Chapter 272 Independence
Chapter 272 Independence
The training grounds in the barracks.
Jiha drank Pairan's blood and, after some experimentation, identified what Special Ability he'd obtained.
As he spread his Mana outward, stones and sand around him slowly rose into the air.
"Anti-gravity, huh..."
He'd expected to get her gravity field when he bit Pairan, but the exact opposite ability had manifested.
"You only get a Special Ability from Bloodsucking the first time you bite someone. Biting them again after that doesn't produce another..."
Whether a new ability appeared at all, and what kind, depended on the target's own abilities?
Enril had actually used Shadow Hand before, and Jiha had acquired it after biting her.
Yura's wings weren't a Special Ability, strictly speaking, but the connection made sense physically.
Leticia's Wind Blade—he'd bitten her and gained the ability to use it afterward.
'Lijin had no Special Ability, so what I got from biting her was hearing amplification. If the target has a Special Ability, I tend to receive it either directly or in a modified form. If they don't, I seem to acquire a physical trait instead. Is that the pattern?'
This wasn't random guesswork. He'd established his samples carefully over time instead of just biting everyone indiscriminately.
Why not just bite whoever was convenient and run tests that way?
At first he'd been cautious about being labeled a bloodsucker, and once he learned that vampires were an actual species in this world, he had to be careful for entirely different reasons.
It could be connected to secret experiments by Ouroboros or the other factions.
'As I suspected, this vampiric Mana is a deliberately designed ability. Someone was researching how to absorb other people's Mana through Bloodsucking... and I ended up with the result.'
The ruins where he'd first encountered it, the whole intentional setup—it was all too clear.
Once he managed to bite someone and draw blood, the target was incapacitated. He absorbed their Mana. And on top of that, he gained a Special Ability. Jiha's vampiric Mana was formidable.
Compared to that, Ouroboros's method—implanting magic stones into people's bodies so they could use Mana at the cost of their own lives—was downright crude. The same went for Bugra.
Jiha's vampiric Mana surpassed Ouroboros's research, surpassed Bugra and magic stones combined.
'Which means Ouroboros didn't develop this ability. If they'd created something like this, they would've just kept using it. But the way Heinrich drank blood to recover, and that red Mana of Quority's... there's a strong possibility they know something.'
Jiha shifted his focus and activated Blink, the ability he'd acquired from drinking Barjet's blood.
A black hole opened where his right hand had been, and his hand emerged three meters ahead in empty space.
He touched the black void below his wrist—no sensation whatsoever. But the fingers floating in midair still carried his nerves, still responded to him.
"I can attack by moving part of my body somewhere else, and use it to evade too..."
If Pairan had tried to bite his manhood, this Blink would have activated.
"The activation delay is a flaw, but it's still better than Heinrich's intangibility."
More importantly, it barely consumed any Mana. Jiha nodded, then finally gathered Mana throughout his entire body.
The red Mana that used to fill only his limbs now rippled near his navel.
"It's filling up less than I expected."
Even after drinking from Pairan and Barjet, the increase was smaller than anticipated.
Maybe the torso simply required far more to fill than the limbs...
"..."
Jiha stared down quietly at the red Mana surrounding his body.
What would happen once this was complete?
Abilities and items in Warsland almost always came with a price.
Wind Blade was a powerful offensive ability, but its Mana consumption was immense.
Heinrich's intangibility was both offense and defense in one, but it burned through Mana and left him unable to attack while evading.
The magic stones developed by Ouroboros let people wield Mana at the cost of their own lifespan.
'Does vampiric Mana have no drawback at all?'
The act of Bloodsucking itself carried significant risk.
He had to be in close quarters. While sinking his fangs in and drawing blood, Jiha himself was comparatively exposed and vulnerable.
Biting someone didn't incapacitate them immediately, either. They had at least a little time to resist.
For all those reasons, it wasn't an ability suited for combat.
"I should be able to find out this time."
Among Ouroboros's Five Kings, Alex—he would have some kind of lead on the Demon God and vampiric Mana.
Or he could just ask Iroha directly, no pretense. That was another option.
Footsteps sounded as Jiha finished arranging his thoughts.
It was Uben.
Apologetic for interrupting his training, Uben bowed deeply and delivered his report.
"As ordered, we've been spreading rumors through Waris from multiple angles. The Shade who've been raiding the city and killing civilians—there's a connection between them and Alex of the Celestial Tribe."
"How are people reacting?"
"Half-doubtful, half-credulous. Alex doesn't exactly show himself to the public often. Calling him Gashiel Remaker's younger brother is about the only way anyone even remembers who he is."
At Jiha's look, Uben added,
"Among prominent social figures, Alex is a well-known name. But to the common folk, he's a figure above the clouds. The sort of person where you wonder if he even exists."
"Can we push the narrative harder?"
"It's possible, but it won't be as effective. Lightning striking above the clouds, hail pouring down—what does any of that matter to people on the ground?"
No matter how much they spread the word that Alex was rotten under the surface, it simply wouldn't land with the citizens.
People can't easily hate someone whose face they've never even seen.
"We need more solid sources. If you give me a bit more time..."
"No. There's no more time."
Jiha made his decision.
'Blue Seal and Purple Liberation. If Iroha's right, both of them now know I exist. The only reason they didn't know sooner was Iroha's disinformation, and that's reached its limit. They haven't acted yet because they think I'm in league with Ouroboros... and the moment they decide otherwise, they'll move.'
The reason Blue and Purple, under the name of an investigation committee, had tolerated Jiha gathering Uniques under his command—they were wary of stirring up a hornet's nest.
They'd assumed Jiha was part of Ouroboros's faction as well, or a cat's-paw for the enemy camp, so they'd confined themselves to investigating... but that restraint only went so far.
"Hoping Alex won't catch on while I keep spreading rumors among the citizens—that's unrealistic. He's competent."
"He certainly is."
"For now, you're the only one who knows. We strike, wipe them out, and declare independence."
Uben's eyes went wide at Jiha's weighty words.
An independence faction. Wasn't this what Jiha had been dreaming of ever since he became the King of Slaves?
"From now on, we shift the spectrum of the rumors. Make them resent the people above the clouds."
Jiha spoke calmly.
He needed to lay the groundwork—to plant in people's minds an image of where Jiha, soon to reign as the leader of a new power, would stand.
"The world belongs to the strong anyway. Stir up the sentiment that while the high and mighty play their games on their own, the people below are dying without even understanding why. It'll take hold."
If making them distrust Alex personally was difficult, then make them hate everyone above the clouds.
That would be easier.
"Until recently, Waris was a relatively safe city. But the high and mighty have been failing at their jobs. Make sure it's known that I, the investigation committee, and the Uniques are working tirelessly, but both factions are providing inadequate support."
"With all due respect, won't that be difficult? Even just looking at the Uniques gathered in this city..."
"Military force isn't everything. Prices on daily necessities are rising right now, aren't they? Pin that on the Legends of both factions."
Jiha's voice was cold.
"Market merchants are hoarding goods, planning to sell them at inflated prices later. Push the line that it's the Legends' schemes instead. Redirect public dissatisfaction—away from the merchants and toward both factions."
"Understood."
Uben quickly bowed his head.
"With the Shade running rampant, people are anxious. Both factions refuse to cooperate, so nothing's making progress. Prices are soaring. Under those conditions, people will naturally look for a breakthrough..."
Jiha finished the thought.
"And I'll become that breakthrough."
"...The time has come."
Uben's face brimmed with anticipation.
After all the ordeals he'd endured following Jiha, the day to proclaim independence with heads held high was finally within reach.
"When we declare independence, we're going to crush the merchants. Prepare a list in advance of everyone hoarding daily essentials."
"I've already been compiling it. But..."
Uben, unable to fully contain his excitement, hesitated.
"What exactly are you planning to do?"
Uben already understood that Alex and Lowchen had to be dealt with.
But Lowchen had vanished without a trace, and Alex never left his mansion.
"Neither of them is moving. They're both just watching each other."
Jiha's reply was even.
"So I'll handle them myself."
***
The office.
Seated at his desk, Jiha reviewed the details once more.
'If Alex is draining the Mana of a Unique, then Gashiel has to be in his mansion. That bastard would never entrust Gashiel to someone else. He's so obsessive that he flies into a rage if anyone even speaks to his sister.'
On the surface, Alex was sharp and capable... but the moment Gashiel was involved, he turned into a complete fool.
'The real problem is Lowchen's ability. The more subordinates I bring, the more Shade he'll summon in response. I'll have to handle both of them with a small, elite force.'
Should he bring Uniques?
Jiha considered it again, then shook his head.
Lowchen's combat ability was strong enough that even Pairan couldn't withstand it.
Just as Jiha could subdue a Unique without too much trouble in a short decisive battle, he had to assume Lowchen could do the same.
"Alright, then..."
Knock, knock.
A knock cut his thoughts short.
"Come in."
The silver-haired beauty who entered after receiving permission was Enril.
She approached his desk and then hesitated for a moment.
"What is it?"
Jiha asked with a smile.
At this point, Enril was a woman thoroughly tamed by him. He could afford to be relaxed with her.
Enril surely knew that herself—which made her unusual cautiousness today stand out all the more.
"The operation I mentioned before, the one where dark elves seize the three cities. I think I should go personally."
"Yeah?"
Over time, Enril had inserted dark elf combatants into the cities surrounding Waris.
All so that the moment Jiha rose, those nearby cities and territories would fall under his control as well.
"Alright. Go ahead."
At Jiha's permission, Enril nodded quietly.
But she didn't withdraw. Instead, she brushed her hair back behind her ear, lowering her eyes.
There was clearly something more she wanted to say. Jiha didn't press her immediately and simply continued the conversation.
"When, specifically?"
"I've already packed, so I could leave as early as tomorrow before dawn. Three days after that I can be in position. I'll time my actions to match yours. When did you set it for?"
"We finish things ten nights from now, and reveal everything the following morning."
Any more delays would make independence impossible.
Alex would catch on to Jiha's true intentions and expose them to both factions.
In Waris, the fastest methods of communication were personal messengers and messenger doves. Once a major operation like this was set in motion, it couldn't be easily changed.
Jiha had committed.
"Understood. Then I'll leave the morning after tomorrow... and seize the three cities ten days from now. I'll try to stay in contact as often as I can."
"Good."
Even after their discussion ended, Enril didn't leave right away. She only hesitated further.
Under Jiha's steady gaze, she lowered her blue eyes and spoke carefully.
"...Can you trust me?"
"..."
Once outside Waris, Enril would be free.
Seeing Jiha's expression, she quickly added,
"I'm leaving Mayan here. Still... you never know what could happen in this world."
In effect, Mayan would serve as a hostage to prevent Enril from changing her mind.
It was true that Enril cared for her...
"But if it came down to it, you'd let Mayan die without hesitation."
"That's..."
Enril was, at her core, coldly rational, proud, and ruthless. She'd only grown gentle for Jiha.
She knew that was how others saw her, too, so she couldn't deny it.
As she faltered, Jiha laughed.
"Why do you stand there hesitating, saying things you don't even mean? It makes you look even more adorable."
"..."
"You keep this up, I'm going to want to spoil you."
The proud, peerless beauty's face turned bright red.
He'd seen right through her.