Activate Skill: Darkest Hour

"Little Shuraik, long time no see."

Voldemort took over the body in an instant, simultaneously looking toward the vampire who had come to greet him.

Besides the Little Shuraik he knew, there was also an unfamiliar figure.

Voldemort curiously gazed at that figure's ears:

The ear conch tilted forward, with the whole ear cupping forward.

"This blood kin from the Monte Cristo Faction, I wonder how I should address you."

Voldemort inquired, curiosity stirring in his heart.

According to the information he had obtained from Voldemort's Remnant Soul, vampires were divided into three factions:

Those with ear conches tilting backward and pointed at the top belonged to the Nosferatu Faction—they were the most ancient blood kin, powerful and evil.

Those with ear conches tilting forward and large and round belonged to the Dracula Faction—they had once followed the Nosferatu Faction in war against Muggles and wizards.

Those with ear conches tilting forward and cupping forward belonged to the Monte Cristo Faction, also known as the Modern Faction—they lived in the Muggle world.

Among the three factions, the Dracula were the mainstream, interacting frequently with the other two.

Meanwhile, the Nosferatu Faction and the Monte Cristo Faction looked down on each other.

The former believed the latter had lost the glory of the blood kin, lost in the Muggle world.

The latter believed the former were stuck in the past, destined to be abandoned by the world.

But now...

"His name is Blood Ni."

Little Shuraik introduced with a smile, "He happens to be here traveling. As one of our most honored guests, it's only right that he came out to welcome you."

Voldemort smiled and nodded, his face showing no trace of displeasure as he said, "I thought this was supposed to be a secret meeting."

Smiling, he stepped up the mountain, with no intention of waiting for the two to guide him.

Little Shuraik twisted his body awkwardly, while Blood Ni looked utterly bewildered—he clearly didn't understand the exchange between Voldemort and Count Nosferatu.

"My father asked me to send his regards. He has matters outside and can't make it back."

Little Shuraik hurried a few steps to catch up with the briskly striding Voldemort and said.

Great Shuraik, the son of Count Nosferatu and Voldemort's closest friend in the vampire camp, had chosen to avoid him.

"He is gradually losing the friendship between him and me. You can convey my words directly, without any concealment, and tell him: when I was in trouble, he chose to stand by and do nothing—that was not the right choice."

Voldemort's voice was low and commanding. Quirrell, hiding deep in his mind, trembled with excitement:

Look, look, look.

This is the master I worship, the lord I revere.

He stepped onto the towering Mount Auricino as if inspecting his own territory, and in front of a son, he mercilessly criticized his father, the crown prince of the Primal Bloodline—

And that son dared not refute him at all.

"Are you really Voldemort?"

"I mean... you don't look like it..."

Blood Ni, following behind, seemed unwilling to see his friend humiliated, which made his words sound somewhat thoughtless.

Even...

As if deliberately provoking.

Voldemort's steps halted, his gaze flicking to the gray text in the lower left corner.

He hesitated, waiting...

"I mean no offense, but our Monte Cristo Faction has many friends in the Wizarding World. From the information we got there, you've been confirmed dead. And now, you look a bit off in age, and besides..."

The rambling words didn't stop because Voldemort had paused.

Even...

A unique vampire arrogance spread across Blood Ni's face.

So...

Count Nosferatu wasn't willing to help him easily, at least not before seeing his strength.

Then, what choice should he make?

Pros and cons flashed through his mind one by one, and he already had an answer.

"Darkest Hour."

Voldemort murmured softly, causing Blood Ni to stop speaking.

Both vampires looked at Voldemort's back in confusion, then saw that back seem to shiver slightly.

Then...

A dark, shadowy light slowly rose from that silhouette.

"Oh... master... oh... my master..."

Quirrell's soul trembled within his own body.

Voldemort's soul, meanwhile, was immersed in endless darkness.

Ten years of struggle, ten years of pain, ten years of scraping by...

In the darkness, he revived.

When he opened his eyes again, his pupils were filled with pitch black.

"Shua."

Voldemort turned his head, gazing at the two vampires.

"Gulp."

Stared at by those black eyes, they couldn't help but swallow their saliva in unison.

"Death..."

"That tastes like hot cheese..."

Voldemort murmured, slowly drawing his wand, carefully lifting it up, and then...

"Avada~~ Kedavra~~~"

Amid the fearful and adoring wails of Quirrell's soul, Voldemort unleashed his terrifying Dark Magic.

For a moment, the Alder wand echoed with the cry of a unicorn, but the green curse did not halt because of its lament.

The Unicorn tail hair, which refused to use Dark Magic, painfully accepted everything in that instant.

And that green light, as Blood Ni watched in terror, shot straight toward his forehead.

In that moment, the fearful murmurs of countless wizards arose:

Voldemort is the most terrifying Dark Wizard...

Never provoke the Dark Lord, trust me, never...

He was born for Dark Magic, or rather, Dark Magic was born for him...

"Dodge, Blood Ni, dodge..."

Little Shuraik shouted in terror, never expecting Voldemort to do this.

This was Mount Auricino, the sacred Mount Auricino of the blood clan.

The mad Voldemort, the mad Killing Curse, the mad...

Blood Ni.

Little Shuraik's cries awakened the dazed Blood Ni, but facing the speeding Killing Curse, he had no idea how to evade.

Murder seemed imminent.

"Slap."

A bat flew in sideways, blocking the Avada Kedavra curse, saving Blood Ni's life with its own.

"Dark Lord, are you going to go on a killing spree here?"

An icy voice accompanied a gaunt figure.

It was Count Nosferatu. His arrival let the suffocating Little Shuraik breathe a long sigh of relief, and snapped the dazed Blood Ni back from his shock.

"Have you gone mad? Just because of one word from me, you—"

"Avada Kedavra."

Without any expression or hesitation, Voldemort waved his wand again.

"Stop, Dark Lord."

Count Nosferatu's voice was filled with fear. He swiftly transformed into a giant bat and dragged Blood Ni away—if he had been half a second slower, he would have dragged away only a corpse.

But that didn't make Voldemort stop.

The darkest night had fallen, the feast had begun.

One bat's life was hardly a feast.

"Shua."

He passed his wand to his left hand, his right hand quickly pulling a revolver from his waist and raising it to his chest.

"Obstacle Charm~~"

A wide-area spell shot out, slowing Count Nosferatu's figure.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang..."

A full clip of silver bullets, laced with Holy Water, poured forth.

"Ahhh~~"

Blood Ni's scream rang out. The giant bat reverted to human form within the magic, tearing through the spell with his bare hands, dragging Blood Ni as he fled once more.

"Clatter, clatter..."

Bullet casings tilted and fell to the ground. Voldemort kept an eye on the movements of several enemies while flicking his wand to reload from a distance.

"One old Vampire, plus two young ones."

"The young ones don't matter. It's the old Vampire—even at my peak... I'd have no chance. But now..."

"The Alder wand is wailing. The Unicorn tail hair is already heading toward 'death.' I don't have much time left."

"The magical power in Quirrell's body isn't as abundant as I imagined..."

"Then, there's no choice but this."

Countless thoughts surged forth almost in an instant.

Yet this didn't affect Voldemort's movements. Soon, the bullets were reloaded.

"Darkest Hour..."

"Empower Legilimency..."

With Voldemort's decision, his mind instantly extended outward, enveloping a radius of a hundred meters.