Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

549  Attacking the Nearby Shelters

Travis's clones were struggling to fight the overwhelming number of Vampires surrounding them.

Thankfully, they all have draconic bloodlines.

As soon as they started burning the Draconic Essence within their bodies, they were able to win against them!

Golden scales appeared on their skin and their eyes glowed brightly.

They couldn't keep this up for long but during this time, they eliminated numerous Vampires!

However, as they continued to use their various Survivor and Draconic Skills, they also started getting tired. @@novelbin@@

Thirty minutes after they activated their Draconic Essence, they all felt tired and had to consume several potions to replenish their energy.

"Just how deep is this cave?"

"It even feels as if he actually made this cave."

"That sounds true." The deeper they went, the stronger the resistance became.

Finally, Vampire Knights emerged.

They were the elite warriors of Statham and they were all clad in black armor...

Unlike the lesser vampires, these creatures had intelligence and could use various strategies in combat since they were most likely strong Survivors who had turned into vampires.

One of them, a knight with gold gauntlets, pounced at the leading clone with incredible speed.

Bang!

As their weapons met, sparks flew and the impact eve sent the clone skidding backward. He was actually defeated in terms of strength.

Although he wasn't using the Draconic Essence, it was already very impressive to achieve such a result.

"They're stronger than we thought."

"No choice. We need to end this quickly."

All three clones unleashed their trump card—Draconic Overdrive.

It was a more risky method of increasing their strength than just burning their Draconic Essence…

With this method, their lives would also be at risk. However, they knew that their mission wasn't to really kill Statham.

As long as they were able to see the hideout and kill as many Vampires as they could, even if they died, the original Travis would know everything they witnessed once they disappeared and reconnected to his soul.

Just like that, their veins glowed with golden energy, their bodies were immediately filled with temporary strength.

This would only last for about 10 minutes but it should be more than enough to deal with the few Vampire Knights.

"Kill!"

They soon engaged the Vampire Knights in a battle of raw strength and skill.

One clone tackled a knight into the cavern wall!

Bang!

They crushed the nearby stone as they grappled for dominance.

Another clone dodged a greatsword swing and countered with a flame-coated fist! This draconic fire melted armor and bone.

It was especially lethal to any type of vampire.

The battle continued as they overwhelmed the Vampire Knights after a few minutes…

But then—the tide shifted.

It seemed that Statham could no longer watch his servants die within his territory.

Whom~

Just like that, a monstrous aura started to spread. The pressure within the cave also started to become suffocating.

Something was coming.

"He's here…"

Before they could react, a force like an invisible hand crushed down on them.

Bam!

Their bodies froze and their Draconic Overdrive was completely canceled, making them extremely weak.

Then, they saw him.

He had crimson eyes and it seemed that he wasn't looking at them with hatred. Instead, this Vampire seemed to be amused.

Needless to say, it was Statham the Vampire Lord.

"So… mere copies of a greater warrior," Statham mused as he stepped forward.

"Impressive, yet flawed. And here I thought I'd have to entertain the original."

Statham was definitely disappointed since he couldn't even turn these clones into his servants because of how they were made.

With a mere flick of his hand, a shockwave with traces of blood burst forth, sending the three clones flying.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

They crashed against the cavern walls and coughed out some blood. Although they were clones, they weren't just made of pure magic after all. They still had flesh and bones but their death only meant that they would return to Travis.

Soon, the surviving vampires and knights surrounded them. They certainly wanted to eat the three of them who had caused so much trouble.

The clones tried to stand up, but their strength was gone after that overdrive. Their limit had been reached.

One of them smirked, despite the pain.

"At least… we confirmed he's real."

The last thing they saw was Statham's smile before the darkness took them.

And then—nothing.

***

After six hours, Statham still remained deep within his lair, as he sent scouts around his cave to see whether there were other Survivors planning to raid his current base. Of course, he also wanted to replenish his forces and wanted some survivors to visit him.

After all, the attack made by the three clones had killed some of his decent Vampire Knights.

Unfortunately, there was no follow-up raid.

"Tsk… No one's coming, huh… Maybe they're still preparing?" He mused.

In any case, his sanctuary was no longer hidden, so he had to make his move.

With a wave of his hand, he summoned another group of his scouts—ten vampire knights that excel in their agility or speed.

They were all bowing down on him and waiting for his instructions.

"Find the nearest shelters. We need to find more humans to become my blood servants..."

With that said, the scouts dispersed into bats and soon, left the lair to find the human shelters.

Two days later, they returned, kneeling before their master as they delivered their reports.

"Two human shelters lie within half a day's march," one scout said. "Six more are scattered further, within a day's reach. They are weak, ripe for the taking."

A satisfied smile spread across Statham's lips.

"Then let's begin with the nearest one."

That night, a black tide swept toward one of the nearest shelters.

It was a small survivor outpost known as Ironwood Hold.

It was a branch of the Ironclad Collective Clan that was currently Top 16 in the Clan Rankings.

It was actually their third shelter. They were hoping to establish themselves in this sector and it hasn't been that long since they built this place.

Of course, the defenses they have might not be as good as their main shelters, but they still have decent weapons and barriers to protect themselves.

They even had two Survivors in the Top 100 that were guarding this place. Over the past few weeks, their shelter had never been in trouble. Unfortunately, because of the safety they had over the past few weeks, they had also grown complacent behind their reinforced walls.

They had turrets mounted along the barricades, watchtowers positioned at key points, and warriors standing ready with bows and blades.

But none of it would matter.

As midnight approached, the first sign of doom came. It was the cold breeze that passed through their shelter.

The guards on the watchtowers shivered as they looked into the darkness. Their torches even started to dissipate but thankfully, they had enough Light Orbs in their possession.

Then, the first scream came. It was from one of their guards!

They soon realized that a sentry stationed along the eastern wall vanished, he seemed to have been sucked into the void by an unseen enemy...

"Aahhh!"

His strangled cry soon dissipated as he might have perished already!

"Alert! We're under attack!" The alarm bell rang out, sending warriors scrambling into position.

But they never saw their enemy…

"They must be here somewhere!"

"Stay alert!"

From above them, numerous bats had soon descended!

The Survivors immediately realized what they were dealing with… However, the bats had quickly transformed into Vampires and tore through the flesh of the sentries before they could even raise their weapons.

The archers atop the walls fired at the Vampires but their arrows missed…

The turrets were then activated and shot at the enemies…

Brrrt~

For a moment, some hope appeared in their eyes as they were able to kill some Vampires. Soon, the Survivors were able to fight back as their top two warriors had also arrived to assist them.

However, that didn't last long as Statham himself stepped into the battlefield.

The bullets that struck his flesh did not stop him. They barely slowed him.

With a single command, he sent his minions forward and they didn't care about the bullets and injuries they may take from moving forward.

After all, they lacked the items meant to deal with vampires. They had no fire magicians or weapons made of silver.

Inside the shelter, the survivors fought desperately.

Soon, Ironwood Hold's shelter leader Ceb, led his fighters, cleaving through the undead with an axe covered in flames.

"Kill them all!"

His warriors fought as much as they could, but for every vampire slain, three more took their place.

The archers were the first to fall followed by the warriors who fought in the streets… It was hopeless.

Then Statham looked at the Shelter leader who was already reaching his limit. Statham specifically instructed his servants not to kill him for a reason.

"You fought well," Statham murmured. "But you were never meant to win. From now on, you will be serving me."