Rohan took a deep breath before he exhaled slowly.
"Finally, some progress after three days."
He then shifted his focus to his followers inside the underground hall, only to find that the battle there had already concluded.
His gaze soon returned to Goretzka's corpse. Just as he was about to leave, something caught his eye. A black ring resting on one of Goretzka's fingers. Rohan paused briefly before reaching down and taking it.
As soon as he touched the ring, he understood its purpose.
"A magical item that allows its user to cast spells without incantations..."
"It means Goretzka was still an Azure Mage, not a Cyan Mage."
With a quiet sigh, Rohan took the ring. Then gripped the corpse and dragged it out of the crater toward the building.
He reached the door and kicked it open, then continued downstairs, the body scraping along behind him.
The moment he entered the hall, he saw that many of the vampires were back on their feet, having recovered from the poison. He also noticed Luciana, Edmund, Augustus, and Arminius staring at him with expressions of surprise and confusion, especially Edmund.
"Why is he here?" Edmund murmured from afar.
Ignoring the gazes and murmurs around him, Rohan stepped forward and raised his voice. "The Storm God sent me, Rohan, to ensure this operation does not fail."
He let the words settle before continuing, his tone firm and unwavering. "The one responsible for this place, an influential hidden member of the Shadow Cult, Goretzka, has been slain by my hand."
Though his words were directed at Edmund, Rohan was equally intent on leaving a lasting impression on Luciana, Arminius, and the gathered vampires.
Ignoring the dumbfounded look on the bald dealer's face as he recognized the corpse Rohan had dragged in, Edmund turned to address the vampires, as well as Luciana and Arminius. "As agreed beforehand, all vampires within this hall shall swear their faith to the Storm God."
A brief hesitation rippled through the crowd before a few vampires began to swear their oaths in low voices, reluctantly complying as Rohan watched multiple notifications appear.
[Gallagher has followed you]
[Solmi has followed you]
[Keana has followed you]
[Verona has followed you]
The notifications kept coming for a while.
However, not all of them complied. Some vampires hesitated, while others murmured, "We never agreed to such a deal..."
Others added, "Yes... we are finally free. We do not want to be enslaved by any deity."
Several more nodded in agreement.
Luciana and Arminius were just about to reassure them. However, Rohan walked closer, finally dropping the corpse before looking at the vampires, giving each of them a serious look.
"The Storm God never enslaves."
His voice was calm, yet carried an unnatural weight, as if each word pressed against their minds.
"He does not bind chains. Instead, he offers purpose."
Rohan slowly swept his gaze across the hall.
"You speak of freedom… yet what is freedom without strength? What is freedom without protection?"
He raised a hand slightly, as if presenting an unseen truth.
"The Storm God does not take your will. He grants you power to keep it."
A faint pause followed before he continued.
"Those who follow Him are not slaves. They are chosen. Strengthened. Elevated."
"And those who refuse…" he said quietly, "remain as they are. Vulnerable. Directionless."
For a moment, the hall grew still. Until one of the vampires finally spoke. "Then why does your god seem so desperate to gain followers?"
Rohan looked at him. Ignoring the pain from his broken ribs, he spread both his hands as if embracing the sky.
"Love. That is why. The Storm God loves His creation. Not only humans, but also vampires, elves, dwarves, harpies, and werewolves."
"These creatures were created by the Storm God at the dawn of the world."
"Now, He has returned to love them all."
"However," he continued, his tone sharpening slightly, "He only loves those who follow. That is the only way it can be."
"He cannot give His love to those who reject Him, nor to those who harm His followers."
Rohan lowered his arms and let his gaze pass over them one by one.
"So ask yourselves," he said quietly, "do you wish to be loved… or ignored?"
For a moment, no one spoke. Augustus could only blink at him, caught between awe and confusion, as the silence stretched across the hall.
And then it broke. One by one, the vampires began to whisper their oaths.
At that moment, Rohan saw a surge of notifications appear once more.
New followers kept registering, one after another, until the stream finally slowed.
When it ended, the number settled.
A total of 90 followers.
That was the combined number of all his followers as of now. The vampires alone had added over 20 followers at once.
"LIES!"
A shrill, indignant scream echoed through the hall, drawing everyone's attention. The bald dealer lay on the floor, his limbs torn apart, yet his chin strained upward as if he still stood above everyone else.
"Utter nonsense!" he snapped, his voice trembling with both pain and arrogance. "Do you truly expect anyone of sound mind to believe such absurdities?"
He let out a strained breath, but his expression remained full of disdain. Despite his broken state, his eyes burned with pride.
"The true creator is the one and only Shadow God. That is an undeniable truth, not some… convenient fantasy you invented to mask your own inadequacy."
Rohan looked at him and slowly shook his head as he scoffed in his mind. 'Shadow God is the true creator? That sounds like bullshit to me.'
Edmund simply looked at the two of them with an expression that suggested he was staring at a pair of delusional cultists.
Arminius, on the other hand, let out a low chuckle.
"Honestly," he said, spreading his hands casually, "I'm not particularly invested in who created whom."
Luciana, however, did not share his indifference. As the bald dealer continued rambling about the Shadow God, she stepped forward, her expression twisting into pure disgust. Without a word, she brought her bare foot down on his head with all her strength.
She stomped again and again until he finally went still.
Once she was done, silence followed for a while.
Then, as the tension in the hall slowly eased, the group began to move. One by one, they turned their attention to the aftermath. First, nearly everyone agreed to loot anything valuable, such as magical items or money, from all the corpses, including the buyers.
Rohan did not care about the deaths of those buyers. In his view, no innocent person would involve themselves in slave trading, so he did not bother to think about who they were.
After they were done, they burned the entire place, including the corpses.
Up on the surface, Luciana stood in silence, her gaze fixed on the burning building that led to the underground hall. Around her, the other vampires looked about their surroundings, visibly exhilarated by their long-awaited freedom.
As the initial excitement settled, they began to divide themselves into smaller groups, each intending to return to their respective homelands. Rohan did not oppose the idea, though concern lingered in his mind. If they traveled separately, they might be captured again.
Sensing his unease, Luciana spoke up, assuring him that vampires moving in groups would not be easily overpowered.
The reason they had been captured in the first place was that they had been traveling alone.
But before they could leave, one of the vampires, an older man with weary eyes, stepped forward. He hesitated for a moment, as if unused to speaking freely, then bowed his head slightly toward Rohan.
"…We owe you our lives," he said, his voice rough but sincere.
Another added, "If the Storm God truly stands for what you say… then perhaps… this is not the end of our path with you."
Another vampire followed, placing a hand over her chest. "Not just our lives… our freedom."
A third let out a quiet breath. "We were prepared to die down there."
Murmurs of agreement spread through the crowd. One by one, they turned toward Rohan, Edmund, Augustus and Luciana, not as slaves, not as followers bound by fear, but as survivors acknowledging the one who had changed their fate.
Even those who had hesitated earlier lowered their gazes.
"Whatever lies ahead," one of them said, "we will not forget this."
Luciana watched silently, her expression softer than before.
Augustus, on the other hand, blinked several times. "So… they're looking at us like that because we did something amazing, right?" he asked, glancing at Edmund. "Just making sure. Sometimes people look at me like that and it's for… other reasons."
Arminius gave a faint, knowing smile toward Rohan. "Well, would you look at that," he said lightly. "You walk in, make a speech, and suddenly everyone's grateful and semi-devoted. Have you ever considered a career in persuasion?"
Ignoring Arminius, Rohan said nothing at first. He simply looked at them, committing their faces to memory. Then he gave a small nod.
"Live," he said. "That will be enough."
The vampires held his gaze for a moment longer, then began to turn away.
Once the groups departed, each taking only a small share of the spoils of war, Rohan was left with four vampires, including Luciana and Arminius, who chose to remain with him.
The other two vampires stayed for two reasons.
The first was simple. They had no family and no home to return to.
The second was Luciana.
Since she had chosen to follow Rohan, the others naturally followed. She had personally freed them and led them through the chaotic battle in the underground hall, her strength and resolve carving a path through the chaos.
With their decision made, the remaining group gathered behind Rohan and, without further delay, set off toward the unfinished Church.