Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: Yupersh Clan (3)
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Since everything related to linking up with the Hubert Merchant Company had gone through his hands on Heinz's orders, Mulro was able to immediately recognize the identity of the suddenly intruding Harley.
Of course, there was also something he had just learned for the first time...
'That arm... it looks like dragon scales. Could he be a Dragonkin? That must be how he slipped through my barrier so naturally. No idea how he tracked this place down, though.'
And from the looks of things, he had come specifically targeting the Yupersh Clan.
In a situation like this, support from a sudden powerhouse was something to welcome.
He set aside his various complicated thoughts for the moment and began racking his brain on how best to make use of the current circumstances.
But at that moment, there were others besides Mulro who understood Harley's words and furrowed their brows.
Theodor Yupersh, who had given the assassination order, and Klein, the Pureblood Vampire who had carried it out.
"...Klein."
"Eek— Th-Theodor! I swear, I erased every trace perfectly! You have to believe me!"
"And now the man who chased you is right in front of us. You think you can make excuses?"
"Th-that's..."
Klein, who had truly moved with his usual thoroughness, wore an aggrieved expression, but Theodor simply glared at him.
He was already irritated by how the operation had gone awry in multiple ways, and now it was getting even messier because a subordinate had failed to clean up properly after the mission.
The behind-the-scenes work he'd done to make the operation smoother had backfired instead, leaving him already dreading how he'd explain it to Bisque later.
'Even if Klein had been discovered, he came here through the blood gate. How the hell did they figure out we were here?'
And to show up right here at this exact timing was no ordinary feat.
Unless the Brocoslaks had caught on somehow and made prior preparations...
'Could touching Hubert have been a self-inflicted wound? Did that tip them off to our plans early? No, that doesn't add up—their defenses aren't that solid. We're still in the advantage right now. Then what...'
Naturally, Theodor's mind, which had led all the planning, grew complicated.
Of course, no matter what they thought, it wasn't a big deal to Harley.
Crunch! Screeech—!
Metallic sounds leaked from his muscles compressed to the limit, while "Biotic Aura" and "Madness" blazed up like flames across his entire body.
Crimson dragon scales began densely covering the glowing tattoos, and his sharply slit reptilian eyes burned with red and green light.
"Haa—."
Hiss—!
Pure white steam mixed with his exhale spread thickly into the air.
His body, already shifted into combat mode, had every cell activated to the extreme, ceaselessly consuming energy and spewing steam along with heat haze.
"Kehit... Kehahahaha—!"
Madness eroded his flesh, drawing out laughter he couldn't suppress.
As his mad cackles rang through the space, the vampires' expressions gradually hardened.
The surrounding mana reacted to his emotions, surging violently, while the madness scattered in the air resonated with him.
"The ones who carried it out and the ones who ordered it... no, your whole damn pack! I'll make you feel the price of messing with our Hubert down to your bones!"
The barbarian berserker Harley, drawing all their gazes, grinned ferociously before charging straight at the Yupersh Clan.
Thus, the vampires' war, which had paused for a moment...
Resumed with a single Dragonkin thrown into the mix.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Sacred Blood were called the pinnacle of Outerica vampires, but their abilities were not well known.
And for good reason: every Sacred Blood was the progenitor of their bloodline, and there weren't many left in the present age.
Clans whose lines had died out early had fallen into weakness, while those that endured became the three dominant powers in the vampire world today.
Yupersh, Brocoslak, and Obaifo.
Among them, Yupersh was a successful case of generational transition for their Sacred Blood. If the other two bloodlines failed to produce a successor...
From the next generation onward, their monopoly would likely continue unchecked.
Crackle—!
Of course, that was a meaningless hypothetical now that the two Sacred Blood were clashing head-on.
The loser here would simply vanish into the dustbin of history.
Their battle was infinitely static, yet also dynamic.
-Bisque reached out and tore at Briki's throat.
-She sliced his shoulder before he could extend his hand.
-He stepped aside to avoid the cut, then severed Briki's pursuing leg.
-She delayed her entry by a beat and thrust a blood spear into Bisque's heart.
Crackle—!
Within their intents, time axes and causality tangled, as their auras and blood demon powers collided, sparking endlessly at the boundary of perception.
"Oh my, what to do. Your handsome young subordinate is getting pummeled—shouldn't you go help?"
"Hmph. Even so, your rabble is so shoddy they won't collapse immediately. My underlings are competent."
"Strutting around just because you ambushed us."
"Hide your own gaps and strike the enemy's openings. Isn't that the way of the world? The complacent side is at fault."
On the surface, it looked like they were just standing there trading barbs, but from the moment they'd faced off, they'd been fiercely exchanging invisible blows.
If some fool blundered into that domain, they'd turn to dust in an instant without even knowing how they died.
-Briki dodged Bisque's attack and crushed his head in retaliation.
-He plunged into her embrace instead and pierced her heart.
-She extended her hand the moment he approached, binding him with blood demon power.
-He didn't enter and instead severed her outstretched hand.
-And she...
Throb—
"Ugh...?"
A sudden headache made her flinch mid-unfolding of her intent.
It was but an instant, yet in their battle, it was fatally critical...
Crackle— Slash—!
And it soon became reality.
Blood sprayed, and Briki's right arm flew into the air, severed.
But the sight didn't last long.
As if time were rewinding, the scattered blood was sucked back into the cross-section, and the severed arm flew back to reattach seamlessly.
"Tch..."
She gathered her focus again and massaged her right arm.
Of course, it only looked intact on the surface—there was no way she emerged unscathed from a clash between Sacred Blood.
Allowing that attack had cost her a significant amount of vampire factors, as well as substantial mental power, vitality, and more from her core.
The aftereffects would likely influence the rest of the fight considerably.
"Heh... Brocoslak, I had my suspicions, but as expected. You're really pushing it right now, aren't you?"
Finally gaining the upper hand, Bisque gazed at her with a sinister smile, his look laden with meaning.
'Back in her prime, something like this would've been nothing...'
Briki grimaced slightly, her weakness exposed.
She had chosen hibernation to endure as long as possible, but her lifespan was already nearing its limit.
And that hibernation had ended abnormally, leaving her condition far from normal.
With multiple adverse factors stacking up, her capabilities had deteriorated pathetically compared to her peak...
In the prolonged intent battle, she had unwittingly revealed an opening.
"Still plenty enough to handle a greenhorn like you."
"Kehhehe, bluffing swells up when death's near. Think that crap works on me?"
As he said, there were limits to compensating for deficient power with seasoned skill.
Mulro's barrier had no effect on Sacred Blood like them, forcing a pure contest of ability—and that single mistake had tipped the scales heavily.
'I can hold out for a while, but I can't guarantee it as time drags on...'
Briki ground her teeth inwardly, sweating cold while maintaining a composed facade.
She couldn't show such ugliness to the young ones, vowing to push to her utmost.
And while the Sacred Bloods' battle proceeded in utmost stillness on the surface...
There was a battlefield more ferocious than any other—
The one with the rampaging Harley.
"Kahahaha! Tough one, eh! Feels good ripping into you!"
"Urgh, what kind of monster is this guy!"
"Don't overdo it! That weird energy he's using worsens our regeneration!"
Three True Bloods faced him alone.
Everyone except Theodor had rushed in to block that one man.
After several Purebloods who charged recklessly got torn apart helplessly, the True Bloods had joined one by one, finally achieving balance with three.
"Uhahaha! Keep dodging why don't you! Get over here!"
"...Damn it!"
They tried to harass Harley without clashing head-on, but there were limits to evasion against his blinding speed.
In the end, the True Blood assigned to the front line due to his superior durability and recovery gritted his teeth and drew up more blood demon power.
His body was already coated in blood that absorbed impacts, but from repeated clashes, he knew from experience.
Crack—!
"Kuhk!"
All these defenses wouldn't hold long against those merciless claws.
The hardened blood armor that blocked external shocks shattered, and the flesh beneath crumpled, splattering gore.
But in that instant.
"Enough now... stay put, you monster!"
Blood erupting from his body turned into numerous tendrils in a flash, wrapping Harley's form and anchoring it firmly to the surrounding space.
'Even considering his strength, this won't last long...!'
Even if just a few seconds, it was ample time for his comrades.
"Die!"
"......!"
A massive crimson devil's hand targeted Harley's back with its sharp talons, while a silent ambush sliced at his throat.
Kwajik! Spurt—!
Tough dragon scales shattered, and blood sprayed.
The True Bloods' all-out assault inflicted critical damage even on his body.
A massive gash exposing bone formed on his back, and his throat was half-severed, blood pouring like a waterfall.
Against a normal foe... no, even a Dragonkin, this would inevitably cripple combat ability severely.
Gurgle—
But Harley's body, possessing "Super Regeneration,"
Repaired itself in a blink, as if time had reversed.
"...Were Dragonkin always that fast at regenerating?"
"We'd have to have seen it. ...Damn."
The Yupersh True Bloods caught their breath and gnashed their teeth at the sight.
That level of regeneration surpassed even them, True Blood vampires.
Dragonkin were so rare that little was known, but they hadn't thought it was that much.
"Dragonkin blood. Let's see what it's like... Kuhk! Ptui! Urk."
A True Blood licked the Harley's blood drenching his hand, then grimaced and dry-heaved.
"What the hell? Is Dragonkin blood normally like this? It's worse than monster blood!"
He'd anticipated rare dragon blood, but Harley's was so mixed and corrupted it was inedible.
This was worse than monster blood, even.
"Disgusting, you say! That's harsh!"
Harley, fully recovered, grumbled in dissatisfaction.
Where else was there someone as healthy and pure as him!
Of course, his energy-hungry body stuck to meat only...
'Still, three True Bloods are a handful. Even with improved efficiency, I haven't fully digested the Mad Dragon’s Heart, so no helping it.'
Plus, the Yupersh True Bloods had higher average combat power than Brocoslaks.
To the point he wouldn't have stood a chance without "Purified Blood Essence" reinforcement.
'Reinforced as I am... I can barely hold a slight edge. Didn't expect this level of difference. No wonder Brocoslak, one of the three powers, hunkered in the boonies after barely swallowing a small kingdom.'
Harley lightly loosened up and scanned the surroundings again.
Beyond the three True Bloods tensing under his gaze and readying for battle, he checked the other fields.
Thanks to him tying down multiple True Bloods, the rest of the battlefields were proceeding much more smoothly.
Frigia, facing Theodor Yupersh one-on-one, was holding her own decently against someone she couldn't have before.
Mulro was smoothly pushing back over forty Purebloods with his clanmates.
He spotted the assassin—his first target—among them, but revenge could wait.
However.
'Uh... but is that one okay?'
The most crucial battle of all: the clash of Sacred Blood.
A rift that would decide the fate of this battlefield was forming.