Vampire: World of Blood

Deep inside Keziah Mansion, going towards a large space filled with many floating screens ten meters in height and width, showcasing this century’s examinees who were participating in the brutal exams to enter the House of Ghal.

A series of powerful people within a dark room could be seen—twelve individuals to be precise, each of them being some of the most powerful beings in the entire greater omniverse as a whole.

All of them were former vampires, or, more accurately, creatures who had transcended vampirism and reached the next evolutionary stage of what the concept of vampirism truly was. These entities, of course, resemble primeval monsters rather than true blood-sucking demons. In terms of race, they are identical to Eos, who is recognized as a vampire, but in actuality, he is something far more monstrous than anyone can even dream of imagining.

But putting this into perspective, these individuals are more akin to the likes of the Saquat Progenitors vampires, while sharing the same race as the king himself. But by virtue of this being the case, each person here also has the ability to one day compete with him, and Keziah, Beatrice, and two others have the capacity to even outperform him provided they stay focused on their ultimate goal of reaching the summit of power.

Of course, the six Overseers and their chosen Sycophant were the highest ruling body in the House of Ghal. And they were all presently sitting around a huge round table, with just the shape of their figures vaguely apparent due to the room’s darkness. And in the center of it all, Keziah sat on the highest throne, observing the present participants who want to join their ranks and be exposed to the true nature of vampirism, just like every other member of this strong group that spans the vast omniverse as everyone knows it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it is a joy to see you all again; we do not frequently get together like this, even in the most terrible of situations. However, as you are well aware, Beatrice has requested that the rite of passage be started earlier than planned this time around. It was originally scheduled to take place six months from now, but owing to certain exceptional circumstances I judged worthy of the call, the rite of passage was brought forward to today. And for this last-minute call, I will apologize on her behalf."

Announced Keziah as she spoke and apologized to both the Overseer and the Sycophant alike. And after she said this, a man in the distant corner muttered in a somnolent voice, responding to Keziah like such.

"*siggggghhh!* Think nothing of it, sister... "I’m just glad I have something to do; the last century has been rather boring."

Keziah fixed her gaze on the man, or, more accurately, the diminutive figure with the physique and voice of a young boy. This individual, while not her biological brother, was nonetheless a direct blood brother of hers. Because he and she had the same abomination parent. The 9th Originator, also known as "The Unknown," and is one of the twelve primordial entities that existed prior to the idea of time.

On that note, however, Keziah looked at the boy and replied to him as such.

"Thank you, Brother Nyrtha, for understanding. And you are indeed correct; the last century has been quite uninteresting; all I have been doing is devouring universes to grow my power to defeat my vampiric father. However, even after swallowing 6,433,533,758,950,048 universes into my being from the realm of realization, I have hardly grown in power. I understand that my strength has gone beyond the sphere of the realm of realization. As such, after this evaluation is over, I will depart for the land of dreams and isolate myself there for one hundred years to train and grow stronger. As I see it now, this lower plane of existence has nothing more to give me if I want to grow and become stronger."

Keziah revealed the news to everyone, which astonished the whole high table with the exception of Beatrice, who was well aware of what Keziah was planning on doing. After all, she is dealing with the same issue right now as well. However, unlike Keziah, she will not be able to depart for the second realm very soon since she will be too busy teaching Merciless.

Scáthach, Quincy, Murphy, and Olga all face or once faced the same difficulty. They have long passed the point of realization. As such, if they wish to become any stronger than they are now, they would need to consume a large number of Acquires from a higher plane of existence. Alternatively, they would need to leave this lower physical reality and rise to a higher plane of existence—the realm of dreams being the second layer of general existence, a place infinitely larger than the physical world and beyond the very idea of dimensionality. It is there that the dreams of men exist, with everything there representing fictitious conceptions given form.

But there was one problem: plunging yourself into an infinite hierarchy of power, particularly in the domain of dreams, which contains infinite layers. Each layer surpasses the preceding layer through a boundless hierarchy of power. It may be defined as ascending the boundless levels of the realm of dreams with the goal of transcending the very definition of infinite power. Every layer you pass through will seem like a dream to the last layer. Allowing these godlike ascenders to see multiple strata of higher existence as nothing more than a fabrication or meaningless illusion created by their imagination and controlled solely by thinking.

And to go beyond that, well, hmm... Beatrice herself has not seen it, because so far, only Scáthach, Quincy, and the seventh progenitor in her clan have been able to transcend the realm of dreams. And to see what is beyond the definition of infinity itself is a mystery to her. All she knows is that this is the place where the real Scáthach and Quincy’s true forms currently reside in the third realm of existence.

Also known as the Boundless Realm, it is a plane so vast in size that the concepts of reach, space, and time no longer apply. No! It is more than that, yes! In actuality, the definition of concepts no longer applies as a whole; it completely transcends consciousness. So much so that everyone on that level is a God of their own omniverse who sees everything below them as nothing more than fiction.

And if any being from that plane of existence descends into the physical world, it will bring about the end of creation in the realm of realization and the realm of dreams alike. As a matter of fact, Lord Seventh is from an even higher dimension than Quincy and Scáthach, as his true form is within the World of Blood.

That is the name of the Platoshpere of the vampiric pantheon, and it is administered by Lord Eos, who is the administrator of that realm of existence. The world of blood is thought to be home to the Dark Nigthlings. The progenitors’ nightmares gave rise to a race of vampiric god-like entities that defended that specific Platosphere and are said to be the unique aquires of the progenitors themselves. And because this Platosphere is the feeding ground of the progenitors, it is a place only a progenitor may enter and no one else.

But then and again, every progenitor has an avatar in every realm that they have personally transcended, this being the lowest realm. As such, Michelle’s Shota form and various forms before the current are the weakest avatars in this realm.

On the other hand, the current Scáthach and Quincy, who sit in the Boundless realm, collaborate to manage the Michellian clan through the various alternate and parallel timelines and multi-verse within the realm of realization, overseeing their actions and viewing everyone in this world as nothing more than fiction.

Because of this, Scáthach and Quincy are the clan Monitors; it is because of these limitless creatures that vampires do not fight each other, as other clans also have their own Monitors from the boundless realm as well. As a result, any and all disagreements must be resolved through games; it is one of the many regulations Eos has established for his species to adhere to. Imagine what would happen if all of these greater creatures from higher planes fought one another. The eventual effect will be the annihilation of three-sixteenths of the local macrocosm.

Of course, only those who are fortunate enough to be endowed with an extremely powerful Ichor or some other particular power may achieve this ridiculous degree of strength. The dream realm is accessible to any living life form with enough strength to cross boundaries and transcend dimensions, but it is difficult; even vampires, who have great power, struggle to navigate to these realms.

Scáthach, the strongest female vampire, was unable to transcend the dream realm without Quincy’s assistance. Even today, the two of them are having difficulty surpassing the boundless realm and reaching the fourth plane of existence. "The Axiom Libary," home of the "Veilers," is a location that only the seven royal Progenitors have seen firsthand. No other vampires in the vampiric species have seen it before. Some of the Draconic and Devil races, as well as Murphy, have seen glimpses of it, but only because his Ichor allows him to see what others cannot.

As a result, the House of Ghal’s main leading members realize that their great leader, Keziah Maddison, 4th Daughter of Eos, and The Witch of Epilogue, former Arbiter of The End and one of the four Arbiters of Lord Eos, were finally about to ascend to a higher plane. To them, this was big news; as none of them, with the exception of Beatrice, had enough power to transcend the physical world, this led to Nyrtha, the younger brother of Keziah, sharing the same abomination parents to say.

"Wait, really big sis, has your time in the physical plane finally come to an end... does that mean we won’t see you again?"

Nyrtha inquired; however, another lady near him responded.

"Lord Nyrtha, please calm down; instead of being unhappy, we should be delighted for Lady Keziah; ascending is a significant matter, you see. To ascend implies to transcend everything that the present realm has to offer; she is essentially becoming a low-tier ascender; this is good news for us."

The form was obscured by the darkness, but she had several luminous green eyes covering her body, all of which could be seen clearly in the dark. On the other hand, her hands caressed Nyrtha as if to console him.

Nyrtha sighed and gazed at the woman in an uninterested manner. And soon he replied back to her, stating as such.

"*sigh*, as much as I want to argue with you, Unis, you are indeed correct; many people have risen to the Dream Realm; it is not easy, but by doing so, your trip to the top will only just begin. But don’t worry sister; after I reach level three, I’m confident I’ll be able to go to the dream realm as well."

Keziah grinned at her younger brother and answered as such.

"At a boy, don’t worry; take your time; don’t rush things like I did; I’m now trapped in my third evolution; I could have advanced to a higher realm from level two, but I decided not to. That has had a negative impact on my development. So I’d like to ascend as soon as possible. I was just waiting for the end of this evaluation, especially given how early we had the examinations. That means I may depart sooner than planned, but don’t worry, Nyrtha; we’ll see each other again someday, and I’ll leave behind an avatar with my memories at the very least too, so you won’t be completely alone."

"I guess you are right, sister; either way, please take care of yourself when you leave; the beings in the second realm are nothing to scoff at."

"Hahaha, who do you think I am? Either way, let us move on from this topic, Jasper!! I believe you opened up the Primix Dimension as I wanted."

Keziah inquired, glancing to her left. There was no one seated on the throne, but the paper on the table arose as an invisible person began to sneer through it, and when he found the paper he was seeking, he began to respond to Keziah.

"Of course, as requested, I set up the gate; however, I have something to report."

"Another vision, I presume?"

Keziah questioned Jasper, who replied in kind.

"Yes, but this is going to come as a shock...

When Jasper stated this, all the other members, except for Beatrice, who had her head down and a suspicious grin on her face, could be seen.

"This exam, according to my vision, will probably be the most exciting we will ever see."

"How so?"

Vague inquired with a hint of interest as she sat alongside Jasper. However, what Jasper said next was even more unexpected than Keziah’s prior announcement.

"The 2nd and the 3rd will finally make an appearance in this exam... alongside the 5th, 7th, 11th, and 12th."

"Haaaaaa!?"

"What?"

"... Father... is Father really coming?"

"Wait, the 2nd... who the hell is even capable of grabbing the 2nd attention?"

"Fufuf... I see. Good, good, mwahaha... The 5th is finally making her second appearance, this time around HM. Hahaha... I wonder who will be my new brother or sister. I hope that it is no one ugly and boring."

"Wait, the primordial twins, OHHH NOOO!!! But if they come here, wait, this isn’t good; if they come here together, doesn’t that mean?"

"Yes, all life will progress to the next stage of its evolution according to the old prophecy of the 1st Keziah. *sigh* Eos told us about this and warned us how dangerous that thing was. If humans begin to evolve, hunting them down will be difficult, and the entire cosmology as we know it will undergo substantial upheaval. This isn’t good. Who the hell is even compatible enough to grab that thing’s attention?"

"The Alteration and the Corpreal, eh? If one sibling wasn’t enough, now we have to deal with two boo-hooo!!"

"The second and third making an appearance is a stunning surprise, but the fact that more than half of them are arriving is even more shocking, to say the least, if not extremely hazardous. Who are these new recruits anyway? Hell, even the fifth is coming—that very pridulent freak of nature. I could see why a cunt like that picked this asshole, Vincent, but who is as pridulent as he and she are? The mere thought makes me sick to the core."

"Hahaha, shut up, you lesser lifeform; you are just jealous because I am fucking beautiful... and you are as ugly as the crack of a monkey’s ass... and don’t you dare slander my great mother; she is a little less beautiful than my great self, of course, but I trust in her taste none the less."

"Ugh, I don’t want to hear an ass insult from a guy who is always naked 100% of the time."

"You should be honored that I even allow you to gaze upon my marvelous form, you inferior lifeform; I am a work of art the likes of you can never understand, and my beauty cannot be comprehended by anyone less than me, which includes everyone else in this room. Furthermore, clothing is beneath me, you noble peasant; I do not wear clothes; they wear me if I will it to be so, but since there is no need for those disgusting censors to my magnificence, I deem them unnecessary."

Announced Vincent, who began to boldly T-pose with pure ignorance and bliss to assert dominance. As he began to display his nude body as if it were the most beautiful thing in the world, while the others completely ignored him, of course, at this point they had gotten used to this walking, talking embodiment of self-centeredness. On the other hand, Keziah drew everyone’s attention by stating.

"OK, everyone, let’s calm down."

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Silence quickly filled the room as her commands were absolute; no one was speaking. On the other hand, Keziah quickly turned to bored Beatrice, who paid little attention to this discussion at all, displaying the same uninterested demeanor she had during the clan gathering yesterday.

"Beatrice?"

"Yes."

"Have you already set up the additional pieces?"

"Yes, the first wall should be a breeze for most contenders, but once they pass the first wall and exit the tutorial zone, they will be brought to the second stage, and depending on how they escape the tutorial zone to get there, they are going to end up in one of three sectors, which are basically the boss floors of the tutorial zone."

"Sector 1: The Room of Humanity, overseen by IM-45 (Zantion), will be difficult for those who were once humans due to his powerful emotion and mind-base abilities, but simple for pure-blooded vampires who lack humanity to begin with. Then there are just some former humans who are just built differently from day one, as they don’t care about their humanity in the first place; dealing with Zantion requires a strong mental fortitude, which some vampires, especially those under a hundred years old, lack."

"And then there’s the worst-case scenario: they exit the tutorial zone through the hidden door inside Agrafa’s mansion." If they do, they will end up in the Cardinal Sky, where each person will be forced to fight an exact replica of one of their infinite potential counterparts in the multiverse in a mirage of infinite possibilities. This sector is volatile and fraught with uncertainty. It’s worse since Nyrtha wields the power of uncertainty thanks to being the child of the 9th Originator, the unknown, and like the cruel fuck he is, he made sure to make this boss fight a pain in the ass for the newcomers who enter this sector. But at the very least, it wasn’t created by Keziah; the last thing these test takers need is to face the Zennith version of themselves."

"And ultimately, if they discover a way to escape... heheh... via that way, they will have to face IM-693 Kingu the Broken in the field of lost memories. Although only a fragment of what it once was, that doll was once King Gilgamesh of clan Michellian’s most valuable possession and most dangerous invention. The broken clay doll contains all of the Golden Kings’ childhood memories. And despite his childhood recollections, Gilgamesh was able to demolish planets at a young age with his sheer physical power alone. As such, the contenders will be up against an extremely nerfed Gilgamesh, yes! But it’s still overkill for all but five test takers, but even so, the only way anybody else can overcome that beast is if they battle as a team."

"Of course, I only anticipate half of the examinees to make it past the first wall, with the other half dying, if not from the monsters inside, then from inexperience, arrogance, or simply being unlucky. But, in any case, the examinations are necessary; if they cannot pass them, how will they travel the path of an ascender in the future to become the greatest version of themselves?"

"Then, outside the walls, they will finally arrive at the real Primix dimension, the home of the ancients and their descendants. I’m not sure if any of them will make it out of this area alive since it’s extremely dangerous, even for us. Fortunately, each team has at least one elder participant; you have to be at least that powerful to survive there, so I hope they listen to their elders because experience comes with age."

"But they will also have to overcome this; there are occasions when teamwork is very necessary. But with the extra help we provide them, their prospects of survival are fairly decent all things considered, provided they do not cross descendants of the originators; if they do, R.I.P."

"And the final trials, if more than five teams make it out alive. They will have to compete in a battle to the death with the other teams to gain a spot in the House of Ghal, as there are only 25 seats currently available. We only cater to the very finest after all."

"But yeah, I’ve already worked with Nyrtha and Lichon to guarantee that the initial trials are custom-made by us in a large moon-sized structure, so the place is big, and the landscape is both amazing and vile, if not straight-up dangerous. Of course, we didn’t make it easy; after all, this is their rite of passage, and no one will aid any of them in a real-life circumstance when they have to face challenges they are unprepared for. But, as I often say, we must adapt to our problems in order to conquer them."

Beatrice murmured, placing her head back down on the table. Keziah, of course, nodded in accord as she spoke to Beatrice.

"Thanks for your hard work, Beatrice, and the same to you as well, Nyrtha, Linchon; well then, ladies and gentlemen, shall we send in our guide to meet with examinees?"