"Hahaha! All my lesser descendants are dead!" The corpse's eyes regained their luster. "Your strategies were good, I must say. Yes, I know who you are, Beta. Did you think my family's surveillance was that poor, outsider!?"

The Ancestor's voice exploded as the "ancestor" next to Cain kneeled before the dried corpse.

"Lord. Ancestor of us Vampires. The Last Ancient. I beseech thee, take my flesh and blood, and regain your former glory!"

The dried corpse let out another husky laugh. "Hahaha! Yes, yes! I will gladly accept my last descendant. Once again, I will walk the earth unhindered!"

Cain stood there and did nothing. He watched as the malnourished man before him turned into flesh and blood. The cavern shook as the Ancestor took in this warm red, and as he did, the orb in his chest glowed and slowly entered his body.

Then, the dried corpse slowly lifted its finger.

Slowly, he pushed an invisible button.

The pure energy around Cain retracted; it became turbulent, suppressed by some unknown being.

Cain couldn't help but become filled with disdain. "So you chose to become a slave of the system, ruler of the so-called Vampires."

"Hahaha! I like that name a lot, outsider. I'll record your name down using your entrails after I've had my fill!"

The massive influx of energy rejuvenated the dried body; his skin quickly became smooth and glowed bright. The pure energy around the Ancestor then went haywire, and a massive explosion blew everything away, destroying the cavern, the corresponding building, and the whole compound.

As the dust settled, Cain was flying in the air; he had already entered his half-mist state to survive the blast.

"So, this form's foundation is your blood? Fool! I am the Monarch of Blood!"

The Ancestor's figure entered Cain's eyes. He wore an old-world outfit that had hints of ancientness. Above his eyebrows was a red mark depicting a strange symbol.

All around him, blood flowed. All the bloodshed that had occurred only went to fuel him. Even Cain had a hard time keeping his mist from moving towards him; it was even harder due to the mist having its own sliver of life.

This mutation was beginning to annoy Cain; how could his blood become independent of him?

Luckily, the mist also didn't want to become a pawn to the Vampire Ancestor, helping Cain only enough for it not to get ripped away.

The Vampire Monarch smiled and bared his fangs. "Now, outsider, let us fight! I am excited! I am starving!"

Torrents of blood spiraled as they collided with Cain's mist. It burned. The waves joined and separated, blocking Cain's escapes and bashing against him, taking away layers of flesh and mist. 

Remaining apathetic, Cain switched back to his human form and plummeted down through the waves. Right before he hit the concrete he became mist once more, taking evasive maneuvers to escape the waves of blood.

The Blood Monarch gave chase, and the two flew into the city, rivers of blood and clouds of mist colliding.

Houses and homes were destroyed. Families were killed in an instant.

Cain took this chance to steal the flesh and blood of those killed before it went to the Monarch, empowering his mist instead.

"Bastard, come back here!" The Monarch didn't like this game of cat and mouse. 

Cain dodged a blast of blood, smashing through a window before exiting the other side of a building. Soon after, that building was destroyed by a tsunami of red.

'Not yet, the core is almost done....'

While the chase ensued, the Ancestor seemed to be distracted by a screen more than once, turning his head and scrolling every once in a while.

Finally, he found something he liked and pressed his finger against the air.

What did he buy?

Pressure beams of blood cut against Cain's flesh, as the illusionary outsider turned to look, he could see the Monarch holding a slip of paper with writing on it. 

The words read "Divine Punishment".

Instantly, the clouds in the sky brewed, they turned black, and electricity rumbled.

"Haha! Understand now, outsider! I am blessed, I have the power of God!"

Descending from the sky, lightning smote Cain again and again; his form immediately destabilized as he fell from the skies with currents still jolting him.

Cain crashed into a dumpster; his flesh was charred, and he was missing pieces of his body. His mist was fried.

Climbing out of the trash, he found himself in an alley. Luckily, he saw a nearby vagrant; he took no time to rush over and used his unnatural strength to smash their skull against a wall, killing them instantly.

Cain then had to lick up the blood like a dog to kickstart his mist.

'I'm now the barbaric one... I didn't expect this much; we both have similar powers, but his are backed by the system. This is going to be tricky.'

Just as the Blood Monarch locked onto him, mist enveloped Cain once more.

"Cockroach!"

Blood flooded the alley just as Cain escaped. The walls and concrete melted as the red ocean left nothing behind.

Not far away, Zoe awoke. Her eyes were red, and she felt weaker than she had ever been. Looking up, she saw two figures dancing in the sky, both red and vast.

Even with poor eyesight, she could tell who one of them was.

Her mind screamed. 'World Bane!'

Cain swept past a building as it was sliced apart by crescent blades made of crystallized blood. The Ancestor seemed to have limitless energy. But he was not limitless in power.

At last, Cain felt the core in his body fully meld with him. He felt his very being ascend to a new stage. He became a Gatherer, a true Gatherer.

Cain stopped; he and the Blood Monarch were high in the sky, almost brushing against the dark clouds.

"Are you giving up? No more energy, outsider?"

Cain deeply analyzed the Monarch's eyes. Surprisingly, he smiled....he actually smiled. He then asked the Blood Monarch a question.

"Do you know the saying 'The skies the limit?'"

At that moment, something radiated within Cain. The clouds parted under such force that the whole sky opened a path. It was a limitless and overpowering force that defied logic.

Cain grinned. "I find the saying false."

The Ancestor's eyes widened as the mist around Cain became even more illusionary, akin to waves of silk flowing endlessly, covering the sky. It no longer looked like mist but an undefinable energy that had substance.

The air around Cain distorted as new clothes were created and wrapped around his existence. He now wore luxurious black robes that appeared to be made from different scales and silks, all giving off a holy feeling and unbearable pressure.

His voice was that of thunderous majesty, a royal decree of God!

"I am the Limit, not the sky, and I am Limitless!"

Staring at the Ancestor, Cain's eyes turned dark and still, his regal tone remaining. 

"Now.....crumble"

He uttered a single word, but the world acted at his behest. The air around the Blood Monarch was crushed, and the handsome figure turned into a mutilated pile of blood in an instant.

However, from the blood, the Ancestor regenerated again. Yet this time, his eyes showed fear; the image of Cain reminded him of beings he could only shiver to see, being that very aura killed those around them.

His mind blared in horror. 'God!'

He could no longer feel his legs; luckily, he didn't need them to fly. With his tail between his legs, the Monarch flew with all his strength.

This didn't stop Cain from distorting the distance between the two. The Ancestor appeared before him once more.

'That took a lot of energy; it seems distorting the fundamental rules can only be done a few times in one battle; otherwise, I'll be tapped out of energy. Thankfully, I gained lots from the core, I can even copy some of the aura of the Occult King and distort it to my fancy.'

As Cain appraised his new powers, the Blood Monarch's face lost color. He began to uncontrollably mutter strange things.

"This isn't possible; I am a son of heaven. I am the lucky one chosen by the system! How could this happen? This is impossible!"

Cain didn't speak; he simply used his powers to gather all of the Blood Monarch into one place.

"Wait, Outsider, stop! Please, I beg you! I'll give you whatever you want!"

'People collapse so easily after their whole world is destroyed... I was like that too.' Cain internally grinned. 'If only he had time to grow with the system, perhaps this would've been a much longer fight. 

Cain granted the weakling a response, "What I want is the core you fused with. The only way to remove it is to kill you. Goodbye."

His face darkened, and the Blood Monarch's expression reached a nadir. "No! Stop! this isn't how it's supposed to go!"

The Ancestor could do nothing; the illusionary fist created from imagination crushed him in an instant, squeezing him like a lemon. 

Quick to act, Cain absorbed all the blood that became the Ancestor's corpse, not letting him revive.

All that was left was a small red orb. Cain quickly swallowed it.

[Error Error! Gatherer Detected! Registering.....]

"Annoying."

Cain took the blue screen and smashed it in an instant. The fragments trickled upwards and floated infinitely above.

[E....R....O....]

However, some of the last few pieces still had semi-formed words, quickly trickling out of existence.

[Registra.....complete...noti...ces.....sen-t-t-t-t]

Cain felt the new core enter his body and thought of what to do with it.

'I don't need the power of blood. It would be best to focus on the strength-enhancing ability of eating human flesh. I can use my mist to easily accomplish this and by the millions. The Dream Core can also enhance the Vampire Core's efficiency overall instead of just physical strength. Not only that, with this I can now live for multiple centuries before having to come up with another plan.'

Cain touched down on the earth. He dispelled his creations and distortions and sat down to recover his energy. As he did, a beaten and battered woman full of exhaustion came before him.

"World Bane! You did this!"

Cain stayed silent.

"Bastard say something! Look at what you've done! You've destroyed everything!"

Cain sighed, "I will not deny it, but this was going to happen anyway. If you want revenge... well, it's impossible in your current state. Anyway, you're free now anyway; the price wasn't too bad."

Zoe was fuming with fury, "You... You...."

"Fine, let's say you really care so much, kill me then, but it's impossible right now; you're too weak. Again, this result wasn't the worst one, and you can rebuild. I'm sure the leader of the Organization will bring a new order.

"Anyway, what you feel doesn't matter to me; I'm leaving just like you wanted. Goodbye."

Before Zoe could get another word in, Cain got up and started to walk away.

Zoe stood there for a time. She was confused, she was scared. But most of all, she was curious. It was a strange emotion she couldn't understand but it was overwriting all her other emotions. It was only a moment but she came to a crazy decision. 

Clenching her fist, she followed behind Cain, leaving behind the Complex, and her home.