#244
Vampire Rise (4)
The situation in the Zephia Republic calmed down quickly.
After all, both sides that had originally caused the commotion were now subordinated under one person, so it was only natural.
Of course, not everyone swept up in this situation would follow his control, so there were still disturbances here and there, but with the root cause gone, those wouldn’t last long.
There was no need to pay attention to it anymore.
“Y-yes, as you commanded… the cleanup is proceeding smoothly. I will finish the work as quickly as possible and call forth the clan members under me. …High Lord.”
“Hmm.”
Inside the luxurious office.
Heinz II nodded with satisfaction as he looked down at the woman with dark blue hair who was bowing before him.
‘She seems quite obedient now.’
She was the second-in-command who had practically been managing the Obaifo Clan, ‘Shamila Obaifo.’
Like ‘Mulo of Brokoslac’ and ‘Theodore of Youpers,’ she was a Trueblood vampire responsible for the clan’s operations.
‘To fully absorb a faction of this scale, the cooperation of insiders, especially from the upper ranks, is essential.’
The Obaifo Clan was a powerful entity, ranking among the top three vampire forces.
No matter how much he usurped command, handling them entirely was a separate issue.
The reason Heinz captured her, who had the strongest energy after the fight, was precisely that.
Of course, she had not obeyed him right away…
Given that the Pureblood they served had been defeated and command had passed to him, what could she do?
In the end, after a slight coerced persuasion, she realized the reality and had no choice but to follow orders willingly.
“Well then, this matter seems mostly settled.”
After she had come for the interim report and left to finish her work, Heinz settled into a mansion owned by the Obaifo Clan and leisurely drank wine, showcasing that he was the new master here.
‘If I hadn’t been here, a considerable part of the continent’s underworld would have fallen into their hands from the east.’
The goal of the Obaifo was to become the king who ruled over all vampires.
Utilizing the chaos to turn the east into a wreck was merely part of the process.
And when those born from darkness began to move under someone’s malice, the repercussions on the continent…
It was unthinkable what would have happened if vampires, outnumbering even the Lycanthropes who nearly sank a continent, had started a riot.
‘…It turns out my very existence has effectively served as a counter. But now that I think of it, I seem to be involved everywhere in a strange way.’
Although there had been various incidents happening far from his reach, like the madness leaking from the Abyss, monster uprisings, and the downfall of the Rohan Principality, the problems he intervened in exceeded those.
It was only natural to be involved in big affairs as he swam in deeper waters, but he couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.
‘Now that one issue is settled, hopefully, nothing else will occur?’
For instance, something happens in Tarak where Hubert’s Association and Howard’s forge are located.
‘…Hmm, I have a bad feeling. I should enhance my caution just in case; problems only arise from being careless at times like this.’
Since those two avatars had no notable combat capability, more meticulous management was needed to respond immediately when issues arose.
Somehow, his heightened instincts seemed to warn him that it wasn’t time to rest.
‘Still, the benefits I gained this time might help me quickly grasp unexpected situations. “Authority of the Monarch,” huh…’
Heinz II had received a special capability when he became the Vampire King, “Authority of the Monarch.”
It was a management ability that allowed him to understand the positions and rough information of those belonging to him, akin to a strategy simulation game, even enabling him to issue simple remote commands.
He closed his eyes momentarily.
A multitude of factions associated with him filled his mind.
[Auterica]
– Undying Army
– Hybrid
– Hubert Association
– Calcos Tribal Alliance
– …
‘…There are quite a few.’
The long list of factions extended.
He found that he could check various details regarding each organization, as well as brief information about individuals belonging to them.
Even in places like the Holy Church Order or Elven Kingdom where he couldn’t be called a complete “monarch,” the function was partially applicable, making it a significant help given the number of factions he held.
‘Hmm?’
While skimming through the abilities of “Authority of the Monarch,” he soon felt something unsettling in the corner of his consciousness.
As he dug into the cause, he finally pinpointed the reason…
[Earth]
– Blood League – Heterosis
His first faction acquired not in Auterica but on Earth.
Among them, there had been unusual changes in the members’ conditions.
‘…What’s this again?’
└Name: Jin So-Ran (Deputy Leader of Heterosis)
└Race: Vampire
└Location: Southern Daeran-dong, Seoul, Republic of Korea [See Exact Coordinates]
└Status: Dangerous (Serious Injury)
‘…I had a feeling something would happen, but it turns out it’s here on Earth.’
The top officer of the Blood League, who had a firm grip on Seoul’s night, was in a dangerous condition, injured to the level of a Trueblood vampire. This was definitely not an ordinary incident.
“Hmm.”
Heinz, leisurely enjoying his wine, clicked his tongue and set his glass on the table.
It seemed that his tasks for the day were not over yet.
*
A conversation shared just before Alpha revealed himself.
– “You can’t just enter without the owner’s invitation!”
– “Well done. Entering at will would be breaking and entering.”
What he had said back then was indeed true.
Right after the powerful blood magic that emanated from him shook the surroundings.
When the young Nahee froze in fear from his overwhelming intimidation, Jin So-Ran, who had been through thick and thin in this world, quickly backed her up and retreated.
And the moment they had their backs to the office door, he had said—
“Whoa! They just went inside? …That’s problematic. How about inviting me as well?”
That innocent question.
‘Until that moment, I thought there might still be some possibility.’
But that fleeting hope extinguished in an instant.
Naturally, when she didn’t comply with that request, his following actions made it clear.
“Well, can’t be helped!”
His bizarre voice, reminiscent of metal mixed with noise, contradicted with the cheerful conclusion just made.
Without hesitation, Alpha immediately uttered words that were incomprehensible.
He obliterated the building that housed the office—whole.
‘Going wherever you please is off-limits, but destroying something is no problem? What kind of self-centered logic is this…!’
Aeeeng—! Aeeeng—!
The loud sirens and screams of people.
Jin So-Ran’s dazed mind began to bounce back to reality.
Fssh— thud!
“Cough— Hah, Hah.”
Barely lifting her wrecked body from the debris of the collapsed building, Jin So-Ran gasped for breath.
‘Ugh, how much have I zoned out?’
Since there appeared to be no significant change in the surrounding situation, it seemed that it had only been a fraction of a second.
However, the moment she reevaluated her surroundings, the relief she had initially felt vanished.
Beginning with the building that housed Heterosis’s offices, several buildings were already in ruins, and the streets were chaos with debris and crashed vehicles.
The casualties from fires, electrocutions, and falling debris were already staggering.
It had taken Alpha a mere five minutes to cause this catastrophe after revealing his true form.
‘No matter how hard I try, is merely grabbing attention really all I can do? Alpha shouldn’t have been at that level, so what on earth happened?’
When Alpha was with the Blood League, there were rumors that he had just reached level 8; now he was exhibiting an overwhelming presence that vastly surpassed that level.
If assessed by levels, it should be level 9.
Heinz, the Lord of Heterosis, was believed to be at the upper echelons of level 8, yet here was an unheard of level 9.
Her head was spinning from the suddenness of it all.
‘No, is it because of the damage I just sustained?’
Even her overwhelming regenerative powers as a vampire could barely function against the energy from the opponent that eroded her body.
Had the opponent genuinely wished to kill her, she would have died long ago.
Having risen to level 7 thanks to her position, her heightened confidence crumbled against an unbeatable foe, leaving her feeling like a deflated balloon.
“Hey! So where’s that Heinz guy? You won’t tell me? Oh, can’t kill him, huh? Well, he said that girl is the highest, right? Huh? What do I do now?”
Then, a strangely twisted voice echoed playfully from beyond the ruins.
Alpha was babbling to himself like he was out of his mind.
Assuredly, his actions and words did not seem to be rational at all, just as his contorted appearance suggested.
‘The rumors said he had a serious personality just like our Lord, so what went wrong?’
Having never seen him directly, there was no way to know whether the rumor was mistaken or if this one was a fake impersonating Alpha.
Ultimately, that was not the pressing matter.
“Puhah! Who knows? But it seems like I can kill everyone else except the girl. Heinz? Nah, I’m sure killing is okay, I’m just hungry anyway! Yay!”
From that chaotic yet gruesome statement, Jin So-Ran gritted her teeth.
By now, the overwhelming control over blood had long since siphoned the blood of all the victims from the surrounding area.
Yet, they were still spouting such nonsense…
‘Will there really be hope if the Lord comes? No, where’s Hahoe Mask when you need him? He hasn’t been seen in Japan lately! If he’s a true dark hero, now’s the time to make an appearance!’
Her mind was a jumbled mess.
At this point, even the Guardians dispatched to deal with the sudden situation had been reduced to sacrifices, and she couldn’t think of any way to reverse the situation.
‘Ugh, seriously! Heroes are supposed to show up in situations like this! Get to work, hero!’
And preferably, as soon as possible!
Rumble— rumble!
Perhaps as if the heavens heard her earnest wish.
Heavy thunder rumbled down from the now darkened sky.
And at last, it was.
Flash— BOOM!
An enormous surge of supernatural energy descended like bolts of lightning onto the earth.
“Rururgurgh——!”
Directly aimed at Alpha’s location.
Fzzzz— Crackle—
With sparks flying violently as a result of the impact, a hero slowly revealed themselves from the other side.
“…Ugh, why on my day off…and to think I rushed here and it looks like this in just that brief moment…!”
However, that presence was neither Hahoe Mask, the figure Jin So-Ran had desperately awaited, nor Lord Heinz, but rather someone entirely different.
‘Ah! And come to think of it… that person was still around.’
Recently, as Hahoe Mask gained prominence, the recognition of this individual had somewhat faded, but they were certainly not someone that could be easily dismissed.
BAM! Crackle—!
A woman in her late twenties, her entire body crackling with golden lightning, wore a grim expression.
So hurried was her arrival that her stylish outfit was torn and damaged all over, and her hair seemed to have frizzed out in all directions as if charged with static electricity.
“Lately, I have been behaving quietly, yet it seems I was underestimated. Isn’t barging in here and causing havoc a bit too much crossing the line?”
She was one of Korea’s top Guardians, always ranking in the top three when mentioned.
Her achievements were known through various media related to other worlds and interviews with returnees.
The leader of the Southern Seoul branch of the Returnees Association, Thunder Empress Yoon Ji-yoon, and.
“…You’re done for.”
She was also the one responsible for this district.
*
As soon as he sensed Jin So-Ran’s crisis with “Authority of the Monarch,” finding out what had happened to her on Earth was not difficult at all.
To be precise, it was because events had escalated so significantly that he learned of it naturally.
-[Terror alert] Large-scale terrorism has erupted in Southern Daeran-dong, Seoul. Nearby residents are advised to evacuate immediately…
Starting with the text alerts that even reached me, who lived on the outskirts of Seoul, various news reports began to cover the incident, gradually flooding multiple media outlets.
Only a short time had passed since the event occurred, so news was just starting to spread, yet the scale of damage was already beyond disregard.
‘Just a few minutes, and this level of devastation. The opponent should be classified as transcendent. Moreover, the likelihood of them being a vampire is extremely high. So it seems…’
In the urgent situation of seconds and minutes counting, I rapidly pieced together the information and reached a rational conclusion.
Shhh—
Soaring from the shadows was Heinz II, the Vampire King of Auterica.
Since the hybrid who absorbed the Obaifo Clan was expected to enter reorganization soon, there was no significant problem with him taking a brief absence.
As a standard practice, he had the ability to summon an avatar that could be released any time to prepare for unforeseen situations.
‘A transcendent vampire from another dimension. You belong to me!’
There were no ulterior motives involved.
However, when he hastily arrived at the scene feeling quite urgent, what awaits him was—
“Boom! Heinz!”
CRACK BOOM!
“Hey, why have you been looking for someone else while a lady is right in front of you? Your manners are seriously lacking, just like your looks!”
It was a scene he could never have anticipated.
