Zeke eyed the Third-Eye Clan member who had revealed their true identity.
'A survivor from the fallen Shambhala?'
The figure from the Third-Eye Clan, with red hair and pale skin, had an androgynous appearance that made it hard to tell if they were male or female. Strange tattoos marked their cheeks and body in various places.
At that moment, the blood eye embedded in their forehead glowed.
『The master of Shambhala commands you. Kneel.』
The orks and arachne shuddered under the red light pouring from the blood eye, bowing their heads and dropping to their knees.
It wasn't language but the will itself, manifested through the power of the blood eye, so even the orks and arachne, who spoke different tongues, obeyed the command of the Third-Eye Clan member.
The orks, with their unbreakable wills, and the arachne, with their strong pride, had ceased fighting and knelt at a single command from the Third-Eye Clan.
Zeke was surprised by the power of the Third-Eye Clan but focused on the fact that they still survived.
'I thought the blood king Caligula fled from the godslayer, Shambhala fell, and the clan was wiped out. There must have been survivors who escaped Shambhala back then.'
The Third-Eye Clan member, having calmed the orks and arachne, looked down at them with cold eyes before turning and entering the stone building at the center of the camp.
The dark mages of Narak shouted at the sight.
"There will be another firefight soon! This time, we'll definitely push into the forest, so prepare thoroughly!"
The orks and arachne, relieved once the Third-Eye Clan member had gone, scowled and returned to their own camps.
Zeke watched the situation from hiding, his gaze fixed on the stone building the ThirdEye Clan member had entered.
'There was something in there.'
Dealing with the energy supply station was urgent, but the Third-Eye Clan allied with Narak also demanded attention.
The power of the blood king absorbed into Zeke's body had been trying to open its eyes ever since it sensed the blood eye of the Third-Eye Clan member.
He suppressed the blood king's power, calmed himself, and headed toward the stone building where the Third-Eye Clan member and dark mages had gone.
*
'Pathetic lowborn races.'
Having quelled the fight between the orks and arachne with the power of the blood eye, he couldn't believe he was among such inferior beings.
Shaking his head in disgust at the situation, he opened the door and entered.
Someone immediately knelt before him.
"Lord Titus."
The one called Titus looked down at the figure kneeling at his feet.
They shared a similar appearance, but this one lacked a blood eye on their forehead.
"Yulina, rise."
Even at Titus's words, Yulina remained kneeling without standing.
Titus spoke in an irritated tone.
"Do I have to command you with the blood eye for you to listen?" At that, Yulina hesitantly rose.
"I'm sorry, Lord Titus. It's just so overwhelming to share the same space with one of noble sacred blood..."
Titus was a true descendant of the Third-Eye Clan who had awakened the blood eye, qualified to become the master of Shambhala.
In contrast, Yulina, though of Third-Eye Clan blood, had failed to awaken the blood eye and thus held a low rank in the blood-rank caste system, making it impossible for her not to feel intimidated around Titus.
Titus clicked his tongue as he looked at Yulina.
"We have no choice in Tantra, but you and I are twins. There's no need to act like that even outside. Be natural."
Despite Titus's words, Yulina maintained her awestruck expression and stood silently by his side.
Having lived so long in Tantra's rigid caste society, it seemed difficult for her to revert to a natural sibling dynamic even after leaving.
Titus shook his head helplessly at Yulina's deference and spoke.
"It seems the one Narak mentioned, who possesses traces of the blood king, has appeared on this land."
Yulina lifted her head at Titus's words.
"Is that true?"
Tantra, the secret kingdom hidden deep beyond the Everwinter Mountain Range in the Eastern Continent, was the place where the surviving Third-Eye Clan had continued Shambhala's legacy.
They avoided contact with the outside world to an extreme degree and rarely ventured beyond the kingdom's borders.
It was Narak who had approached Tantra with one piece of information.
That the king of the long-lost Third-Eye Clan had reappeared—the one bearing the power of the blood king Caligula.
The ultimate goal of the Third-Eye Clan hidden in Tantra was to reclaim the power of the blood king Caligula and restore the glorious Shambhala to this land.
Upon receiving Narak's information, Tantra's elders selected heirs from each family and sent them to the Central Continent, deciding to bestow the title of king upon whoever recovered the blood king's power.
Titus was one of those selected heirs.
The other heirs had scattered across the continent to seek out the ancient vassal races of Shambhala and build their strength first.
The white-face clan, beastman clan, and nightmare demon clan.
These three races could not defy the commands of the Third-Eye Clan, so they planned to use them to locate and seize the power of the blood king.
Judging that competing with them for vassal races would be difficult without his own forces, Titus had allied with Narak and positioned himself at the front lines to find the bearer of the blood king's power directly.
Titus clenched his fist as he thought of the other heirs.
'I needed to find and reclaim the blood king's power quickly. If they used the oath of subordination to command the vassal races, I would only become more disadvantaged without my own forces.'
The reason Titus allied with Narak was to use their low-rank races like orks and arachne to recover the blood king's power.
Though inferior in stature to vassal races like the beastman clan, nightmare demon clan, or white-face clan, Titus had no position to be choosy.
Finishing his thoughts, Titus looked at Yulina and said,
"Narak says a full assault is coming soon. I'll lead the legion into the forest and capture this Zeke Draker. You stay here."
Yulina was startled by his words. "I-I can't do that! I'll go with you!" Titus scowled at her.
"Don't misunderstand! Yulina, I brought you as a spare life in case of the unexpected!
No more nonsense—stay here obediently!"
Yulina had no choice but to lower her head at Titus's words.
In truth, the reason Titus brought Yulina was to transfer his blood eye to her, his younger twin sister, if he died here.
Awakening the blood eye through atavism was rare among the modern Third-Eye Clan.
Especially those with pure enough blood eyes to qualify as Shambhala heirs were even rarer.
Moreover, if Titus died here and the family lost its sacred blood bearer, they would forfeit all the privileges they had enjoyed.
But transferring his blood eye to Yulina would downgrade it to true blood, losing heir qualification but preserving their benefits.
Knowing Yulina would refuse, Titus had kept it secret and brought her along.
Just then, a knock came from outside.
"Lord Titus. The apostle wishes to discuss matters regarding the firefight." Titus rose from his seat.
"Understood. I'll head to the office shortly."
He glanced at Yulina.
"I'll meet the apostle and return, so don't go anywhere—stay here quietly. I won't be long."
Yulina knelt again and bowed to Titus.
Titus left the room with an annoyed expression.
'...Damn blood-rank caste system.'
Even as twins, the caste difference prevented Titus and Yulina from being equals.
Titus, who cared for Yulina as his sister, vowed that if he became king of Shambhala, he would abolish such outdated castes.
Grinding his teeth and suppressing his emotions, he entered the office where the apostle waited.
"I heard there's a discussion about the firefight..."
As he opened the door and spoke, Titus froze at the sight of the man seated there.
At the man's feet lay the apostle and other dark mages, their throats slit.
The man sat in the apostle's chair, casually reviewing documents as if it were his own office.
He appeared to be a young man in his early twenties.
Still reading, he said to Titus,
"Close the door and sit over here."
The Third-Eye Clan was said to possess the most wondrous power among all races on earth.
Born with that great strength, Titus had always lorded over other races.
But now, it was the opposite.
He couldn't refuse the young man's words.
With trembling hands, he closed the door and slowly walked to the chair opposite the young man.
The floor was slick with the blood from the slit-throated apostle.
Only then did the young man look up from the documents and speak.
"I heard you've been looking for me."