My Three Beautiful Vampire Wives can hear my Inner Thoughts-Chapter 165: Terror of Blood Tentacles 1/2

The Emperor’s demand still lingered in the air, heavy and commanding, when the world beneath him began to respond in a way that no one present could have ever imagined, not even in their worst fears or deepest nightmares.

At first, it was nothing more than a tremor.

A quiet, almost harmless vibration beneath the ruined ground, like the distant echo of something moving far below where no eye could reach and no hand could touch. The kind of movement that could easily be ignored in any other situation, dismissed as the natural settling of broken earth after a violent clash.

But this was not natural.

The tremor deepened.

It spread.

The cracks that already lined the battlefield began to widen, not with a violent burst, but with a slow and dreadful inevitability, as if something beneath the surface was stretching, waking, pressing outward with a will that refused to remain buried any longer.

Then the ground gave way.

Not in a single place.

Not in a single direction.

Everywhere.

Dark shapes burst forth, tearing through stone and soil with a force that sent fragments flying into the air. What emerged was not something that could be easily described or understood, because it did not resemble any creature that belonged to the natural world.

They were long.

Massive.

Alive.

Thick, black tendrils that glistened under the dim light, their surfaces slick as if coated in something wet and breathing. They twisted and coiled as they rose, each movement filled with an unsettling awareness, as if they were not blind appendages but living extensions of a mind that watched everything at once.

One came.

Then ten.

Then dozens.

They did not stop.

They surged upward in waves, filling the space beneath the Emperor with a forest of writhing darkness that moved with terrifying speed.

The Emperor’s body vanished in an instant.

Space itself folded as he escaped, reappearing high above where the first strike had been aimed. His robes fluttered, his expression tightening as his eyes locked onto the unnatural sight below.

"What kind of abomination is this...?"

His voice, though still steady, carried a trace of something new, something that had not been present before.

Before he could gather his thoughts, another tendril shot upward.

It did not move like a simple attack.

It curved.

Adjusted.

Tracked.

As if it knew where he would be.

The Emperor disappeared again, his figure flickering across the battlefield as he used his teleportation again and again, each movement precise, each reappearance calculated to avoid the relentless assault.

But the tendrils did not falter.

They followed.

No matter where he appeared, they were already there, rising from beneath him, from the sides, from angles that should not have been possible unless the ground itself had become their domain.

One passed so close to his side that he could feel the wind it created slice against his skin.

Another came from above, forcing him to vanish once more before it could close around him.

The air trembled with each strike.

The sky answered with flashes of lightning.

The storm above churned violently, reacting to the clash of forces below.

The Emperor’s breathing grew heavier, not from exhaustion, but from the sheer intensity of the moment, from the realization that whatever this was, it was not something he could dismiss or overpower with ease.

Below, the Moonshade family could only watch.

Their bodies were still weighed down by the lingering pressure, but their minds were fully awake, their eyes wide as they took in the scene unfolding before them.

"...This... isn’t normal," one of the younger vampires whispered, his voice barely steady.

Zenaya’s gaze remained fixed on the sky, her lips parting slowly as understanding began to form, though it refused to fully settle.

"...Those things... they’re not attacking us."

Ancestor Ghurn forced his old body to lift just enough to see more clearly, his expression filled with disbelief.

"They are targeting only him..."

Elder Rivik’s jaw tightened as his eyes followed the Emperor’s movements.

"...Whoever is controlling that... is not on their side."

The thought spread among them, quiet but powerful.

Someone was here.

Someone hidden.

Someone strong enough to force even an Emperor into constant retreat.

And yet—

That same someone had not touched a single member of their family.

Above, the Emperor raised his hand.

Mana surged around him, gathering with terrifying speed into a brilliant sphere that pulsed with dense, overwhelming power. The air bent under its weight, the space around it distorting as if it could barely contain what had been formed.

"Enough of this nonsense!"

His voice rang out, filled with authority and rising anger.

The sphere shot downward.

It grew as it fell, expanding into a massive force that carried enough destructive power to wipe out everything below.

The Moonshade family felt it.

Even in their weakened state, they knew what it meant.

If it reached them—

They would be erased.

But before it could descend fully—

The ground answered again.

The tendrils surged upward as one.

They did not hesitate.

They met the attack head-on.

The collision tore through the air with a deafening roar, light clashing against darkness in a violent explosion that sent shockwaves across the battlefield.

And yet—

When the dust began to settle, when the light faded and the smoke thinned—

The sphere was gone.

Completely.

Erased.

The tendrils remained, writhing as if untouched, as if the attack had meant nothing at all.

The Emperor stared.

"...No..."

He raised his hand again, faster this time, forming another spell, then another, each one stronger than the last, each one unleashed with precision and force.

And each time—

The result did not change.

They were blocked.

Devoured.

Destroyed before they could reach their target.

His power, the power that had crushed countless enemies, that had established him as one of the strongest beings in the human realm—

Was useless.

Below, disbelief spread through the Moonshade family like wildfire.

"...Even that... didn’t work..."

"...He’s an Emperor..."

"...Then what is this..."

Zenaya’s voice softened, almost to herself.

"...Who is protecting us..."

At that moment—

Faith’s body tensed.

Her breath caught.

A voice.

Not outside.

Inside.

Clear.

Familiar.

"...My plan failed..."

Her eyes widened.

Ivira’s expression hardened.

Cornelia’s calm began to crack.

"...So I’ll just vent my anger..."

The voice continued, filled with something dark and almost playful.

"...on you..."

Faith’s fingers curled tightly.

"...you stupid human insect."

They did not need to look.

They already knew.

Their gaze moved toward Cain.

He still stood behind them.

Still looked strained.

Still appeared weak.

But his thoughts—

Were anything but.

Above, the Emperor moved again, barely avoiding another strike.

"...Run faster," Cain’s voice echoed in their minds, amused.

"...Come on... entertain me."

Another attack.

Another failure.

The Emperor’s frustration grew.

"...This is fun..."

Cain’s thoughts grew brighter, almost excited.

"...I didn’t expect this to be this fun."

The Emperor reappeared again—

And this time—

A tendril caught him.

It struck his side with brutal force, sending him crashing through the storm above before he regained control, his body stabilizing with effort.

He wiped the blood from his mouth, his eyes burning with anger and disbelief.

"Whoever you are..."

His voice carried power.

"Stop hiding!"

Below—

The tendrils stilled.

Slowly.

As if responding to something.

Then they parted.

A path formed.

And Cain—

Stepped forward.

His movements were unhurried, calm in a way that did not match the chaos surrounding him. The pressure that crushed others did not touch him. The storm above did not concern him. The destruction around him did not slow him.

He walked past Faith.

Past Ivira.

Past Cornelia.

Each step steady, each step carrying a weight that none of them could ignore anymore.

The three sisters watched him in silence, their hearts racing as everything they had just heard settled deeply within them.

They understood now.

They knew.

Cain’s thoughts echoed one last time, clear and filled with quiet satisfaction.

"...Alright..."

His lips curved into a faint smile.

"...time to end this human dog."