With everyone ready, Devon conjured a massive portal to a different world. Inside this gateway, the world was overwhelmed by red sand. Uneven towering cliffs dotted the horizon, serene to the panoramic scenery an artist would capture in a painting. Wind naturally created several scattered sand mounds, which formed in various areas. Nearby, a city carved from stone strived beneath a natural bowl-shaped formation encircled by a sturdy steep slope made of sand.
Numerous Covens' armies arrived through various gateways as Kai surveyed the landscape. Joined by these armies, Orlando, Alejandro, their friend and cousin-in-law Zach, CJ, and their allies unload out of an enormous portal, followed by Dustin and his army, which elicits Kai to hiss upon seeing them.
"It's not the time to fight!" Devon cautioned, extending his arm to restrain Kai before he could attack the Mills. "Orlando is the one who assembled the Allegiance."
"You should have informed me!" Kai snapped at his friends, aggressively shoving Devon's arm away.
"Would you have listened?" Devon asked, to which Kai hissed in response.
"If you hadn't ignored me, you would have known about it," Orlando snickered, robbing Kai of a retort for his accuracy.
Instead, Kai snorted, suppressing his fury as he refrained from tearing into them and his Alpha friends.
"And why are you here?" Kai snarled, redirecting his anger at Dustin.
"If the Vampire Covenant kills your wife before me, I'll never have the pleasure of detaining your offspring after I rip them from her belly," Dustin replied, curling his lips into an evil sneer.
In reaction to Dustin's malevolent promise to harm Victoria, Kai clutched his fists tightly while his enemies mockingly chuckled.
"You affected her votes by massacring everyone in the karaoke bar!" Kai fumed as deep anger flared through his eyes."You share part of the blame for this mess!"
"I only intended to expedite the voting process, not impact it," Dustin retorted before vanishing with his army to battle on a different side of the planet from this group.
From his pocket, Orlando tossed him a rare golden diamond once Dustin departed, and Kai swiftly snagged the palm-sized jewel amid the air.
In the center of the ideally cut gem, a shimmery rainbow gleamed in its core with vibrant colors of a sunset sparkling in the palm of Kai's hand.
As Kai examined the gem for its value and authenticity, Orlando continued to explain, "That's our truce to form this Allegiance with you all. You can give it to my future wife."
Upon hearing a reference to Victoria, Kai's focus shifted from the jewel as darkness crept from the depths of his ruthless spirit. Orlando's last mocking statement stirred a longing within Kai to tear out his throat.
Subduing his wrath, Kai growled, crumbling the gem into powder, "For Victoria's survival, the truce is honored only for this Allegiance."
While he may have accepted the token of their truce, there was no way he'd keep the gem in his possession or deliver it to Victoria.
"Has your wife mentioned she kissed me in her dream?" Orlando taunted him, further stoking Kai's anger.
Furthermore, he tested his commitment to double-check if Kai meant his truce. Vampires typically honor their Oaths, but one can never be too cautious. Then again, in the back of Orlando's mind, he mainly wished to further weaken him for battle. Maybe by some slim possibility, Kai might be detained. With Kai gone, he can claim Victoria earlier than planned. A sly smirk was apparent as Orlando mused over this desired daydream.
"By the time this is over, I'm going to make sure you pay for violating my wife," Kai vowed, aware that Victoria's actions weren't her fault. He acknowledged why she kept it from him after his recent behavior during the Silverdawn's attack on her.
Nearby, another portal unfurled, triggering Kai's excitement as he watched Chester walking through it with the Collin Coven army. Young to far older Alphas from his family members flooded out of the portal, all single-handedly prepared to battle alongside their warriors.
Behind them, Eric, Veronica's husband, sent his nephew in charge of their Coven army to aid in the battle. Also, Miles and John, Ava's husband, arrived with their armies, representing the Elrod and Hart Covens. Even Madeline's in-laws came with their army to offer assistance.
Shortly after Chester closed the portal, another one opened, disgorging the Somerset army and some of their allies, much to the chagrin of the Mill army.
"Why are they here?" Orlando questioned as Dylan and his son Grant joined their army with Chester.
However, the tension between Troy and Grant didn't go unnoticed by the nasty glares exchanged between them.
"We've recently found common ground," Kai sneered, relishing the disgust evident on the faces of the Mills and their allies.
"Ready the armies!" shouted an Alpha from Orlando's allies.
Groups from every Coven gathered around whoever was in Second Command or assigned permission to lead their Covens army. Each leader prepared to deliver a speech to rally their troops and give them specific orders.
Chester handed Kai over the Collin Coven army, patting his bare back. "They're all yours, little brother," he declared, standing beside him.
Kai surveyed the younger generations of Alphas and their clans in the Coven. Some had never once seen wars, while others had battled in single Coven wars, at least.
After seizing a breath of air, Kai projected his voice boldly to begin his speech. "For all the young faces of my family and our Members, this will only be a taste of what's coming. We must quash this Rebellion before their numbers surpass ours. The planet is overpopulated with Slithers and Wings. Avoid direct eye contact, as it will turn you into stone. Detain them quickly. Rely on your other senses if you must. Mercy must be set aside for the moment. Do not by any means spare their young offspring. Most of us older generations can tell you it is not worth it. If you wish to claim a female slave, capture one at the end of each battle. Anyone who gets detained must be escorted back home. For now, our enemies are our temporary allies until the true battle commences. These are my orders for your safety. Follow them wisely as Headmaster Vlad once instructed us long before you were born. Now, gather your clans, and let the battle begin on my signal!"
Loud cheers of "Hooah!" echoed throughout the gathering.
"Come with me!" Kai demanded from his sixteen friends in his clan.
Most of his family dispersed into their respective clans, repositioning themselves throughout the region.
Amidst thousands of other vampires, Kai led his friends to the top of the sandy steep as Chester and Troy trailed behind them with their warriors.
Unfortunately, Orlando and his clan pursued closely, positioning themselves to the left of Kai's group.
Wherever Kai went, Orlando's hovering shadow stalked him. From their right, Sean and his clan settled beside them.
Below the crowd of warriors and their Alphas spread a red sea, and the city perched on the perimeter of it.
As Alphas lined up specific members of their clans, Rome pitched a fit, "You promised I'd never have to drown another human city!"
"Relax, Rome. Most of the infants have been evacuated," Sean reassured him.
"But not all of them!" Rome exclaimed as his heart tore with sorrow. He and Glenn hated destroying young life in every battle they encountered.
"Yeah, we didn't have time to save them all," Sean admitted, and Rome's face reddened like Glenn's.
"You should have left me and Glenn back home!" Rome ranted, mourning in his anguish as Orlando and his clan snickered at his distress.
Orlando sneered, widening his wicked grin. "I'm surprised you haven't replaced Rome and Glenn for their pathetic weakness."
Dismissing the laughter coming from Orlando and his friends, Kai calmly replied, "This isn't why you are here, Rome." His gaze shifted away from Rome. "Ivan, sink the city into the ocean."
Ivan stepped forward to the edge alongside the other vampires, who had the gift to bend earth and most soil-based minerals.
"Crack the plates!" An Alpha ordered.
"Do what you do best, Ivan," Kai encouraged him as he lined up in place among the others.
In perfect synchrony, Ivan and the other vampires motioned their arms as they began a coordinated series of movements, resembling a martial arts warm-up routine. Their arms waved up and then back down as they bent their knees, moving one leg forward. As they moved, the sandy ground trembled, and everyone, including Ivan, raised a hand towards the sky. With a final synchronized movement, they brought their legs together and chopped the air with their raised hands.