Esper Harem in the Apocalypse

Chapter 1165: Into the Vampire World

Deep within the OrionHeart Kingdom of the Vampire World, the atmosphere inside the grand royal palace was tense but orderly.

King Virgil sat upon his throne, flanked by his royal Vesiers and high-ranking aristocrats. Prince Victus, the strongest champion of the realm, stood at the base of the dais, discussing political boundaries and military readiness.

Suddenly, the entire assembly abruptly ground to a halt.

The blood-red sky directly above the capital it violently fractured. Without waiting for a full moon or a specific stellar alignment, a massive, jagged rift tore through the fabric of space.

Crimson spatial lightning arced across the clouds, and a thunderous shockwave rippled through the capital, shattering every reinforced stained-glass window in the royal palace.

The ceiling of the grand throne room parted like paper as a column of pure, blinding golden light descended from the spatial tear.

Rudy stepped casually out of the rift, floating down through the ruined roof with his hands buried in his trouser pockets. He landed flawlessly in the exact center of the throne room, his tailored black suit immaculate despite the sheer destruction of his entrance.

The commotion was instantaneous.

“Intruder!” a royal Vesier shrieked, baring his fangs.

Dozens of elite royal guards drew their enchanted silver blades, forming a defensive wall around King Virgil. Prince Victus let out a ferocious roar, his massive chest puffing out as he gripped his heavy broadsword.

“A reckless human dares to breach the royal sanctum?!” Victus sneered, his eyes flaring crimson with bloodlust. “You will pay for this insolence with your blood! Guards, drag this insect to the arena so I can tear him apart myself!”

Rudy didn’t flinch. He didn’t even draw a weapon. He simply stood there, looking up at the grand throne, completely bored by the aggressive display.

“You talk entirely too much,” Rudy murmured.

Before Victus or a single guard could take a step forward, Rudy unleashed a mere fraction of his fully awakened Overlord aura.

It wasn’t just physical gravity or simple magical pressure. It was the absolute, conceptual weight of the supreme Ruler of the Universe. The air in the throne room turned entirely stagnant, and a suffocating, instinctual terror gripped the soul of every vampire present.

The effect was instantaneous and absolute.

The elite royal guards slammed face-first into the obsidian floor, their armor buckling under the invisible weight. Prince Victus’s eyes widened in profound horror as his knees violently buckled, forcing him to drop his broadsword and grovel in the dust, entirely paralyzed.

The haughty aristocrats and Vesiers collapsed where they stood, gasping for air as their predatory instincts screamed at them to submit to the apex predator standing before them.

King Virgil gripped the armrests of his throne, his ancient, powerful body trembling. As a Monarch bound by the ancient laws of the cosmos, he immediately recognized this terrifying energy. It was the aura of the Lord.

Rudy casually suppressed his aura just enough to let the old king speak, walking up the stone steps of the dais with measured, calm strides. He stopped a few feet from the throne and gave Virgil a polite, respectful nod.

“Greetings, King Virgil,” Rudy spoke, his voice smoothly cutting through the absolute silence of the room. “I apologize for the mess on your ceiling. I am Rudy, the Overlord.”

Virgil swallowed hard, forcing his trembling hands to relax. He looked down at the incredibly powerful entity who had just brought his entire kingdom to its knees with a single thought.

“The… the Overlord,” Virgil breathed, his voice rich with profound reverence. “Mother spoke about you when she returned from her trip to the human world.. She told me that the legends did not do your majesty justice. Why has the Supreme Ruler of the cosmos graced my humble kingdom? If you seek my granddaughters, Rias and Jane… they are currently away on a sacred, life-changing trial.”

“I am well aware,” Rudy replied calmly, keeping his hands in his pockets.

He didn’t ask Virgil for the coordinates of their mission, nor did he intend to seek them out. He remembered Nyxia’s explicit warning perfectly.

‘Do not interfere with their trial.’ Their current mission was crucial for their growth in this worldline, and Rudy was not going to mess up their destiny.

“I have no intention of disrupting their trial,” Rudy explained smoothly, looking back down at the groveling court. “I am simply here to wait for my future wives to return. But while I am waiting, I figured I would handle some personal business and do a little preemptive housecleaning in your realm.”

Virgil blinked in surprise, but a wave of immense relief washed over him. The Overlord wasn’t here to destroy them, but to claim his brides and protect the lineage.

The suffocating, god-tier pressure in the throne room slowly receded, pulled back into Rudy’s core with flawless control. The royal court of the OrionHeart Kingdom collectively gasped for air, their immortal lungs burning as they slowly picked themselves up from the obsidian floor.

King Virgil remained on his throne, though the tension in his broad shoulders noticeably vanished. He looked at the Overlord with a mixture of profound awe and deep, ancestral relief.

“If you are merely waiting for their return, my Lord,” Virgil spoke, his voice carrying the utmost respect, “then the OrionHeart Kingdom is entirely at your disposal. Shall I have the servants prepare the Grand Royal Suite? Or perhaps a royal escort to show you the grounds?”

“That won’t be necessary, Virgil,” Rudy replied casually, sliding his hands back into his pockets. “I already know my way around this castle better than most of your architects. I am just going to take a stroll and stretch my legs. Don’t let me interrupt your council meeting.”

Without waiting for a dismissal or permission, Rudy turned his back on the most powerful vampires in the realm and casually walked out of the ruined throne room.

Prince Victus remained on his hands and knees, shivering uncontrollably. He didn’t even dare to look up until the sound of Rudy’s footsteps had completely faded down the corridor.