Chapter 33: Chapter 33: A Cleansed City 

The top floor of the Helier Hotel was completely different from the lavish, brightly lit decor of the lower levels. It was a massive, cavernous hall illuminated only by a few dim, flickering chandeliers. 

In the center of the gloomy hall sat an enormous, circular oak table. Four large, ornately carved chairs were evenly spaced around it. 

The heavy double doors suddenly swung open, and a line of human servants respectfully escorted four figures into the room. 

The figures naturally moved to the table and took their respective seats, waiting for the evening's feast to be served. 

While they waited, they began to casually chat. 

"Hall, why do you look so tense?" one of the figures asked. 

The dim lighting did little to obscure their features. In the gloom, four pairs of glowing green eyes shone with an eerie, predatory light. 

"Tonight is the weekly Grand Feast. Let's not ruin the festive mood with your brooding, shall we? Besides, the harvest is taking place in your territory tonight. You should be the most excited one here," the vampire teased, but Hall's expression remained grim. 

The other two vampires chimed in, asking what was bothering him. 

Hall's brow furrowed tightly as he spoke slowly. "The subordinate in charge of tonight's harvest hasn't reported in. It's making me uneasy. According to the schedule, the initial processing should have been completed by now." 

The others exchanged amused glances before one laughed out loud. "Hall, you are far too paranoid. Perhaps tonight's 'ingredients' are simply so exquisite that your subordinate got distracted taking a small taste for himself." 

Hall's expression didn't soften; instead, as the minutes ticked by, his anxiety only deepened. 

Ignoring the other three, who had begun casually discussing exactly how severely they should punish the foolish subordinate for his tardiness, Hall mentally retraced every step of his plan. 

He had personally designed the location and operational protocols for the harvest facility. There was zero chance that incompetent idiot could have botched the operation itself. Furthermore, almost the entire upper echelon of the local law enforcement and city officials had been bought off or turned into Familiars. With them providing cover, there shouldn't be any unexpected interference. 

But Hall was a notoriously cautious vampire. He had repeatedly, explicitly ordered the subordinate to report the progress of the harvest to him exactly every hour on the dot. Knowing Hall's ruthless temper, the subordinate usually reported in every thirty minutes just to be safe. 

Staring at his completely silent smartphone, Hall watched the minutes tick by. His heart sank further. 2

Suddenly, the heavy doors swung open, and the Head Butler walked into the hall. 

"Honored Masters, your dinner has been prepared." 

The Butler clapped his hands. A line of servants pushed heavy, iron-wheeled carts into the room. Atop each cart sat a sleek, custom-made coffin. 

The Butler directed the servants to carefully place the coffins directly onto the massive table. Once done, he bowed deeply and ushered the servants out of the room, closing the heavy doors behind them. 

The vampire who had first spoken to Hall stood up, a proud smile on his face. "These are the absolute finest ingredients I could source from across the globe. Ingredients of this caliber are typically reserved strictly for the Council of Twelve, but tonight, as the host, I have brought them out for us to share." 

He dramatically threw open the lid of the nearest coffin. 

Inside, resting on a bed of incredibly soft swan feathers, was a breathtakingly beautiful young woman. She was heavily sedated with a mixture of fine alcohol and narcotics, her eyes glazed and unseeing, completely unaware that she was being served as the main course. 

The vampires stared at the exquisite 'meal' before them, inhaling deeply. The intoxicating scent of fresh blood mingled with the rich aroma of expensive alcohol instantly overwhelmed their senses. 

Even the cautious Hall couldn't tear his eyes away. Staring at the top-tier food, the primal, ravenous hunger of his vampire bloodline roared to life. 

The Host, barely restraining his own hunger, spoke formally. "I offer this feast as a formal apology to you all. Because of my recent carelessness, human hunters began poking around this city, causing unnecessary trouble for our operations." 

One of the vampires waved a hand dismissively. "It's just a few trash-tier hunters who only target the weakest thralls. There's no need for an apology." 

The Host smiled, pleased that his expensive bribe had worked. Because of his recent blunder, a massive human intelligence agency—S.H.I.E.L.D.—had actually turned their eyes toward LA. But it seemed the situation was under control now. 

Seeing that his guests were practically drooling, he officially announced the start of the feast. 

Unable to hold back any longer, the vampires' eyes flared a brilliant, glowing green as they lunged toward the coffins. 

But a sudden, unfamiliar voice echoed through the dim hall. 

"Damn. Usually, guys just want to 'eat' girls in bed. You guys are taking it way too literally." 

Luke chuckled at his own joke, stepping casually out of the shadows in the corner of the room. 

The four vampires froze, their primal instincts screaming as they cautiously eyed the intruder. 

"Butler!" the Host roared. 

The heavy doors immediately burst open. The Head Butler took one look inside, realized there was an intruder, and charged in, leading a dozen heavily armed Familiar servants. 

"Who the hell are you?!" the Butler shouted, directing the servants to surround Luke. 

Luke watched as the four high-ranking vampires slowly dropped their human disguises, their features twisting into monstrous, bat-like visages. 

"Let's see here... four high-ranking elites and a bunch of mid-tier grunts. Looks like I'm going to make a fortune tonight," Luke smiled, casually hopping up to sit on the edge of the massive oak table. He pointed at the four vampires hiding behind the line of servants. "So, what rank are you guys exactly? Tell me how many zeros are on your bounties." 

Insulted by the casual disrespect, the vampires were furious. The Host snarled, "You're a filthy human hunter?! A pathetic bloodbag dares to speak to us like that?!" 

Luke wasn't angry. Instead, he studied the Host intently. This guy seemed to be the wealthiest and most arrogant of the bunch; he probably had the most political backing. He'd make a great captive for an interrogation later. 

Feeling a sudden chill run down his spine as Luke stared at him, the Host felt a wave of inexplicable terror. He quickly ordered the Butler to kill the suicidal hunter, while he and his three companions subtly began inching toward the exit. 

"You're already here! Might as well stay for dinner!" Luke yelled cheerfully, acting completely oblivious to the advancing mob. 

He slowly clapped his hands together twice. 

Clap. Clap. 

He couldn't snap his fingers to save his life, but clapping seemed just as dramatic. 

Instantly, dozens of shadowy figures melted out of the darkness behind Luke. Their bodies were pitch-black, blending seamlessly with the gloom, leaving only dozens of glowing, blood-red eyes visible in the dark. 

"You haven't even tasted your food yet! Why leave so soon?" Luke teased, his playful attitude dropping to reveal a predator's grin. "Since there are so many of you... I figured I'd invite a few friends." 

He clapped twice more. 

Clap. Clap. 

More red eyes snapped open in the darkness behind him. 

"Alright, that makes the numbers about even," Luke nodded to himself. "But wait, you guys are noble, ancient vampires, right? So a fair 1-on-1 fight wouldn't be respectful. Let's make it 2-on-1." 

Clap. Clap. 

Another massive wave of red eyes opened in the shadows. 

Watching the sheer number of assassins appearing out of thin air, the vampires' expressions shifted from arrogant anger to genuine horror. 

"But then again," Luke continued thoughtfully, "you four look like some really tough, high-level bosses. A 2-on-1 still feels like I'm underestimating you. Let's just go all out." 

He clapped a final time. 

Clap. Clap. 

But this time, nothing happened. The darkness behind Luke remained unchanged. 

The vampires visibly let out a collective sigh of relief. 

Luke simply shrugged and grinned. "I ran out of space behind me. But there's plenty of space behind you." 

Hall, the cautious vampire, immediately realized what Luke meant and spun around. 

Hundreds of glowing red eyes had silently opened in the shadows completely enveloping the entire hall. 

The encirclement had instantly turned into a death trap. 

"Break through! Protect the Masters!" the Butler screamed, realizing they were completely surrounded. 

But the Shadowkhan weren't going to let them leave. Cold steel flashed in the dim light. Even though the mid-tier vampire grunts were several times stronger than normal humans, they were instantly overwhelmed and hacked to pieces by the sheer volume of ninja strikes. 

Seeing his squad annihilated in seconds, the Head Butler let out a guttural roar. His body violently expanded, tearing through his suit as he transformed into a hulking, three-meter-tall bat-like monster. 

Before he could even flex his new muscles, a figure twice his size silently manifested directly in front of him. 

"Why are you yelling so loud?" Luke asked, casually cleaning his ear with his pinky finger. 

The Troll Ninja didn't bother roaring. It simply swung a fist the size of a boulder directly into the Butler's face. 

CRUNCH! 

The massive Butler was launched across the hall like a ragdoll, smashing through a concrete pillar before collapsing into a broken heap, completely unconscious. 

"All that screaming just to get one-shot. Pathetic," Luke shook his head, genuinely disappointed by the vampires' combat IQ. 'Why would a stealth-based assassin class try to buff their strength and fight like a tank? Use your agility and kite, you idiots! No wonder you guys have to hide from regular humans!' 

Noticing the Butler's chest still weakly rising and falling, Luke ordered a few ninjas to quickly hogtie the giant monster. He then turned his attention back to the four remaining Elites. 

"Kill him!" the Host shrieked, instantly triggering his own monstrous transformation. 

The other three followed suit, their bodies expanding into massive, hulking beasts. 

Luke nodded in understanding. 'So, the physical transformation is a skill exclusive to high-tier vampires. No wonder the grunts at the club couldn't take a single hit.' 

Based on the brief scuffles, Luke had roughly estimated the vampires' power scaling. The basic club-goers (Thralls) had about 2x human stats. The club managers (Low-Tier) had 4x. The mid-tier grunts had 8x. These Elites seemed to have a base stat of 10x, but their monstrous transformation temporarily boosted them to 20x human strength! 

Unfortunately for them, their combat IQ was still in the single digits. 

One of the Elites tried to directly punch a Troll Ninja. The Troll didn't dodge; it just punched back. The resulting impact shattered the vampire's arm, and a follow-up strike instantly crushed its skull. 

'Hopeless,' Luke sighed. 

However, the remaining three Elites finally realized they couldn't win a contest of brute strength. Utilizing their massive agility advantage, they blurred into afterimages, desperately darting around the hall to evade the slow-moving Trolls. 

"Let's see how fast you really are," Luke muttered. He instantly summoned 300 Razor Claws to play a deadly game of tag. 

Facing hundreds of assassins with speed matching their own, the vampires were pushed to their absolute limits. The hall had no windows to block out the sun, meaning there was no escape route except the main doors, which were completely barricaded by a literal wall of basic Shadow Ninjas. 

Dodging a flurry of razor-sharp claws, Hall desperately analyzed the situation. 

"These ninjas don't have blood! They aren't human! They must be magical constructs!" Hall screamed to his companions. "Focus entirely on the human summoner! If he dies, the constructs will vanish!" 

Hall had practically screamed his deduction out loud, completely unaware that he had perfectly guessed Luke's one weakness. 

Realizing there was actually a smart one in the group, Luke decided to play it safe. He prepared to shadow-step directly to the barricaded doorway. If they wanted to rush him, he'd just step outside, lock the door, and let his army slowly grind them to dust. 

Hearing Hall's tactical assessment, the remaining vampires felt a surge of hope. Exchanging a desperate look, they synchronized their movements and launched a suicidal, full-speed charge straight at Luke. 

Luke instantly triggered his shadow-step, melting into the floor and reappearing at the doorway. Thanks to his recent stat upgrades, his shadow-stepping was practically instantaneous teleportation. However, his physical reaction speed hadn't completely caught up yet, meaning his movements were sometimes slightly uncoordinated. 

Leaving a dense cluster of Razor Claws where he had just been standing, Luke turned around to watch the trap spring—only to see a massive shadow hurtling directly toward him at the doorway! 

'Holy shit! Did he predict my teleport?!' 

Luke was genuinely startled. Panicking, he instantly funneled 1,600 Energy Points directly into his right fist and threw a desperate, full-power punch at the incoming shadow. 

Hall was just as shocked. He had seen Luke teleporting and had simply chosen a random direction to flee, hoping to slip through the gap Luke had left behind. He hadn't expected to run face-first into the human! 

Realizing he was moving too fast to stop, Hall braced himself and attempted to crash through Luke. 

BOOM! 

The collision was brutal. Luke was sent flying backward, completely shattering the heavy oak doors, before rolling across the hallway floor. 

However, physics was a two-way street. The sheer kinetic force of Luke's energy-enhanced punch completely shattered Hall's ribcage. Coughing up a fountain of blood, Hall collapsed to the floor. Before he could recover, several Razor Claws descended upon him, cleanly severing his arms and legs. 

Meanwhile, back in the hall, the Host and the other Elite—who had actually charged Luke's original position—were immediately swarmed and pinned down by the Razor Claws. 

"You bastard, Hall! You used us as a distraction so you could escape!" the Host screamed furiously. Being captured was humiliating, but being betrayed by a fellow Elite was utterly unacceptable. 

Lying in a pool of his own blood, Hall groaned and ignored the idiot. 

Outside the hall, Luke stood up, dusting off his jacket. He was completely unharmed thanks to his 16x constitution, but his pride was a little bruised. 

Walking back into the room, he stopped in front of Hall. Remembering how the vampire had nearly successfully escaped, Luke spitefully kicked him in the broken ribs a few times. 

Surprisingly, the Host seemed absolutely thrilled to see Hall getting beaten. Seeing the sheer hatred in the Host's eyes, Luke suddenly had a brilliant idea. 

"Hey, you," Luke pointed at the Host. "If you give me the exact locations of every single vampire nest in this city... I'll hand this traitor over to you. You can do whatever you want with him." 

Despite the agonizing pain of his amputations, Hall hadn't been truly terrified. He knew Luke needed information, which meant he had leverage. As long as he kept his mouth shut, he had a chance to survive. But when Luke completely ignored him and offered a deal to the vengeful Host, Hall's heart skipped a beat. 

He locked eyes with the Host. Seeing the pure, unadulterated malice in the Host's expression, Hall felt a true, bone-deep chill. 

Without a moment's hesitation, the Host nodded eagerly. 

Thirty minutes later, Luke walked out of the Helier Hotel. The building had been completely purged. Every single vampire inside—except the Host—had been reduced to ash. True to his word, Luke had let the Host personally execute Hall before tying the Host up with heavy steel chains. 

Holding the chain like a dog leash, Luke forced the terrified Host to lead the way to the next nest. The Host didn't dare complain, walking slowly through the dark streets, internally plotting a way to survive the night. 

After calling Coulson to send a massive cleanup crew to the hotel, Luke spent the rest of the night ruthlessly systematically purging the entire city of Los Angeles. 

By sunrise the next morning, Luke stood on a rooftop overlooking the city. He watched the Host finally turn to ash under the morning sun, feeling incredibly satisfied. 

Over the course of a single night, Luke had earned a staggering 8 million dollars in bounties. Five million came solely from the high-ranking Elites, with the rest accumulated from the massive horde of grunts. 

With his bank account overflowing and Los Angeles completely cleansed of the undead parasite, Luke left the city with a profound sense of accomplishment. He decided he was going to take a road trip across the country. He wanted to see just how many vampires were hiding in this rotting nation. 

As for Coulson... he was probably still frantically driving all over LA, desperately trying to clean up the dozens of massacre sites Luke had left behind.