#245
Vampire Rise (5)
A mysterious monster suddenly appeared in Korea, the Hahoe Mask.
He began to indiscriminately judge criminals based on his own standards, and his brutal actions played a significant role in stabilizing the chaotic law enforcement system.
No matter how much it disregarded law and order, the visible results he brought about were undeniable.
The public fervently supported his movements, leading to an underestimation of those who had been responsible for domestic law enforcement until then.
These gigantic organizations were no match for just one individual.
Boom—!
“I have many excuses, but the result is what it is… I can’t argue with that,” Yoon Ji-yoon, who was exchanging offensives with the Alpha, smirked.
However, contrary to this public perception, the Ability Management Bureau and the Korean Returnee Association were not inept groups.
They displayed somewhat inefficient behavior due to various unavoidable constraints, but how could those responsible for maintaining the stability of a nation be incompetent?
“This place was definitely a major stronghold of Hetero-Sys, right?”
For instance, she was well aware of the main forces of the blood alliance, Hetero-Sys, which had nearly dominated the night streets of Seoul.
While they maintained a tacit cooperation due to their reasonable actions that contributed significantly to law enforcement, it was also a border area that the association kept a close eye on.
Suddenly, a powerful energy reaction was detected in such a place.
Moreover, it was of a terrifying level of hostile blood magic.
“I rushed over as quickly as I could… but the damage is too severe.”
Once again biting her lips, she frowned.
It took just about five minutes from when headquarters detected the anomaly, and the news was relayed to her while she was on vacation, and then she rushed here.
Yet even though she moved so urgently, the number of casualties had already reached hundreds.
If it weren’t for a vampire belonging to Hetero-Sys managing to draw the monster’s attention until the end, the casualties would have only increased.
“A crazed blood vampire (狂血鬼) of level 9 appeared in Hetero-Sys’s stronghold. Speaking of which, the hardliner, Alpha, had disappeared before they fell.”
Crackle—!
Amidst the whirlpool of thoughts, the energy fiercely spinning within Yoon Ji-yoon, her lightning chakra, continued to resonate with the world.
Rumbling—
Through it, her intent began to compel phenomena—.
Boom—!
Then, a bolt of lightning came crashing down from the sky to the ground.
Right above Alpha’s head.
“Gah! I’m gonna kill you, kill you, kill you! You too! Hainz too! Aah— every human!”
“Oh, you’re annoyingly tough! Just die already!”
But he wasn’t just any ordinary monster.
In the split second that divided time into dozens of parts.
Alpha, who had been seared again by the lightning brimming with chakra, lunged toward her, tearing the atmosphere apart.
“Kiaaaah!”
His exterior was already tattered from multiple strikes of lightning, yet his overwhelmingly fierce vitality quickly healed his body even in that moment.
As if he were truly an immortal.
“Of course, that can’t be true.”
Even if he were a true immortal, what she had to do wouldn’t change.
“The crazed blood vampire knows no distinction between life and death. It would be easiest to blow him away with maximum firepower… but it can’t be helped. There are other methods.”
Unfortunately, the location was not ideal for unleashing full power.
If she recklessly unleashed maximum firepower in such an urban area, both the Guardian’s protective barriers and the surrounding area would be obliterated as she fought.
There was a chance that the damage she caused might surpass what that crazed blood vampire could inflict.
Zzzt—!
As the electricity within her body violently whirled, the accident accelerated beyond limits.
Her breath stopped, bodily metabolism halted, and the exchange of bioelectricity ceased in an eternal moment—.
Only the chakra embedded within her continued to spin endlessly.
“If I don’t die, I will burn until I do!”
Eventually, at the center of the chakra that was spinning like a wheel, her inner microcosm unfolded.
She, Yoon Ji-yoon,
—became lightning.
*
“Move quickly! Prioritize relocating citizens to safe zones!”
“Are there not enough healers? Call all the nearby priests in the name of the government! If that doesn’t work, bribe them or threaten them, just get them here by any means!”
“Ugh, we need more support at the barriers! We’re reaching the limit of holding back the aftereffects! If we get hit directly, it’ll explode in one shot!”
On the outskirts of the battlefield where Yoon Ji-yoon stood against Alpha.
The emergency responders from the Returnee Association and agents from the Ability Management Bureau were bustling around the chaotic scene.
In fact, thanks to the Hahoe Mask, they had a relatively peaceful time recently, but such events were very familiar to them.
It was unusual for just one villain to inflict such a large-scale disaster, but their tasks had not changed much.
The issue-causing villain would be handled by the branch manager directly.
And while everyone was busy, one figure was gracefully slipping past everyone’s perception, approaching the barriers.
“It’s commendable to see this level of response so soon after the incident. Impressive… but that only speaks to how often such incidents occur.”
Heinz, who had hidden his presence using “Existence Denial,” nodded heavily.
Not that unusual, as terror-related news broke out almost daily.
“And when this news spreads, the villains that had been quiet will start stirring again, one by one.”
Usually, during quiet times, everyone behaves cautiously, but once someone takes the initiative to break out, human psychology dictates that chaos ensues.
Though he had previously rounded up anyone who emerged, reinstating order would likely take considerable effort.
“Tsk, it can’t be helped. It seems Jin So-ran has safely slipped away, so I can visit her later. For now, I have to handle that monster inside first.”
From this distance, he could sense where the subordinates were without even needing to use “Lord’s Authority.”
He could tell that she and a few surviving vampires from Hetero-Sys were clustered together a bit further away.
“This momentum… she must be of Pureblood caliber. Yet, Jin So-ran’s survival suggests that from the beginning, they had no intention of killing her.”
The intense energies clashing from beyond the barrier were palpable.
With her level, it was unlikely she could escape a being of that caliber on her own, so it seemed that the other side had intentionally refrained from killing her, taking advantage of a moment when the association’s stronger members were involved.
“Quite lucky. Now, I can directly investigate that monster.”
Having reached the barrier, Heinz took a moment to observe it with “Insight.”
Knowing it wouldn’t be hard to bypass it using “Existence Denial,” he easily entered.
And just after that, what he faced was.
“Kreeeek! Heinz—!”
Crackling—! Boom!
“No, why have you been looking for someone else all this time when there’s a lady right in front of you? Your manners are at a whopping zero, just like your looks!”
Crackle—!
He saw a half-charred monster desperately calling out for him.
A being made of light… no, electricity was relentlessly frying him with bolts of lightning.
‘…My name? Is that so? Then that must be Alpha.’
Heinz quickly reached his conclusion about his opponent’s identity from small clues, watching the situation with interest.
Despite appearing defeated and charred, Alpha continued to regenerate, rampaging and destroying his surroundings; yet in this state, stripped of reason and driven by instinct, he was ill-equipped to contend with an opponent moving like lightning.
“A spirit of lightning… It looks similar, but the power seems closer to a fundamental concept than just natural energy. Perhaps a chakra user?”
Chakra, an ability that allows the creation of a microcosm within oneself to intervene in specific concepts and phenomena.
Though he had seen various users on Earth, this was the first time he had encountered someone who could substitute their entire form into the concept of ‘lightning.’
‘…Strong. Even now, it doesn’t seem like she’s giving her full power.’
It was difficult to gauge precisely due to the unfamiliar system he only knew through knowledge; however, it was clear that the opponent had reached a position considerably high within the spectrum of transcendence.
“Aaaah—! I have to kill Heinz! If you interfere, I’ll kill you too!”
“Yeah, yeah. Got it, so die first!”
The screeching Alpha, whose entire being was turning to charcoal with each subsequent bolt of lightning, was clearly not in his right mind.
Even considering that he had fallen into madness from devouring his kin, his obsessive fixation on Heinz felt unnaturally intense.
As if someone had forcibly engraved that thought into his brain.
“Well, questioning the mindset of a madman is pointless. But if I leave him like this, he’ll die soon.”
Though he was still holding on with that superior regeneration, it seemed to be reaching its limits and slowing down.
Should he be satisfied that the root of this situation was being smoothly eliminated and retreat quietly?
‘…There’s no way!’
The damage suffered by his side was considerable.
The destruction of the office, including the assets of Hetero-Sys, was a small matter.
More than half of the vampires in the office had perished in Alpha’s rampage, and Jin So-ran, who had been acting on Heinz’s behalf, had also sustained injuries requiring recovery for a while.
In such a situation, how could he merely stand back and do nothing?
‘So, I have the right to seek legitimate retribution.’
Thus, this was not—
By no means, a mere steal.
Huff—
“Heh! You…? Heinz—!”
This was merely a slightly overdue settling of accounts.
*
In a certain location in China.
A man sitting in a wheelchair sighed deeply, then hesitantly attempted to contact an unwanted superior.
-Hello? Yul Ryeong-ja?
“Yes, Doctor. I am calling to inform you that the delivery of the items you requested has been completed.”
-Well, well! Is that so? Great, great!
As always, the frivolous voice filled with excitement.
However, Yul Ryeong-ja showed no particular reaction and calmly laid out the necessary details.
A brief overview of events that had just transpired.
“The brain vampire Yoon Ji-yoon joined the scene much earlier than expected. We intended to take action at the moment she left her post, but it didn’t prove meaningful.”
-Hmm, that’s a bit disappointing! No matter how discarded she might be, I hoped she’d cause a bit more ruckus!
He could hear a light click of the tongue through the communication line.
After that, a few more matters were wrapped up without any significant issues in the interim report.
-Thank you for your hard work, Yul Ryeong-ja! It must have been cumbersome dealing with an insane friend!
“It wasn’t that tough. I’m accustomed to such matters.”
Though that statement carried the implication of “no one was more difficult to handle than you,” it was a sentiment he couldn’t say aloud.
-I hope the gift from my heart reaches your friend, Heinz safely! Of course, I also have backup plans in place just in case it doesn’t go as intended, but a smooth and swift outcome is ideal!
“Hm, is he really that important? I’ve heard he’s unscathed even after kin-devouring, but I wonder just how significant that is. Was it worth exhausting a level 9 vampire you worked hard to create?”
Yul Ryeong-ja, the head of the East Asia branch of the Buncheon Society, considered Alpha to be a significant part of their forces, so discontent over such a meaningless operation was inevitable.
Moreover, they had already suffered considerable power loss in the battle against the Hahoe Mask, making this waste even more frustrating.
-Yul Ryeong-ja, it’s natural to sow seeds for a harvest! It’s standard practice to fatten livestock before slaughter! In that sense, investing in the defective Alpha was a very efficient decision! He may be level 9 in name, but his intelligence has devolved to that of a beast!
“Hm, it’s concerning how elusive his activities have been.”
-That’s why this operation is necessary! By subtly luring him, we can draw him where we want. If we can utilize that body, we can finally complete the ‘Fully Evolved Organism Project’! Uhehehe!
From the other end of the line, the Doctor’s laughter resonated joyfully, more vibrant than ever.
Who wouldn’t feel that way?
That was one of the massive projects he had drafted, commissioning researchers from around the world with small samples of blood for research.
Though a Korean lab had been shattered along the way, the research was steadily progressing.
Now, thanks to the discovery of Heinz, this mutant vampire, completion was finally in sight.
-Oh, hehehe!
Thus, the Doctor, basking in his satisfaction over his grand research, terminated the communication without knowing that his hidden desires had long been leaked to others and had already been set in motion.
