In a laboratory where all kinds of junk were scattered like a mess.
Whiiiiiing— Craaack!
The sound of a motor running fiercely was followed by a loud noise of something gnawing away.
Then came a series of loud crashing noises.
Despite the presence of advanced equipment all around, the sounds of work didn’t quite match, but in this place, it was just an ordinary daily scene.
Amidst this mundane routine.
Beeep—
An alien sound, different from the usual, intruded into the chaos.
– Doctor, are you there?
However, it seemed the lab worker didn’t hear it, as the loud noise continued until several calls later when it slowly started to die down.
– Doctor?
By then, it had already been about five minutes since the first call, but that voice continued in a calm tone, as if it was familiar.
“Huh? What is it? I was just getting into the groove.”
The busy lab worker, the Doctor, grumbled as he crossed the cluttered space.
He grabbed a towel hanging loosely somewhere and wiped off the red liquid on his hands.
Beep—
Then, he approached a desk in one corner and lightly tapped a magical tool lying on it to connect the communication.
“Yes~ Yes~ It’s the Doctor. What can I do for you?”
– Ah, Doctor. I apologize for contacting you suddenly.
“Just saying you knew would be enough. Quickly state your business. I feel like a new paradigm for the usage of the biological organ known as the eyeball might just strike me any moment now!”
He was beating around the bush, but ultimately, that was just his way of saying nothing significant had developed.
However, he had said this kind of thing many times, so the contact person delivered news without any unusual reaction.
– I have obtained intelligence that the prey you instructed to pay attention to has entered Europe.
The long-awaited good news came.
– Korea’s phantom, Heinz II, has sneaked into Paris, France. Currently, he is on the verge of destroying the Termidor branch of the surrounding satellite cities and colliding with the tyrant.
“Hooh?”
The Doctor’s gloomy eyes curved into crescent shapes upon hearing those words.
While he anxiously awaited news, he never expected it to come at such an unexpected moment.
It was truly like receiving a surprise gift!
“Woohoo~ Finally! In France, huh? That’s a bit disappointing. Well, still, it’s not bad! Since reaching Europe, I’ve essentially achieved my objective!”
It would have been better if he had arrived in Eastern Europe, but that was just a matter of time, so it didn’t really matter.
Now, whether late or early, he would naturally follow the arrangements he had laid out to head toward Eastern Europe, particularly Romania.
Once there, it would be game over.
“Inform the Duke! Tell him to prepare thoroughly to avoid making mistakes later on!”
– Yes, then I will relay this directly to His Grace the Duke.
“Should any unusual events arise related to this, report immediately.”
– Understood, Doctor.
As the light lightly flickering from the magical tool gradually faded, silence enveloped the cluttered laboratory.
“………”
Immediately after the communication ended, the Doctor, who had been lightly stroking his goatee, began to ponder while surveying his workspace.
Thinking he was on the verge of acquiring a sample that could be the key to a long-time research breakthrough, he couldn’t suppress his excitement.
Soon, he twisted one corner of his mouth up and nodded heavily.
“Alright…”
And then he spoke in a solemn tone, as if he had made a resolution.
“Should I go with pepperoni pizza after all?”
His lunch menu for the day.
Regardless of the situation, a meal was an important issue.
*
In a bizarre space drenched in red.
Crackling—
A pitch-black darkness infiltrated one corner.
A monstrous shadow devouring everything around it as if it were alive, constantly writhing.
It continued to swell in size and relentlessly expanded its territory—.
“Such a nuisance.”
Swoosh—
Soon, like being torn apart by invisible hundreds of hands, it was shredded from all sides by overwhelming force.
But, just as it had been until now, the situation didn’t end there.
The shattered shadow fragments began to cluster and eventually transformed into a horde of demons, flapping their bat wings as they took to the sky.
No matter how much it was smashed, the army of shadows continued to regenerate endlessly.
Facing this, Heinz II could vividly feel why the opponent was known as the tyrant.
‘Moreover, it can’t simply be viewed as a summoning type. Truly versatile… this is troublesome.’
He, who had been lightly floating in the air, glanced down to observe the writhing darkness scattered across the ground.
The shadows used by this tyrant did not stop at mere minion creation but were all-weather abilities that covered aspects like reconnaissance, stealth, movement, attacks, and defense.
Moreover, the opponent seemed to possess considerable skill, handling all those functions proficiently and persistently countering him.
‘Even though I realized that having vampire traits isn’t a measure of strength, it seems I underestimated it. I must reflect.’
Perhaps because of that, the fight was dragging on longer than he had originally anticipated.
Despite having lured the foe into the barrier during the daytime, intending for their primary shadow to weaken based on gathered intel.
But it wasn’t just Heinz who felt that way.
No, rather, after experiencing a few rounds of conflict at the start and recognizing the disparity in power, the opponent was now doing everything possible to avoid direct confrontation.
‘This is absurd… out of nowhere, such a monster appeared? In Korea? What kind of place is that…!’
He, the ruler of the shadows in France and master of Termidor—a level 9 vampire, the tyrant—grimaced.
Despite his reputation, he still concealed himself within the shadows and moved through space constantly.
Evil—
Just as he was lurking for a chance, he charged once again toward one side of the barrier.
Crackle—
About a second after colliding with the barrier.
He felt he could surely break through if he invested just a few more seconds but…
“Damn it.”
He couldn’t finish his work and was quickly buried back in the shadows, retreating immediately.
And shortly after, he watched the damaged barrier recover in an instant, causing all the shadows to tear apart in a moment.
‘How much energy does he have, exactly?’
After he began to avoid direct confrontation, the first thing he attempted was escaping the confines of the surrounding barrier.
It didn’t have special features except for trapping the area, perhaps for the sake of stealth and quick activation; however, he couldn’t just let the enemy dictate the battlefield according to their desires, could he?
At first, he had acted confidently, mistakenly underestimating the opponent’s power, but the nature of the shadows he faced was unequivocally guerrilla warfare, not open combat.
To leverage that advantage, a wide space would be much more beneficial than a confined area, but…
‘No, it’s not just about the energy issue. Maintaining a sealing barrier that I cannot breach in one go while counterattacking and restoring the barrier the moment I sense a chance for escape is simply ridiculous.’
Even reflecting on it made his eyes twitch involuntarily.
Even if he had prepared up to a certain extent beforehand, there couldn’t have been so much time granted.
Certainly, one-on-one against that monster was utterly impossible in his current state.
Crack-
“Gah!”
Moreover, as if the opponent could sense it, they continuously pinpointed his location and attacked whenever there was a gap, making it infuriating for him, with everything blocked off.
“…He’s fast.”
However, even though Heinz was overwhelmingly dominant, he wasn’t at ease either.
Clicking his tongue, he pushed away sharp shadows stretching out from all sides again and refocused.
Yet, since the opponent was of considerable caliber, whenever he decided to actively dodge, even attacks utilizing the flow of causality were proving difficult.
‘I can’t afford to drag this out any further.’
Despite taking care to prepare a barrier in this remote area, it was not far from the capital, Paris.
As time passed, the chances of outside interference increased, and if that happened, he would surely lose the chance to trap the opponent he had managed to corner.
If that were to happen, he would likely not get such an opportunity again.
‘The moment the careless fool unwittingly walked right into my trap is really the only chance I have.’
Having come all this way to Europe and spending so much time, he couldn’t afford to flounder on his first hunt.
Clearly, it seemed he would need to push himself a bit to finish it swiftly.
‘…A brief moment should be fine.’
Even after rising to pureblood, he had gone through many events.
In Auterica, he had obtained refined blood from other bloodlines along with Obaifo.
On Earth, he had absorbed Alpha’s blood, achieving level 9, albeit in an incomplete manner.
‘During the fight with the revolutionary, I was unable to exert my strength properly due to not having recovered it yet.’
Moreover, at that time, he had focused on supporting Heinrich and Harley, so there had been no need to exert himself.
Given that situation, gaining practical data this time wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
To truly test his power, which rose to a peak through methods unpredictable to other vampires.
Hah—.
Having made up his mind, Heinz took a deep breath.
And while maintaining the Existence Denial to conceal his energy, he activated the essence that composed the vampire race—Blood Sovereignty.
Thump!
The blood, evolved to its limit through Hybrid Evolution… purified to the extreme with Refined Blood Essence, contained the Blood Mystery which surged throughout his entire body.
Thump!
Using Insight, he reflected upon his internal state and accelerated the changes all at once through Quick Acceleration.
Crack— Crack—
Chiiiiing—!
Constantly accelerating, blood circulating through his body, heat and steam erupted from every pore.
With the increased blood flow, his muscles expanded, and his skin flushed a bright red.
‘A craftsman doesn’t blame his tools, but…’
It’s common sense that better working conditions and tools yield much better results, right?
That was a fact that Howard, who actively produced himself, always felt keenly.
“Whew.”
And the body is the most perfect tool a living being can possess.
‘Then…’
Thus, deep within Heinz II’s body.
The factors that had been sealed for everyday burdens now awoke all at once.
*
The incessant storm had ceased.
However, the tyrant, hidden and waiting for an opportunity, could not afford to act recklessly.
‘What is this?’
He couldn’t understand.
Clearly, this sudden pause of his enemy was a golden opportunity to escape, yet instincts honed over countless years screamed at him to keep quiet and stay hidden.
He momentarily hesitated, but rationally decided.
‘First, I must get out.’
He didn’t know the reason, but such opportunities didn’t come easily.
He would at least give it a try, and if something went wrong, he could always hide quickly then.
Just as he always had done.
Thus, rushing toward the barrier in an instant, he launched a full-force attack against it.
Crackle—
In mere seconds.
With no particular opposition, the moment he finally bored a hole in the wall blocking his way—
Chills!
A shiver ran down his spine.
Immediately, he channeled his strength according to his instincts.
In an instant, sharp thorns erupted from the darkness enveloping his entire body, piercing in all directions, while a massive black hand from the ground enveloped the space.
At the same time, the shadows that cast over the barrier wriggled and sprang forth toward him in the blink of an eye.
And in that brief moment as all this unfolded, he, who had been deeply nestled in the shadows of the floor…
“Finally caught you, you little rat.”
Along with the chilling voice that followed.
Wooosh— Pchut!
Caught by a powerful grip that plunged deep into the ground, he was lifted to the surface like a fish skewered on a spear.
‘…Gah, when did?!’
And all around him.
The shadows he had just scattered moments ago shattered and fell like cherry blossoms.
Though it lacked charm, being all in a gloomy black.
