European Expansion (3)
The day has dawned.
As if nothing had happened overnight, a busy day has started in the heart of France, Paris.
Citizens hustle and bustle for studies, work, and household chores.
However, unlike this ordinary appearance, the backside of the city that stayed awake all night was far from peaceful.
Those who couldn’t sleep due to the incident that occurred last night had no choice but to keep moving busily even at this moment.
“What’s the current situation?”
“There hasn’t been any information since the last incident in Nanterre about three hours ago. Including the initially reported Versailles, it’s assessed that five Termidor branches have been obliterated.”
“Whoa— five? All five branches collapsed in just one night?”
The Bureau of Anomaly Security, which oversees issues related to awakened ones in France, chuckled at the report from his subordinate, the chief in charge of the capital Paris and its surrounding regions.
What kind of place is Termidor?
It’s a powerful organization that practically dominates the Milieu, the underworld of France.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that all criminal organizations in this country have their hands on it, either directly or indirectly.
A dangerous group with such formidable influence that public authority couldn’t recklessly intervene and could only scratch its head.
And what elevated this mere crime organization to such a position was…
“The tyrant won’t sit still.”
The owner of Termidor and the ruler of the Milieu, the tyrant.
“If he starts rampaging, it won’t just be a headache. You don’t think this is part of our planned operation, do you? We’re not ready yet…”
It may seem strange for a government agency to be worrying about crime organizations instead of responding to them, but when thought about just a bit differently, it wasn’t so odd.
‘It’s like a kind of asymmetric power rather than a living being.’
A small number of absolute powerhouses with unimaginable powers, enough to make one doubt if they are even from the same Earth.
If it were a type that could at least confront, it might be bearable, but the real problem is that they are tricky to face directly, like the vampire ‘tyrant.’
‘If he hides his body and starts assassinating high-ranking officials, including the heads of state, the entire country could paralyze.’
If he continues to ambush while outright avoiding a confrontation, there would be limits to recruiting a transcendent being of equal caliber for a response.
If that happens, even if they manage to defeat him, unimaginable damage would surely occur at the end.
This was why the government refrained from recklessly touching Termidor and only imposed sanctions when it crossed an unspoken line.
Isn’t it true that everyone fears losing their lives?
Most countries with large villain forces likely have similar situations.
“There hasn’t been any special movement yet. They probably can’t act recklessly until they grasp solid circumstances.”
“…That’s a relief. Have you identified his true identity? If he caused such an event alone, he certainly must be someone quite special.”
As someone whose existence is to protect the nation from villains, finding solace in this situation felt somewhat self-deprecating, but there was nothing they could do at present.
What is more important right now is identifying the person responsible for this incident.
In order to know what to do next, one must first understand who he is.
“Fluent in French, over 180 centimeters tall, noble and imposing presence, a handsome man with black hair and red eyes wearing a white opera mask…”
Thanks to actively gathering testimonies from survivors and witnesses who moved around busily during the night, they had already identified the suspect’s features.
Of course, deducing the true identity of someone from such fragmentary information wasn’t easy—.
“Just in case, I requested cooperation from the DGSE, and they were able to identify the most likely candidates almost certainly.”
Surprisingly, they quickly pinpointed nearly certain candidates beyond their expectations.
As soon as the French intelligence agency, focused on monitoring overseas movements, was asked for help, they swiftly sent a response.
“Commonly referred to as Phantom.”
“…Phantom? With that mask, is he, indeed, the Phantom of the Opera?”
“Yes. Additionally, it’s estimated that he is already the head of a vampire clan that has engulfed the underworld in Korea.”
“Whoa! A vampire of such caliber is here? What on Earth brought him here of all places?”
Soon, several photos began to appear through the projector in the meeting room.
From poorly captured CCTV images to glamorous photos taken by professionals.
The one that stood out most at the end was the infamous ‘Phantom’s Legend Picture’ that had become a hot topic online.
“…Indeed, a striking appearance. Even with the mask, it’s identifiable at a glance.”
“We’ve already compared it with witness testimonies. Although we haven’t confirmed it to be certain for various contingencies, internally we’ve concluded that it’s the same person.”
“Is it really a vampire from Korea? Wow, it’s surprising to hear a country name from the other side of the Earth suddenly pop up. It seems too far to intend to expand territory overseas.”
The chief, looking closely at the photos, roughly stroked his chin.
Honestly, he had only dealt with tasks related to relations concerning the country called Korea a few times, so he didn’t have much to say about it.
‘I remember being told that there wasn’t much to be wary of apart from the Brain and Hahoe Mask.’
Seeing the situation now, it seemed those days were long gone.
Having been somewhat neglectful of overseas news while trying to manage incidents occurring within his jurisdiction, he thought he should pay a bit more attention in the future.
Just as the Bureau of Anomaly Security was developing plans to respond nimbly to variables while making observation its basic policy.
At a similar time.
“…A vampire from Korea. Is that guy the one?”
In another part of Paris, someone was muttering strange impressions while looking at the photo of Phantom.
Outside, it was a bright morning with sunny weather, yet all the windows were covered with thick curtains, leaving only the flickering light of the monitor in the dark room—.
“They really came here as I heard. What kind of guts does he have?”
A figure, buried in shadows and appearing entirely black, muttered leisurely.
However, that was merely a momentary question, and the subsequent responses were entirely different from the sluggish state of the government.
‘Whatever his purpose may be, I can’t just sit back and relax.’
While he couldn’t precisely know why he had come all the way here, it was a clear provocation sent from the other side.
One that was surprisingly public to everyone.
Several branches had already been taken down, and many officials had lost their lives; if they don’t firmly crush the adversary despite such one-sided attacks, the longstanding prestige of Termidor would waver.
Before things get even messier, it was necessary to quickly eliminate the original culprit and restore their standing.
‘He seems like quite a useful fellow; it wouldn’t be bad to capture him and bring him under my wing. If we do that, we could easily make up for the damage incurred this time. …Besides, it’s annoying to move as that Romanian wants.’
He frowned lightly, recalling the unpleasant neighbor who had been subtly trying to interfere in his dominion.
That greedy fellow had not only encroached on most of the underbelly of Eastern Europe but was also energetically looking to expand his territory.
Given that Termidor incurred significant damage this time, it was obvious how the other side would react once that was known.
‘Wrap this up as soon as possible and prepare my forces.’
The man, enveloped in shadows, slowly rose from his seat.
And in a languid voice, he quietly whispered.
[“Find him.”]
The strange resonance of the words echoed.
Jitters—
The shadows that filled the room seemed to respond, wriggling at those words.
[“And confess to me.”]
Where he is.
Wiggle, wiggle— Paaaaah—!
At that quiet utterance, the darkness that filled the space began to scatter into pieces, seeping into the shadows around.
Through window gaps, the front door, and the corridor, crawling along the building’s exterior and reaching throughout the city.
That which spread endlessly traversed through the shadows cast over Paris and finally reached the satellite city, entirely covering the area like a web.
Despite being a delicate operation thoroughly searching every inch, the effective radius reached a staggering 20 kilometers.
Utilizing shadows, which are natural phenomena, this ability was nearly impossible to sense— a power akin to supernatural talent.
That was the tyrant’s unique skill, 【Lord of Shadows】.
And the ability, which symbolized him as he invested most of his karma into unique skill enhancement, was.
“…Found him.”
He did not disappoint him.
*
In the forest park near Versailles in southwestern Paris.
Heinz II, standing quietly in the deep mountains, spoke softly.
“Has he come?”
The words spoken in the absence of any sign of life around seemed like mere mutterings—.
“Oh, I thought something felt off. So, you were indeed waiting.”
“Well, I figured someone would come around this point.”
“You have better instincts than I expected.”
In response, a pitch-black shadow, humanoid in form, rose from the ground without producing any signs.
Thanks to the synergy of the heightened senses and 【Insight】, Heinz was finally able to grasp that presence and looked at him with new interest.
‘He’s someone who has sharpened his unique skill to the point of mastery. He’s undoubtedly level 9, but the amount of vampire factors he has is absurdly low. Such cases can happen.’
Back when Heinz II had just started his activities in Seoul, he had heard from Gamma of the mixed-blood hardliner about the level system that distinguishes the strength of modern vampires.
Although it would usually be impossible, various dimensions of vampires had gathered in one place due to the singularity called Earth.
Despite sharing the crucial commonality of needing “blood,” there were such significant differences that it would be hard to consider them the same species in strict terms.
Even if they are both apes, chimpanzees and orangutans are not the same.
‘So, the level system was established by measuring the shared characteristics they all possess, which is the vampire factor.’
That was certainly an efficient method in a state without any criteria.
It is true that the denser and greater the concentration of vampire factors, the greater the power they can exert as vampires.
However, this only indicates a rough level and can’t serve as a definitive measure of strength.
‘When I think about it, that makes sense.’
Heinz, by actively utilizing kin predation, had brought his powers as a vampire to an extreme. However, the might they possess isn’t solely dependent on vampire factors, is it?
Each Awakened One possesses their own unique skill, and even apart from that, they can ascend to a higher level through other means.
It’s possible that a mere low-tier vampire could become a great wizard after tremendous effort, just as a master swordsman might become a mere lower-tier vampire due to some reasons.
Heinz could now feel this while facing the shadowed being before him, the tyrant.
His vampire factor was barely at the level of Trueblood, but the quality seemed to exude a caliber worthy of his realm.
‘Well, unless one employs an abnormal method like mine, achieving transcendence purely as a vampire is nearly impossible.’
An example of that would be Alpha, who went mad after forcibly raising the concentration of his vampire factor.
And it seems the shadowy being also perceived the same sentiments Heinz had.
“What the…? Who are you? What kind of absurd blood magic…?”
In stark contrast,
“How is it even possible? It would take decades to refine a vampire factor to that level!”
After exchanging a few words right after their first confrontation, the shadowy being continued cautiously exploring each other.
Indeed, this close-range Existence Denial didn’t appear to be flawless against someone of such caliber.
“Is there a need for long talk?”
And likewise timing his actions while exploring, Heinz seized the opportunity when the being looked flustered and immediately activated the barrier he had prepared here.
Vwoooooo—!
With the causality of his 【Acceleration】, the barrier of 【Blood Mystery】 was constructed in an instant, bypassing the intermediate phase.
Feeling threatened by this, shadows exploded violently from the tyrant’s body.
Like a porcupine with its quills raised.
“We have a long way to go, so let’s wrap this up quickly.”
“Huh, you think you can impress me with a few tricks?”
“Well….”
Heinz felt the fiery thirst of 【Blood Desires】 burning hot within him. With one hand, he grasped a long Blood Blade, and with the other, he seized the swirling crimson storm.
“Is that truly just a childish trick?”
For the record, he had grown not only in sheer amounts of energy but also through the karma of the victims of his blood theft via kin predation and 【Hybrid Evolution】.
