The tyrant glared at his opponent, who was grabbing his neck and lifting him up, with a twisted face.
Ugh.
Being in such close contact made the opponent’s presence feel even more palpable.
And in that fleeting moment when he succeeded in piercing the barrier, he was sure that he had unwittingly relaxed his tension.
‘Damn…! He’s completely overwhelming me with his energy!’
It was incomprehensible otherwise.
He couldn’t understand how he hadn’t noticed the difference in density in the space where the opponent was, so drastically.
He gritted his teeth, struggling against the torrential flow of immense blood magic that was disrupting his mystical abilities within his body.
‘This is a whole different story…!’
He had already heard about this guy.
There was a rumor that a level 9 vampire born in Korea might come someday.
He hadn’t gotten any more detailed stories since he ignored additional cooperation requests related to it, but he secretly hoped it could be interesting…
‘Who would have thought he’d be this much of a monster!’
If he had known, he should have just accepted their offer.
No, but accepting meant that they would gain increased influence in Europe…
As his mind tangled in this dire situation, Heinz, who was controlling the overflowing energy and holding onto the tyrant’s neck, could finally make a decision about his opponent.
‘He’s definitely a transcendent-level vampire, but in terms of the power he’s using, the unique abilities of vampires are not that significant. To be precise, he’s more of an extraterrestrial psychic being.’
After exchanging a few moves, he truly realized it.
The opponent used most of the powers derived from his vampire traits merely as a means to assist high-output psychic phenomena.
Even the part used for self-enhancement was left unused apart from a few bits.
‘He probably planned to use it for rapid regeneration in an emergency. It’s ironic how in a true crisis like this, that wouldn’t help him at all.’
Nevertheless, this allowed him to solidify his resolve.
Heinz channeled energy through his hand gripping the collar, moving it toward the back of the tyrant’s neck with sharp fangs.
“You bastard…!”
The tyrant’s eyes widened in shock, but Heinz paid no mind.
Even if he used his temporarily berserk power, it wouldn’t be easy to subdue someone of that caliber!
He felt he was nearing his limit, so he had to wrap this up quickly.
Fwoosh—
In no time, his sharp teeth pierced through skin as hard as alloy.
Gradually, blood began to be drawn through that point.
Goooh—
Crack— Crack!
The opponent’s resistance surged, and the energy tinged with shadows violently thrashed, clawing at his entire body, but now that the bloodsucking was in progress, the situation was practically over.
‘Don’t worry. I don’t plan to kill you.’
After all, he seemed rather useful.
What he needed to grow was simply ‘a vampire trait that had ascended from a completely different lineage.’
With all abilities skyrocketing and his control over blood drastically enhanced now.
It was not impossible to feast while sparing his life.
“Cough! Mad Vamp? What the hell…! Aaaaah!”
Of course, bloodsucking wasn’t just about merely drinking blood; it was also a ritual in a more shamanic sense, stealing part of the opponent’s essence, which significantly diminished their power.
Yet still, wasn’t it better than death?
For someone of his level, dropping to a minor blood level wouldn’t be much of a loss.
‘Yeah, this way we both win-win.’
In that way, the tyrant ruling the shadows of France could keep his life intact.
And the citizens of this country could enjoy safer nights.
《Collecting new vampire traits. The special skill “Hybrid Evolution” sharpens the entity’s existence.》
Heinz II, achieving his original goal while also taking control of the European outpost.
Truly, it was the completion of a happy ending for everyone.
“My, my power…! You bastard! What the hell did you do…!”
Hmm?
It seemed like one person still needed a bit more time to grasp the situation.
‘As expected, something like “Obsession” doesn’t work well on someone of this caliber. I might need to give a bit of education.’
However, that wouldn’t take too long.
*
While Heinz II was active in Europe.
Hans, the Hahoe Mask, returned to Earth after a while and was busily moving, as if to catch up for lost time.
‘Now that I’ve figured out that the troublesome Head of the Buncheon Society is away, there’s no need to hold back.’
One of the fragmented pieces of information he had obtained through Yul Ryeong-ja was the Head’s absence.
Thus, Hans surveyed the entire Republic of Korea once more, and in between, busied himself with cleaning up the Japanese archipelago, which he had put on hold, and began prodding the extremely sensitive reactions coming from China.
‘The reactions from China are definitely suspicious. It seems that most of the high-ups there have already fallen to the Buncheon Society.’
It was quite impressive that, despite the elimination of the East Asian regional manager, the confusion within the Buncheon Society didn’t last long.
It must have been quite challenging to recover just by dispatching a new successor.
This signified how critical China was as a foothold for them.
‘But the situation isn’t that bad. In fact, it seems that many have already become wary of the Buncheon Society.’
He had thought for quite some time that he was fighting a lonely battle.
According to Yul Ryeong-ja’s memories, it seemed there were quite a few factions opposing the Buncheon Society.
Due to the nature of resistance against a powerful enemy, these factions were scattered and hidden, so he hadn’t noticed them.
‘China’s recent aggressive stance towards Korea probably stems from their strengthening resistance against the Buncheon Society.’
Since the Seoul terrorist attack by Alpha, the Returnees’ Association had begun to take a more actively hostile stance against the Buncheon Society.
Of course, their influence had reached various sectors, including politics, and they engaged in obstructive acts…
‘Directly judging them isn’t necessary. It’s simple to topple such fools.’
Until now, the Hahoe Mask had refrained from dealing directly with key figures, including government officials.
If he began doing so, it was obvious things would become troublesome in many ways.
However, that didn’t mean he was simply leaving them alone.
“Those with dirty backs are usually seen with equally dirty fellows.”
Whether they were contractors doing the dirty work, illegal factions for money laundering, or service crews that could be easily exploited and discarded.
By taking down those fools, evidence against the higher-ups who sent them would inevitably come to light.
‘The underworld is already in my hands.’
With the blood alliance in motion, addressing the cleanup would be simplified.
In the end, they had no choice but to choose between social downfall or full cooperation with him.
“However…”
Just when everything seemed to be flowing smoothly.
A certain movement within the country began to subtly irritate him.
As I sat silently organizing the current situation, I tapped the armrest of my chair, frowning.
‘For now, I was going to leave it be.’
The investigative team from the Pantheon of the interdimensional religion.
I had already caught wind of the Secretary of the North America branch of the Buncheon Society getting involved in the U.S., so until I got a clear grasp on their objectives, I intended to observe the situation first.
So long as they didn’t intrude on this side’s daily life.
“But they’re clearly prying too much.”
Gaining information about the investigator’s movements wasn’t particularly difficult.
Since they had nothing to hide, there wasn’t any intention not to show something.
It was natural since they weren’t hunting down criminals.
‘Sigh… The fact they’re deliberately trying to find someone who’s hidden is presumptuous to say the least.’
That was a complex matter intertwined with various interests, so it couldn’t be helped.
The real problem lay in the actions they were currently displaying.
‘They can’t possibly mean to investigate everyone who was at the hospital that day.’
When I heard the news that the investigative team visited Kang Tae-san’s grandmother, I initially took no action.
Of course, it was true that Heinrich had intervened in Grandma’s fast discharge, but it was just the case that everyone on-site had recently received a super-high purity of holy power.
Only a brief amount of time had passed since then.
There was no way traces from before that, even at a lower state, would still remain, right?
Naturally, they would have to leave empty-handed…
However, if they carried out an overall investigation, things could change.
“I was there that day too.”
Being a hidden Awakened One, simply being a subject of investigation posed a significant burden.
To put it bluntly, it was quite a scary situation.
Although I had somehow been able to move around freely while concealing my identity, if high priests decided to examine me thoroughly, it was only a matter of time before I’d be exposed.
Sitting in the massage chair, I let out a deep sigh and scratched my head.
‘If I could implement a replica of Heinz’s “Existence Denial” through the additional ability of “Entity Projection”…’
Perhaps it would be possible to hide.
Yet, considering my proficiency wasn’t that high yet, it remained a gamble.
Ultimately, the most certain method would be simply not to be a subject of investigation.
Therefore, I smacked my lips and slowly nodded to myself.
‘…It can’t be helped.’
Really, it was unavoidable.
*
After the hospital terror incident was reported, the existence of Knight Heinrich was revealed to the public.
Both online and offline, many people were excitedly seeking out his whereabouts.
It was only natural since news about the miraculous recovery of patients who received benefits from his holy power had spread drastically since his flashy debut.
Unlike the saintess, Heinrich’s holy power was specialized more for dispelling evil rather than healing, but such classifications tended to be applicable only up to a certain level.
A saint-level holy power that had never appeared on Earth, weakened by the “Dimension Barrier Mitigation” and amplified through the Holy Sword?
‘…It’s strange to think that this wouldn’t elicit such a reaction.’
Those who were originally healthy found their minor ailments, which they had been oblivious to, suddenly disappear, making their condition peak.
Those who had minor injuries disappeared as if washed away.
Even those with serious injuries could start recovering to the point where they needed only simple treatment.
Not to mention, those who were on the brink of death could start treatment again, aiming for a complete recovery as their symptoms significantly eased.
The wave of excitement stemming from that was something that needed no further emphasis.
Even though the joint investigation by the Pantheon and the Espers Management Bureau may have crossed a line, the public’s lack of significant discontent was likely heavily influenced by that.
They were all curious about the person who brought that miracle, the ‘White Knight.’
He might even surpass the Hahoe Mask.
‘Or maybe not? It could just be the difference in how benefits can be gained.’
While they might not know the identity of the Hahoe Mask, there were issues with needing to know his identity to receive the blessings of the White Knight.
Many might have thought that about some of the reasons as well.
Clank— Clank—
And that’s why he was here right now.
“Huh? Could it be…?”
“Oh? Oh my?”
“No way… really?”
In a children’s hospital belonging to a certain university in Seoul.
Clank— Clank—
A knight clad in white armor suddenly appeared, crossing the hospital lobby confidently.
The subtle glow emanating from him began to gently cover the surroundings.
All the patients, guardians, doctors, and nurses in the lobby gazed blankly in that direction.
However, that subtle confusion didn’t last long.
“Oh my gosh, it’s real! Sua! Sua! This way…”
“Wow~ So cool.”
“Ahhh! Doctor! Please help my child a bit…”
“Um, Dr. Kim. Could he really be…?”
Soon, a loud clamoring erupted from all directions.
With a sense of intimidation felt even in the gentle energy, those who couldn’t even dare to approach gazed longingly at the saint at the center.
‘That’s quite the strange feeling.’
If he were worried about being exposed due to the investigation, the solution was simple.
Make it unnecessary to investigate at all.
‘Maybe I should start spreading the word like other religions. That way, the constraints on my powers on Earth might also ease.’
Thus, the saint summoned remotely from Auterica.
Heinrich Saint Landgard appeared in the heart of Seoul.
