Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Archlich (2)
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[Oh... Excellent. Splendid!]
Hans stored away every single item the undead had brought into his subs.p.a.ce.
He swept up anything and everything that looked like it could fetch a price.
Kaboom!
With overwhelming black mana, he scanned the entire mansion. Any spot that seemed suspicious enough to hide something? He smashed right through without a second thought.
[...Impressive.]
Various precious metals stuffed to the brim in hidden storehouses.
He could feel the wealth the vampires had piled up over long years, devouring an entire city in the process.
'But now it's all mine.'
That day, Hans' subs.p.a.ce wasn't the only thing overflowing—my heart was full too.
'Tonight, it's beef party time.'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Hans, huh... Common name."
In the capital of Thalia Kingdom on the western continent, Talaria.
Inside a dark room shrouded by heavy curtains, a man peered into the red liquid swirling in his wine gla.s.s.
'Who the h.e.l.l are you...?'
'My name is Hans.'
A brief exchange with the figure donning a bizarre mask.
"Tch. Useless right to the bitter end."
It was the final memory sent by Wirak, the head of the Azantu branch.
As if some interference barrier had been up when the information was transmitted, that was all that made it through.
"Can't just sit idly by."
The Fragment of the Immortal King he'd been keeping tabs on had been stolen.
The Azantu branch probably hadn't escaped unscathed either.
He needed to get a clear picture of the situation first.
He drained the contents of his gla.s.s in one gulp and hurled it to the floor.
Crash!
"Hans..."
Mullo Brocoslak, clan lord of the Brocoslak Clan.
He dispatched an investigation team to Azantu City.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ It was a peaceful time.
"Whoa, impressive as always. How do you catch 'em so easily every time...?"
"Haha, just spotted 'em while looking around and grabbed 'em quick. Take good care of 'em."
"Don't you worry. I'll get 'em prepped right away."
The middle-aged man took the rabbits I'd caught and started prepping them off to the side.
"Uncle! Meat again today? Yay~!"
Aaron, who was helping me and Diana set up camp, jumped for joy.
I smiled and ruffled his hair.
We'd left Azantu City and were heading east toward Tilrak City.
Leaving the city hadn't been hard.
With all the vampires wiped out, the back-alley gangs didn't have the bandwidth to bother with us.
Three days into our journey by hired wagon and driver.
Our driver, Walter, was a former mercenary, so I picked up all sorts of little tips from him.
"Good work, Uncle."
Diana approached and handed me a canteen.
"No big deal. Thanks for the water."
I tilted the canteen back for a drink and glanced at Diana.
Thanks to steady meals over the past few days, her complexion had improved dramatically compared to when we first met.
Plus, escaping the constant tension of Azantu surely helped.
She noticed my gaze and cautiously glanced around.
Then she sidled up to me.
"Um, Uncle. Still thirsty? Want some blood?"
I stared at her whispering in my ear, then chuckled.
I gently pushed her forehead and patted her head.
"I'm good, I'm good. I stuffed myself silly last time."
After gorging on Azantu's vampires, I was set for a while.
Besides, how could I even think of draining blood from this little girl?
Better to hit up some bad guys for a "donation" once we reached the city.
'Come to think of it, haven't seen Roselika around.'
Suddenly, the lesser blood vampire who'd been in charge of my "education" crossed my mind.
She wasn't at the fragment hideout, nor when I raided the main base later.
We had a connection, so I hadn't wanted to harm her directly—glad it worked out that way, but...
'Whatever. Better for both of us if we never cross paths again. She can a.s.sume I died in the city.'
I was an escapee, after all.
"Meat's ready to grill."
"Yay~ Uncle! Sis! Hurry hurry~!"
Walter and Aaron called us from the campfire.
Lately, whenever we grilled meat, I'd sprinkle on spices from Earth, and the reaction had been phenomenal.
I smiled as Diana and I headed to the fire.
Just one more day to Tilrak City, our destination.
A thoroughly peaceful trip.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Deep into the night.
In the forest near Azantu City.
The lesser blood vampire Roselika finished her report, prostrated on the ground.
Beside her knelt Pirita, the pureblood who'd been out searching for the fragment beyond the city walls.
"Hmm... So nothing concrete after all."
Right after the raid, Roselika had been sent to summon Pirita back from outside the city.
The problem was, by the time those outside hurried back, everything was already over.
The hideout concealing the fragment and the clan branch's main base—both utterly annihilated.
And Pirita, specialized in detection, had sensed it.
The immense black mana leaking from within the city, not fully concealed.
She realized a dire threat still lurked inside, and that their forces alone couldn't handle it.
They retreated immediately to report to the clan.
And kept watch around the city, tracking the being's movements.
"After all that chaos, it's still holed up in the city? We must look like a joke... Just who the h.e.l.l is it?"
The boy, having heard their full report, rose from his tree branch perch and stared toward the city.
His eyes glowed crimson in the darkness.
"Guess it's time I see this face myself. Who dares pull this s.h.i.+t in our territory?"
Whoosh—
The moment the words left his mouth, dozens of shadows surged from the forest toward the city.
Roselika and Pirita followed in their wake, still prostrated.
Leading them was the boy atop the tree.
Ober Brocoslak, true blood vampire.
Soon, a swarm of bats headed for the city.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Hans was patrolling the city as usual.
'Security hasn't collapsed as much as I thought.'
I'd figured with the vampires gone, the gangs' leashes would snap, plunging things into chaos.
But surprisingly, everything was running systematically.
'Makes sense—only three days have pa.s.sed. Natural they'd play it safe until they size up the situation.'
Their lives were on the line.
Getting c.o.c.ky could mean their heads rolling when the overlords returned.
'For now, just clean up anyone who crosses the line too far.'
I decided not to mess with the syndicates as long as they stayed within bounds.
They had their own code, after all.
'Better than clueless punks filling the vacuum.'
I wouldn't be sticking around forever, so overstepping wasn't wise.
Ideal would be the kingdom sending in management...
'Fat chance. Mayor was their puppet too.'
Not turned into a vampire for outward appearances, but the mayor danced to their tune all the same.
'Place'll fall back into Brocoslak hands eventually. Can't do much about that... Hm? They're here...?'
I sensed beings approaching the city at high speed.
Definitely vampires.
'With these guys showing up, time to bail.'
I slipped out the opposite side from their approach, heading into the nearby forest.
'Straight for me, huh. Scented my position? Mana concealment isn't perfect.'
Not fully accustomed to wielding the black mana that exploded after absorbing the second fragment—not to mention the spells covering the whole city for surveillance.
Didn't plan to fight anyway, so numbers didn't matter.
'Toy with 'em a bit, then slip away...?!'
Kaboom—!
My instant defense magic shattered, body flung backward.
[Grr— that startled me.]
In that split second, something hurtled in at insane speed and struck.
Luckily, the mana barrier I erupted at impact absorbed the shock, letting me fly back and minimize damage.
I layered barriers over myself and eyed the attacker.
A boy in his mid-to-late teens. Definitely a vampire.
But the aura...
[True Blood, huh?]
"Oho... So you're the one. With death aura this thick, a lich?"
A white-haired, red-eyed true blood vampire.
He flashed a sinister grin on that boyish face, utterly at odds with it.
Hearing about it was one thing; seeing it confirmed.
A monster leagues beyond purebloods.
"Name's Ober. True Blood of the Brocoslak Clan. You with the Oath of Reverse Heaven? That why you targeted our fragment?"
[Yeah. We got wind you were after the Fragment of the Immortal King we had, so we struck first. Thought you could hide it forever?]
Spotting a chance to screw with the bad guys and muddy the intel, a lie flowed out naturally.
If it stuck, great; if not, whatever.
Thinking it an already-won fight, he chatted leisurely.
Maybe waiting for his minions closing in from all sides to tighten the noose.
'Could probably take one True Blood...'
Add five purebloods and over twenty lesser bloods? Too much.
Sunrise still hours off too.
Ober narrowed his eyes, sizing me up at my response.
"Heard the village where those guys were hiding got hit. You didn't take it?"
[Ha! Our goals just diverged. Only way's to settle it with strength, right?]
I brazenly met his gaze.
No pupils to read, no sweat to betray me.
Voice just mana resonance.
"...Doesn't matter now. You've made us lose face."
Dozens of vampires now perched on surrounding trees, encircling me.
Up close, I saw blood magic barriers woven like a net, blocking escape.
'That's why they crept in from all sides...'
Could brute-force through with focus, but the True Blood wouldn't sit idle.
Mobilize all my undead? Possible, but heavy losses.
"No running. I'll rip that fragment out of you."
Unfamiliar with my new power, facing a powerhouse, surrounded by vamps.
Dire straits, plain and simple.
But to me...
...just an entertaining tale.
[Kukuku... You can't catch me. I'll withdraw for today.]
That was why.
I channeled the villain, dropping a cool line.
Kaboom—!
Ober lunged before I finished.
Barriers around me rippled and tore one by one, but held for a moment.
Soon, surrounding vampires unleashed attacks too.
[Remember this. I am Hans of the Oath of Reverse Heaven—the silent stake piercing hearts at dawn's peace! Lament your weakness. I am your death!]
Riding the villain vibe, I ad-libbed wildly, getting hyped.
Reason screamed in the back of my mind, but hey—fun now, worry later!
[I shall return.]
After spewing every dramatic line I could muster, I flipped the bird at the horde closing in.
'Dismiss summon.'
And so, Archlich Hans vanished from the Outerica dimension.
Back on Earth.
Han Seonghyeon spent the next half hour kicking off the blankets as payback for his rampage...
But that was just karma catching up.