Vampire Rise (6)
Fwoosh—
The crimson flame blazed fiercely.
Yoon Ji-yoon, deep in battle, fixed her sharp gaze upon it.
An unexpected intruder had suddenly disrupted the intense combat.
What had been a fierce struggle ended in an absurdly simple manner because of it.
‘No, that wasn’t a simple attack.’
On the surface, it seemed the Alpha had been pierced in the heart by a sudden strike from behind, igniting flames that consumed their body, but…
She could perceive the intricate and subtle flow of causality in those series of events.
A lethal strike that blocked every possibility of resistance.
The Alpha, worn out from the fight and caught by surprise, would find it impossible to respond.
‘The leader of the Korean vampires, Heinz.’
That’s why encountering the ‘Heinz’ she had only heard about before made her tense.
‘This is beyond what I expected.’
Though the blood alliance had recently adopted a more moderate approach, most of its members were vampires scorned by society.
Naturally, maintaining a constant vigilance was essential, and she thought she had adequate information and preparedness regarding them.
‘The information about their leader was wrong from the start! Only level 8? I figured they would be at least top-tier among them…’
She had been utterly mistaken.
Even now, the overwhelming pressure triggered her instincts.
Wasn’t this at least a level 9?
It was a presence not typically known to the general public; even she, the branch director of the association, had only heard they existed in Europe.
‘Moreover, how could I not notice their presence until they got so close while being in a state of “Thunder Transformation”?’
She had always perceived the world with a different perspective due to the magnetic field surrounding her.
Yet encountering someone who could deceive those senses to this extent was a first for her, breeding inevitable suspicion.
Of course, if one were fully on guard in a combat situation from the start, they might catch on. But if such a presence ambushed her during her daily life, would she be able to prevent it without harm?
‘…No, this isn’t the time for such worries. Let’s think about that later.’
First of all, conversation was the priority.
She opened her mouth toward Heinz, who was gazing down at the dwindling flames.
“Nice to meet you. Are you the leader of Hetero-Sis, Heinz?”
“Hmm, nice to meet you too. To encounter such a renowned figure here.”
Fortunately, he seemed willing to engage in conversation and turned his gaze to her.
While they had maintained a tacitly friendly relationship until now, this would be their first formal interaction, which made her somewhat anxious.
“Thank you for your help earlier. Because of you, we could quickly bring this incident to a close.”
But before that…
There was an issue she had to address.
“By the way, that… was it cannibalism of your kin?”
Yoon Ji-yoon narrowed her eyes, slightly tilting her head as she scrutinized Heinz.
Though obscured by the blazing Blood Blossom, a powerhouse of her caliber would hardly miss the signs of feeding, right?
Cannibalism among vampires was a sensitive issue.
It wasn’t merely their internal problem; it was a globally taboo act.
Wasn’t the Alpha involved in this very commotion a Gluttonous Bloodsucker?
However, Heinz maintained a calm demeanor, dismissing her sharp question as if it were nothing.
“I understand what you might be thinking, but I merely extracted the blood and stored it separately. It’s the easiest way to prevent his regeneration.”
Blood was the source of a vampire’s power, so it was a natural statement.
Taking control of the blood from a level 9 vampire was nearly impossible.
Heinz wouldn’t have been able to handle him so easily without this fortuitous opportunity.
“…I see. So you don’t intend to use that blood for anything?”
“Oh, that’s not true. No matter how foul the blood, if it’s of this caliber, it’s valuable in various ways. It seems a waste to discard it.”
Yoon Ji-yoon gazed into Heinz’s eyes as he responded indifferently to her probing statements.
As a predator, he exuded an inhuman chill and a condescending demeanor typical of the strong, yet the twisted madness displayed by the Gluttonous Bloodsucker was nowhere to be sensed.
‘He’s quite articulate, considering. He doesn’t seem lacking in social skills.’
After all, he was the one who transformed a covertly violent blood alliance into a socially cohesive organization.
Although she secretly wished to dispose of the Alpha’s blood right away, it was better to take a step back than to react overly sensitively and risk deteriorating their relationship.
“It seems I responded a bit too sensitively to a delicate issue. I apologize if I caused any offense.”
“Don’t concern yourself. Your worries were valid.”
Somehow, his attitude radiated a regal air akin to that of a nation’s king, but that wasn’t unusual.
She herself had held a position that couldn’t afford to treat an emperor casually while in another world.
Swish—
At that moment, as if sensing the battle was over even from outside, the barrier enveloping the area began to slowly dissolve.
Once personnel arrived to tidy up the internal situation, she would be swamped with managing the aftermath.
“We have much to discuss, but the timing isn’t quite right. How about we schedule something soon?”
“Sure. Given the current circumstances, we have no choice.”
Although Hetero-Sis was also a victim, they couldn’t completely distance themselves from such a massive incident.
While it could be viewed as quite troublesome, Heinz thought it wasn’t bad either.
‘Well, I can leave the tedious work to Jin So-Ran. I might even take this opportunity to benefit from it.’
The Alpha was affiliated with the Buncheon Society, which was already on Korea’s blacklist of terrorist organizations.
Thus, if this incident was managed well, it meant they could naturally forge ties with the Korean state!
‘Those guys are a global secret organization lurking in the shadows. I was considering building up a反 Buncheon force against them anyway, and if Korea is included, it would lend more gravity to it.’
How they responded would depend on the situation.
He had no intention of just playing along with the opponent’s agenda.
Heinz quietly slipped away from the scene, evading the approaching crowd and calmly organizing what he had gained from the Alpha’s blood.
*
[Shock! A large-scale terrorism incident occurs in Seoul’s Dae-rae-dong. Casualties are in the hundreds, and the total damage is still being tallied.]
[The impact of a strong individual on our society. National security shaken by a single villain.]
[Is the vampire regulation in jeopardy with a Gluttonous Bloodsucker affiliated with an international terror organization?!]
Immediately after the Alpha incident.
Korean media began to blaze with excitement over the long-awaited large-scale terror event.
The scale of damage and many provocative factors had caught the public’s attention.
-Wow, crazy; the association responded quickly, but it’s crazy that hundreds died in just a few minutes because of one guy ;o
-Did you see the CCTV footage from afar? It looked like the buildings were blown apart like they’d been hit by bombs while he was just strolling around.
-But the brain was there to capture it, lol. Without any apparent injuries, too, LOL.
One of the aspects was the display of power exhibited by that villain.
Though the strength of returnees had been known through various media, experiencing it through an actual incident felt entirely different.
Even the branch director of the association, who was said to have captured him.
Responses from the public varied, expressing condolences for the victims and anger towards the villain, hatred for vampires, and blaming the state and the association for their incompetence.
However, amid all this, there was an unexpected sentiment emerging—
-Ah, what’s Hahoe Mask doing? You’re absent, and the main base is getting hit;;
-For real, lol. Just because you stepped out for a bit, the country is in chaos, lol.
-But seriously, did he actually die? He abruptly stopped his activities in Japan, right?
└Nonsense, Hahoe Mask isn’t dead.
└If he got caught, he’d be making a ruckus bragging about it, right? Would he be this quiet?!
-The terrorist seems strong, so maybe he got scared and fled, lol.
└First, go check out the achievements and recorded videos of Hahoe Mask.
It was all about discussions regarding Hahoe Mask.
“Ah, well, I suppose comments like this are to be expected. It has been a while since such a major incident occurred since Hahoe Mask made his appearance.”
I nodded as I casually browsed through the reactions while stroking my chin.
When Hans’s vigilante activities had fully commenced, countless violent offenders had been executed daily, causing criminals to shrink back and, as a result, keeping large incidents at bay.
There had also been numerous instances of quietly averting potential disasters that could have escalated into significant issues like this one.
“Hmmm, Hans is still deep into his research, and ‘Entity Projection’ is something he needs to be cautious about using.”
It had barely been a week in Earth time since Hans had faced off against the Head of Buncheon Society and fled.
Back then, he had escaped using a summoning release, but if he were to go out now using ‘Entity Projection,’ he could easily find himself in a similar situation, rendering him helpless.
“The research on heading to the Ganghwan Realm is approaching its final stages, but… once that’s done, I should resume my activities again. I should also wrap up matters from Japan.”
Given the current progress, it shouldn’t take that long.
And since this had turned out this way, Heinz, who had gained significant rewards from this incident, could take over for Hans.
“Well, as expected, I wasn’t quite ready to cross over yet.”
I lightly smacked my lips and shook my head.
The blood from the Alpha had indeed helped significantly, but that guy, pieced together from various dimensional factors, had also been an imperfect being who barely managed to push past the threshold, resulting in overall incomplete potential.
‘It would have been far more beneficial if someone had grown within one dimension and captured its essence properly.’
For example, a being that had achieved one hundred in one aspect.
Simply put, the Alpha was at a state of one at thirty, with seven tens, meaning considering the losses incurred during feeding, it would be evident which scenario was more efficient.
‘Of course, I know I’m being greedy.’
I checked again the message that had come to mind right after fully absorbing the Alpha’s blood.
《New vampire factors are being collected. Due to the special skill「Hybrid Evolution」， the entity’s physical abilities and magical resistance, as well as regeneration power, are enhanced.》
《A realization has been achieved through the influence of the special skill「Hybrid Evolution」. The skill「Enchantment」 has been acquired.》
It seems there were still many vampire factors that Heinz had yet to gather on Earth, as his body had evolved closer to perfection upon encountering new elements.
Additionally, he had even unlocked a latent possibility contained in the blood, which meant he had reaped just about everything he could.
‘A mind ability that enchants the opponent. Quite fitting for a vampire.’
Moreover, what Heinz had obtained wasn’t the end of it.
《The entity has achieved a realization by fulfilling conditions. The special skill「Blood Desires」 has been acquired.》
「Blood Desires」 was potentially the skill he needed most at this juncture.
This ability could act as a guide, leading the incomplete factors left in his body toward completion.
And that ability was now urging him to leave this land for another.
Far beyond Korea.
To Europe.
‘It’s remarkably timely, but…’
The problem was that something subtle had emerged through ‘Mind Hub.’
It wasn’t merely providing guidance but also felt somewhat coercive.
It felt like ‘desire’ was actually inciting hunger.
‘But I can’t just blindly follow that. Well, there’s no need to rush. After all, I didn’t even plan to head there right away, so I should think it through more carefully.’
For the time being, maintaining order during the night, which would be thrown into chaos due to the aftermath of the large-scale terror, was the priority.
Additionally, he’d ensure the health of the blood alliance members and sift through any troublemakers who had been hiding all this while.
‘Since I’m acting on behalf of Hans, should I get Heinz a mask or something?’
Hans wore a mask to conceal his skull, and since Heinz’s face was entirely different from the main body, there wasn’t much need for concealment…
But that didn’t matter now.
It was simply that I wanted to do it.
After much contemplation, I chose a white opera mask.
It was the moment when ‘Phantom’ would officially make his presence known to the world, following Hahoe Mask.
