him.

The infestation blood orb shimmered with dark light, images flickering within as it relayed distant scenes.

"This is the Moonshade territory," the Emperor said calmly. "And this is where Scylencer and Poisotate were sent."

Ministers stood below, silent and tense.

The Emperor’s gaze sharpened as the orb suddenly flared, its surface flooding with red and white, the images distorting violently.

"This technique," he murmured. "A method to block my sight."

His brow furrowed. "The Crimson Blood King should not know this."

He searched his memory, ancient and vast, but found nothing. No name surfaced. No image fit.

"Who did this," he asked softly, and for the first time, uncertainty crept into his voice.

Without warning, the orb cracked.

A wave of terrifying mana burst outward, shaking the chamber, forcing ministers to stumble back as the air itself screamed under the pressure.

"What is this," one shouted. "This mana—"

The orb shattered completely.

Gone.

The hall fell into absolute silence.

The Emperor did not move.

"The Lycannis Family grows stronger," he said at last, voice low. "And now this."

His fingers tightened around the armrest of his throne.

"What is happening to this world?"

...

High above the land, Cain flew with powerful strokes of his blood wings, the wind roaring past him as he followed the glowing trail below. His smile never faded.

"Trying to spy on an Overgod," he scoffed.

"Dream on, insect."

Below him, two figures raced along the ground at unnatural speed, bodies stitched together by blood threads, moving without heads, without will.

Scylencer. Poisotate.

Cain glanced down at them with mild interest. "Blood puppets," he said. "Weak ones, but useful."

The headless bodies did not respond, merely followed as commanded.

"I’ll drink some Human Emperor blood," Cain continued thoughtfully. "Then Chimera Ant Emperor blood."

His eyes glinted. "Let’s see how brave they are then."

...

On the other side, within the human realm, a massive crowd had gathered before the towering portal that led to the nightmare plane. Thousands stood packed together, murmuring voices blending into a constant hum of tension and fear.

Mana knights stood at the front, armor glowing with layered enchantments, while mana wizards hovered nearby, auras flaring as they tried to peer beyond the portal’s surface.

"The first platoon didn’t return," one knight said, jaw tight. "Not even a signal."

"The second platoon too," a wizard added, fingers trembling around his staff. "No reports. No survivors."

A third voice cut in. "Should we tell the Emperor."

A heated argument broke out immediately.

"If we tell him now, we risk panic," one commander argued. "We don’t know what happened."

"Two platoons vanish," another snapped. "That’s not nothing."

"The nightmare plane is unstable," someone else insisted. "Losses are expected."

"Expected doesn’t mean acceptable," a mage shot back. "What if something crossed over."

The debate dragged on, voices rising, fear seeping into every word.

Finally, a decision was made.

"Send a courier," the commander said grimly. "Quietly."

A runner broke from the crowd, mana flaring as he sped away.

Those who remained turned back to the portal, unease thick in the air.

The surface rippled.

Everyone froze.

Then the portal slammed violently.

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

The sound echoed like a heartbeat, heavy and relentless, and every human present felt the same chilling thought settle into their bones.

Something was trying to come through.