Global Awakening: Apocalypse Ender's Chronicle

550  Attacking the Eclipse Domain

With that said, Statham seized Ceb by the throat and lifted him effortlessly. The Survivor struggled at his grasp as he tried to swing his axe wildly. However, the axe itself just shattered upon contact with Statham's hardened flesh.

"You will serve me…" Statham whispered before sinking his fangs deep into Ceb's neck.

After turning Ceb into a Vampire, Statham found three more Survivors who had the potential to become Vampire Knights.

Then, he allowed the other Vampire Knights to turn the remaining survivors into lesser vampires. After all, he needed to use his Blood Essence to turn people into Vampires. He couldn't just spend all of his essence.

In any case, those who resisted were drained dry. Indeed, they were just left as dried corpses with no chance of becoming a Zombie or Vampire but just a mere fertilizer to the ground.

As the morning came, Ironwood Hold was no longer a human refuge.

It had now turned into a vampire nest.

And Statham was just getting started.

"Resting for two days should be fine." Statham thought as he knew that he had to be patient. This world seemed a bit too special with the presence of the mysterious rank 1 Survivor. Statham couldn't understand how Shane was actually so strong so even if he had recovered all of his strength, he was still being cautious.

After all, he recalled how he was chased by the Elf administrators and he felt that it was connected to Shane. If the Administrators had given Shane some sort of special item, he might have fallen into a trap if he faced Shane so carelessly.

***

Statham returned to his territory after taking all the valuables in the Survivor Shelter.

He was now sitting upon his stone throne deep within his lair.

Apparently, he decided not to immediately attack the next shelter after realizing that it was controlled by a person named Shane and was most likely the Rank 1 Survivor he wanted to kill.

He instead ordered five of his Vampire Scouts to gather all the information they could get. After two days of scouting, they had finally returned.

The five Vampire Scouts knelt before him. Their bat-like wings retracted into their backs as they delivered their report.

"The Eclipse Domain Shelter… is heavily fortified," one of them started. "They have five turrets, five ballistae, and two-layered barriers surrounding the settlement. The fighters among them are formidable. We confirmed two elemental magicians, a necromancer, and numerous bio-enhanced warriors. Their weapons and armor are of high quality."

They then continued to report all the other information like the location of the entrances, the surrounding topography, the routine of the survivors, and their other activities.

Statham leaned forward and tapped his fingers against the armrest of his throne.

After hearing the complete details of the shelter, he immediately realized that this was indeed a formidable shelter.

The name Shane that had come up in the report was definitely the person he was looking for.

'I didn't expect that the Rank 1 Survivor is already this close to me...' Statham muttered before a smirk spread across his face which revealed his sharp fangs.

"So… I have the opportunity to break the top survivor once again" He mused…

The scout then continued. "The population numbers are low, only about a hundred people, but their fighters are well-trained and experienced. If we attack recklessly, it will be costly."

Statham chuckled as he stood up... "Of course. This is no simple raid like Ironwood Hold."

He turned toward the deeper chambers of his lair, where his army was patiently waiting.

There were hundreds of lesser vampires excited for the coming battle. His elite force, the Vampire Knights, stood silently at every corner of his lair.

With a wave of his hand, he summoned his lieutenants. Five Vampire Knights stepped forward, bowing their heads in deference.

"We will attack the Eclipse Domain in three days," Statham declared. "I will personally lead the attack. The humans believe they are untouchable within their walls. We will show them how foolish their confidence is."

The Vampire Knights were filled with anticipation.

One of them stepped forward. "How many shall we bring, my lord?"

Statham raised a single hand. "Five hundred lesser vampires. Ten Vampire Knights. That is all we need."

The five closest aides of Statham were definitely confused.

Only five hundred? Against a heavily fortified shelter? Yet none dared question Statham's decision. They were only here to follow his orders. Furthermore, their Vampire Lord must have plans.

After all, Statham had listened to the reports of the scouts and knew how formidable this shelter was.

"Their numbers mean nothing," Statham continued, his voice was also filled with contempt. "The Eclipse Domain is strong, but they are not invincible. Their greatest flaw is their humanity—their emotions, their hesitation. When the night falls, they will learn what true terror is."

He then walked forward and faced his army.

"Prepare yourselves. We will move under the cover of darkness. We will strike in the darkness and consume them before they even realize what is happening."

Just like that, the chamber erupted in roars as the vampires prepared for war.

***

Two nights later, Statham was now observing the Eclipse Domain. He already understood their routine and he was planning to attack once most of them started having their dinner. This would certainly make their reaction slower to their raid.

'It's time…'

Raising a single hand, Statham gave the signal.

Soon, five hundred bats moved through the sky… Of course, since they were lesser vampires, there was no way to hide their bloodlust after getting this close…

Behind them, ten Vampire Knights moved with their crimson cloaks. There was no need for them to transform into vampires just to fly…

Unfortunately, they didn't know that their objective was merely to force the Eclipse Domain to reveal their true strength.

"Let's see what you've got, Shane." Statham muttered to himself.

Soon, he watched his army reach the range of the shelter's defense… Well, because Shane's team had removed so many trees around them, there was an open space of about 150 meters around his shelter where no one could hide from them.

Indeed, there was no terrain to conceal their approach. They could only quickly fly to bridge the gap and enter the shelter.

Of course, because of the turrets and ballistae, the vampire knights had actually led the charge.

As soon as they breached the kill zone, the first line of visible defenses of the shelter was activated.

The five turrets and five ballistae opened fire, unleashing bullets and heavy arrows…

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Explosive bolts from the ballistae tore through the vampire ranks, reducing entire groups to smoldering ash.

Statham's eyes widened as he saw the destructive power of each arrow! He had no idea about Tundra's Terrorist Talent after all…

Then, the automated turrets rained down a hail of bullets, cutting down dozens in the blink of an eye. Although Vampires could kill from bullet shots, there was actually a mix of silver bullets among them!

Indeed! About 1 out of 50 bullets actually had silver tips!

Nonetheless, it was not enough to deter the ten Vampire Knights as they remained unscathed.

Unfortunately for them, Shane's defenses weren't just that.

The real trap was soon activated as Shane confirmed that it was the vampires fighting them this time.

Needless to say, Shane wanted to eliminate them all without getting any chance of escape.

From hidden compartments within the walls, over fifty concealed automated turrets emerged, and they were all controlled by Cloud.

In an instant, the battlefield transformed into a slaughterhouse.

After all, these turrets were actually Sentinel Mk-II Automated Turrets!

They were a weaker version of his Mk-IV but they consumed lesser Power Cores!

Energy bullets shredded through the vampires, reducing them to ashes before they could even react. The Vampire Knights, despite their unnatural toughness, found themselves unable to advance under the sheer firepower.

One of them tried to shield himself with his enchanted cloak, but a sniper round pierced straight through his forehead, exploding his skull into mist!

Bang!

Statham narrowed his eyes, seeing one of his Vampire Knights was killed just like that.

'So that's your game…' He mused. @@novelbin@@

Soon, he heard the sound of arrows being released.

Ten Elven Rangers, positioned on top of the watchtowers, released a coordinated volley while the Snipers also continued to fire at the Vampires!

The Vampire Knights were being overwhelmed as more and more lesser Vampires died…

They attempted to charge forward, but before they could reach the gates, a cold wind passed through them…

Icicles the size of spears rained down upon them, impaling three of the knights where they stood! It happened too quickly!

Their regenerative abilities kicked in, but before they could heal—

A massive fireball descended from the sky, engulfing them all in one go!

Statham clenched his fists as he watched his knights fall.

Their bodies collapsed onto the ground and didn't turn into ashes yet. It means that they were still alive and slowly recovering. If he gives them blood, these Vampire Knights would sure recover.

Nonetheless, only two of his knights remained standing…

'Hidden turrets, magicians, and even that annoying barrier… I see.' Statham mused as he felt that he already decent understanding of the shelter's strength.

Then, something unexpected happened.