"Impossible!" Samarishit blurted out in disbelief. Every noble in the room was staring at Damon as if they had just witnessed the laws of the world break apart.

The captain who had spoken earlier clenched his fist again, his eyes widening even further. "It's real," he whispered. "The blessing… It's still there."

Another elder closed his eyes for a moment, sensing the change within himself.

"The blessing has spread across the entire settlement."

"That is the ancestor's blessing!"

Murmurs erupted through the chamber.

"But… how?"

"He was rejected!"

"The blood should not obey him!"

Damon grinned. The blessings part was done. Now he was ready to move onto the next. He ordered his blood avatar standing amidst the crowd of nobles to instigate the group further.

"So what if you are able to do this small thing? What's a small buff going to do? Do you even know who our enemies are?"

This was more than enough. Another noble chimed in. "Our enemies outside are not weaklings. Six B-rank powerhouses stand at our gates. Even with the ancestor's blessing, a handful of C-ranks like us cannot change the outcome of that battle. Mere parlour tricks just won't cut it. You need to step down from the throne."

A few others immediately agreed.

"Yes!"

"A minor blessing will not save this clan!"

"The real power of the ancestor's blood lies in the throne's authority!"

Another noble stepped forward and raised his voice. "If you truly control the ancestor's blood, then activate the castle formations! Strengthen the barrier! Command the throne to repel the invaders!"

Murmurs spread rapidly through the chamber again.

"Yes, activate the domain defense!"

"The throne should be able to repel enemies!"

Just as the crowd became chaotic again, Damon calmly closed his eyes and focussed on the drop of blood again. He willed for the blood to connect with the space around him. Soon he found a weak connection between the space he was in and the blood.

He focussed more on the weak connection when abruptly power gushed out. It was as if a dam had burst open.

Damon could all of a sudden feel the thin barrier that stretched out across the entire settlement.

At first it felt distant, like a faint thread brushing against his mind. But the moment the ancestor's blood responded, that thread suddenly thickened and multiplied. Countless invisible lines spread outward from the throne, weaving through the walls of the castle, across the streets of the city, and far beyond the outer ramparts.

It was the domain.

The castle was not just stone and towers. It was a massive formation tied directly to the throne and to the blood of the founding ancestor. Every wall, every tower, every defensive array was connected to the drop of blood he now held.

Damon inhaled slowly as the overwhelming flow of information rushed into his mind.

"So that's how it works," he murmured.

Outside the castle, the crimson barrier flickered weakly above the settlement, barely holding its shape as the distant B-rank auras pressed against it like massive tidal waves.

The moment Damon touched the connection, the entire structure responded.

The throne behind him roared.

Ancient runes carved across the chamber walls erupted with blinding crimson light. The floor beneath the nobles trembled violently as energy surged through the formation network.

Outside, the barrier exploded outward.

The thin crimson dome above the settlement thickened instantly, expanding into a massive shield of condensed blood energy. The sky above the castle turned red as towering pillars of light shot upward from the defensive towers.

Across the city, every vampire felt the change immediately.

The domain had awakened.

Back in the throne chamber, several nobles stumbled as the surge of power rolled through the castle.

"What—"

"The barrier!"

"The domain formation!"

Samarishit's head snapped toward the windows of the chamber as the crimson light illuminated the entire sky. "That… that's the throne domain…" His voice trembled.

Damon slowly opened his eyes. He could feel everything. The castle. The formations. Every vampire inside the domain. And most importantly, the six overwhelming presences standing outside the barrier. Six B-rank powerhouses.

Damon leaned back on the throne and smiled faintly. On the other side, his blood avatar continued with the show.

"Defense alone is not enough. We need to attack. Otherwise, we are just sitting ducks waiting to get cooked!" The shout echoed loudly through the throne chamber which was pretty much dead silent now. No one dared to speak but after hearing these words, one by one the group snapped out of their trance and mustered some courage to keep going.

"That's right!"

"The barrier will not hold forever!"

"Six B-ranks can break any formation if they attack long enough!"

One of the elders turned toward Damon with a sharp gaze. "If you truly control the throne domain, then strike back! The ancestor's blood has tremendous power contained within it!"

Another noble stepped forward, his voice rising with urgency. "The Blood Pillars!"

"Yes! Activate the Blood Pillars!"

"The founding ancestor used them to wipe out invading armies!"

The throne chamber erupted into noise again as voices overlapped one another.

Samarishit stood frozen for a moment, still staring at the glowing runes blazing across the chamber walls. The domain formation had clearly awakened, and that alone was something he had never expected Damon to achieve.

But the moment the nobles began shouting about attacking the enemies outside, a strange tension crept across his face. He knew that if the guy somehow makes this happen, then there was no turning back. The crowd behind him would instantly change their allegiance without caring about anything. Before that could happen, he needed to do something fast.

None of these other court members were aware of but he was secretly in talks with the fifth clan which had remained neutral for centuries. He had kept that as a last resort exactly for situations like this. Without further hesitation, he sent a message to the Black Moon clan. Now all he needed was time.

Surely, it would take this guy some time to do anything else. Activating the blessings and the defensive arrays were impressive but that was nothing. Many of their clan leaders had managed to accomplish those things.

As long as things do not progress any further, his position in the clan was more than safe. He quietly let out a sigh and cleared his throat to say something when suddenly an enormous shockwave rumbled from the drop of blood.

Samarishit's eyes went wide. Everyone else staring at the scene had similar expressions. The drop of blood was nowhere to be seen!

No one had seen anything like this before in their entire lifetime. It was something unthinkable. Right in front of the group, the drop of blood had completely disappeared. Not just that but the throne also started glowing brightly.

Damon casually stood up. Everyone went weak in their knees, many even stumbling onto the ground as they watched the throne behind him dissolve into motes of red light. The ancient throne that had stood unmoving for centuries was dissolving piece by piece, its form breaking apart into countless motes of blood-colored light.

Shockingly, every single mote of light flew toward Damon. They spiralled around him like a swarm of crimson fireflies drawn to a single center. The nobles stared in horror.