Henry Coanda International Airport in Otopeni, a city adjacent to Bucharest, the capital of Romania.
‘Finally arrived.’
Heinz II, who had hidden his presence with “Existence Denial” as a matter of habit, slowly stepped outside the airport and surveyed the area.
‘For now, it seems there’s nothing particularly to be cautious about…’
But this was definitely not a place to let one’s guard down.
In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that this place was one of the most dangerous in Europe.
‘After all, this is where Dracul, the largest dark organization in Europe, has its base.’
Heinz was already well-informed about Dracul, which had its roots in this country and extended its influence throughout Eastern Europe.
Whether he regarded himself as the hero of Romania, Vlad III, who inspired the legend of Dracula, or not, the fact that the vampire leader who used the title of Duke was called the strongest in Europe…
‘And that their identity is the European branch leader of the Buncheon Society.’
Heinz narrowed his eyes as he began to sense the faint signals of “Blood Desires” stirring inside him.
However, he ignored the instincts that were arousing his senses and chose to focus on reconnaissance, carefully examining his surroundings.
‘Who knows what kind of tricks they might have up their sleeves, so it’s best to stay cautious.’
Since this area was not a place where either Termidor or Gomorrah could exert their power, the information he had was limited.
Of course, he was confident in taking care of himself no matter what crisis he faced, but he couldn’t afford to leave without accomplishing anything before a fight with the Head of the Buncheon Society.
‘Besides, they’re called the strongest in Europe. They’re surely different from those I have faced so far. It would not be enough to be overly cautious for any potential situations.’
In fact, considering his experiences back on Earth, he had never properly faced anyone with a name as notable as this.
Despite having clashed with many opponents while operating under the Hahoe Mask, they were ones that Hans alone could easily overpower.
‘Ah, except for the Head of the Buncheon Society, who is practically an exception.’
The Yul Ryeong-ja, who was the East Asian branch head of the Buncheon Society, was recognized more for his other capabilities, with his actual fighting power being rather unimpressive.
Not like the Duke he was about to face.
‘I suppose I’ll soon get to see that skill for myself.’
Feeling his blood boil with excitement and anticipation for the opponent he was about to confront, Heinz left Otopeni, heading towards Bucharest.
Stumble—
… No, wait.
Upon reassessing, he realized that his reaction wasn’t due to that.
‘The signal is getting stronger.’
It was ridiculous for the calm and composed Heinz II to experience a physical change merely from such a trivial emotion.
As he approached Bucharest, the resonating “Blood Desires” became louder and more intense.
‘What on earth…’
It felt different from what he had sensed in the previous two countries.
Something over there was endlessly enticing and pulling at him.
‘It seems I need to investigate a bit more closely.’
As he moved in to conduct a more thorough investigation in the city—
The moment he crossed an invisible boundary.
He quickly realized why his body had reacted.
Zing—!
A piercing headache struck him, accompanied by the overwhelming scent of blood wafting through the air.
With “Blood Mastery,” which enhances all vampire abilities, “Blood Mystery,” related to blood magic, and “Insight” revealing hidden truths, everything activated simultaneously to analyze the situation.
‘A wide-ranging Blood Magic barrier?’
Since Heinz also had considerable expertise in that field, the interpretation came quickly.
The estimated diameter was at least 10 kilometers.
The foundational structure was clearly based on blood magic, but true to the Buncheon Society’s style, it had not merely relied on that.
Perhaps because of this, the concealment was so exceptional that even he couldn’t be sure of its existence until he stepped inside, and the amount of energy inherent within was significant enough not to be ignored.
It was enough to strip away his “Existence Denial” in an instant.
“… Huh!”
Realizing the situation, Heinz let out an involuntary chuckle.
After all, he had never expected them to go this far.
‘Even though I already knew this was Dracul’s base.’
Yet, at the same time, it was also the capital of an independent nation.
Bucharest had a residential population of around 2 million.
Even if the diplomatic relations between countries were lacking compared to before the turmoil, he thought that they wouldn’t act recklessly given the surrounding scrutiny.
‘No matter how good the concealment, there’s no way they wouldn’t have noticed such a wide barrier covering this extent. The awakened ones in Romania can’t all be that incompetent…’
There was only one answer.
It meant that they and even the government could do absolutely nothing, and the control had shifted wholly to the group known as Dracul.
So thoroughly, in fact, that no one even knew about it.
‘Romania isn’t a country that can’t afford this level of secrecy, so how is that possible?’
But that question arose and faded simultaneously.
Thinking back, the Buncheon Society had swallowed up even a huge country like China.
With the Buncheon Society behind Dracul, it wasn’t surprising that Romania had fallen.
‘… Ordinary people wouldn’t have a way to know such things.’
Only someone like Heinz might notice immediately, but for the average person, it would likely be challenging to detect, meaning only high-ranking awakened ones could be managed.
‘This just made things even more troublesome. But what’s important now isn’t that.’
Yes, all of that was a problem for later.
For now.
Swish—
Since his position had been revealed when exposed to the barrier, it was best to prioritize escaping.
While outside the barrier, he had barely sensed anything, yet over a hundred presences were now rushing towards his exact location.
‘Tsk, looks like they’re coming in hordes.’
As soon as Heinz grasped the situation, he used stealth to evade, quickly darting towards the outskirts while clicking his tongue.
He certainly hadn’t intended to clash with them from the beginning.
It would be a waste to collide head-on with such an organization and not manage to capture his target, the Duke.
He just wanted to observe the situation a bit more and pinpoint the target’s position before striking…
In that moment, “Sudden Acceleration” activated.
Zzzzzt—!
The space in front of him was torn apart in a long streak.
He didn’t even have time to think.
Instinctively twisting causality and ignoring inertia, Heinz pulled his body back, frowning at the scene.
Then he quickly turned his head along the trajectory.
‘A sniper?’
A line of destruction that had extended from several kilometers away.
The scar remained in the air for only about a second, quickly restoring itself and vanishing without a trace.
‘This level of attack is anything but ordinary. Their response is faster than I expected.’
Heinz had only been detected by the barrier for a few seconds.
Yet shortly after, as soon as he had once again gone into hiding to avoid, a sniper fired precisely at his location.
‘They’ve prepared quite thoroughly, haven’t they? I should retreat and regroup…’
As he had just started to heighten his senses to prepare for a counterattack, suddenly his “Insight” activated again.
Before he knew it, something distinctly unusual that had been out of his perception became vividly clear.
Blink—
Like it had originally been part of the scene, a single eye the size of a coin blinked, seamlessly blending in with the rocks around it.
It followed him with an innocent gaze.
Despite his “Existence Denial” being properly activated.
Squish—!
His judgment and action were simultaneous.
With no special defensive abilities, the eye burst without any resistance whatsoever.
But as he propelled himself further away from that scene—
Blink— Blink—
Dozens of previously hidden eyes sprung up from the walls, rocks, trees, and earth, all staring him down.
‘… That’s disgusting.’
Each time an eye blinked, his body felt slightly weighed down.
It seemed to be an ocular technique that could detect hiding and impose debuffs…
However, now that it was under his awareness, it didn’t matter how many there were.
Crack—! Splash—! Boom!
With no hesitation, his swift movements triggered a simultaneous explosion of the eyeballs.
The problem was that no matter how many he eliminated, they kept emerging endlessly.
Now they were appearing from quite a distance, resulting in hundreds of eyes spreading menacingly around him, which was beyond just unsettling, even growing chilling.
Crackle—!
At that moment of slight slowing due to the ocular technique, another line of sniper fire headed straight for him.
No, “headed for him” wasn’t the right expression.
It was already destroying everything in its path the moment it activated.
Including the concept of spatial and abstract things connected to him.
‘That looks quite dangerous.’
Certainly, in a surprise situation, he wouldn’t have been hit by an attack he had already dodged once, especially since he was fully aware of the situation now.
Even though the sniper seemed skillful, trying to predict the possibilities of his escape and twisting the trajectory, Heinz managed to navigate it while sensing the flow of causality.
… If that had been the extent to which he could have somehow retreated and waited for another opportunity, he would have.
As Heinz saw the massive magical circle rising in the sky and the intense magical energy flowing all around him, he ultimately had no choice but to give up any further escape efforts with a sigh.
“Ugh, just how much did they prepare?”
Having already passed through France and Italy, he had considered they would have some level of preparedness here too.
Yet who would have thought that they would blanket the entire capital with such a barrier and keep such a significant number of people on constant standby without even knowing when he would arrive?
He hadn’t intended to identify their response but rather was caught off guard by their overly excessive measures.
‘This seems like overreacting from any angle I look at it.’
Currently, he was in the nature reserve area between Otopeni, where the international airport was, and the capital, Bucharest.
Had they prepared in advance for any contingencies here too? The suddenly activated barrier ensnared a considerable territory and locked down the area.
If he had fled in another direction, all preparations here would have been pointless.
‘What if there were similarly significant traps everywhere else?’
He strongly felt that it was likely so, but worrying about that now was a moot point.
As he furrowed his brow, contemplating future strategies, the Buncheon Society unleashed everything they had prepared.
“Phew— finally arrived! I’ve been waiting forever.”
“… I thought I was going to die of boredom. There aren’t many places to have fun around here. If it weren’t for the Doctor, I wouldn’t have come to a place like this.”
“Haha! Me too, me too! An ordinary human would’ve just blown it off! But what can you do?”
On the other side, as if they had some means of ignoring the barrier, a group emerged, their voices casually chatting.
All of them radiated formidable prowess.
It felt so familiar it was downright déjà vu.
‘Makes me think of when Hans confronted the Buncheon Society in Japan.’
That had also been a similar situation.
Of course, all the people and the place were different now.
But it wouldn’t be wise to view the current situation optimistically just because it bore similarities to that time.
While the situation might resemble then, the level of danger was infinitely greater.
“… I see. Now I understand why the Doctor was so overly cautious. I wouldn’t have guessed it was to this extent. Had you truly aimed to flee, you might have slipped away.”
Suddenly, a heavy voice echoed through the area, causing the atmosphere to grow weighty.
The presence imposing its gaze around forced everyone gathered to turn their attention in one direction.
Thud, thud—
Heavy footsteps vibrated through the air.
No actual sound of footsteps could be heard.
Yet each step laden with immense presence shook the air, imprinting itself vividly in the minds of all present.
“Hmm, so you’re a hybrid. It’s indeed fascinating to behold directly.”
Finally revealing himself was a middle-aged man.
Dressed in noble attire with a well-groomed beard, his head high, he scanned the gathering with arrogant eyes before locking his gaze onto one individual.
The only outsider present in this place.
Heinz met his gaze directly.
No matter how the vampires surrounding him tried to encircle, since that presence had made its appearance, he couldn’t tear his eyes away.
Of course, his strong feeling of the opponent’s menace was part of it.
Swallow—
Without realizing it, he swallowed hard.
The “Blood Desires,” which had been persistently crying out for completion, were now roaring with fervor.
‘That’s the one.’
That figure, the Lord of Dracul, the shadowy ruler of Eastern Europe, and one of the upper echelons of the Buncheon Society—‘the Duke’—was precisely the missing piece he needed for his completion.
