Dawn Walker

Some were breaking large boulders with tools. Others were dragging pieces away. Several groups were flattening rough ground under the watch of lesser vampires and the creatures connected to Leaf.

Sofia and Natasha were there too.

They had clearly taken their offer seriously.

Sofia stood near one group of prisoners while Natasha watched another. Neither needed to shout much. Their presence alone was enough to keep people working.

The prisoners already knew what they were.

Or at least knew enough to fear them.

Auri was farther away near the six new Bat Harpies. The seven winged women were training in an open area while Bat Bat moved between them and Leaf’s territory, talking far more than anyone around her needed.

Leaf was nearby in her smaller form, hovering close to the strange plants. Her five Flesh Fairies and five Carnivorous Dryads remained around the growing territory.

Everything was moving. Everyone had work.

Sekhmet did not interrupt any of it. He headed toward the prisoner area.

Sofia noticed him first.

She turned immediately.

"New Blood God."

Natasha followed her gaze and came closer.

Sekhmet looked over the prisoners. He didn’t comment on her addressing him as the New Blood God.

"How many are awake?"

Sofia glanced toward the groups.

"Most of them are."

"A few are still unconscious," Natasha added. "Some are too injured to work properly yet."

Sekhmet nodded.

"That is enough."

The two women understood what he was here for almost immediately.

Natasha looked toward the prisoners.

"You need blood?"

"Yes."

There was no shame in the answer. No reason for one. He needed blood, and there were hundreds of enemies who had already tried to destroy what belonged to him.

Sofia asked, "Do you want them brought one at a time?"

"No."

Sekhmet walked toward the nearest group.

The prisoners stopped working the moment they noticed him.

Fear moved through them quickly.

Some recognized him.

Others had only heard enough from the guards and other captives to understand that the man approaching them was the reason they were trapped in this impossible place.

Sekhmet stopped in front of the first prisoner.

The man backed away. But there was nowhere to go.

Sekhmet grabbed him, pulled his head aside, and bit into his neck.

The man screamed once. Then the scream weakened.

Sekhmet drank only what he needed. He did not kill him. When he finished, he released the man and let him fall to the ground.

The blood helped immediately. Although the thirst did not disappear. It became sharper. The first taste made the rest of his body remember what it had been asking for.

Sekhmet moved to the next prisoner. Then the next. He did not empty them.

That would have been wasteful. They were needed alive for construction.

He drank enough from each one to satisfy the need and then moved forward.

The prisoners quickly understood what was happening.

Some begged. Some tried to resist. Some froze completely. But It changed nothing.

One after another, Sekhmet drank.

Ten.

Twenty.

Thirty.

The blood was not equal.

Some of the prisoners were common hired men with weak bodies. Others were guards who had trained with chaos energy. A few had better blood and stronger bodies from years of fighting.

His own blood reacted to all of it. The thirst slowly began to fall. At the same time, something else began rising.

His Blood Proficiency.

Sekhmet did not stop to check it every few people. He continued drinking.

Fifty.

Seventy.

One hundred.

At some point, the prisoners stopped screaming as much. It was not because they were less afraid. Because fear had become exhaustion.

The people waiting for their turn looked worse than the ones who had already been bitten.

Sekhmet continued through them.

Sofia and Natasha watched silently. Neither of them interfered. They had seen blood feeding for thousands of years. There was nothing shocking about it to them.

But they were still watching Sekhmet carefully. The way his blood moved. The way his presence changed after each feeding. The way the prisoners survived even after he drank from them.

It only added more questions to what they already believed about him.

Sekhmet ignored their expressions. He continued until he had drunk from all of them. More than two hundred prisoners.

By then, the thirst had finally settled.

The burning dryness in his throat disappeared. The pressure inside his blood calmed. His body felt heavier with energy, but in a controlled way.

Then the System appeared.

[Ding! System notification: Blood Proficiency increased.]

Sekhmet focused on the number. It had risen noticeably. That made sense.

He had taken blood from more than two hundred different people in a short period of time. Even though most of them were not especially strong, the quantity itself was enough to push his proficiency forward.

He looked over the prisoners.

Many were sitting or lying on the ground now. Some held their necks. Others were being helped back toward the work areas by the healthier prisoners.

Sekhmet said, "Give them food and water before making them work again. Ask Auri for the resources."

Sofia nodded.

"Yes."

Natasha added, "We will keep the weak ones separated until they recover."

Sekhmet turned toward them. There was still one thing he wanted to make clear before leaving.

"I am going to Iron House."

Sofia’s expression changed slightly.

Natasha became more serious.

Sekhmet continued, "If something happens there that I cannot handle normally, I may call you."

Sofia immediately understood there was more behind the sentence.

"At Rank Five?"

Sekhmet looked at her.

"No."

That single answer made both women become still.

Sekhmet said, "If I call you for some reason, that means the enemies will be much stronger. At that time, I will remove the seal completely. I hope you won’t disappoint me then."

For the first time, neither Sofia nor Natasha answered immediately.

Half-God power. Their real strength.

The power they had not been allowed to use since Sekhmet took control of them.

Natasha looked at Sofia.

Sofia looked back.

Then both returned their attention to Sekhmet.

He continued, "That will be your second test."

They understood it immediately.

He did not need to explain further.

If he released them at full strength, they could try to escape.

They could attack him. They could disappear. They could break whatever fragile position currently existed between them.

Or they could obey him. Like they promised him.

Sofia lowered her head.

"If you call us, we will do our best so that you don’t feel disappointed with us."

Natasha did the same.

"And we will return to void land when you order. We choose to serve you. We won’t back up from that."

Sekhmet did not say that he trusted them. He did not. Not yet. He only nodded.

Then he left the prisoner area and opened the Void Land gate again.

When he returned to Dawn House, Vera, Vela, Mira, and Lily were waiting.

Sekhmet looked at all four of them.

"Prepare to go?"

They did not need anything else.

Vera and Vela checked their weapons.

Mira changed into clothing suited for fighting rather than business.

Lily prepared herself as well.

Sekhmet then contacted Raka through the communication stone.

Raka answered quickly.

"Young master?"

"Take the surviving lesser vampires and surround Iron House. I am going to end. Don’t let anyone escape."

There was a short pause. Then Raka answered with obvious understanding.

"All of them?"

"All available." Sekhmet said.

"What about the entrances?"

"Cover them. Do not attack unless someone tries to escape."

Raka’s voice became more serious.

"You are going there. Now?"

"Yes."

"I understand. I will be waiting for you, then."

The connection ended.

Sekhmet looked once toward the Void Land connection only he controlled. Inside were several pieces he could bring onto the field if necessary.

Bat Bat. Auri. The six new Bat Harpies. Leaf. Her five Flesh Fairies. Her five Carnivorous Dryads. Sofia. And Natasha.

They would remain there for now. Hidden from the enemies. Ready to join the battle whenever he wants.

If Iron House held nothing more than Dickoff and a few surviving guards, they would never be needed.

If Mihos Dawn had prepared something else, Sekhmet would have an answer waiting behind him.

He left Dawn House with Vera and Vela beside him. Mira and Lily followed from behind.

There was no large army walking openly behind them. There was no battle parade. There was no announcement.

Raka and the lesser vampires would move separately and close around Iron House from the outside.

Sekhmet walked toward the final piece of Iron House with his thirst satisfied, his blood stronger than before, and the Void Land carrying everything he might need if the situation changed.

By the time the people near Dawn House realized where the group was heading, Sekhmet and the others were already moving toward the Iron House district.

The streets ahead became quieter with every step. People moved away from their path without being told. Some recognised Sekhmet, while others only saw the four women beside him and understood that this was not an ordinary visit.

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