Chapter 117 — A Choice That Isn't One
Lucian's gaze never left Michael.
That man was his only hope of revenge.
William, however, couldn't care less about what Lucian was thinking beneath his foot.
The moment the hybrid virus finished stabilizing, he immediately extracted it from Michael's body.
With what he wanted secured, William finally crouched down and looked at Lucian.
"Lucian," he said calmly,
"do you want revenge?"
"The kind where you tear Viktor apart into eighteen pieces?"
Lucian coughed violently, then glared up at William, teeth clenched.
"I dream about it," he growled.
"I want to rip him apart, chain him up, and let him taste sunlight for himself!"
Sonia's death flashed through his mind.
Pain, hatred, and fury exploded together.
"Good," William said evenly.
"I can give you the power to take that revenge."
"But in return, you form a pact with me.
When the time comes, you fight for me.
How does that deal sound?"
Lucian sneered.
He wasn't a vampire—rebellion was in his bones.
"I can do this myself! Why would I trade with you?"
"A vampire wanting an alliance with the Lycans?"
"What—are you another Kraven, dreaming of becoming Vampire King?"
"Heh. That's a little racist," William said lightly.
"Fine. Let me switch identities so we can talk properly."
He shook his head.
The vampire bloodline within him retracted, replaced instantly by [Undying · Wolf Variant].
"This—this is impossible!" Singe screamed behind them.
Lucian froze.
His eyes widened as he stared at William.
"You… what are you?"
Switching bloodlines at will—
That was beyond anything he had ever known.
If they were more familiar with hybrid auras, William might've even shown off a full transformation.
"You may call me the Kindly Father," William said calmly.
"I am the incarnated vessel of the God of Disease and Plague.
A walker in the mortal world.
A herald of divine contagion."
His voice was soft.
But to Lucian, it sounded like fate itself closing in.
And only then did Lucian realize—
This had never been a real choice at all.
A classic cult-leader declaration.
But William never intended to rely on god-talk to control Lucian.
Someone like Lucian wasn't like those rigid, ancient vampires—he couldn't be shackled by faith or superstition.
Even if Lucian truly believed William was a god, the odds were high he'd eventually bite back.
A transaction was far cleaner.
Cooperate first.
Dispose of him later.
Perfect.
To be honest, William had no desire to keep a pack of filthy, feral creatures around forever.
Using Lucian, then removing him and installing a puppet leader afterward—that was the optimal path.
Something like mercenaries.
The Lycans had technology, yes—but their infiltration into modern society was pitiful.
Vampires, on the other hand, had already sunk their fangs deep into the medical industry.
Blood cloning. Synthetic plasma. Private clinics.
All of it existed to provide vampires with a stable, discreet food supply.
Modern society wasn't ancient times.
You couldn't just grab someone off the street when you were hungry.
Even back then, vampires publicly fed on animal blood.
So long as William controlled the food supply of the Lycans—and prevented them from developing artificial blood of their own—
This immortal race would be working for him forever.
Unless, of course, another leader like Lucian appeared—someone born with rebellion carved into the back of his skull.
---
"Even if you're not a vampire," Lucian growled,
"I can still storm Viktor's fortress myself and kill him."
Lucian didn't know Viktor had already been awakened by Selene.
"That's impossible," William said calmly, shaking his head.
"Don't rush to deny it. You think Kraven can open the way for you, don't you?
Let me tell you something.
Kraven has probably already been locked up.
Oh—and I forgot to mention this."
William smiled.
"Amelia survived.
I saved her.
She's in Viktor's castle right now."
"Surprise?"
"That's impossible!" Raze barked from behind them.
"I bit her myself! She couldn't have lived!"
"Oh?" William tilted his head.
"Did you personally watch her breathe her last?"
Raze froze.
Lucian didn't need further confirmation.
What William had just demonstrated—switching bloodlines at will—
Saving a vampire bitten by a Lycan would be trivial for someone like that.
"What do you actually want?" Lucian demanded.
He didn't believe William would help him for nothing.
"What I want isn't important," William replied lightly.
"What matters is that I can open the road to your revenge.
The choice is yours.
If you refuse, that's fine too—I'm not short on alternatives.
You can walk away at any time.
After all, you and I have no personal grudge."
William flashed a bright, harmless smile.
At the same time, he retracted the [Undying · Wolf Variant] from his body.
Honestly, the Lycan form made him irritable.
Aside from raw strength, the enhancements were mediocre.
Vampire agility was far superior.
If Lucian chose poorly, William would simply kill him on the spot.
Even if Lucian accepted—
The best outcome he could hope for was mutual destruction with Viktor.
"So," Lucian said slowly, a crooked, almost sick smile forming,
"I never really had a choice… did I?"
He wasn't stupid.
He didn't believe William's honeyed words either.
Six hundred years of survival had taught him more than enough about lies and schemes.
Without the system—without this absurd advantage—William would never dare provoke monsters like these.
William didn't answer.
He only smiled.
And waited.
After a long silence, Lucian lifted his head.
"Fine," he said.
"Give me the power to take my revenge."
"A wise decision," William nodded.
Whether Lucian had already realized his fate didn't matter.
If he had—
Then dying after killing his enemy was the best ending he could hope for.
Or perhaps Lucian believed he could escape William afterward.
Six-hundred-year-old monsters were unpredictable.
Smart Lycans were far more dangerous than stagnant vampires.
Even beings like Viktor, Amelia, and Marcus—alive since the fifth century—
Were still bound by obsolete aristocratic dogma.
Lucian wasn't.
Rigid monsters were manageable.
Free-thinking, rebellious ones were not.
Snap.
William grasped Lucian's outstretched hand.
The terminal cancer was withdrawn—far more useful than expected.
It went back into storage.
Then—
[Undying · Wolf–Vampire Hybrid Variant] was injected into Lucian's body.
His pupils flooded with black.
Veins bulged violently beneath his skin.
Flesh darkened, power surging.
As Lucian staggered upright mid-transformation—
Singe found his feet moving on their own, drawn forward in awe.
"Half vampire… half Lycan…
Stronger than either…
The legends were true."
"The two races really do share a common ancestor."