The Conquerors Path Chapter 1001 - 999-Plans Foiled.

"You really caused issues for me..."

I whispered under my breath while the kneeling 007 shook in his position, even as I held back the fury and annoyance flaring up inside me. According to 007's report, several of my carefully arranged schemes had turned pointless. Sure, I always keep backup strategies running, but this mess hits hard, believe me.

My face grew tense hearing that. From 007's account, he'd spilled everything about sticking close to Leonardo under my instructions, about my efforts to wreck his world and seize control over it, plus how the entire Illuminati scheme pulling his strings was all my orchestration, aimed at bending him to my will.

The amusing twist here is that this guy never outright revealed his gender, which, all things considered, makes it pretty hilarious. But beyond that, Leonardo's become way tougher to steer and influence now. His gaze has sharpened to the reality of my deep hold over him.

Moving forward, he'll prove trickier to manage. After all, the Illuminati's own records sparked his rebellion against me, pushing him to defy everything, and realizing it was all staged delivers a massive blow. Now, in a twisted turn, I've forged a stronger link to the rage simmering in him.

I chuckled to myself over that notion. None of this spells good news, yet the one bright spot is 007's full integration into Leonardo's trusted inner group. The real downside? I've forfeited my prime tool for dictating Leonardo's every move. In the past, I could command his choices, his paths, his entire circle.

That's off the table now.

A sly grin spread across my lips as a fresh scheme sparked in my mind, replacing the one I'd poured so much into that just crumbled. On top of that, it sharpened my view on the true allies needed around these so-called protagonists. Simple loyalty from underlings won't cut it anymore. This fiasco drives that home. No matter the scrutiny I applied in selecting them or how ruthless and ambition-fueled my followers were, crap like this still erupts, and it's downright frustrating, I swear.

Riding that wave of reflection, I fixed my gaze on the bowed 007 before me, a vengeful plot against Leonardo for this annoyance surging up, my wild impulses seizing control once more as I opened my mouth.

"Head back to him. Claim that in the final instant, the silver glow struck me, leaving me drained, and you seized the chance to break free. Craft a convincing tale. He'll swallow it whole, no matter the doubts from others, because you've bonded now."

"Yes, Master."

007 answered without hesitation.

"And I give you free rein to unleash your madness however you see fit. Vent that inner turmoil the way that suits you best."

My statement caused 007 to quiver on his knees, and after a brief pause, he answered.

"Thank you, Master."

I smirked inwardly.

With that in mind, I continued speaking.

"One more thing I need from you: steer him toward the war council. My goal is for you to..."

From there, I laid out and detailed the strategy to 007, who absorbed it like sacred scripture, then he vanished from my sight. I positioned him nearer to where Leonardo had dropped, buying time to smooth things over.

Once he departed, I rose from the stone, loosening up with cracks and stretches, a broad grin on my face as I shattered through the spatial rifts again and stepped back into the chamber, my aura unchanged as if I'd never slipped away. Right upon my return, Lily appeared all primped and ready, dropping to her knees the instant she spotted me.

"Master..."

She uttered, but I sidestepped her and claimed my chair. Lucky I handled this mess personally; if not, it could've spiraled far worse. That would've turned into a massive pain I had zero interest in tackling.

"Go handle what I assigned you. Excel at it, and maybe I'll take you right in front of your husband."

My final remark sent a shiver through Lily as she stood, replying.

"Yes, Master~"

After that, she exited, and I shut my eyes briefly. It wasn't long before the prior vampire reached out, summoning me back to the spot where I'd encountered Vixuola. This signaled they'd hammered out an agreement in the interim, so I grinned and departed.

Same routine as last time: I trailed the woman to the elevator, which whisked me to that vast realm, my sight locking onto Vixuola lounging there in apparent repose. Yet now, I sensed the quaking energy encircling her, so I settled into the familiar chair. This round, though, my presence radiated entirely anew.

Prior to this, I'd arrived as the eager youth seeking aid, chatting humbly. But with everything locked in, my stance, my gestures, my very poise now exuded dominance, pressing into the void and swiftly overwhelming Vixuola, whose mouth quirked at the sight as she fired back.

"That's one hell of a disrespectful move, you know?"

"Yeah, I do, but pretending anymore will just be an insult to your intelligence."

Her lips' twitch softened into a faint grin with my reply, and she probed first.

"You had let in a visitor, a vampire actually."

That last bit carried heavy intent, met with my easy smile.

"Yeah, someone I knew. Just wanted a talk with her."

"Just a talk?"

Her quick retort didn't faze me, so I held my steady look while answering.

"Just a talk. I know her from some time back; I wanted to catch up and see if she would be willing to come to my side. It would be quite helpful to have some experience on my side."

"I see."

Vixuola offered no more on that, then met my stare directly before continuing.

"It’s a done deal. My faction will support the rise in yours. From now onwards, we will move as one. Attacking you is an attack on our faction."

My grin widened at her declaration.

"Good, so what’s the deal here?"

I cut straight to it.

"The deal for now is that we help you, though none of us would mind becoming something greater than before."

I restrained myself and shook my head in response.

"You know what that entails, right? As I said, I have only interest in females, and I beg to differ that many of the powerful older women who want to change are not married or in a relationship."

"Nobody has to know the way it happens. It’s not like you will hold onto them possessively, will you?"

Vixuola countered, but I fell quiet, shaking my head before replying.

"You know it’s not as simple as that. After tasting me, do you think any of them would be able to go back to what they had in the past? They will need me. It’s a given fact, so don’t play around the bush on this."

My comeback left Vixuola quiet for the moment.

"I haven’t spoken the truth of any of it, just the opportunity of what is to come to the rest. They understand the choice, and if we did ask it of you, the beginning would be towards someone younger. Nothing will be forced upon you, just choices as we go forth."

Silence fell between us, our intense gazes locked. Both of us knew it wouldn't play out so neatly. The elders craving advancement would make their plays, and the fallout remained unpredictable. And truth be told, regardless of the path, it promised to get ugly. That's the shadowy undercurrent neither voiced.

"I assume I will get someone special first to lead the way, perhaps..."

"Yes, it’s been decided, though officially you have our full support. The word has gone out."

I grinned at the confirmation as I rose from my spot, peering down at Vixuola.

"Then, we are done."

With those words, I tacked on one final thought.

"And you are welcome to come and visit anytime and meet me, especially if you have fixed your mind."

On that note, I departed, leaving Vixuola somewhat stunned in my wake.