Meanwhile, the Purge conference had come to an end. The Pope had retreated into his quarters unharmed, everything had gone exactly as planned. Their enemies refused to strike out, too afraid of the repercussions. This was all the confirmation they needed. Nobody could stand up to the Purge, not with the Elder Council in shambles.

[You have performed your task admirably.]

The Pope glanced up, as he was addressed in Kami's mechanical monotone. "It is a pleasure to serve the greater good."

[And your actions have paved the way for a new future.] The voice came not from Kami no Kage himself, but from a screen set up in the middle of the room. No more words were needed, and the screen flicked off. The Pope moved over, and sat down in a chair, nearly going limp. A doll, discarded. To be used once more when the need arose.

In the city, large caravans moved through the streets. Smoke machines were installed on every street corner, Crusaders marched through the street. Infrared scanners were placed on every mall, at every dance club. Vampires were killed in broad daylight, and it was met with nothing but praise. Vampirism was illegal, punishable by death. But that would be far too nice a word to describe what was being done to the vampiric population. Those who could, ran. Those who couldn't, died. The monsters lay beside the innocents, their only crime in their blood. There was no trial, there was no process.

The Purge's final plan had come into action. An automatic, city-wide purging system. Not to simply hunt vampires, not to simply fight vampires, but to exterminate them. They were not prey, they were not the enemy, they were no longer the monsters in the dark. They were an infection, an infestation. Rodents, to be eliminated for the betterment of mankind.

The Pope was on every screen, on every poster. Churches and chapels were converted into recruiting centres, as the war began being called the Great Crusade. Those who wished to oppose the Purge would need to act fast. Because their popularity and power was swelling like it had never swelled before.