#127
“······.”
“Eh, this is totally not worth it.”
Harley grumbled, licking his lips for no good reason.
There was no rule saying only vampires could suck blood.
Even he, with his ability of Devour, had a knack for eating.
So he could drain a lot of blood, the very source of power for Truebloods, but the effectiveness was far less than expected.
‘Well, come to think of it, Harley had already gotten enough vampire genes.’
Having consumed a large amount of the evolved blood of Heinz II, which could be called the highest grade, he managed to hunt monsters with a certain level of strength right from the beginning.
Now, there was hardly anything he could gain from the blood of an ordinary vampire.
‘Trueblood might still be far from ordinary, but it just doesn’t mix well with me. Monster Magic Stones are the best for Harley.’
The vampire gene and Blood Magic were powers specialized only for vampires.
To fully utilize their abilities required most of the body to be transformed similarly to them…
‘But doing that would decrease the efficiency of my Biotic Aura and Biotic Power.’
For Harley, who was piecing together only the necessary genes to grow, the power of vampires, which required maintaining a certain structure, was more like a restriction.
There were ways to get stronger more easily, so why would he choose the harder path?
“······.”
“Hmm, pretty satisfying. With Trueblood, it definitely feels different.”
But contrary to that, Heinz stroked his chin with a rather satisfied look.
It was his first time sucking Trueblood, and the results were beyond what he expected.
‘I’ve devoured Trueblood-level vampires back on Earth, but since the blood comes from the same dimension, there’s something different about it.’
At this point, he wouldn’t mind giving it five stars as an appetizer.
He was already looking forward to the main dish.
Of course, many vampires were aware of Heinz’s activities of devouring his kin…
‘But that doesn’t matter anymore.’
Who would dare question Heinz?
On the contrary, overcoming the mental contamination that had become a taboo would only add to the awe and fear towards him.
Such feelings could actually be helpful for governance.
“······.”
“Hmm—? I was wondering what the new Lord would be like, but you’re a bit different from what I expected. How should I put it, you’re quite impressive!”
“Thanks for the compliment. You must be the Pureblood from Brokoslac?”
“Just call me Briki! I prefer this name more.”
“Alright, Briki. You can call me Heinz.”
“Heinz! It sounds delicious. Of course, that’s a compliment.”
And thanks to Briki’s unexpected reaction, Heinz managed to bond and have a pleasant conversation with her.
‘I thought she would be hostile since her clan got wiped out.’
Far from being hostile, she even showed a friendly demeanor.
Given the current situation, it was hard to see her as pretending, as the keen senses of the two avatars could feel her emotions were quite obvious.
‘Still, she is a Pureblood who has lived for thousands of years, so I should be cautious.’
Though not immediately.
She was currently in no position to touch him.
Crackle—!
Heinz turned his gaze toward her opponent.
“······.”
The white-haired, white-eyed vampire, Bisk Yufershi, had been maintaining a rotten expression of silence.
“Kwahaha—! Hey buddy, why don’t you relax your expression since I’m not going to eat you? Ah, but that’s just me. I wonder how this friend over here feels about it?”
“Oh my, I thought about it earlier too, but you’re really dependable. Heinz, is he your friend?”
“We met through business. For now, we maintain a friendly relationship.”
“Ah, I’m Harley! Currently active in the Turuk Kingdom Tarak.”
“I’m Briki. By the way, I didn’t get to thank you for your help earlier. It was a huge help.”
“What’s there to worry about!”
The chatter began again.
Amid sparks flying, Briki, Harley, and Heinz II surrounded a single person, chatting warmly.
The lone Bisk Yufershi, however, was left out, grinding his teeth and shaking his fists in frustration.
‘Oh, this feels like we’re bullying one person all of a sudden…’
Seeing that made a vaguely guilty feeling creep in.
It was ironic since they were the ones who were attacked and the invaders were on the other side!
“Hmm, I think I’ve delayed this too long. Is it time to wrap it up?”
“Ah— that’s good! I need to head back quickly too!”
Heinz said, and Harley agreed.
He was just applying pressure to drain the guy’s power, but it looked like wrapping it up quickly was the better idea.
Thus… the lonely struggle of Bisk, now isolated as all his subordinates met their demise or were subdued, began.
*
Swoosh—!
Heinz’s blood-made sword clashed with Bisk’s whip, sending shockwaves in all directions.
“Huff!”
At the same time, spiderweb-like scars spread across Heinz’s body, which created a thick fog of blood.
No matter what the enemy had done, even with Enhanced Regeneration, his regeneration power was drastically lowered, making recovery sluggish, and he couldn’t reclaim the lost blood as quickly as usual.
Crackle— Slash—!
And with a spark, Bisk’s left arm was severed, only to return as if time had reversed.
The blood spouting from his severed arm coalesced in mid-air into a sharp, gear-like shape, flying straight at Harley, who was charging from behind.
That fiercely rotating blood struck down like lightning.
Thud!
Midway, it ruthlessly tore into Harley’s two hands covered in scales.
But not flinching even a bit from the shredded palm, Harley gripped it tightly—.
Kwahaha!
And tore it apart as if to rip it in two.
While his hand was blood-soaked due to the reduced regeneration, he didn’t care at all and charged forward once again.
Crackle— WHOOSH!
And again, a large hole was made in Bisk’s body before it healed.
At that moment, Heinz, approaching like a ghost, unleashed a rapid strike enhanced by Acceleration.
That single strike was blocked by a sudden blood veil but left deep wounds on it.
Following closely, Harley’s fist struck at the center, creating a massive hole.
Soon enough, Heinz’s blood blade shot through the shattered veil.
That seamless linkage, as if they were one body, was nothing short of amazing.
From Bisk’s perspective, it was infuriating.
With transcendent reflexes, he barely managed to deflect the attacks, but once again, amid sparks, his right eye burst.
Just as he had numerous times before.
“Kraaa! One-on-one fights aren’t much of a threat! Damn annoying coming out like this!”
“Oh really—? I think there was someone who said targeting an opponent’s weakness is the way of the world. Did that person go home?”
Unable to hold back, Briki burst out laughing at Bisk’s fury.
Every time he attempted something, his body underwent destruction and recovery, and as that continued, the intervals got shorter.
And finally.
Boom—!
“Ngh!”
“Hahha! Finally, a hit!”
Harley’s punch began to connect with Bisk’s body.
Slash!
“Indeed, to recover all your blood even while being cut, that’s some control worthy of a Pureblood. I envy it.”
Heinz’s blade began slicing through his body.
At this point, even Briki, exhausted from the long battle, could hardly do more than hold back, but Bisk, having taken hits repeatedly, was in a worse state, so it was of no concern.
After a moment more passed, the ending everyone had anticipated was upon them.
“Ah, no···. I am destined to be the king of all vampires! I cannot perish here···!”
Bisk Yufershi yelled desperately as he faced death.
“Do not worry. That will of yours, I shall continue.”
As Heinz forcefully attempted to seize… no, inherit his will, he faced Bisk.
“Now, I am the king of vampires.”
Crack!
“Kuh!”
At last, a pair of sharp fangs sank into Bisk’s neck.
“Kuhh… How arrogant, Lord of Brokoslac. You’re not following the proper procedures to inherit the Pureblood, and you think you can forcibly take it through kin consumption…? From another clan’s Pureblood? Do you really think that’s possible?”
Even as the blood was being rapidly drained through his neck, he maintained a facade of composure, continuing to mock his foe.
“You will die with me…! Just like all those who tried to inherit the Pureblood before!”
He had come this far with assistance from predecessors, attempting to remove all risks, and though he had fortuitously succeeded after countless life-threatening moments, he knew well that such success could not happen without safety measures!
‘I don’t know how you managed to withstand mental contamination and consume kin, but simply achieving that isn’t enough!’
This was about more than just mental contamination; the ceremony was dangerous to the point that those unqualified could die merely through attempts!
So it was clear he wouldn’t last long while collapsing to the ground.
Gwooo—
He was supposed to.
···That’s how it should have gone!
‘Why… are you still fine?’
Bisk felt a substantial amount of blood being drained already, and his eyelids were growing heavier, but the attacker showed no change in behavior.
On the contrary, he seemed to be absorbed in a trance, mindlessly sucking his blood.
Hiss—
Finally, Bisk began to sense the ends of his body slowly turning to ash and crumbling away.
His mind began to blur, thoughts sporadically cutting off.
‘Ah, ah—Could it be? This guy… really can inherit the Pureblood from another clan…?’
In his fuzzy, fading mental state, he finally realized that the words,
– “Do not worry. That will of yours, I shall continue. Now, I am the king of vampires.”
contained not a shred of bravado.
In truth, Heinz had harbored dreams of kingship, and while he characterized himself as such, he also knew that it was impossible.
Most likely, the best he could hope for was a colonial governor forced into power.
But…
The Pureblood was the root and prototype of a lineage, something that couldn’t be usurped without proper procedures.
Yet, what did it mean that he could accept it without delineation of bloodlines?
“Hoo— Ah, and don’t worry too much about the Yufershi Clan. They will continue to thrive beneath me, along with Brokoslac.”
Having finished sucking blood, Heinz softly muttered as he pulled away from Bisk’s neck.
What was meant as a mocking remark was interpreted differently by Bisk, who was now completely out of his mind.
‘A single pivot to unify all clans… A leader to guide us vampires into the light… The only king…’
Though he had merely harbored an abstract longing, this declaration marked the emergence of a vampire king’s avowal!
Even as he felt his consciousness fading, he trembled quietly.
For reasons unknown, laughter bubbled up inside him.
Whether it was from despair, anticipation, or something else entirely, even he couldn’t tell.
···But now, he had no strength left to think.
Thus, the Lord of the Yufershi Clan, ‘Bisk Yufershi’ turned to ash and scattered.
‘What’s this? Why is he suddenly smiling creepily? Does he still have some scheme left?’
Naturally, the sight of someone embracing death with a significant smile after throwing a curse felt nothing short of unsettling for Heinz.
‘Well, maybe he was just happy knowing the clan will be upheld. Or perhaps he suddenly realized the futility of life right before dying.’
Right now, that wasn’t important.
The phrase that had been recurring in his mind and the boiling sensation inside him left him with no energy to focus on anything else.
《You have sucked the blood of a high-class being. Due to the influence of the special skill “Hybrid Evolution,” the individual’s vampiric factor starts to surpass its limits.》
Though he had acquired the Yufershi Clan’s factors, his vampiric factors themselves didn’t change.
However, the explosive increase in the innate level, shedding itself like a cocoon, felt more intense than any evolution he had hitherto experienced.
‘Kuhh— If it weren’t for this “Hybrid Evolution,” I would have end up dead stupidly!’
The vast achievements and level of the ‘Yufershi’ conveyed through the blood were threatening to burst forth and expand his body.
That very act of forcibly using it to evolve the vampiric factor was what “Hybrid Evolution” was all about.
Unlike the thoughts Bisk had before he died, of him having the fate of a king or having exceptional lineage, it had nothing to do with that.
It was merely he was forcibly continuing to evolve thanks to the help of various skills.
But, ultimately, whether he took a crooked path or a straight one, didn’t it lead to the same destination?
《The individual has met conditions for growth. The special skill “Blood Clan (Trueblood)” evolves into “Blood Clan (Pureblood).”》
At last, Heinz II’s vampiric factor that had reached the limit evolved beyond it.
A new Pureblood vampire was born in Auterica.
