The System Awakens: Rise of the Champion

In the territory of the [Circle of Ouroboros], the faction members Elfie Ayre Dathyra, Shiru, and Lucian Holloway stood at the gates, their eyes fixed on the system panel displaying the countdown to the war between their faction and the Noble Vampires.

There wasn't much time left.

[Remaining time until war begins: 00(D): 00(H): 10(M): 04(S)]

Others stood alongside them, none other than Maria and her seven sisters.

They had not yet joined the [Circle of Ouroboros] and had spent the past few days in the faction's territory for free.

But this is where their story comes to an end.

Whatever happens next is a matter for the faction.

Since they are not members, they will do nothing but watch and see what becomes of those who are.

Every Awakener in [Solarta] was paying their undivided attention to the upcoming war, even those who had long ascended past the First Tower Realm.

Many had returned just to witness what had everyone so focused.

Almost all of them were here because of a single Awakener, one who, despite being new to the First Tower Realm, had fought and won against every Power Ranker consecutively without a single loss.

This same Awakener had gone on to create a faction, declare war, single-handedly deal with a human faction, and then issue a one-week notice for war against one of the strongest factions and one of the most powerful races in [Solarta], the Vampires.

The Vampires weren't just prominent in the First Tower Realm but also in the higher tower realms.

They were one of the most powerful and well-known races inside the tower.

So when an Awakener, strong enough to be granted the title of "Infinity" by the system, emerged and declared war against the Vampires' faction, the story spread like wildfire.

With Damian issuing a one-week war notice, the news had ample time to reach even the higher tower realms.

Normally, this wouldn't have been much of a spectacle.

Everyone knew how powerful the Vampires were, and what could a single amateur Awakener possibly do against them except lose and be killed?

But not this time.

The main reason why the war attracted so much attention was because of Damian.

His Awakener title, Infinity, was more than enough to turn heads.

But if you also considered his potential and his achievement in securing first place in the power rankings, it was no simple feat.

He had certainly proven himself worthy of the attention of higher-realm beings.

Most of them were paying attention out of curiosity about this human.

Others were waiting to see what he had planned to survive the war.

After all, he was the one who started it in the first place.

He must have had some sort of strategy, right?

He had even gone as far as to set war conditions, give a one-week notice, and make everything public.

Many believed he had something up his sleeve.

However, there were some who were interested in something else entirely.

Damian himself.

Demons, Asuras, Yokai, angels, and even some gods had taken notice.

Even beings above the gods, the true powerhouses of the universe, were starting to turn their ears toward the seemingly insignificant First Tower Realm, curious about the mere human.

"The war is about to begin," Sir Holloway said with a sigh, looking at the woman.

"Why hasn't he returned? He said he'd be here before the war started," Shiru said nervously, biting her nails as she struggled to suppress her fear and panic.

But it wasn't working.

"Well, there are still eight minutes left… Don't think about the worst just yet," Maria commented.

"I'm more concerned about what he can do against so many vampires."

"Don't ask me why, but I have a very strong feeling that you guys are going to have a very different reaction when he finally arrives," Sir Holloway said, grinning.

"Anyway, good luck, Shiru. And you, elf. I hope you both survive this ordeal."

"Why are you wishing us luck? Aren't you also a member of our faction?" Shiru asked.

"Well, when I joined the faction, I made a contract with Damian. He ensured that I couldn't reveal or speak about anything I learned about him, nor could I betray him in any way."

"I, in turn, set my own conditions, which included not participating in his battles or involving myself in anything related to the faction or its members. That means I won't be taking part in this war, as I'm not officially involved."

"But don't worry. If you lose the war, I'll ask my master to make sure you're not tortured by the noble vampires of the Brenlith clan," the plebeian vampire researcher said, chuckling.

"Yeah, as if that was reassuring," Shiru rolled her eyes.

"Didn't you just say you had a very strong feeling that everything would go much differently than how we are reacting?"

"It's just a feeling, not a fact. You should always expect the worst if you want to survive. Never do things expecting they could go right because they won't. It is always going to go wrong unless, of course, you are powerful," Sir Holloway continued.

"One thing I learned from my master is that as long as you are powerful, you can get away with anything, and nobody can raise their heads against you."

"You know, I've heard you talk about your master so much, and I know she is a noble vampire," Elfie said.

"Wouldn't she interfere in this war?"

"Unlikely. Noble vampires are not as united as they seem, especially the Five Count Clans. Every term, the leadership of the faction within each tower realm changes."

"This time, it is in the hands of the Brenlith Clan, which is how Aeron Brenlith became the current leader of the faction. Until the term is completed, no other Count Clans will interfere with the faction's affairs."

"Although some noble clans and subordinate clans might send reinforcements, they won't interfere too much. There is also the fact that they are hated by the majority of the vampire community, so most wouldn't take any chances by helping them," Sir Holloway explained, rubbing his chin.

"What about these other noble clans and subordinate clans? Are they as strong as the Five Count Clans?" Maria asked.

She and the others had learned a great deal from this plebeian vampire, especially about the vampire society, given that they were the hot topic right now.

"Well, they are not on the same level if that is what you are asking," Sir Holloway continued.

"The Count Clans are also noble clans, but they are the strongest and most influential. They have a strong connection to the ancient progenitor of vampires, while the other noble clans don't share the same closeness in their bloodline to the progenitor."

"However, they are still just as pure-blooded as the Count Clans. The difference is that, compared to the Count Clans, they don't possess the same generational inheritance of wealth, power, and blood ties to the progenitor. The power of each clan is ranked based on the strength of their leader, and the five strongest get to claim the Count title."

"So that means every noble vampire clan has a leader with the potential to become a Count?" Elfie raised an eyebrow in frustration.

"Well, they do, but that doesn't mean they are as strong as the current Counts. The current Countesses have held their positions steadily for thousands of years. Besides, the Counts or other noble clan leaders wouldn't interfere unnecessarily. And don't forget, the system wouldn't make it too unfair," Sir Holloway continued.

"That's right, I completely forgot about the system restrictions. When a war begins, the system imposes certain regulations to prevent one side from becoming too powerful or recruiting too much manpower after the war declaration."

"However, that doesn't mean a faction can't recruit more manpower as long as they are from the same delegation."

"For example, if Aeron Brenlith decided to bring in vampires from the Higher Realm who are still part of the same faction but belong to the branch of higher vampires, it would be allowed. Even then, there are still many restrictions," Shiru explained.

"Yeah... but in my opinion, if Damian appears, the thing he would have to worry about the most would be the mother of Aeron Brenlith, the current Countess of the Brenlith clan, and the ten Elder Noble Vampires who serve her."

"If all of them show up, even with level restrictions, Damian wouldn't be able to do anything but lose," Sir Holloway continued with a grim expression.

"I haven't even factored in the thousands of plebeian vampires they might... no, they would bring. And look at our faction... Oh, you guys are doomed... I'm sorry, though."

Then, suddenly, everyone present, not just in this room but throughout the entire First Tower Realm and all those paying attention to this particular war, heard a ringing in their ears before a notification appeared before their eyes.

[Remaining time until war begins: 00(D): 00(H): 02(M): 00(S)]

[The war between the [Vampire] faction and the [Circle of Ouroboros] faction will begin in two minutes.]

[All participants of the war will be transported to the battlefield.]

As soon as the notification appeared, Shiru, Elfie, and Sir Holloway disappeared from their spot and reappeared on the battlefield.

The battlefield was located in a separate dimension where no one other than the participants of the war could enter.

The battlefield resembled a destroyed city, filled with rubble and twisted metal.

Partially standing buildings and overturned vehicles made it look like the aftermath of countless battles.

This was the place where the battle between the two factions was about to unfold.

[The rules of the war have been established.]

[The war will continue until either faction admits defeat or one faction is completely wiped out.]

[Participants are allowed to use any type of artifacts, pills, treasures, and elixirs as they see fit, as long as they do not exceed the limitations of the war restrictions.]

[Once the war begins, no one outside of the two factions will be allowed to interfere without facing extreme penalties.]

[During the war, each participant has the right to surrender. However, if their request for surrender is accepted, they will be stripped of their position in their faction and made to submit to the winning faction.]

As soon as the notification appeared, Shiru, Elfie, and Sir Holloway felt numerous presences materializing out of nowhere.

"That's... that's a lot of vampires," Sir Holloway stammered.

Even though he wasn't directly affected by this war, he still couldn't believe the sheer number of vampires participating.

"We... we have to fight against... that?"

"Is it even possible to fight so many of them with just the two of us and Damian?" Shiru asked, clutching her head.

"Even if he's grown stronger... would it be enough to go against that?" Elfie asked, gulping in frustration.