I Became the Progenitor Vampire

"Duke, three Sunshine Hours ago, Melt Snow City was breached by the Fierce Half-Ratmen from Risier City, leading over one hundred thousand Corrupted Jackal Wolfmen.

All 20,000 people in the city who had not yet been relocated to Green City perished..."

"The road to the Blue Sea Province has been closed since February 1st, but it has not been cleared yet. The main reason is that the 20,000 troops we sent out were attacked by mutated Ancient Monsters en route..."

"Moreover, the followers of the Evil God in Green City have been increasing recently, and despite repeated suppression, we cannot stop the activities of the Evil God believers..."

"What's even more severe is that the population in the city has now exceeded three million. Although we had food reserves in advance, this winter we need not worry too much.

However, if the power of the Ancient days does not abate, and our fields remain uncultivated, it will be an unprecedented disaster... our food can last at most one year."

Duke O'Kelly stood with his hands behind his back near the now-shut window, looking out over the snowy scape of Green City through the glass. From the highest ninth-floor loft of the City Lord's manor, he could oversee a third of the city's district.

The bishop of the God of Nobles was currently reporting the latest news with a worried expression.

From the news he relayed, one could sense that the situation was becoming increasingly dire, sliding towards indescribable decay.

After a long while, Duke O'Kelly's somewhat hoarse voice finally spoke slowly.

"Has there been any news from the Nolan Capital?"

"No, it's been three days. All our spellcasters have been unable to contact the Capital using magic.

The effectiveness of spells is extremely poor; even the magic scrolls for sending messages cannot be successfully cast.

We have already sent out doves three times, and it will take at least a few days to receive any news..."

Upon hearing this, Duke O'Kelly's aged blue eyes sharpened and his expression darkened.

"Tell me some good news, Your Excellency.

It's already February 3rd, a full month since the sky cracked and the Ancient times descended, and I have never received any good news..."

Speaking thus, the ruler of Green City lifted his head to glance at the sky cracked like a mirror, his expression immensely complex.

The disaster of the Ancient days was too overwhelming...

The bishop showed a wry smile. Good news? Perhaps the biggest piece of good news was that Green City could still hold out for some time.

After pondering for a moment, his eyes brightened.

"Duke, if I must say... the Dawn Sect seems to be doing very well lately, with the number of believers nearing 500,000."

Duke O'Kelly turned slightly and looked at the bishop, somewhat puzzled.

"Lord Ilo has yet to return. Even if the Dawn Sect's followers reached one million, what difference would it make?"

"Duke, it's not about the number of believers that matters; rather, it's that the priests of the Dawn Sect still retain their casting ability...

Over the past month, the Dawn Sect has already cultivated over 500 priests. The Holy Light Power in these priests' hands has a great restraining effect on those monsters corrupted by the Ancient powers."

Duke O'Kelly's expression then eased slightly.

"Other sects' priests are powerless because their divines have disappeared, while Lord Ilo's followers still possess the power bestowed by Lord Ilo.

However, 500 priests are still insufficient to meet the needs of future wars. Continue to provide them support, I hope the Dawn Sect can cultivate at least 2,000 Dawn Priests..."

The rapid development of the Dawn Sect was inseparable from the strong support of Duke O'Kelly, the ruler of Green City.

At this critical moment, priests with casting ability were a precious resource that Green City desperately needed.

Promoting the Dawn Sect was a win-win situation.

"Also, we must fully investigate Lord Ilo's whereabouts... Green City, currently only Lord Ilo can shelter us from the storm."

Duke O'Kelly sighed deeply, the duke at the peak of his power felt an inexplicable sense of powerlessness.

After the arrival of the Ancient times, not just the order of the south but the entirety of the Nolan Empire had collapsed.

Over a third of the more than twenty cities in the southern province had fallen, and over half of the remaining cities had their paths to Green City cut off.

Looking around, he suddenly realized that Green City was now like an isolated island, unable to receive any military aid from outside.

Even to the point of pessimism, they could only wait for the sudden appearance of the Ancient Evil God's onslaught.

If it were only the Evil God's servants, it would be bearable. Green City had amassed an army of 400,000 by concentrating the power of several cities, and with over 500,000 Independent Professionals, Lide had enough confidence to defend Green City.

But should the power of the Ancient Evil God reach Legendary or even higher levels, the entirety of Green City would be wholeheartedly exposed to the enemy's slaughter.

In war, high-level combat power acted like a nuclear bomb; having an army of two hundred thousand was no match for a single Big Ivan.

Given such circumstances, it was critical to find a deterrent-level combat strength, and currently, the only person who qualified was the powerful Lord Ilo.

The bishop nodded his head and respectfully replied,

"Duke, seeking Lord Ilo has already been listed as our top priority project. As long as His Eminence appears..."

But just as the bishop had said half of his sentence, a hoarse voice at the door interrupted their conversation.

"There is no need for such efforts. That Lord Ilo is merely a Fake God..."

Hearing this, Duke O'Kelly's expression darkened dramatically.

He abruptly turned to the doorway.

In an instant, a mysterious figure wearing a grey cloak, his face shrouded in shadow with only a prominent nose visible, appeared inside the room.

The bishop, infuriated, immediately started to rebuke,

"Who is this rascal?! How dare you defame the great Lord Ilo..."

But before he could finish, the cloaked figure suddenly threw back his hood, letting the garment that had enveloped his entire form fall to the ground with a swish.

In that instant, the bishop and the cloaked figure's eyes met.

After seeing the mysterious figure clearly, the bishop, who was initially furious, stood thunderstruck, his eyes brimming with disbelief.

Then, with legs giving out and a face full of endless joy and terror, he knelt down, his eyes filled with a frenzy unfathomable to others.

"Lord Feilder! Your most devout believer sends you humble greetings!"

Once Duke O'Kelly saw clearly who it was, his eyes widened, unable to recover his senses, his shock no less than the bishop who was already kneeling and worshiping.

Because the man standing before him in a pristine white robe was none other than the God of Nobles—Feilder, the deity whom the entire Nolan nobility revered.

This ancient being, who had lived for millions of years, was now standing before him.

The impact was so strong that Duke O'Kelly had nearly forgotten to pay homage.

Although this was not the first divine being he had seen, having previously encountered Lord Ilo,

Lide gave him a shock of strength, while the God of Nobles struck him with the entry of myth into reality, a completely different concept.

Only after the God of Nobles, Feilder, stepped inside the room did Duke O'Kelly come to his senses and hurriedly suppressed the torrent of emotions within him, stepping forward to bow deeply.

"Duke O'Kelly Nolan greets the God. Your arrival brings glory to the whole Green City..."

Feilder, with his deep amber eyes looking down from above, spoke in an ethereal and indifferent tone,

"Rise, O'Kelly."

"Yes, Your Eminence." O'Kelly stood up, sensing the aura that emanated from him, his gaze flickering slightly. Having worshiped the God of Nobles for decades, he was naturally familiar with his power.

But now, having calmed himself, he realized that the divine aura of the God of Nobles was quite unstable, as if... he had been severely wounded?

This discovery made him somewhat uneasy.

Noticing Duke O'Kelly's gaze, Feilder's brow furrowed and he slowly said,

"O'Kelly, I just heard that you were discussing that Lord Ilo?"

This made Duke O'Kelly's expression hesitant; he didn't want the other to misunderstand, for discussing another deity in front of one was not a pleasant matter.

"Yes, Your Eminence, Lord Ilo is an exceedingly powerful being, he..."

Duke O'Kelly meant to explain, but as soon as he spoke, the God of Nobles' expression subtly changed, and the deity unmercifully interrupted him.

"O'Kelly, the so-called Lord Ilo, is nothing but a Fake God, a complete Fake God!"

On the third day of the Ancient Times, the God of Nobles actually descended into Green City.

However, due to the shattering of the Destiny Tablet, his Divine Power had been completely stripped away, his strength not even one ten-thousandth of what it was at his peak.

Thus, for safety, he hid among the refugees to take the opportunity to observe everything in Green City and decide how to proceed.

The scene he observed both delighted and enraged him.

He was delighted that the city's ruler, Duke O'Kelly, was a believer of his, which meant that if he could gain the support of this City Lord, he could gather believers to restore his power.

But what enraged him was that this believer seemed to have betrayed him, as he was promoting a Dawn Sect he had never heard of.

And the Divine entity of this unfamiliar sect was none other than a previously unheard of Fake God—the Dawn God.

He couldn't help but hesitate. Would it be safe to approach directly?

If Duke O'Kelly still worshipped him, then the matter would be simple.

But if the other party had already turned to that Fake God, appearing so openly in front of him without power could very well expose him to unimaginable threats.

Slaying gods was a temptation irresistible even to Divine Beings.

Thus, the God of Nobles remained hidden for over a month, and during this time, after he learned that Lord Ilo seemed to have left Green City for a while and had not returned, he finally sneaked into the Lord's manor.

"I have never heard of the Dawn Sect or the Dawn God among the multitude of gods. That Lord Ilo, in my view, must definitely be a Fake God.

O'Kelly, you have been deceived by that Fake God using some power..."

The God of Nobles's tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction, as anyone would feel seeing their followers promoting another sect.

Duke O'Kelly, who had been very excited up to this point, now felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him from head to toe, chilling him to the core.

The power of the God of Nobles partially came from his believers, but the main part actually came from the nobility.

The higher the noble title, the more dignified the nobles who worship the God of Nobles and thus, the stronger the divine power he possessed.

Among the myriad Divine beings, the God of Nobles was one of the few whose followers were predominantly not ordinary devotees but a small portion of high-level Nobles.

In this situation, the more highly-ranked the noble, the greater their impact on the God of Nobles was, essentially.

This reasoning is mainly why among high-level Nobles, most did not treat the God of Nobles with absolute reverence, viewing the relationship more as a partnership.

Yes, a partnership. Nobles need Divine entities to justify their rulership as legitimate but to some extent, they also resist divine authority.

Holding imperial power in their hands, Divine authority could constrain them; thus, the nobles' attitude towards the God of Nobles was always somewhat ambiguous.

And as a member of the Nolan Royal Family and the controller of the southern provinces, Duke O'Kelly's status within the entire Nolan Empire was surpassed by only a few.

So his attitude towards the God of Nobles did not involve much worship.

However, Duke O'Kelly's feelings towards Lide were different. He had personally witnessed in Risier City how Lide crushed three Transcendents single-handedly, and he had seen him freeze an entire city and kill over a million Divine Servants with a wave of his hand.

Duke O'Kelly's respect and admiration for Lide were genuine and deep.

Upon hearing the God of Nobles speak dismissively of Lide, his first reaction was not belief or defense but a surge of anger inside.

It felt like someone you deeply admire and respect was being denigrated and ridiculed by an outsider.

On what grounds?

That was Duke O'Kelly's first reaction, on what grounds do you accuse Lord Ilo of being a Fake God?

Just as he was about to retort, he looked at the cold eyes of the God of Nobles and forcibly suppressed the dissatisfaction bubbling within him.

After taking a deep breath, he slowly said,

"My Lord, I sense that your aura seems somewhat unstable... Do you need me to have the city guard promote the Noble Sect?"

The words, though bold and righteous, carried a hint of testing, as Duke O'Kelly dared to feel angry also because the God of Noble's aura was unstable.

If the figure had appeared with a dominant Divine pressure, he would not have dared or been willing to harbor any resentment.

But after the God of Nobles appeared, Duke O'Keilly felt no dangerous aura, a stark contrast to the so-called Fake God Lord Ilo, described by his opponent. That's why Duke O'Keilly experienced such a range of emotions.

In the end, power was indeed the only source of Glory.

Without power, even a former Divine might not be respected.

The God of Nobles seemed not to realize this yet, interpreting Duke O'Keilly's lack of objection as an acknowledgment of his mistake.

"O'Keilly, you should immediately shut down those temples of the Fake God and widely spread my faith.

The Ancient corrupted power will soon pose a greater threat around Green City, and I need to recover my strength quickly!"

Duke O'Keilly furrowed his brows at these words, his discomfort intensifying—a feeling amplified by the high-handed tone of the God of Nobles.

And this command didn't sit well with him, spreading the Noble Sect was fine, but shutting down Lord Ilo's temples??

Are you joking?

The other was a Divine Arts user who had frozen an entire city. Even if you recover your strength, could you really defeat Lord Ilo?

Indeed, the image of Lide was too substantial and imposing in Duke O'Keilly's mind.

The God of Nobles, whom he should have been closer to, now felt utterly foreign.

The correct approach for the God of Nobles would have been to establish his dignity upon meeting Duke O'Keilly and then issue commands.

But the God of Nobles overestimated his influence over Duke O'Keilly and underestimated Lide's grandeur.

And given his current unstable state, establishing dignity would require more strength than he was willing to spend, so he skipped this step altogether.

This led to him issuing overreaching commands without having established his dignity, greatly irritating Duke O'Keilly.

However, as an old noble, Duke O'Keilly was not yet insolent enough to defy the God of Nobles, although his inner respect was nearly worn away, his face still bore a standard noble smile.

"Your Grace, I will follow your command...

You may recover within the city lord's manor during this time, and I will immediately order the spread of the Noble Sect..."

Before he could finish, the God of Nobles interrupted him, "No, not just the Noble Sect, the Sect of the Knight God must also start preaching..."

"The Knight God? Has he also descended upon Green City?"

Duke O'Keilly was somewhat startled now, so there were three Divine beings in Green City?

He felt both thrilled and anxious—thrilled that the more potent Green City's forces, the safer it would be, but anxious about how Lord Ilo, upon his return, would treat these two Divines.

He really didn't want Lide to conflict with these two Divines; even setting aside who would win, whether Green City could even survive was a question...

"Yes, the Knight God has also arrived in Green City and is currently seeking a blasphemer who had desecrated him a few years ago. He has already tracked down the soul of this blasphemer and might show up anytime..."

Duke O'Keilly took a deep breath, sensing that Green City was becoming ever more chaotic with Divines personally stepping in; had the evil Divines also arrived?

"Your Grace, spreading your radiance is my unshirkable duty!"

After saying this, Duke O'Keilly inexplicably thought of Lide; in his heart, there was only one thought—if Lord Ilo were still here, perhaps there would be no need to fear those Ancient Evil Gods.

The duke always harbored a mysterious reverence and trust for Lide, as if Lord Ilo represented everything.

At this moment, the still in the abyss, Lide was unaware that Green City, crucial to him, now hosted Divines descended as saints.

And these two Divines, one way or another, had some ties and hostility towards him...

The changes in Green City were but a trivial reflection on the majestic main plane of Glory.

In the central area of the Ancient Forest, a few days ago, twelve figures cloaked in green capes entered, and the next day, the Elves announced the return of their twelve Divines...

In one of the most powerful human nations in the main plane—the Purple Maple Leaf Empire, the temple of the Sun Goddess within its capital city radiated blinding light as the great Sun Goddess quietly descended.

Furthermore, gods like the War God, the God of Justice, the Forge God, the Master of Dawn... among other powerful Divines, there were rumors of their descension.

The shadow of Ancient evil covering the world, the gods descending as saints, the gradually crumbling order of the kingdom, ambitious hunters of Divines, sinister believers of the Evil God lurking in the shadows, together with the Undead and the Abyss that had not stirred yet...

Numerous forces were now interwoven on the main plane, and the trajectory of the main plane of Glory began moving in an unpredictable direction.