Naturally, the vampires inside the tower had been observing what happened at the entrance.
Yuki's performance surprised them.
They couldn't understand how Yuki had eliminated that watchdog ghoul.
According to the usual procedure, they should have sent a vampire expert to suppress him, then enslave him and turn him into a new watchdog.
But Yuki's bizarre display made them hesitate to act rashly.
"Let's observe a bit longer! The man has two women with him. One of them looks somewhat familiar."
The red-haired man leading the vampires frowned, stroking his chin thoughtfully.
On the other side.
Yuki, with the two women, pushed open the door and entered the tower without any hindrance.
Inside the tower was a hall.
The environment was dim, with only a few lamps hanging around for illumination.
The entire hall exuded an eerie, sinister atmosphere, making Akane, beside Yuki, feel a chill down her spine.
She moved closer to Yuki, tightly gripping his arm, her body trembling slightly as if she had seen something terrifying.
"Th... there's something over there!"
In the dim light, Akane pointed toward a certain spot.
Yuki turned his head. With eyes as sharp as torches, he instantly saw everything clearly.
It was a small pile of skeletons, their shadows cast under the gloomy lamplight.
"It's fine. It's just a pile of dead people's bones."
Yuki spoke calmly, gently patting Akane's small hand to reassure her.
"Eek?!"
Hearing they were bones, the girl's reaction became even more intense.
She clung even tighter to Yuki's arm, her soft body pressing firmly against his side.
"Are you alright?"
Seeing the girl's reaction, Mary couldn't help but ask with concern.
"I... I'm fine."
Gritting her teeth, Akane quickly shook her head.
As a modern person, facing such a scene was still somewhat unsettling for her.
However, she knew that if she wanted to become stronger, she couldn't back down because of this.
So she hardened her resolve, using it to overcome her fear.
Seeing Akane's determination, Yuki gave a slight, approving nod.
"Let's go. Climbing all those stairs would be tiring. I'll just take you up directly."
Looking at the long staircase, Yuki simply opened a portal to transport them up.
With a snap of Yuki's fingers, the scenery before them instantly shifted, and they soon found themselves in another place.
Looking up, they saw the moon hanging in the sky and a section of broken wall nearby.
They were already on the top floor of the tower. The top floor seemed to have been modified into something resembling an altar.
"Already up here? This ability... what on earth..."
Mary couldn't fathom how miraculous the power Yuki displayed was. In the blink of an eye, he had brought them to the top floor of the tower.
"A minor trick, not worth mentioning."
Yuki shrugged, speaking calmly.
"That's a minor trick?"
"If that's a minor trick, then I guess what the rest of us can do must be child's play!"
Hearing Yuki's words, Mary felt an inexplicable urge to hit someone.
It felt less like modesty and more like bragging.
"Ahaha..."
Beside them, Akane gave an awkward chuckle.
Truthfully, she also felt Yuki's words were a bit too... "humble-bragging."
A spatial manipulation ability like that, no matter how you looked at it, was a top-tier power.
Yet to Yuki, it was just a "minor trick." Wasn't that the epitome of humble-bragging?
"We have company."
Before the two women could say more, dozens of figures appeared in unison before the three of them.
The vampires had finally reacted, realizing Yuki's group had reached the top floor of the tower.
They surrounded the three, and a tall, red-haired man with a deathly pale face stepped forward.
"How did you reach here in the blink of an eye?"
The man looked at Yuki's group with puzzlement.
But upon seeing the man, Mary's face instantly twisted with rage.
Clang!
Her specially crafted silver sword was instantly drawn from her waist, pointing directly at the man.
"Crimson!"
"You traitor who betrayed Lady Elisabeth!!!"
Mary roared at the man, her eyes filled with hatred as if she wished to tear him to pieces.
"Oh?"
"So it's you! My former, defeated subordinate... Mary."
Only then did Crimson finally remember why Mary looked so familiar.
She was once, like him, a servant of the Vampire Ancestor, Elisabeth.
"You, once called the Vampire Ancestor's Right Hand, couldn't defeat me, the Vampire Ancestor's Left Hand."
"To think we both served Lady Elisabeth... I feel ashamed for you, Mary!"
A mocking smirk couldn't help but appear on Crimson's face as he looked at Mary.
Clearly, defeating Mary back then and snatching the Vampire Ancestor Elisabeth's heart from under her protection was a source of immense pride for him.
Because he had proven himself stronger than her. It was just a shame his Master, Elisabeth, couldn't see it.
"Shut up!"
"You despicable scoundrel! What skill is there in using other vampires as cannon fodder to drain my strength and then defeat me?!"
Mary's face was filled with disgust, itching to charge forward and fight him fair and square.
However, she knew now that there were more important matters at hand—finding her Master's heart.
So this had to be set aside for the moment.
"Where have you hidden Lady Elisabeth?!"
Mary took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
Hearing this, Crimson stepped aside slightly.
He revealed a coffin placed on the altar-like top floor behind him.
"What do you think, Mary?"
"I chose a very fine resting place especially for Lady Elisabeth!"
"Just a few more years, and I can resurrect her on that Red Moon!"
A flash of madness flickered in Crimson's eyes.
"A resurrected Lady Elisabeth will lead us vampires to overturn the world!!!"
"So you're a bit early, Mary."
"In your dreams, Crimson!"
"I'm here to take Lady Elisabeth away! I won't let your scheme succeed!"
Mary raised her sword, aiming it at Crimson with a cold laugh.
"That's impossible! Because..."
Hearing Mary's goal, Crimson naturally found it somewhat laughable.
But before he could finish speaking, Yuki, standing to the side, interrupted their conversation.
"Are you done talking?"
"If you're done, you can go die now!"
"So verbose!"
Yuki slowly raised his hand and snapped his fingers lightly.
In the blink of an eye, the group of vampires was gone, leaving only a pile of dust behind.
"The same thing again?!"
"What on earth is going on?!"
Mary stared in shock. Without a doubt, Crimson and that group of vampires had all been eliminated by Yuki.
"Come, let's see your Master."
Seeing Mary standing dumbfounded, Yuki spoke up.
Only then did Mary snap out of it. She quickly sheathed her sword and, with determined steps, followed Yuki toward the ancient coffin lying in slumber.
Slowly pushing open the ancient coffin lid, under the moonlight's glow, a heart lay quietly inside.
It was pierced through by an exquisitely crafted dagger, representing how the life of this heart's former owner had been permanently frozen in an instant.
It was a dazzling heart. Its crimson color was like the last rays of the setting sun, resembling a massive ruby, exuding an air of nobility and mystery.