Chapter 77
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Pureblood Princess's High Castle (5)
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“Damn it, what the hell is all this?”
The vampire soldier sent out on reconnaissance let out a groan.
“Don’t be scared. We’re the clan that inherits the blood of the progenitor.”
“B-but... look ahead.”
Severed limbs of vampires were scattered around like trash.
The dynamic bloodstains and teeth marks carved into the walls told of the horrific events that had transpired.
“Our comrades, turned into such a mess...”
As the soldier trailed off in misery, the baronet bit his lip.
‘I know. I want to stop running away now, too.’
He was overflowing with the desire to flee himself.
Baronet Balhaout had simply wanted to avoid the Crusade army.
He had heard rumors that the prince and princesses were fleeing, and that the fourth princess was heading to the most remote location, so he followed her. But what was this?
The Crusade army had pursued them even to this rural high castle, surrounding it and trapping them in a perfect encirclement.
‘I should’ve just vanished on my own. Because of that damn inheritance...’
If he fled irresponsibly, his noble succession rights and vampire society-recognized assets would all fly away.
Of course, his life was far more important than wealth, but now escape was impossible anyway.
Even as curses welled up, he had no choice but to obey the princess and the count’s orders.
“Lord Balhaout! Look over there!”
“What is it?”
A shadow was dragging its feet toward them from beyond the passage.
“W-what the hell! An enemy? Everyone, weapons r—”
Baronet Balhaout hastily bit his fingertip.
Just as his prized blood magic was about to manifest.
One soldier urgently blocked him.
“Baronet! Stop! Isn’t that Sir Denbark?!”
“Denbark?”
Looking closely, though his appearance was filthy, it was indeed Denbark, a baronet like himself.
“Sir Denbark! What’s happened to you?!”
“That’s not the issue. My subordinates at the central stairs have all been taken out.”
“Good lord. And what of the enemy?”
“There’s something about that I must report to the count myself.”
“Yes, yes. Here, drink this blood potion for now. You couldn’t even regenerate, limping on a severed leg—how you’ve suffered.”
Balhaout handed him blood with concern.
But despite Balhaout’s consideration, Denbark sweated profusely, unable to meet his eyes.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
“Any contact from Delibar in the inner quarters or Ariyen on the right?”
“I’m sorry. I’ve been sending telepathy since earlier, but no reply.”
Count Strassia pressed his forehead against the oncoming headache.
‘I thought we’d hold out for another fortnight at least.
Three days into the siege.
Thanks to preparing barriers and traps early, they’d sealed the castle before the Crusade army could penetrate deep.
Casualties so far: barely five. They had stockpiled blood, so no worries for the time being.
Yet in just hours, over a hundred comrades’ fates were unknown.
“The princess is busy stabilizing Grand Duke Graduit, so she can’t move. Shall I go and kill them myself? But...”
Even if he moved to kill, where were the enemies?
He’d thoroughly blocked all entry points for the Crusade army.
Yet they infiltrated from somewhere, appearing and vanishing like ghosts, sweeping through the castle.
“Count! Urgent news!”
A soldier came running.
“What is it?”
“Sir Denbark, guarding the central passage, is alive! He says he has information on the enemy to relay to you personally!”
“Information on the enemy? Bring him here.”
The count stroked his chin.
The enemy was obviously the ‘Crusade army.’
To not report the enemy’s scale or identity immediately, but insist on delivering it personally...
‘The enemy isn’t the Crusade army?’
Creeeak.
The old door opened, and Denbark entered.
“Baronet Denbark Erengefen, to Count Strassia...”
“Ah. Skip the formalities.”
The count stroked his chin again out of habit.
“Hmm. So you’ve come mingling in.”
“Pardon?”
Denbark flinched back in shock.
But before him, a slender red thread had already appeared.
Stab.
“Gurk.”
A short death rattle.
As the count’s blood vein sliced half his neck.
Crunch. Crackle.
Two hands burst from Denbark’s chest, ripping it open.
“Wrong. It’s this way.”
[Hunter Ju Gonghyeok interferes with Count Strassia’s Blood Control (A) using the count’s authority.]
[Count Strassia’s Bloody Needle (A) range decreases.]
The laser-like blood vein scattered into the air.
Denbark, with half his neck severed, gurgled before reverting to a ring.
“So you’re the uninvited guest who harmed our kin.”
The count stroked his chin, bringing one hand to his eye.
“I was just looking for you. Saved me the trouble of coming myself...”
Crack!
A violent impact shook his vision.
The count tried to gouge out his eye to prepare for battle.
But when he came to, his view was on the carpet.
The pure white hammer, Chain Demon Hammer Hontar, dripped his blood as it rose into the air.
“Sorry.”
Crack!
“Your rank.”
Crack! Crack! Crack!
“Isn’t high enough to pretend it is.”
“Ah? Uh-uh?”
The vampire mage handling telepathy muttered, unable to accept the sudden turn.
Only then did Gonghyeok startle and lift the hammer.
“Whoa! You pissed me off with your yapping, so I went too hard. You can’t die yet!”
Gonghyeok hurriedly pressed his ear to the count’s chest.
Head gone, but the heart pulsed faintly.
“Phew. Still alive. Truly immortal.”
Gonghyeok wiped sweat in relief.
He turned to the mage, hammer raised.
“M-me too?”
“Yeah. You too.”
Craaaack!
“Kaaaaagh!”
The mage’s lower body vanished.
Ju Gonghyeok, having saved two vampires, opened the door.
As screams echoed from the commander’s room and a man emerged wielding a bloodied blunt weapon, the vampires froze stiff.
“Whoa, whoa. No need to worry.”
Four black-and-white wings sprouted rigidly from his shoulders.
“I’m just here to save you all.”
[Malchut’s Great Archangel. Sandalphon’s authority manifests.]
[Weapon gigantification. Time limit: 10 seconds.]
[‘Fallen Lucifer’s Twin Wings (SS-)’ activated.]
[Magic transformation...]
Explosions. Bone cracks. Flesh tears.
And uproar.
Ding♪
A message window appeared before Gonghyeok.
[‘Great Vampire Escape!’ progress: 144/145.]
Meaning he’d saved 144.
A smile crept onto his lips.
Clank.
He left the devastated room and ascended the stairs again.
At the high castle’s pinnacle.
There waited the last remaining vampire princess, Dorothea.
Grrrrk.
He pushed open the iron door adorning the top room.
A barren stone chamber devoid of any furniture.
The black-haired princess stood there.
“You’ve come?”
“I have.”
Gonghyeok spread his demonic wings.
[Absorptive barrier Annihilation Magic Armor (A+) activated.]
The angelic wings vibrated ominously.
[Super high-speed flight (S-) queued, rapid thrust mana charging.]
Two seconds ahead.
Traps set by the princess rushed in from all sides.
She was no pushover.
But to the fully prepared Gonghyeok, she said,
“I heard you escaped with my eldest sister’s ring.”
The princess gazed at Gonghyeok with calm, intellectual eyes.
“Show me the ring.”
“Hoo.”
Gonghyeok let out an impressed sound, mildly intrigued.
He’d come to the ‘Pureblood Princess’s High Castle’ four times so far.
But this was the first time the princess reacted this way.
Of course, he had a sense of why.
‘Because of the guardsand vampire.’
He’d never brought Guardsand here even once.
Taking the heavenly knight as a slave on the fifth floor was a first this time.
‘A record-breaking crisis. But thanks to it, things are getting interesting.’
Gonghyeok obediently raised his hand.
Seeing the ring, her face saddened.
“It’s truly my sister’s ring. Then, one question.”
“Ask away.”
“This world. Is it fake?”
A bizarre smile tugged at Gonghyeok’s lips.
“Yes. It’s fake.”
“I see...”
Grumble.
One wall slid open.
Moonlight illuminated the chamber’s interior.
Through the opened wall, the fields and forests below spread out at a glance.
“Beyond that horizon, there’s nothing. My father and brothers I just contacted...”
“Fakes. In the tenth-floor dimension, there are 100 identical high castles. 100 fourth princesses Dorothea repeating the same time.”
“I see. They, and I. All fakes.”
She fell silent for a moment.
‘Fake, fake, fake...’
Muttering ‘fake’ several times, the princess lifted her head.
“One more question?”
“Of course, as many as you like.”
“You. Are you ‘real’?”
An icy wedge pierced his heart.
‘I remember. She asked me this in the past too.’
She who escaped the world asked.
If Ju Gonghyeok was a real person, and if this world was real.
A real world?
Any other Babel hunter would call it a stupid question.
Or pity her with a gaze.
But...
Not Ju Gonghyeok.
Step step.
He approached and gently stroked the princess’s head.
Countless answers flashed through Gonghyeok’s mind.
‘Yes. You’re fakes made for us. We’re the real ones not absorbed by Babel.’
‘Who knows. Being made doesn’t mean fake.’
‘Wanna find out? Die?’
‘You exist here. I exist here. That’s it.’
But the strongest answer surged from his heart.
Unfiltered, it spilled from his mouth.
“Everyone except me.”
“You all.”
“Are fakes.”
Her gaze met his.
Flame-like intensity reflected in her eyes.
“You’re all created.”
“Recreated again.”
“And will be created again.”
His hand on her head tightened.
“Only I don’t loop back.”
“Only I remember everything.”
“Only I truly exist in this world.”
“This world is for me. By me. For me alone.”
Ju Gonghyeok’s eyes no longer saw her.
Beyond her.
Staring at the world repeated thirteen times.
“I.”
“Am the protagonist of this bullshit world.”
With those words, Gonghyeok tilted his head back.
Moments later, his body shook.
“Haha.”
“Ha ha ha.”
Ahahahahahahaha
HaHAHAHAha
HaHA wa nani wa HAha
HaHA wa nani nani wa HAha
HaHA wa nani nani wa HAha
HaHA wa nani nani wa HAha
HaHA wa nani wa HAha
HaHAHAHAha
Hahahaha
He laughed until his lips tore.
Countless faces overlapped and vanished over his.
Impossible to tell whose face was laughing.
One thing certain: he, or they, were mocking something.
“Ha.”
His laughter cut off abruptly.
“Does that answer it?”
“A little.”
Her gaze turned beyond the horizon.
“I wonder if everyone outside the world is as mad as you.”
“Ha. I’m not mad. I just laugh a lot.”
“Clear emotional expression, at least.”
She turned and walked toward the open wall.
High castle’s summit. Ahead: a thousand-foot cliff.
But as she stepped into the void, a blood-made staircase formed beneath her feet.
“Follow me. If you’ve climbed this far, this must be your goal.”
He followed her up the stairs.
At the endless stairs’ end floated a grand circular temple in the air.
Swoosh.
The temple’s red door vanished in blood mist.
At the vast hall’s end.
A naked man sat on a jade throne.
“Care for a drink?”
The man languidly raised a wine glass.
“Quite the spectacle below. I watched Dolion’s whores and our children all toyed with by you. And...”
His gaze turned to the princess.
“Dorothy. Why have you ascended here?”
“Uncle Graduit.”
She bowed her head.
“Our world was created just hours ago, he says.”
“I know.”
He pointed to his heart.
“This one explained.”
Thump.
His chest bulged, tinged purple.
“Startled by a rare guest. But... the guest seems quite busy.”
[Sacred beast Black Rock Babadodon, sacred beast Elder Dragon, sacred beast Saber Tiger King, etc.—49 summoned.]
[Sephirot stage 1: Sandalphon’s authority ‘Gigantification’ manifests.]
[Sephirot stage 2: Gabriel’s authority ‘Sacred Beasts’ manifests.]
[Sephirot stage 3: Michael’s authority ‘Legion’ manifests.]
[‘Sacred Beasts’ effect: Blood converts to ‘Holy Blood.’ Fatal to all who reject divinity...]
[‘Gigantification’ effect: Summoned sacred beasts triple in size, all stats...]
[‘Legion’ effect: Summoned sacred beasts’ levels +50, legion-exclusive ‘Divine Army Synergy (S)’ skill generated...]
“Nathaniel.”
- Yes?
“Instant kill.”
- That thing? Can’t even compare to last time’s elder dragon?
“I’m stronger now.”
Draggg.
Hontar scraped the floor, moving to the optimal strike position.
“Great Sage Equal to Heaven. Ra-Djehuty.”
Two gods appeared behind him.
= Nice. Who’s this sis gonna smash this time?
= Not even using this body, just hiding it. I’m bored to death.
“Sorry. No audience this time, so no holding back.”
[Two avatars summoned simultaneously.]
[Main avatar ‘Great Sage Equal to Heaven (SS)’ selected.]
[Strength +100, Agility +120, Technique +120, Will +80, Mana +60 applied.]
The princess’s face hardened.
“Far more... monstrous than I thought.”
“You thought so, right? A bit strong, but no real difference from the castle’s other hunters.”
Gonghyeok murmured quietly.
“Equip title. Perfect Slayer.”
[Unique title 「Perfect Slayer」 equipped.]
[All stats +20 points.
Against boss monsters: physical impact +125%.
Against boss monsters: weapon cutting power x2.
Against boss monsters: weapon durability x4.
6,000-second limited title. Auto-release on timeout.]
Not some reckless madman.
The aura of a ‘true’ monster bursting forth in an instant.
“The protagonist. Has reasons to be the protagonist.”
- Instant kill, let’s try. Can’t just meekly take your bullying.
Gonghyeok laughed at his partner’s banter after so long.
“Hahaha. It’s fine. Nathaniel. Possessing someone’s panties was a joke.”
- .....Really?
“Of course. If possessing, it’d be my panties.”
- Sexual harassment... hopeless... human trash...
The two bantered casually before the hidden boss.