Chapter 125
Chapter 125
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Yupersh Clan (4)
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‘Uh... that seems kinda dangerous, doesn’t it?’
Hali had gained the traits of a dragon, including the Mad Dragon’s Heart, which made him extremely sensitive to external energies.
Thanks to that, he had slipped through Mulro’s barrier without a hitch, and his basic detection abilities had also improved dramatically.
Pzzt—!
But right now, that sense was warning him.
The flow of energy in the space where the Sacred Bloods were fighting was far from normal.
To be precise, it was overwhelmingly unfavorable for the woman he presumed to be from Brocoslak Clan. Naturally, that wasn’t good news at all.
This had become a situation where he couldn’t just sit back anymore.
‘No choice. I need a more extreme approach.’
Crunch—!
The moment he resolved himself, Hali’s body began to change rapidly.
His frame swelled even larger, but thanks to the power of Body Transformation, the density of his muscles and bones—which defied the laws of physics—compressed even further.
“What the hell is that monster up to now?!”
“...But something’s off. Is that thing really a dragonkin?”
As the mana around him began to rage wildly, the True Bloods facing him kept their nerves on edge and drew up their energy.
It wasn’t that they were politely waiting for the protagonist’s transformation like courteous villains before attacking.
No, Hali’s changes were happening too abruptly...
‘If we jump in now... we’ll get counterattacked immediately!’
The ferocious aura emanating from him was stimulating their keen instincts, holding their actions in check.
“Huuuugh—!”
Perhaps because he had steadily consumed dragon meat to stockpile energy, his transformation completed in an instant.
Crack! Creak!
The base form was clearly that of a dragonkin, but upon closer inspection, it was blatantly a hybrid that exceeded those boundaries.
Starting with the variant minotaur legs optimized for explosive leg strength, all sorts of dominant genes he had collected were manifesting.
“...What the hell is that?”
“So it really is a monster. Not dragonkin—a chimera, right?”
The internal changes were just as intense.
The madness controlled by Madness Control was activated through Frenzied Beast, and it even influenced the Mad Dragon’s Heart.
The vitality latent in his body triggered Kalkos Battle Engraving and converted into Bio-Aura, which in turn fueled the glow of Jewel Eye: Coercion.
‘Grr— this is the first time I’ve unleashed my full power like this since eating the Mad Dragon.’
But above all, the energy consumption was insane.
A significant amount had already been used for the Body Transformation, and maintaining this state required burning energy nonstop.
‘On top of that, the hyperactive cells are necrotizing on their own, so I have to keep Super Regeneration active constantly. Talk about terrible fuel efficiency.’
Still, the effects were outstanding.
The violent power boiling up from within and radiating outward was enough to intoxicate even him.
Enter the “Complete Hali.”
“Huuuuh— alright then.”
He swept his gaze over his surroundings from his now much higher vantage point.
The True Bloods glaring at him with utmost tension.
Tension mounted between them as their eyes met.
Hali’s thigh muscles bulged to their limit, his body leaning forward as if ready to launch at any moment.
And then.
Boom—!
He kicked off the ground and—
“Huh? Where’s he going all of a sudden...”
“B-block him! He’s heading for Lord Visk!”
—ignored the opposing True Bloods entirely and launched himself straight toward the Sacred Bloods!
‘If Visk Yupersh breaks free now, the whole board shatters.’
The current advantageous situation was only possible because he was tied down.
If he emerged victorious, nothing else would matter.
In other words...
‘Neutralizing him is top priority; everything else is secondary. Even better if I can take him out!’
Succeeding in moving without interference due to their sudden surprise, he soon reached the Sacred Bloods’ location.
Pzzt—!
And plunged into the scene filled with deadly mana flows and storms of intent, sparks flying everywhere.
Grind—!
Crackle!
The moment he entered the domain, his body began to crumble.
‘Tch, way more intense than I thought?’
Scales ground away, skin tore, muscles ruptured, and blood burst forth.
His sturdy body, pursuing the pinnacle of evolution, endlessly repeated destruction and repair, turning him blood-soaked in seconds.
But undeterred, he cleaved through the mana torrent via the linkage of Mad Dragon’s Heart and his Jewel Eye.
And finally.
“Guh! What the hell is this lunatic? What are you idiots doing letting him get this far?!”
He came face-to-face with Visk Yupersh.
“Kuhahaha! So you’re the boss of these guys? Nice to meet ya!”
Hali flashed him a bright smile, ignoring his crumbling body.
But to Visk, that benevolent smile—which had won over Tarak’s citizens—was nothing but a rotten grimace.
Probably a sign of how corrupted his own heart was.
‘I came all this way personally as a victim, and the perpetrator acts like this?!’
No apology, and that reaction? Unacceptable.
Hali, who couldn’t tolerate injustice, absolutely refused to let this slide.
“So, take this!”
His fist shot out like lightning, brimming with ferocious momentum.
That righteous retribution, starting from point-blank range, was unavoidable even for a True Blood...
“Tch! You damn pest!”
Kaboom—!
But to the Sacred Blood Visk, it was merely a nuisance.
Hali was sent flying like a cannonball by the counterattack simultaneous with the dodge.
A massive gash, like claw marks from a great beast, marred his torso as he tumbled backward.
“Groan— that was dirty. Couldn’t just take one hit, huh.”
Dusting himself off as he stood, he frowned at the wound on his chest.
‘A Sacred Blood after all... And the regeneration on that wound is sluggish. Fighting head-on like this, even with endless energy, would be tough to win.’
Thanks to his far sturdier body now, the damage wasn’t severe, but it reconfirmed how tricky Sacred Bloods were.
‘Well, my initial goal’s achieved anyway.’
Visk had to pay the price for his divided attention too.
Pzzt— Slash—!
Fresh blood painted the air once more.
“Gah!”
The moment he counterattacked Hali, Bricky tore away half of Visk’s nape with her hand.
His wound regenerated quickly too, but this brought the balance between the Sacred Bloods back toward even.
“Lord Visk—!”
“W-what the hell did this bastard do?!”
From Hali’s charge and intrusion to Visk taking a hit.
Since it was a battle among those at the pinnacle, the entire sequence happened in a blink.
The Yupersh True Bloods arrived with pale faces, only now surrounding Hali—
Too late, as their lapse in vigilance had let the enemy slip away, costing their lord dearly in this crucial fight. Their fury was palpable.
They even considered throwing themselves at Brocoslak’s Sacred Blood...
“Uhahaha! Greeted your boss, so now let’s play some more, just us!”
But Hali wasn’t about to let that happen.
‘Bought some time with that. And soon...
With a meaningful smile, he burst into mad laughter again and charged at them.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The war between the two clans had four main battlefields.
The Sacred Bloods, whose fight was dragging on again due to outside interference.
Hali clashing with three desperately charging True Bloods.
Frigia holding down Yupersh’s second-in-command, Theodor.
And the largest clash of all: right here.
The fierce melee between the lesser vampires led by Mulro and Yupersh’s elite Purebloods.
“Tch, just Lesser Bloods, but why are they so damn tricky?! Is it this barrier’s effect?”
“Even accounting for that, it doesn’t make sense! Brocoslak’s bunch definitely weren’t this strong!”
The over forty Purebloods were the cream of the crop, even among Yupersh Clan, renowned for their combat prowess—handpicked elites.
True powerhouses who wielded their strength masterfully and showed potential beyond.
Yet here they were, being helplessly pushed back by opponents mostly Lesser Bloods, with just one True Blood mixed in.
Unaware of Heinz’s Purified Blood Essence, they could only chalk it up to the barrier.
‘Tch, was Mulro Brocoslak really this capable? Holding out like this with just over ten Purebloods and fewer than fifty Lesser Bloods?’
The red-haired vampire, Klein, gnashed his teeth as he slashed at a charging Lesser Blood.
But its durability exceeded Lesser Blood norms, preventing an instant kill, and the follow-up was thwarted by interference from the side.
The wounded Lesser Blood retreated to the rear, regenerated swiftly, and reentered the fray.
This pattern repeated everywhere on the battlefield, leaving them utterly helpless.
And with the mage Mulro supporting allies and directing the field to boot...
For now, their best was simply enduring while praying for Visk Yupersh’s victory.
And that was terrible news for Klein.
‘No! If that happens, even victory will cost us too dearly. Then I’m...
What was the biggest cause of things reaching this point?
Brocoslak’s Sacred Blood was an immovable problem, so no one could be blamed for that.
But that monster tangled with Yupersh’s three True Bloods right now?
Who had let that thing invade this battlefield?
Klein himself.
‘If this continues, I’m done for. I have to do something.’
He had only followed Theodor’s orders as usual, so he felt wronged, but with the man himself pinpointing him, excuses were pointless.
He couldn’t escape responsibility anymore, but to minimize punishment, he had to pull something off...
‘Huh?’
Then, Klein sensed something odd.
He was surely in the thick of the battlefield, yet the enemies around him avoided him as if blind to his presence.
Even nearby allies fighting alongside seemed oblivious to his plight.
“What the—?!”
He reached out in panic at a passing foe, but...
His hand merely swished through empty air, affecting nothing.
Utter isolation in the crowd.
The moment he realized he’d been cut off from the outside.
“So, it’s you.”
An unfamiliar voice whispered in Klein’s ear.
Someone addressed him coldly from behind.
Without any presence or aura.
Like a ghost.
‘Guh, who the hell...!’
He tried to turn, but his body wouldn’t move, nor could he cry out.
Those around him still ignored him, continuing their war.
“How dare you...”
A chilling dread crept up his nape amid fear of the unknown, as the mysterious voice continued.
“...touch our Hubert.”
Utterly unexpected words.
‘...Hubert?’
As he reeled from the familiar name from the stranger’s lips.
Stab!
Sharp claws burst from his chest.
“Gahk—!”
Blood poured from Klein’s mouth.
His heart destroyed, the opponent’s vampiric factors spread like toxin.
His blood, robbed of control, was wholly sucked through the hand piercing his heart.
“K-kin... devouring...!”
Freed from paralysis upon impact, Klein stammered as he slowly turned.
A vampire with pale skin, black hair, and glowing red eyes.
His aura, only felt now face-to-face, was at least True Blood level.
“Ah...”
Feeling his body wither, Klein foresaw his end.
His arduous life flashed by, filling his mind with regret, resignation, and questions.
The intruder’s sudden appearance inside the barrier, casual kin-devouring, isolating and subduing him effortlessly.
Myriad unsolved mysteries, but the biggest gnawing at him was one.
“W-what... the hell... is Hubert...?”
The root and culprit of it all.
What kind of man was that merchant, to draw such monsters in succession?!
A prince in disguise?
No, even a prince wouldn’t muster a dragonkin and vampire of this caliber for revenge like this...
Unfortunately, his time was short.
Ashes spread from his extremities, engulfing his body.
Poof—
Thus, Klein vanished into ashes, his mind full of turmoil.
His final question unresolved.
“What Hubert is, huh.”
But as if belatedly answering, the mystery vampire murmured low, pondering briefly.
His conclusion...
“Well, a talent who’ll dominate the continent’s trade in the future?”
With a joking tone, Heinz 2nd chuckled softly.
Of course, it was truly a joke.
For now.