In the outskirts of the autonomous region’s San City, an ancient estate was currently hosting a tribunal.

Mr. Bloodrobe, wearing a mask, stood in the center of the hall, surrounded by a dozen or so vampires. They formed a circle around him at the edge of the hall, with Mr. Bloodrobe right in the middle.

In front of him, two vampires were facing him with wary expressions, and at their feet lay the corpse of a woman.

"This newly joined follower is dead," Mr. Bloodrobe said, spreading his hands. "After I turned her into one of our loyal followers, you two actually drained her of all her blood. I hope to hear a reasonable explanation." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

The two vampires being interrogated exchanged glances.

"She was just a human..." one of them hissed.

The other seemed much calmer, "The Blood Moon Cult was always like this, humans serving vampires, and we serving Death. Isn’t this tribunal over a mere human making a mountain out of a molehill?"

"Originally... well, the regent who was supposed to lead you according to the will of Death wasn’t me, but the most distinguished among you, that Prince... what was his name? Ah, sorry, I’ve already forgotten, he died too simply," Mr. Bloodrobe shook his head and sighed, "I told you to gather as many followers as possible to prepare for the future battles, not for you useless lot to treat them as snacks. If you’re hungry, go hunt on your own, don’t touch the followers. Is my command that hard to understand?"

"After all, those followers are just cannon fodder, how valuable can they be? Are you specifically targeting us?" The first vampire complained discontentedly.

"They may indeed only be cannon fodder, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re worth more than them," Mr. Bloodrobe spread his hands towards the two vampires, "Rather, you two, unwilling even to be cannon fodder, are of less value than those human followers."

"Stop talking nonsense, no matter what, we are Viscount-level vampires, how can you equate us with those lowly humans?" the vampire retorted with indignation.

"Viscounts? Pfft, hahaha!" Mr. Bloodrobe suddenly burst into raucous laughter.

"What’s so funny?" the other vampire frowned.

"Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to demean you for your lower status." Mr. Bloodrobe’s voice was still laced with uncontrollable laughter, "You vampires always love these aristocratic role-playing games, tagging your lineage with titles, from Princes to Barons... Oh, forgive me for being rude, do you have your bloodline certificates?"

Some vampires present were immediately enraged, as this was a blatant insult. Bloodline certificates were things given to breeding horses and hunting dogs.

Yet no one dared to take action, not only because of Mr. Bloodrobe’s own abilities but also because nearly a third of the vampires there had already sworn absolute loyalty to the Cult. They obeyed Mr. Bloodrobe, many of whom were Death’s attendants within the Cult, with bloodlines above that of a Duke.

Both of the vampires on trial, and many others, hadn’t given their loyalty; they were merely clustering with other vampires under the name of the Blood Moon Cult.

"Have you ever really thought about it? The power you possess is nothing more than a few remnants from the authority of ’death.’ Even the Ancestor had barely a bit more power to infect others than ordinary saints..." Mr. Bloodrobe said, pausing for a moment, "Ah, that’s not quite right either, you clearly know the Ancestor’s power was limited, that’s why you turned to Death, isn’t it?"

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

"What I mean is, who am I targeting? I’m saying that all of you here are rubbish," Mr. Bloodrobe spread his hands wide, surveying those around him, "Be it a Prince or a nobody without a title, there’s no difference between you all."

Suffocating anger began to spread around, but still, no one lashed out.

Mr. Bloodrobe noticed this emotion: "It seems you still don’t understand your place, then let me teach you a lesson right now."

He suddenly began to chant Divine Words.

The two vampires on trial immediately became alert, taking up a battle-ready stance.

They fixed their gaze on Mr. Bloodrobe’s every move, but he merely smiled at them, "You are already dead."

After a full two seconds of staring, the pair suddenly froze.

The air around them began to distort, as if the area was scorched by the midday summer sun. As they let out a piercing, wretched duet of screams, their bodies caught fire, burn marks spreading across their skin, with gray-white smoke billowing and a pungent smell spreading.

Soon they collapsed, motionless. Even the vampires who had escaped the natural cycle of life and death with the power of ’undying’ still had a concept of death.

Unlike his predecessor, who could only take lives through touch, Mr. Bloodrobe possessed genuine Divine Power; he could kill someone just by making eye contact.

"Do you see clearly now? In front of the authority’s power, you are nothing. Princes, and normal human infants alike, are powerless..." Mr. Bloodrobe lectured to the two corpses, "It’s a pity you’re already dead, probably unable to take any of this in, but others will understand."

The surrounding vampires, besides those who had become fanatical converts, involuntarily tensed their faces, shifting their gaze to the ground, fearing that a single look could result in their immediate and gruesome death.

"Thankfully, I’m a sufficiently tolerant person. I will forgive you and allow you to continue serving the Cult," Mr. Blood ’Undying’, and then clapped his hands, "Rise!"

The two vampires just killed, along with the female human follower who had been drained of blood, all three corpses began to move, slowly rising from the ground.

"Good, your value is to offer up everything to me, until you turn to dust," Mr. Bloodrobe smiled as he spoke.

"For me, fools!" Death’s weak voice echoed in his head.

"Of course, but only when I obtain the authority can I free You from spiritual erosion and bring You back to the world of the living," Mr. Bloodrobe replied in his mind.

"Traitor... there’s no need for pretty words," Death suddenly sneered.

"Rest assured, compared to my predecessor, I may not be as loyal, but I am certain to do better," Mr. Bloodrobe replied, "I will restore the Blood Moon Cult’s past glory under my command."

Mr. Bloodrobe looked around at the surrounding vampires and said loudly, "I need more intelligence, more followers. Before we decide to march on Silvertown, I want the Cult to be restored to its original size!"