When Odys and Avi, along with the other Second-generation Bloodline Descendants, arrived, the internal chaos in Eric Town had not yet subsided.
It was the afternoon of the second day, nearing dusk, and the sun had already dipped below the mountain peaks.
Rekel and the civilians he led were still fighting over the convoy of Marcus, the town's lord. They were desperate to secure a chance to survive—this winter.
However, when they saw hundreds of Whispering Bats surrounding the refugee group, which had already dwindled to 700 people, Rekel's joy at nearing victory turned into the terror of being dragged into the abyss by demons.
They had been so close to victory.
But now, everything had changed.
"We are the Saintlight Vampires. Drop your weapons.
Drop your weapons, and those who surrender will not be harmed. I repeat, drop your weapons."
A haughty voice echoed from the sky, accompanied by the sight of giant bats flying everywhere, like demons whispering from the depths of the abyss.
Fear spread through the crowd.
Panic set in. The humans, who had been fiercely fighting moments ago, now felt as if icy water had been poured over their heads, chilling them to the bone.
Damn it, why are there vampires here?!
Avi dismounted from her Whispering Bat and cast a Tier 2 spell—Enhancement—right in front of all the humans.
The long black mage robe she wore made the panicked refugees feel as if their throats had been constricted.
A mage! There's a mage among these vampires!!
"Goddess of Life above, have you abandoned your followers?"
"Gods!! These are bats, the bats of vampires!!"
"Have we encountered vampires?!!"
The crowd instantly broke down.
If not for the large number of Whispering Bats surrounding them, these people would have fled for their lives.
In the eyes of humans, vampires were often symbols of evil.
Mysterious, elegant, bloody, and terrifying.
These blood-sucking creatures embodied everything humans feared.
Avi frowned as she looked at the panicked crowd below. She waved her hand.
A pale green magic sphere flew into the air and burst with a pop, scattering green light particles everywhere.
Tier 2 Spell—Calm Mind.
The crowd's overwhelming fear was somewhat soothed, and their anxious expressions eased.
"We are the Saintlight Vampires, not the evil vampires you speak of. Surrender, and you will not be harmed."
Avi's magically amplified words further calmed the crowd.
Many people looked at her in confusion. Saintlight Vampires and evil vampires?
Are there good and evil vampires?
However, it must be said that the name Li De had chosen was quite appealing to humans. "Saintlight," though a common prefix, carried a powerful connotation, much like "light" or "justice," which were never associated with darkness in the human mind.
Moreover, vampires were a race known for their striking beauty.
When Avi, an extremely beautiful mage, spoke these words, even with the terrifying Whispering Bats surrounding them, many people felt a glimmer of trust.
The saying "beauty is justice" holds true in any world.
Rekel suppressed his panic and stepped forward, shouting at Avi in the air, "Who are you, and what is your purpose in stopping us?"
Avi slowly descended to the ground and walked up to the burly human, tilting her head slightly.
"No, I am here to save you. Humans, you are now my captives."
Rekel, still stained with blood, looked grim.
"Didn't you say you wouldn't harm us?"
His hand tightened around his sword.
Marcus, however, saw a lifeline. He knew that without the vampires' intervention, those filthy refugees would have plundered his wealth and hanged him from a tree.
"Respected Mage, I am Marcus Eric, Lord of Eric Town and Baron of the Nolan Empire.
If you help me subdue these damned refugees, I am willing to give you half of my wealth—no, all of it!"
Marcus's words filled the civilians with rage.
Though the two sides were already at each other's throats, colluding with vampires still infuriated the commoners.
"Damn you, Marcus! I'll rip your head off!"
"Those are vampires, not humans! You scum, they'll drain your blood!!"
Over a hundred vampires transformed into bats and landed on the ground, instantly taking control of the situation.
With the massive Whispering Bats circling above and the mysterious, powerful vampires surrounding them, the crowd's voices were quickly silenced.
The courage they had mustered was crushed in the face of overwhelming power. Remembering the legends about vampires, many women and elderly people collapsed to the ground.
Avi immediately understood the situation. In her long life, she had seen too many instances of humans fighting among themselves.
In the human world, nobles and commoners were never of the same kind, but it was still rare to see commoners attacking a noble.
She felt a flicker of curiosity about the burly human. What had given him the courage to rebel against a noble?
"The Saintlight Vampires do not lie.
Humans, your conflicts are of no concern to us.
However, you are now our captives, and thus, our property."
Rekel's face was filled with anger.
"Your property? We are not slaves!!"
"You have no choice in the matter."
"Hmph, if death is inevitable, it's better to fight with the courage granted by the gods and defeat you!"
Rekel's words reignited a spark of courage in the humans who had been intimidated by the vampires.
Remembering the legends of vampires, they tightened their grips on their weapons.
"Death? No, that won't happen. Our Clan Leader is building a city and needs many workers.
You will not die. Instead, you will receive the protection of the Saintlight Vampires and be fed white bread daily.
No one will be killed. We need workers, not corpses.
You will have enough food to survive this winter. Humans, you are fortunate to have the aid of the Saintlight Vampires."
Avi's words echoed in everyone's ears.
No death? And enough food?
The courage Rekel had inspired began to wane once more. Humans are —unless pushed to the brink, few can maintain a resolve to die.
As long as there is a glimmer of hope, they are willing to convince themselves to believe.
Oli, standing beside Rekel, trembled with anger.
"No, you're lying! Vampires would never be so kind!! You're no different from those damned nobles, just deceiving us!!"
The crowd's hearts tightened again.
These were vampires. Could they really offer such favorable terms?
Avi was not angered. Instead, she smiled faintly.
"Human, you know too little about vampires.
Vampires are not a race known for deceit.
Remember, we are the Saintlight Vampires, not the filthy, evil vampires you speak of."
She then turned to scan the crowd, her voice cold.
"Besides, what right do you have to be deceived by me?
If I wished, I could kill all of you at any moment."
The Whispering Bats in the sky suddenly stirred, and the vampires on the ground gathered dense magical energy.
The overwhelming display of power froze everyone in place.
Only the weak deceive. The strong have no need for lies.
Humans, encountering the Saintlight Vampires is your good fortune. I am not negotiating with you.
You are now my captives. You have no room for resistance.
I have said that we will provide you with work and food to survive the long winter.
Whether you believe me or not is irrelevant. Your lives are now in my hands. I have no reason to deceive you.
Now, drop your weapons, or I will order my kin to attack. Do not think of resisting—it will only send you to the God of Death's realm sooner."
Her words, a mix of soft persuasion and harsh threats, were the final straw.
As her voice faded, under Rekel's pained gaze, someone dropped their weapon. Soon, all the humans followed suit.
Seeing this, Rekel knew he had no choice.
Their fate was no longer in their hands.