Outside of the desolate landscape where Marquis March and Damien dueled, the battle between the monster army and the final bastion of the northern vampire territory had already begun.

Aetheric Weapons pierced the air, striking a couple of monsters, which disintegrated into dust. But some managed to deflect the beam of light and utilized their power against the stronghold.

Eclipse was the first one to attack as her gigantic blade descended upon the looming walls of the final bastion. It slashed through the stronghold, leaving a deep gash in the reinforced concrete.

The defenses of the final bastion stood no chance against the blade of the Extraterrestrial Monster.

What followed was Behemoth's tectonic steps, shattering the ground where the final bastion stood. Its gigantic walls cracked and crumbled as more Aetheric Weapons fired.

The vampires were throwing everything they had against the monster army. Nobles were mobilized and confronted smaller monsters on the ground.

Some managed to wind, while others were devoured by the monsters beneath the gigantic abominations that tormented their stronghold.

The battle had merely begun, and the damage to the final bastion was too much for them to take.

Inside the command center of the final bastion, the vampire commander watched through the aetheric displays and noticed the monster army steadily overpowering their defenses.

His eyes furrowed as he looked around and saw there were no signs of the True Blood, their Marquis March. "Where is our liege?"

He calmly questioned while his voice echoed throughout the command center. Several vampires glanced at him, their tongues unmoving. But one stood up and reported.

"Sir, the Marquis has been taken by the Aberrant."

After the report, the commander raised his eyebrows and muttered under his breath. "The two must be trapped in a duel."

"Unfortunately, we cannot assist our liege in any way." He turned his attention to the monster army that was breaching their defenses.

"Continue firing our aetheric weapons! Send the call for reinforcements! We need more True Bloods; otherwise, this stronghold would fall."

As his words rang through the command center, the vampire personnel worked harder, navigating their troops while calling for reinforcements from the Clan.

Behind them was the first northern city, so retreat wasn't an option.

The battle between the final bastion and the monster army continued. No matter what the vampires did, the steady marching monsters seemed unstoppable.

Never did they know that someone else was commanding the abominations that besieged them. It was none other than the Prothonean, Proton.

The Extraterrestrial Monster gazed upon the battlefield, its thoughts unknown to everyone but itself. The tune of war sang across its mind, a board of devastation and suffering.

In its hollow black eyes, the vampires were nothing more than dangling puppets that could be manipulated with ease.

Explosions rumbled throughout the battlefront as corpses were littered while pools of blood gathered at the bottom of the final bastion.

The gates were broken, though, as monsters flooded the interiors, destroying and exterminating everything and everyone that stood in their way.

Once the monster army broke through the final bastion's defensive perimeter, the vampires inside would be massacred without the protection of the nobles who fought against the giant monsters.

It was an unfortunate fate.

The Three-Star Monsters unleashed their abilities, but some disintegrated as they couldn't survive the concentrated rays of the Aetheric Weapons.

While the others pierced through the defensive walls.

Ddraig controlled the heavens, unleashing its mechanical creations on the vampires. Fenrir commanded its storms, laying waste to the ones outside of the final bastion.

Each descent of Eclipse's blade created a deep gash in the earth. The poisonous fog of Orochi filled the air, killing the vampires who breathed it in.

Meanwhile...

In the desolate landscape, Damien watched his status while its digital display hovered in front of him. His Terror Points were increasing by a great multitude.

---

| Monster Gacha System |

-| Boss Title : [ Oberon ] |

-| Monster(s) : Three-Star EX Monster: Eclipse(Idol), Three-Star EX Monster: Starlight, Two-Star EX Monster: Great Devourer, Two-Star EX Monster: Neurophages, One-Star EX Monster: Prothonean, Two-Star TE Monster: Silhouettes, Four-Star TE Monster: Mechanized Draconic God, Two-Star TE Monster: Garmr, Three-Star TE Monster: Griffin, Two-Star TE Monster: Tarasque, Two-Star TE Monster: Great Serpent, Three-Star TE Monster: Fenrir, Three-Star TE Monster: Behemoth, Three-Star TE Monster: Orochi, Two-Star TE Monster: Heavenly Bull, One-Star PA Monster: Banshee, Two-Star PA Monster: Oni, Two-Star PA Monster: Dullahan, One-Star PA Monster: Shadow Hound, One-Star PA Monster: Onryo |

-| Skill Index : Raptured Blink(Eclipse Passive), Intangible Fracture(Eclipse), Cryptic Eyes of Dominion(Eclipse Passive), Dreams of Eternity(Starlight), Void Maw(Great Devourer), Ancient Wisdom(Prothonean), Hive Assimilation(Neurophages), Duplex Operation(Silhouettes), Machine Awakening(Mechanized Draconic God), Machine Control(Mechanized Draconic God), Draconic Dominion(Mechanized Draconic God), Chains of Infernal Judgment(Garmr), Sinful Gaze(Garmr), Empyrean Overwatch(Griffin), Majesty(Griffin), Carapace of Legends(Tarasque), Extreme Constriction(Great Serpent), Petrification(Great Serpent), Bond Breaker(Fenrir), Tempest Destroyer(Fenrir), Tectonic Steps(Behemoth), Venoms of Eightfold Death(Orochi), Celestial Charge(Heavenly Bull), Wailing Death(Banshee), Demonic Strength(Oni), Mark of Death(Dullahan), Hunting Darkness(Shadow Hound), Curse of Vengeance(Onryo) |

-| Command Seal(s): [ 175/250 ] |

| Terror Point(s) : 7526-8124 |

---

But alongside the significant increase in Terror Points, his Command Seals were steadily dispersing. His weakness was his endurance.

Otherwise, if the adversary were aware of this vital weakness. They could have stalled for time as his Command Seals wither away into nothing.

By then, he wouldn't be able to do anything against his opponent.

At any rate, Damien gazed upon the True Blood and charged. Whatever the pillars had done had probably been dissolved.

It was a matter of executing the vampire.

But before he could reach March, the vampire's eyelids twitched as its crimson eyes glowed. The True Blood broke out of eternity, awakening within a few seconds.

March realized that what he had gone through was nothing more than an illusion, but sadly... He was too late. His defenses against mental attacks were too poor.

Damien raised his eyebrows and promptly activated the Eternity of Dreams once again. The vampire froze, unmoving as the Aberrant utilized his Heavenly Charge and pummeled the True Blood.

The Dreams of Eternity truly was overpowered. Even though it could only affect strong adversaries for a couple of seconds, it was enough for Damien.

"Let's end this!" Damien roared as the Chains of Infernal Judgment erupted from the ground, shackling the unmoving vampire.

A blazing inferno promptly enveloped the True Blood, charring his pale skin. However, March remained motionless, his mind consumed by eternity.

Afterward, he activated Orochi's Venoms of Eightfold Death. Pitch-black droplets from the depths of the underworld punctured the body of the True Blood.

He followed up with Petrification, which turned the vampire's charred body into stone. The combos of personal skills ended with the same one that started it.

Heavenly Charge.

His body gleamed with brilliance as he left behind a streak of light, shattering March's body into tiny pieces.

The True Blood couldn't even react as the Dreams of Eternity trapped his mind in a never-ending illusion in a single second.

Perhaps in those dreams, March had gone through lifetimes beyond his years. This would become a question that only Damien could remember.

The black-suited young man stood in the desolate wasteland, silent. Damien didn't feel much about the victory. It wasn't that True Blood was weak.

It was the simple fact that his mental attack skills were much more overpowered than his actual offensive power.

Without the Dreams of Eternity incapacitating the True Blood, he wouldn't have been able to shackle the bastard and inject the venoms of death into their body.

Petrification would become less effective, affecting his final Heavenly Charge. But no matter what had occurred. His victory was final.

The desolate landscape shattered into fragments as he returned to the battlefront ravaged by the war between the final bastion and his summoned monsters.

Craters riddled the surface as the towering walls became rubble. Most of his monster army was gone; the ones who survived were Eclipse, Fenrir, and Draig.

Beyond those two were the corpses of vampires, which littered the ravaged final bastion. It was a damning sight.

The ones who have died have probably reached five thousand casualties in the shortest of estimations. But that didn't matter since his operation had concluded.

Of course, he could summon back his monster army and continue. But why should he do so? The four promised strongholds have been destroyed.

His mission was complete.

It was time for him to return and evolve the Paranormal Monsters under his command. With this in mind, Damien blinked onto the head of Eclipse and watched the aftermath from a higher perspective.

"There should be no survivors from this battle."

"But without a doubt... This would cause quite a stir in the New World." He rubbed the back of his mind, seeing the mess his monsters had caused.

"Oh, well..." Damien sighed to himself, turning his attention towards the southern frontier. Smiling at the surviving monsters, he commanded. "It's time for us to return."

On the other hand, Proton stood behind the black-suited young man and merely bowed at their master, who succeeded in his duel.