#125
Yufershi Clan (4)
“Uh… that looks a bit dangerous, doesn’t it?”
Harley gained the traits of a dragon, including the “Heart of the Bone Dragon” and became sensitive to the external energy.
Thanks to that, he could easily penetrate Mulo’s barrier, and his basic detection ability had significantly increased.
Crackle—!
But right now, that sense was warning him.
The flow of the space where the Purebloods were located was quite unusual.
Specifically, it was flowing overwhelmingly disadvantageously against a woman presumed to be from Brokoslac, which was obviously not good news.
It had now become a situation where he couldn’t just stand by idly.
“I guess there’s no helping it. I need something more extreme.”
Boom—!
As soon as he made that resolution, Harley’s body began to rapidly transform.
His body swelled up even more, while the density of the muscles and bones defied the laws of physics and compressed even further with the power of “Physical Transformation.”
“What’s that monster trying to do again?!”
“…But isn’t it strange? Is that really a dragon?”
As the mana around him began to rampage violently, the Truebloods, who were in a standoff, maintained their tension and gathered their energy.
They were not attacking first with good intentions like villains waiting for the protagonist’s transformation.
Harley’s change was just too radical for that…
“If I go in now… I’ll get counterattacked immediately!”
The ominous momentum radiating from him stimulated their sensitive instincts, suppressing their actions.
“Huuuh—!”
Thanks to the energy accumulated from the dragon meat he had been consistently consuming, his transformation happened in an instant.
Fwoosh! Crack!
The form was certainly based on a dragon, but upon closer inspection, it was clearly a hybrid that exceeded that form.
Starting with the explosive legs of a modified Minotaur for rapid power, various dominant genes he had collected were manifesting.
“…What the heck is that?”
“That’s a real monster. Not a dragon, but a chimera, right?”
The internal changes were just as intense as the external ones.
The madness controlled by “Madness Control” activated through “Beast of Frenzy,” which also influenced the “Heart of the Bone Dragon.”
The dormant vitality in his body activated the “Kalkos Combat Engraving,” converting it into a “Biotic Aura,” which began to shine with energy as “Gem Eye: Suppression.”
Hoo— after eating the Bone Dragon, it’s my first time unleashing power like this!
However, aside from everything else, the energy consumption was no joke.
A considerable amount was consumed to transform through “Physical Transformation,” and to maintain this state, he was constantly burning energy.
There’s excessive activation in my cells, so I’m basically forced to activate “Enhanced Regeneration.” This energy efficiency is unbelievably terrible.
But the effectiveness was excellent nonetheless.
The violent power surging from within made him feel more intoxicated by it.
Thus emerged the name: ‘Complete Harley.’
“Whoo— So then.”
He surveyed his surroundings with his significantly heightened vision.
The Truebloods staring at him were tense.
The tension gradually escalated between them.
Harley’s thigh muscles bulged, and his body leaned forward as if ready to shoot.
And then…
BANG—!
He slammed the ground as—
“Huh? Where’s he suddenly going…?”
“Stop! That guy’s heading towards Lord Bisk!”
Ignoring the standoff with the Truebloods, he launched himself straight towards the Purebloods!
If Bisk Yufershi is released now, the game will explode.
The current favorable stance was only possible because he was bound.
If he became the ultimate victor, it wouldn’t matter how the battle below unfolded.
This meant…
His containment must be the top priority, everything else is secondary. If I can handle him, that’s even better!
Having successfully moved without anyone obstructing his sudden actions, he soon reached the area with the Purebloods.
Crackle—!
And with fierce mana flows and a storm of intent filling the space while sparking repeatedly, he dove into that scene without hesitation.
Clank-clank-clank—!
ZAP!
As soon as he stepped into the area, his body began to crumble.
Ugh, it’s more intense than I thought?
Scales were peeling off, skin was tearing, muscles were bursting, and blood gushed out.
A solid body pursuing the end of evolution repeatedly suffered destruction and recovery, and in an instant, his whole body was soaked in blood.
But without caring for it, through the connection of the “Heart of the Bone Dragon” and the Gem Eye, he pushed through the mana maelstrom.
At last.
Guh! What is this insane guy? What the hell are these idiots doing that they let it come to this?!
He faced Bisk Yufershi.
Hahaha! So you’re the leader of this bunch? How nice to meet you!
Without a care for his breaking body, Harley flashed him a refreshing smile.
However, to that benevolent smile which had warmed the hearts of the Tarak citizens, Bisk merely grinned rottenly in response.
That probably meant his heart had deteriorated that much.
After all, I came all this way as a victim, yet the culprit acts like that!
Harley, unable to tolerate the injustice, could not accept this situation.
“So for now, one hit!”
His fist, filled with fierce momentum, shot out like lightning.
Starting from close range, this righteous blow was something even a Trueblood couldn’t dodge, but…
Ugh! This lowly creature dares!
BOOM—!
To Bisk, a Pureblood, it was merely a moderately concerning attack.
Ducking away and delivering a counterattack, Harley was blown back like a cannonball.
As he rolled back, scars resembling those of a massive beast clawing him remained on his body.
Grr— how sneaky, just accept one hit!
He brushed himself off, frowning as he looked at his chest.
As expected, a Pureblood… Plus, the regeneration of the wound I received from him is very slow. I guess battling him head-on will be tough, no matter how much energy I have.
Thanks to a body that had become much denser than before, he didn’t suffer major damage, but he could feel once again how troublesome a Pureblood was.
Well, I’ve achieved my initial goal with this.
He too would have to pay the price for his distracted state.
Crackle— Swoosh—!
Blood splashed through the air once more.
Gasp!
At the same time that Harley struck back, Briki ripped out a good portion of Bisk’s neck with his hands.
Though his wound healed quickly as well, the balance among the Purebloods, which had been one-sided, had been brought back to near equilibrium.
“Bisk, no—!”
“W-What the hell has this bastard done?!”
From Harley’s charge to Bisk’s injury, the fight was a fleeting moment among those near the top.
The Truebloods of Yufershi, now arriving late with pale faces, surrounded Harley.
Due to the opponent slipping out during their moment of carelessness, the lord suffered significant damage in a key fight, so their feelings were unspeakable.
They were seriously thinking about throwing themselves at the Purebloods of Brokoslac…
“Hahaha! I greeted your leader, so now, let’s play again among ourselves!”
But Harley wasn’t going to let that slide.
This bought me some time. And soon…
With a meaningful smile, he unleashed his furious energy and charged at them.
*
The main battlefields in the war between the two clans were four locations.
The Purebloods, whose fight was being prolonged due to external interference.
Harley, facing off desperately against three Truebloods.
Frigia, holding down Theodore, the second-in-command of Yufershi.
And the largest scale battle occurred here.
It was a clash zone where Mulo commanded the lower vampires against Yufershi’s elite Purebloods.
Guh, it’s just lowly blood, why is it so tricky?! Is it the effect of this barrier?
“Even considering that, it doesn’t make sense! The Brokoslac guys weren’t supposed to be this skilled, were they?!”
The more than forty Purebloods had been chosen for their strength and were known for their combat prowess, even among the renowned Yufershi clan.
All of them could handle their power perfectly and showed true potential beyond that.
Yet these skills were currently being utterly overwhelmed by an opponent who was mostly lowly blood with a single Trueblood mixed in.
Not knowing about Heinz’s “Refined Blood Essence,” they could only think it was due to the barrier’s effects.
Guh, Mulo Brokoslac was this strong? To be able to come this far with just a handful of Purebloods and less than fifty lowly blood?!
The red-haired vampire, Klein, gritted his teeth while slicing through the body of a lowly blood rushing at him.
However, he couldn’t deliver a fatal blow due to the opponent’s durability exceeding the lowly blood level, and he failed to deal a follow-up strike due to interference from the side.
In that gap, the injured lowly blood hastily retreated and quickly regenerated, re-entering the battlefield.
This was happening repeatedly all over the battlefield, leaving them with no means of counteracting the situation.
Especially with Mulo, a wizard, supporting the allies and orchestrating the battlefield…
They could only endure, praying for Bisk Yufershi to win, knowing that would be their best option.
And that was undoubtedly bad news for Klein.
No way! If that happens, even if we win, the losses will be too great. Then what would I…
What was the biggest cause of this situation spiraling out of control?
It was an issue that the Purebloods of Brokoslac couldn’t handle, so they could not assign blame.
But what about that monster entwined with the three Truebloods of Yufershi?
Who provided the cause for this creature’s intrusion onto the battlefield?
None other than Klein himself.
If this goes on, I’m finished. I have to do something…
Though he had merely followed Theodore’s orders as usual, he felt unfair in some way, but since the person involved pointed directly at him, he had no excuse left.
He was already at a point where he couldn’t evade responsibility, but he had to do something to minimize the punishment…
Huh?
At that moment, Klein sensed something unusual.
Although he was undoubtedly in the middle of the battlefield, the enemies around him seemed to be avoiding him, as if they couldn’t see him.
Even his allies fighting nearby showed no signs of noticing his situation.
“What the hell—!”
He panicked and reached out to an enemy passing by.
But his hand merely grazed through empty air, exerting no influence whatsoever.
A literal loneliness in a crowd.
As soon as he realized he was isolated from the external world…
“Yeah, it’s you.”
A cold voice spoke from behind Klein’s back.
There was no presence or energy.
Like a ghost.
Ugh, who the hell…!
As he tried to turn around, his body wouldn’t move, nor could he open his mouth to make a sound.
Those around him continued to ignore him and were caught up in their own war.
“How dare you…?”
With a chilling unease clawing up his neck and fear of the unknown, the mysterious voice continued.
…You touched our Hubert.
Totally unexpected words.
…Hubert?
As Klein was bewildered by the familiar name that came out of the stranger’s mouth again…
Thwack!
Sharp claws erupted from right in front of his chest.
Gah—!
Blood spilled from Klein’s mouth.
The destroyed heart, along with the vampire attributes of the assailant, spread a toxin through his body.
The loss of control over his blood led it to be sucked into the hand that pierced through his heart.
Clan… devour…!
With his paralysis lifting upon being hit, Klein could now murmur as he turned slowly to look behind him.
A vampire with pale skin, black hair, and glowing red eyes.
Only now realizing the intensity of the presence before him, he knew this was at least a Trueblood.
“Ah…”
Feeling his body gradually withering, Klein foresaw his own death.
The struggles he’d made to survive flashed before his eyes, and he was filled with regret, acceptance, and confusion.
The identity of the being who had appeared without any prelude inside the barrier, the calm manner in which they performed kin devouring, and the ability to isolate him and suppress him were all uncertainties.
Too many unanswered questions swirled through his mind, but currently, the most considerable doubt weighing on him remained just one.
Wh-What the hell is Hubert doing…?
The beginning and heart of all this.
Who was this merchant that allowed such monsters to come one after another?
Was he a prince disguising himself?
No, even if he were a prince, would beings of such caliber go this far for revenge?
But unfortunately, Klein had little time left.
His body, initially turning into ash from the bottom up, gradually encompassed him.
Psh!
Thus, with a mind filled with turmoil, Klein turned to ashes and vanished.
Never able to solve that last question.
What kind of person is Hubert?
Yet, as if to belatedly answer his question, the mysterious vampire began to mutter quietly, falling into thought.
The conclusion that emerged was…
“Who knows, a talent to dominate the continental trade?”
In a teasing tone, Heinz II quietly burst into laughter.
Of course, it was just a joke.
Not yet.
