Chapter 233: Trial

Kaiser found himself standing in front of what looked like a medieval European Gothic city.

The entire city was built from black and silver materials, with tall towers, pointed rooftops, and enormous castle-like structures rising above the surrounding buildings. A massive blood-red moon hung in the sky, casting an eerie glow over the city.

Darkness covered the entire area, making it difficult to see anything clearly. Even the moonlight seemed unable to penetrate the thick darkness surrounding the city.

Kaiser looked around before letting out a sigh.

"Fuck. My first Legendary Dungeon, and it’s already this troublesome."

He opened his system interface and checked the dungeon information again.

"Above Rank 5, all dungeons are classified as Legendary. And this one is even a Rule Power dungeon."

His expression became slightly serious.

He could sense numerous powerful auras scattered throughout the city. Some were particularly strong, and several of them possessed Rule Power.

’Well, I guess I can’t rely entirely on myself this time. It’s better to play it safe.’

Kaiser had no intention of underestimating a dungeon filled with Vampires possessing Blood-related Rules. Although his own Supreme Rule was powerful, he still had limited combat experience against opponents who could manipulate Rule Power.

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

The space around him immediately began to distort as his pets one after another emerged.

First came Lime, the Gravity Slime. Its massive body wobbled slightly as it appeared beside him.

Next was Diablo, the Blood Skeleton King, whose skeletal body was covered in a dark red aura. His presence was particularly intimidating, and the faint glow in his eyes made him look like a creature that had crawled out of the depths of the underworld.

Garuk, the Snowlight Orc Chief, appeared shortly afterwards, carrying his enormous weapon.

A moment later, Luna, the Lunar Wolf Emperor, emerged with a powerful aura surrounding her body.

However, they weren’t the only ones Kaiser had summoned.

Next came his Undead Champions.

Selene, the Blood Rose Demoness, stood with her usual cold expression. Her beautiful appearance contrasted sharply with the dangerous aura surrounding her.

Rachel, the Priestess of Ruination, appeared beside her, looking considerably more relaxed.

Frank, the Corpse Lord, emerged with his enormous body covered in layers of cloth, while Night, the Shadow Sovereign, appeared almost silently.

Unlike the others, Night was a beautiful woman with long hair that moved gently in the surrounding breeze. Her quiet presence and shadow-covered appearance made her look like a creature born from darkness itself.

In just a few moments, Kaiser’s entire army had gathered around him.

He glanced at the group before speaking.

"Kill everything in this city. However, be careful of anyone who possesses Rule Power. Don’t underestimate them."

"Understood, Master."

The undead responded in unison.

Kaiser nodded before looking over his army.

All his Pets and his Soul Bond Ripple, had yet to comprehend Rule Power. Even Night, despite being a newly created Shadow Sovereign with exceptional stealth abilities, hadn’t developed any Rule Power.

There were only three among his undead who had comprehended Supreme Rules.

The first was Selene.

She possessed the high-tier Supreme Rule of Immortal Blood, making her particularly dangerous against enemies who relied on blood manipulation. Combined with her ability to create Blood Roses and Blood Rose Knights, her overall strength had increased considerably.

Her Blood Rose Knights have especially benefited from the Immortal Blood as now not only the Blood Roses formed from the corpses preserve almost all the abilities of those from which they are created but they can now continue to grow stronger too.

More importantly, these new Blood knights are now almost Immortal just like her.

The second was Frank.

He had comprehended the mid-tier Supreme Rule of Amalgamation. As a Chimera-type undead, this ability was particularly suited to him.

Frank could assimilate corpses and combine their strongest body parts, organs, and other useful features to create powerful Chimera forms. By selecting the most suitable parts from different creatures, he could construct a body far stronger than any individual corpse.

He could also use this ability to create Chimera undead soldiers, much like Selene created her Blood Rose Knights.

The third was Rachel.

She possessed the low-tier Supreme Rule of Fallen Light. Combined with her powerful Ruination abilities, it allowed her to fulfil both offensive and supportive roles on the battlefield.

Her Rule Power strengthened her existing abilities while also allowing her to create Ruination Knights, undead soldiers that benefited from the effects of Fallen Light.

Unlike Selene’s knights, who focused on blood-based abilities, or Frank’s Chimera soldiers, who relied on their physical characteristics, Rachel’s creations could serve multiple purposes depending on the abilities she bestowed upon them.

Kaiser was quite interested in seeing how these three would perform against the Vampires.

’I wonder what kind of undead Night will be able to create.’

His gaze shifted towards the beautiful woman standing quietly among the others.

Her long hair swayed gently in the breeze, while faint shadows moved around her body. With her Shadow Sovereign constitution and exceptional stealth abilities, she was practically a natural-born infiltrator.

She could manipulate darkness, night, and shadows to conceal her presence, making her an ideal assassin.

Kaiser was particularly interested in discovering whether she possessed any special abilities related to creating undead. If she could develop something similar to Selene’s Blood Rose Knights or Frank’s Chimera soldiers, it would give him another powerful force to command.

However, that was something he would have to discover later.

For now, he wasn’t worried about his army’s ability to deal with ordinary Vampires. His main concern was the powerful individuals who had comprehended Blood-related Rules.

’Let’s see how strong the Vampires in this place really are.’

He looked towards the enormous Gothic city.

"Alright, everyone. Let’s begin."

His army immediately spread out, with the faster members taking the lead.

Ripple floated beside Kaiser, watching the undead depart with an excited expression.

"Father, can I go too?"

Kaiser glanced at him and smiled.

"Of course. But don’t try to fight anyone who has comprehended Rule Power."

Ripple laughed happily before shooting towards the city, leaving a golden trail behind him.

Kaiser watched him disappear into the darkness before slowly walking forward.

However, just as he was about to follow, a question appeared in his mind.

’Are you sure about this?’

[Yes. His potential is extraordinary. The more he fights the more abilities and his racial powers he will unlock.]

Kaiser paused for a moment as he read the system’s response.

He looked in the direction Ripple had disappeared.

’That’s true, I suppose.’

Still, he couldn’t help feeling a little uneasy.

After all, Ripple wasn’t just another Pet or Undead, he is his Soul Bond.

He was Kaiser’s only Soul Bond, and their connection was far more important than an ordinary contract. Their mana and mana cores were connected, meaning that Ripple’s death would also put Kaiser in mortal danger.

If Ripple died, Kaiser could lose far more than just a powerful companion.

He could lose his own life as well.

’If it were up to me, I would have kept him hidden and let the undead and my pets handle everything.’

Kaiser shook his head.

He knew Ripple was eager to fight, and his potential was far too great to keep him sheltered forever. Besides, the system was right. If he wanted Ripple to grow stronger, he couldn’t prevent him from facing dangerous opponents.

"Just don’t do anything stupid," he muttered as he looked towards the city.

With that, Kaiser finally stepped forward and entered Minvera City.

The moment Kaiser stepped past the city’s massive entrance, he felt the atmosphere change.

The darkness surrounding Minvera City was much thicker than it had appeared from outside. The streets were illuminated by dim silver lamps attached to the walls of buildings, but their light barely reached the ground.

Tall buildings stood on both sides of the road, their black walls decorated with silver patterns and strange carvings. Several of them resembled old castles, while others looked like enormous mansions belonging to nobles.

The entire city was unusually quiet.

There were no ordinary people walking through the streets, no merchants selling their goods, and no guards patrolling the roads. Yet Kaiser could still sense numerous powerful auras scattered throughout the city.

He narrowed his eyes.

’Are they deliberately hiding their presence?’

He continued walking while keeping his senses spread across the surrounding area.

Suddenly, a faint sound reached his ears.

Clack! Clack!

The sound of footsteps came from a nearby alley.

Kaiser stopped and turned his head.

A moment later, several figures emerged from the darkness. They were dressed in black uniforms, and their pale skin and crimson eyes immediately revealed their identities.

Vampires.

There were six of them, all carrying weapons. Their clothes resembled the uniforms of city guards, with silver badges attached to their chests.

The Vampire standing at the front looked at Kaiser with surprise.

"A human?"

He glanced towards the entrance before turning his attention back to Kaiser.

"How did you get inside the city?"

Kaiser didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he casually inspected the group.