Chapter 1615: Chapter 1615

"The Crimson Order is a vast coalition of Vampire Guilds spanning Floors 60 to 51. They originated on Floor 60, known as Umbralheim, a realm of eternal night…" Ferleen sighed. "We know much about them. We've been striving to learn everything possible about their operations."

"Vampires?!" Lucifer asked. "Wait, didn't we fight a few of them back then?"

"Yes," Maria nodded. "The Vampires residing in Yggdrasil summoned them there. They were moderately strong, perhaps? But the ones they summoned didn't seem that powerful. I recall them dying quite easily."

"Y-Yggdrasil has Vampires too? How do you even handle them?!" Ferleen asked.

"That's a different tale altogether," Maria said. "I wouldn't go out of my way to explain everything, but let's say… well, some Vampires once arrived there, settled, and had descendants with part of the population. They separated from Umbralheim to become independent, eventually allying with a Demon King who rallied members of various discriminated tribes in Midgard, a continent largely governed by humans… and yes, something terrible happened. Nearly all Demons, including these Vampires, were almost entirely wiped out. A few survivors, embittered against the Humans and the Empire of Light, devised a massive revenge plot that has persisted for the past few hundred years. They were once kind, apparently, but became corrupt and cold, mirroring their original Umbralheim kin. This led them to reconnect with those vampires, who view Yggdrasil's settlers' descendants as inferior. However, this story is dragging on, but they tried to invade Yggdrasil for flesh, blood, and mana."

"I-I see…" Ferleen nodded. "That's fascinating… I don't believe that's occurred in other worlds, has it? Yggdrasil is truly a remarkable world."

"Anyway, let's return to the topic. I don't want to waste more time," Maria said. "This Crimson Order… I wonder if they're connected to the ones we slew. Did they ever mention belonging to a group?"

"I don't think so, not that I recall," Lucifer said. "And I have an excellent memory."

"They didn't reveal much before we ended up slaying them," Emeraldine nodded. "They were particularly vulnerable to my Spiritual Light Arrows. Hunting them with those was satisfying."

"Hm, the Crimson Order has a similar goal…" Ferleen sighed, as Maria noticed his sister gritting her teeth and staring at her food, haunted by painful memories. "They came to our world to feed on us. Our world is apparently far larger than most floors in the tower. I recall one of them saying it was about thirty times larger than Earth, another primary world they're invading…"

"Earth?!" Maria asked, her anger rising. "They're invading it?!" Fınd the newest release on N0veI.Fiɾe.net

"Yes…" Ferleen nodded. "They're attempting to expand their territory to lower floors, likely because their efforts to invade the upper or upper-middle floors have failed. Thebes' territory lies just above theirs in the floor order, and they're in constant conflict. Thebes is governed by the powerful Thebian Gods. Their God Emperor, Ra, wields the power of the Primordial Sun and is among the Vampires' greatest foes, as his radiance can incinerate them. This is why they cannot advance further in the tower and why they fear and despise the people of Thebes…"

"Huh…" Maria nodded, calming herself. "Despicable creatures. Knowing Vampires, I should have expected they'd do something …"

"Good thing no Vampire is here, or they'd be quite upset to hear that!" Partner said.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that…" Maria apologized to Partner.

"So, Ferleen, what's your world like?" Emeraldine asked, her tone concerned.

"Floor 34…" Ferleen said. "Our world has many names. Our tribe calls it the Green Paradise. I've heard other tribes name it Endless Jungle, Vast Horizon, Emerald Paradise, and… well, the Beast Tribe Alliance gave it a formal name to distinguish it from the rest of the Tower: 'Verdanthral, the World of Beast People,' or something similar."

"Intriguing," Maria nodded. "I wonder if that's where Yggdrasil's beast people originated…"

"Could be! I wonder if they're all fluffy there!" Nyx said, excited. "We could go and free them from the evil vampires, Mom!"

"I agree. If the Crimson Order is preying on innocent lives as they tried to do in our world…" Jonathan said. "Especially if they're targeting your original world too, Maria!"

"Yes, I'm worried too," Alma said. "I hope it's not too dire there."

"Hm, given what we've faced, it's clear the Vampires from Umbralheim are our enemies. We should eliminate them on sight," Maria said, nodding. "Ferleen, Melianna, you don't need to make a wish. We'll accompany you to your world and liberate it from the Crimson Order."

"W-What?!" Ferleen asked. "Would you really do that for us?! But we… we haven't done anything for you… why?!"

"We've already said those vampires are our enemies," Maria said. "It aligns with our goals… and honestly, I like you two. You're kind and endearing."

"My sister can be quite mean, though…" Ferleen sighed.

"Ugh, it's not like you could ever win… yes, you defeated the metal-munching bugs here, and so what?" Melianna asked angrily. "The Crimson Order is composed of monsters that drain the life from people! Mom and Dad… They were the strongest warriors and shamans in our village, and they… they…" Melianna began crying as she recalled her past. Her brother hugged her.

"That's enough, Melianna, don't… don't dwell on the past," Ferleen sighed, stroking her head. Then he looked back at Maria. "The Crimson Order is spread across many floors… those invading ours are led by four powerful Blood Heart Generals. They are immensely strong, akin to L Rank Calamities. They're not… something anyone could easily fight!"

"L Rank, huh?" Lucifer asked. "Well, if it's only that, we can handle it."

"It would be good training for the family," Maria nodded. "Plus, Partner could drink more of their blood and grow stronger."

"Yeah!" Partner nodded, licking her lips. "Can't wait!"

"Huh?" Ferleen was perplexed. "L Ranks are beings beyond myth, they're legends! How do you even… think you can defeat one?!"

"The Hive Queen I defeated was L+++ Rank after I let her evolve," Maria said with a straight face.

"L plus, plus, plus?!" Ferleen asked.

"No way that's real!" Melianna said. "You're lying! That would make you stronger than gods…!"

Maria and her family exchanged glances.

"Well, I suppose you can believe what you want," Maria shrugged. "You're not obligated to join us or anything like that. We'll handle our own business, so don't worry."

"…" Ferleen remained silent. "I think I need to think about this…"

"It's fine," Maria nodded. "Relax for now… No, wait, tell me more about the Crimson Order first!"