I Became the Progenitor Vampire

"That, that really is our god?..."

"It's impossible, how could the great Centaur God possibly be defeated by a Fake God?!"

"I don't believe it, how could this possibly happen?!!"

"It's all fake, everything is fake!!"

The Centaur Army from Gale City erupted in disbelief barely moments after the collision, their tone filled with despair.

Because above in the sky, everyone clearly saw the deity they believed in and worshipped bound by magic chains and paraded around; they could not even sense any aura from him...

That was the Centaur God, their Protector, suspended mid-air like that!!

How could anyone accept such a scene?!

Accompanying the Centaur God was the lord of Gale City who had ruled them for decades, and even that powerful legend was missing, his fate unknown.

Lide, floating in mid-air, his long magic chains swinging with two prisoners on display, wore an enigmatic expression.

He had not expected the battle to go this smoothly.

Five minutes earlier, he had charged in on Withered Bone, who with a single Dragon Breath had taken out thousands of centaurs, and then the Centaur God could not stand the shock, striking out forcefully.

The Centaur God, soaring into the sky, had an immensely powerful presence, but Lide had not felt too much danger. Only later did he realize that the Centaur God's strength had barely recovered to level 25, a silver wax gun head.

Not to mention his own legendary level of 28, even Withered Bone, the level 26 Undead Blood Dragon, could suppress the other party.

After realizing this, Lide went all out.

Divine Arts—Twilight Radiance, stripping away the opponent's life, aging and rotting their soul.

Divine Arts—Twilight's Approach, making the opponent briefly enter their twilight years.

Those two dishonorable Divine Arts launched a sudden attack, directly striking the Centaur God.

Then he used Legendary Shadow Blade, exploiting the terrifying characteristic of true damage on the first strike for a sneak attack.

A combination of moves left the Centaur God incapacitated and unconscious without so much as a fart; to prevent any accidents, Lide immediately sealed the other's soul with the Power of Faith, creating the illusion of death.

The lord of Gale City, who had just stepped into the legendary level, was also hampered by his two Divine Arts; still in his geriatric state, he fell into unconsciousness.

The battle seemed so abrupt from start to finish.

Even now, the army below had only just begun to collide, with the Dawn Army taking advantage of their superior equipment to break through like a hot knife through butter.

So when Lide conveyed the news of the Centaur God's capture to the centaur army below, Gale City's forces couldn't believe it or were unwilling to accept the reality...

This was ridiculous; their god couldn't last even half an hour before being captured after just a few exchanges...

Was this some kind of joke?

The high-level centaurs, after sensing the aura of the Centaur God displayed in mid-air by Mage's Hand, collapsed completely.

Their strongest support was gone just like that?

What was the point in continuing this war??

In their inner collapse, many high-ranking centaurs didn't even bother to call out; they just started retreating, clearly not planning to throw away their lives.

Their god had been captured; did they have the right to clash with the opposition?

The opponent still had a Divine presence!!

Without their backbone, facing a deity felt suffocating.

Of course, there were some centaurs with firm beliefs who thought that the captured Centaur God in the sky was nothing but a sham conjured by the accursed Dawn God, deceiving them!

They were certain to shatter their enemies under the glorious radiance and emerge as the ultimate victors!

If everyone thought this way, then the centaur army below might still be troublesome, but there were also many who were terrified.

Some fled backwards and some charged forwards; the chaotic scene nearly led to the collapse of the entire Centaur Army, further causing chaos.

While some high-ranking officers were commanding, once an army of over a million soldiers fell into disarray, it was not something simple commands could restrain.

At that moment, Lide added fuel to the fire, his divine might bearing down like hellfire, the authority of the Dawn Main God striking like a divine punishment from the ninth heaven into everyone's hearts.

The terrifying pressure made the already anxious centaurs below descend further into panic, their rationality quickly fading as fear took hold in their hearts.

At this moment, Lide's voice spread in all directions.

"Centaur folk, I am the God of Dawn!

Guido Blackwind, the king of the Gale Empire destined to restore the Centaur Clan's glory—is My believer."

Lide's sudden proclamation left the centaurs below in chaos, now blankly looking up at the sky, while the Dawn Army in front also quietly slowed their assault's pace, giving the centaur army a moment to breathe.

But his next words carried a shocking gravity.

"The reason I lead the attack against you today is that I once promised the Centaur God to protect the Centaur Clan."

The centaurs below were almost at the brink of mental collapse; you're carrying our deity's corpse and now you say you promised to protect us??

Was this some kind of joke?

Lide, however, paid no mind to those angry glares and continued.

"This Centaur God that I killed in front of you is not the deity you worshipped...

The true Centaur God fell during the ancient times. Now, the Centaur God you see before you is nothing more than a monster transformed by the Ancient Evil God.

"The Ancient Evil God had stolen all the Divine Power of the Centaur God and replaced him."

The Centaurs below who heard such shocking and outrageous news were all dumbfounded.

Is it really true?

Their god had long since died, and this creature before them was nothing more than a monstrosity transformed by the Ancient Evil God?

An absurd feeling surged through the hearts of the Centaurs, making it impossible for them to believe.

Yet Lide's firm words made these Centaurs hesitate... These were the words from a Divine mouth, could they really be deceiving them?

Seeing the waver among the Centaurs below, Lide continued to increase his output.

"Centaurs, the race I will protect from now on, wake up.

The Centaur God was once my ally, and the reason I agreed to protect you Centaurs is because I had a very good relationship with him.

But he was murdered by this damned Ancient Evil God before you!! I have avenged him this very moment!!

Centaurs, I am not your enemy.

On the contrary, because of my covenant with the Centaur God, if you are willing to join the Gale Empire, I will protect you just like the former Centaur God from this day forward!"

Lide's words traveled across the sky and throughout the entire battlefield, and the wills of those Centaurs who had been resolved to fight to the death were dealt a fatal blow.

The Centaur God had already been replaced by the Ancient Evil God... the god they had just regarded as their mortal enemy, the Dawn God, was actually an ally of the Centaur God.

The reason he attacked them was to avenge the god they worshiped, the Centaur God!!

This twisted and bizarre turn of events left the army below at a loss for words, their emotions too complex and intense to describe.

A million questions arose in their hearts, but they did not know what to say.

"It's impossible, His Majesty can't be dead... This is definitely fake, no, I don't believe it!!"

A fervent Believer of the Centaurs nearly went insane at this moment, and without any heed, knelt down to pray, attempting to summon a response from their deity.

"His Majesty had already died... No wonder, no wonder he was so weak that he couldn't even last a few minutes, it turns out it wasn't my lord!! This damned Ancient Evil God!!"

Some Centaurs half-believed and half-doubted as they began to curse the divine figure in the sky loudly.

"Great Dawn Sovereign, your Glory will from this day forward eternally illuminate the direction of my advance. Your new Believer salutes you..."

Just as there were die-hard believers, there were some Centaurs who truly became followers of Lide after his speech, although they were a very small minority.

But most of them were still fluctuating between doubt and hesitation.

They felt in their hearts that Lide's words might be false, but had to admit that the fall of the Centaur God was so rapid that it did not resemble the deity they worshiped.

How powerful had the aura emitted by the Centaur God just been? But he was killed in just a few encounters, such a huge discrepancy made these Centaurs unwilling to believe that he was their race's Protector.

Instead, they were more inclined to the excuse provided by Lide—that the Centaur God had already been killed.

In the inner turmoil and confusion, these neutral Centaurs also lost their will to resist.

After a round of swindling by Lide, this terrifyingly large army no longer possessed any will to resist.

Seeing this scene, he couldn't help but smile satisfactorily.

Of all tricks, winning the hearts is the best.

This was war—what schemes could not be employed?

Lide's seemingly nonsensical and preposterous words had directly stricken the hearts of the Centaurs.

Not only did it hasten the progress of war and greatly reduce his own losses, but it also laid the seeds for conquering captives and future missionary work.

Killing several birds with one stone.

At this moment on the battlefield, the most pitiful was none other than the Centaur God.

The Centaur God was not dead, he hadn't even passed out; he was just sealed off from his power by the Power of Faith, yet he could still sense the commotion outside.

Right now, the Centaur God was so angry that he seethed with rage, his soul nearly exploding with fury, as he cursed Lide hundreds of thousands of times over in his heart...

Had words been able to kill, Lide would have been crushed to death by hundreds of Planes falling from the heavens at this very moment.

This scoundrel, so despicably vile and dirty!!

How dare he slander him like this!!

But with his power sealed, the Centaur God could not utter a word and could only suppress his anger...

After viewing the uncertainty of the troops below, Lide spoke again.

"Lay down your arms, in the name of the Dawn God I promise you that as long as you do not initiate an attack, my army will not harm a single one of you.

My protected race, believe in me, this is your best choice.

The days of the Ancient are already upon us, those fearsome Evil Gods are devouring the entire world.

The god you worship has already fallen.

If there are no other gods to protect you, the Centaur Clan absolutely cannot survive this great catastrophe.

Centaurs should not perish in disaster, but instead, they should be reborn from it, and return to the glory of once ruling the continent!

The Gale Empire was founded by the Child of Destiny, Guido Blackwind, adhering to the will of the Main Plane—this is your Centaur Empire, also the opening of a new chapter to restore past Glory.

If you join the Gale Empire, everyone will shed blood for the rise of the Centaurs, rather than die namelessly on this unknown withered grassland.

Cease resistance, join in the struggle for the future of the Centaurs!!"

Conquering hearts, this was the true conquest of hearts.

The enticing words delivered a final blow to the centaurs below.

No centaur wanted to resist anymore...

It must be said that Lide's speech had a great appeal to the centaurs.

First of all, he was a powerful figure, a killer of the Centaur God—a genuine deity. Power was the only currency in this world.

Therefore, the merit of his words was unquestionable.

Next came the fact that their Centaur God had fallen in battle. Without their pillar of support, the centaurs, like dead dogs, could no longer sense the presence of their deity whose soul was sealed by the Power of Faith.

Regardless of whether the Centaur God's body was possessed by the Ancient Evil God, it now hung above in the sky.

Lastly, the example laid before them by the Dawn Centaur Army, with their armored vests and weapons in hand, was irresistibly tempting for any centaur.

Moreover, King Guido Blackwind of the Gale Empire had been proclaimed by the centaurs as a savior-like figure.

This indicated that if they pledged allegiance to the enemy, they too would receive favorable treatment.

With all these reasons combined, they seemed to find few justifications to continue resisting, especially since the Centaur God was long dead, and Lide, whom they saw as an enemy, was there to avenge the Centaur God and vowed to protect them—this notion left them defenseless.

Finally, at Lide's indication, Guido Blackwind was taken up into the sky by Kapp, and the words spoken by this Centaur King brought the war to its ultimate close.

"My fellow clansmen, I am the founder of the Gale Empire, your king—Guido Blackwind, blessed with the great Divine Bloodline of the Centaur God."

Most centaurs did not really care much for Lide, the Dawn Sovereign, after all, they had their own Racial Gods to worship.

But for this king who vowed to rebuild the Centaur Empire and restore its Glory, the centaurs held great affection.

After all, he had truly repelled the Ancient Monsters from Mount Short Hills, a deed not easily forgotten.

"You might have been puzzled as to why I, bearer of the Divine Bloodline, would forsake the great Centaur God and turn to the Dawn Sect...

Because all of this was the late God's arrangement."

Guido's words instantly caused an uproar amongst the centaurs.

The late God's arrangement?!!

The believers couldn't help looking puzzled. Had their God truly perished?

"Do you remember our legacy? Every centaur that awakens the Gale Bloodline is a blessed Child of Destiny by the Centaur God.

I am no exception!!

Years ago, it was under the deity's blessing that I awoke the Gale Bloodline.

The God left me with words I would remember for the rest of my life—that he was on the verge of perishing due to the Ancient Evil God's corruption, and if the centaurs wished to survive the forthcoming cataclysm, they had to seek sanctuary with his ally—the Dawn Sovereign.

After hearing this, unable to bear the thought of our great deity consumed by the Ancient Evil God or our proud race becoming extinct, I established the Gale Empire to seek salvation.

At that time, through the guidance the deity left us, after countless prayers and sacrifices, I managed to establish contact with the grand Dawn Sovereign.

You all know what happened next. While the Ancient Evil God cowered within Gale City, under the radiance of the Dawn Sovereign, I led our armies to repel the Ancient Monsters and reclaimed control of Mount Short Hills!

My people, all of this was orchestrated by the eternal will of our Centaur God!

Establishing the Gale Empire was his last wish!

Could you bear to watch your comrades, loved ones, and offspring consumed by Ancient Monsters, to be slain by the disastrous world?!

Could you bear to witness the centaurs disappear from this world?

Join the Gale Empire, I swear with my soul to you, I will dedicate everything in this life to the rise of the centaurs."

Clang~

After Guido's words, it was unclear which centaur first dropped their weapon, but then followed a cacophony of clattering, as the entire army of over 1.8 million centaurs laid down their arms and surrendered.

Guido Blackwind's words were full of persuasion, and not a single centaur could refuse.

Only a few fanatical believers were still praying manically and roaring, refusing to accept that the deity they worshipped had long passed away.

But in the grand scheme of things, those few voices were incapable of stirring any ripples.

And with that, the war ended.

The speed of this conquest over the centaurs caught Lide somewhat off guard.

Damn, I had steeled myself for an all-nighter, and before I could even take off my thermal pants, you tell me it's all over...

But the end of the war was always a good thing. Not only did it prevent a large number of casualties, but Lide also directly gained control of over 1.8 million centaur warriors.

These captives, along with the original 1.2 million centaurs of the Gale Empire, increased the total number of centaurs under his command to over 3 million.

3 million!! These were centaurs, a race known for their formidable combat prowess!!

Just give these warriors enough equipment, and they could be transformed into a formidable fighting force instantaneously.

After the war came the time to manage the spoils of victory.

Originally, Lide had planned to make the centaurs a thorn in the side of Mount Short Hills, while also conveniently mining the area's resources.

But having carried the stone coffin from the Sealed Land and learning that a significant number of Ancient Evil Gods still remained there, he reconsidered.

With the underworld now completely under his control, the expansive lands could accommodate a large population, and it would be better for the centaurs to farm there than to stay in the battlegrounds of Mount Short Hills.

And with the Space Gate, transferring troops was convenient...

In his view, the hill dwarves had value apart from Gale City, and only some meager veins remained; there was nothing else worth taking.

Why then continue to occupy this land?

Looking down at the scene of surrender below, Lide made his decision.

He decided to leave a portion of the centaurs to guard Gale City and send everyone else back to Dawn City.

Upon reflecting, he felt somewhat moved.

Four or five years ago, he had been extremely covetous of the hill dwarves, working painstakingly to win over the Iron Hoof Tribe to open up the market for this territory.

But in just a few short years, everything had undergone tremendous changes.

The land he had once coveted had become nothing but chicken ribs to him, tasteless to eat but wasteful to discard.

On November 20th, after incorporating the surrendering centaur army, the Dawn Army began transporting the centaur forces back to Dawn City.

The City Hall had been prepared early, directly transferring the centaurs underground through the Land of Bone-Burying, and a portion of them were moved to the Gravel Plane of the abyss to aid in its development.

These warriors were put to the best use, with no resources wasted.

At this time, Lide led his troops into the most central city of the hill dwarves—Gale City.

This only main city of the centaurs meant a great deal to them.

It was only by taking this city that he could declare his conquest of the hill dwarves complete.

However, when Lide set foot in this far-famed city, he felt deeply disappointed.

Because the centaurs had been blockaded by humans for too long, the entire city, though spacious, lacked anything of value, filled with a sense of backwardness and primitiveness.

Lide even doubted whether the centaurs had considered living facilities at all when they built the city, perhaps solely focusing on constructing walls for defense.

Messy streets, houses built haphazardly everywhere, sewage drains reeking horribly, ditches full of feces... It was even worse than the slums of Green City.

How could the centaurs have tolerated such an environment?

What rendered him speechless was that the treasure vault of the centaurs contained only a few hundred thousand Gold Pucks, with the rest being miscellaneous foodstuffs; they were so poor that Lide found it pitiable.

After listening to the reports from the personnel below, Lide concluded that Gale City was worthless.

Except for the ten-blade-high walls that could fend off enemies, the city had no industrial facilities, no living facilities—nothing he desired.

Lide decisively recognized this situation; with no value, it was best abandoned entirely.

Then he left without a trace of sentimentality, leading the centaur army away from the city he had just occupied.

Of course, before leaving, he instructed his troops to take everything they could, not sparing a single grain of the food.

On November 26th,

With Frost Month coming to an end, the weather turned even colder.

In nearly a week's time, all 3 million centaurs were transported back to Dawn City.

And thus, the land of the hill dwarves was completely abandoned by Lide, even with many of its minable veins left untouched.

With mining in the abyss and the Underworld progressing, these two mineral-rich areas could easily compensate for the loss of terrestrial veins, and further development might yield even greater production.

There was no need to waste effort on the hill dwarves.

At this moment, no one expected that this land, occupied by the centaurs for over a hundred thousand years, would experience its first day without them.

On November 27th.

In the City Hall office, Lide sat behind his desk, looking at the files in his hands with a bizarre expression before closing them.

These were the City Hall's summaries of resources seized from the hill dwarves.

Yet there was nothing in them worthy of his extended attention.

"The hill dwarves ultimately yielded assets worth no more than 200,000 Gold Pucks?"

"The food barely suffices for 500,000 people for a year..."

"These guys are really that broke."

He shook his head with a wry smile.

"But thankfully, the real gains are a population of 3 million, plus a living divine, the Centaur God, and a legendary-level centaur."

"Considering that, the harvest can be deemed barely acceptable."

After some contemplation, Lide had to admit that the centaurs were truly destitute, valuable only in themselves and without a penny to their name.

Fortunately, the Centaur God was a consolation for him, not leaving him empty-handed.

"But what can be done with a living divine? That's indeed a problem..."

Lide stroked his chin, lost in thought.

He had declared the Centaur God dead when he subdued the centaurs, so now he could only seal the divine's soul with the Power of Faith,

otherwise, if he were to be unsealed, those believers who still worshiped the Centaur God would immediately sense his presence.

Then all his efforts would have been in vain.

"I wonder if this Centaur God can be subjugated?"

"Having a bona fide divine as an underling doesn't seem too bad..."