Chapter 244
Chapter 244
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 244
Chapter Title: Vampire Rise (4)
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The incident in the Zephia Republic quickly settled down.
After all, both sides that had caused the uproar in the first place were now fully subservient to a single person, so it was only natural that things would calm like this.
Of course, not everyone swept up in the chaos had bent to his control, so pockets of disorder still lingered here and there. But with the root cause eliminated, those wouldn't last long either.
There was no longer any need to pay much attention to it.
"Y-yes... As you commanded... the cleanup is proceeding smoothly. We'll wrap things up as quickly as possible and assemble the clan members under our command... High Lord."
"Mm."
Inside the opulently decorated office.
Heinz, seated in an ornate chair, nodded in satisfaction as he looked down at the woman with deep navy-blue hair prostrated before him.
'She's gotten quite obedient now.'
She was Shamila Obaipo, the de facto second-in-command who had been running the Obaipo Clan.
'Just like Mulo of Brocoslak and Theodor of Ufersh.'
She was a True Blood vampire responsible for the clan's operations.
'Absorbing a force of this scale intact requires cooperation from an insider—ideally a high-ranking one.'
The Obaipo Clan was one of the three dominant vampire powers.
No matter how much command authority he'd seized, fully controlling them was another matter entirely.
That was why, right after the battle ended, Heinz had immediately tracked down and captured her—the one with the strongest presence.
Of course, she hadn't obeyed from the start...
But with their Sacred Blood lord defeated and command transferred, what choice did she have?
In the end, after a bit of forceful persuasion, she'd faced reality and submitted.
"Well then, looks like things here are more or less wrapped up."
After she left to finish the cleanup—having come only for this interim report—
Heinz lounged in the Obaipo Clan's mansion, sipping wine leisurely as if to proclaim himself the new master, lost in thought.
'If I hadn't intervened, the underworld across much of the continent—starting from the east—would've fallen entirely into their hands.'
The Obaipo Clan's goal had been to rule all vampires as king.
Turning the east into a wasteland amid the chaos was just one step in that plan.
And when children of darkness like them began moving under someone's malice... the ripple effects on the continent would be unimaginable.
Even the lycanthropes—who'd nearly sunk an entire continent—were fewer in number. If vampires started rampaging in earnest, who knows what would've happened.
'Somehow, my mere existence ended up being the perfect counter. Come to think of it, I seem to get tangled in everything no matter where I go.'
Sure, there were plenty of incidents beyond his reach—like the Abyss madness leak, monster uprisings, and Rohan Principality's fall.
But he'd resolved even more.
Playing in deep waters naturally drew big troubles, but it still left a nagging unease.
'Just because one thing's done doesn't mean another won't pop up, right?'
For example, some accident in Tarak, where Hubert's merchant guild and Howard's smithy were.
'...Ugh, bad feeling about this. Better stay vigilant—just when you relax, problems hit.'
Those two avatars lacked combat prowess, so they needed extra careful oversight for quick response.
His sharpened instincts seemed to warn that rest wasn't yet an option.
'At least this new perk should help spot sudden issues quickly. "Authority of the Sovereign"...'
The perk Heinz 2nd gained upon becoming Blood King: Authority of the Sovereign.
Like a strategy sim game, it let him track positions and basic info of his subordinates, even issue remote simple commands—a force management ability.
As he closed his eyes tightly,
⚙ AUTHORITY OF THE SOVEREIGN ⚙ Aouterica - Undying Legion - Hybrid - Hubert Merchant Guild - Karkos Tribe Federation - ... '...Quite a lot.'
A long list of forces scrolled by.
A quick check revealed details on each organization, plus rough info on their members.
Even places where he wasn't fully "lord"—like the Church of the Main God or Elven Kingdom—had limited functionality.
For someone with as many forces as avatars, it was hugely helpful.
'Hm?'
As he casually scanned via Authority of the Sovereign, something nagged at the edge of his mind.
Digging into it, he found the cause...
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 👤 Name: Jin Soran (Heterosis Acting Leader) 🧟 Race: Vampire 📍 Location: Republic of Korea, Seoul, Southern Daeran-dong [View Detailed Coordinates] ⚠️ Status: Danger (Severe Injuries) '...What the hell? I had a feeling something was brewing, but on Earth?'
Heterosis's top executive—who dominated Korea's night and was now True Blood level—in critical danger...
That was no ordinary matter.
"Mm."
Heinz set down his wine glass with a groan, leisure interrupted.
Looks like there was still work to do today.
***
The conversation just before Alpha revealed himself.
- "We can't just barge in if the homeowner hasn't invited us!"
- "Good job. Entering without permission is trespassing."
He'd spoken the truth.
Right after his overwhelming blood demon power shook the surroundings.
As young Ina-hee froze stiff under the pressure, battle-hardened Jin Soran from another world quickly shielded her and retreated.
Tense, backing away until they crossed into the office behind them— that's when he said it.
"Oh! You went inside? ...That's a problem. Hey, won't you invite me in too?"
That innocently playful question.
'Up till then, I thought maybe there was a chance.'
But that fleeting hope shattered instantly.
Because of his response when she refused to the end.
"Eung, guess no choice then!"
Immediately after that sweetly cheerful agreement—mismatched with his metallic, noisy, eerie voice—
Alpha didn't hesitate.
He blew up the entire building housing the office.
'Can't enter freely, but destruction's fine? What kind of self-centered rule is that...!'
Weee-oong—! Wee-oong—weee-oong—!
Amid the blaring sirens and screams,
Jin Soran's dazed mind slowly refocused.
Psssh— patter!
"Kuhk— haahk, haahk."
She barely pulled her mangled body from the rubble, breathing raggedly.
'Ugh, how long was I out?'
Little change around her—thankfully just a second or so.
But facing reality crushed that relief.
Heterosis's office building was the start; several nearby structures had collapsed, streets wrecked with craters and crashed vehicles.
Casualties from fires, shocks, debris—countless.
All in under five minutes since Alpha showed his true form.
'Even pulling aggro only bought seconds... Alpha wasn't this strong before. What happened?'
Rumors pegged him at fresh level 8.
But his aura now screamed level 9.
Even their lord Heinz was upper level 8 at best. A unheard-of level 9?
Her head spun from the sudden crisis.
'No, maybe from the damage.'
Even her vampire regeneration struggled against his corroding energy.
If he'd meant to kill, she'd be dead already.
Confidence bloated from reaching level 7 thanks to the lord deflated like a punctured balloon against this unstoppable foe.
"Hee! So, where's that Heinz guy? Speak or die? Ah, can't kill though. She's the highest-ranking? Huh? What now?"
From the ruins beyond, Alpha's twisted voice echoed flippantly.
Muttering to himself like a madman.
His warped form matched his insane behavior.
'Rumors said he was solemn like our lord.'
Never seen him herself, so rumor or fake—who knew?
Didn't matter now anyway.
"Puhit! Don't know. But I can kill everyone except her, right? Heinz? Eh, I'm hungry anyway—perfect!"
His manic, murderous words made Jin Soran grit her teeth.
His blood control had long drained victims' blood to him.
Yet he spouted that crap...
'Even if the lord comes, can we win...? No, where's Hawoltal? Hasn't been active in Japan lately! If he's a real dark hero, now's the time!'
Her thoughts tangled in panic.
Even responding Guardians had become fodder. No solutions came to mind—hopeless.
'Aah, seriously! Heroes show up in situations like this! Do your job, heroes!'
And as soon as possible!
Rumble— boom!
Perhaps heaven heard her desperate plea.
Darkened skies boomed with heavy thunder.
And finally—
Flash— kabrumm! Boom!
Vast ability energy as lightning spears slammed down.
"Grraaakakak—!"
Straight at Alpha.
Crackle— snap!
Sparks flew wildly from the impact, and from afar, the hero emerged slowly.
"...Haa, why on my vacation... And I dropped everything to rush here, but in that short time, it's already like this...!"
But it wasn't the Hawoltal she'd desperately awaited—or the lord she'd rather not see yet.
Someone else.
'Ah, right... that person's around too.'
Hawoltal's rise had dimmed her presence lately, but she'd never been one to underestimate.
Crackle! Zzzap—!
A late-20s woman, frowning, golden lightning cloaking her body.
Her refined outfit torn and singed from haste, meticulously styled hair now lion-mane wild from static.
"Guess you've taken my quiet lately for weakness. Rampaging openly like this crosses the line, don't you think?"
She was always top-three among Korea's strongest Guardians.
A hero whose feats were known through otherworld media and returnee interviews.
Yun Jiyun, Seoul Southern Branch Chief of the Returnee Association—Thunder Emperor.
And this district's overseer.
"...You're done."
***
Sensing Jin Soran's crisis via Authority of the Sovereign, learning the Earth details was easy.
More precisely, it was such a massive incident, news spread naturally.
🚨 Terror Alert Massive terror attack in Seoul Southern Daeran-dong. Nearby residents, evacuate immediately... Even I, in Seoul's outskirts, got the alert. Breaking news flooded media.
Not long since it started, but damage was already severe.
'This destruction in minutes. Opponent's transcendent-level. Highly likely vampire. So, probably...'
In the urgent moment, I accelerated thought, sifting info for judgment.
Shh—
Aouterica's Blood King, Heinz 2nd, rose silently from shadows.
Hybrid was reorganizing post-Obaipo absorption anyway—no issue with him away briefly.
Sending a summon-releasable avatar was standard precaution.
'Transcendent vampire from another dimension. You're mine!'
No ulterior motives, of course.
But upon frantic arrival at the scene, Heinz faced...
"Krraaak! Heeeinz!"
Kaboom—! Boom!
"Seriously, ignoring the lady here for someone else? Your manners match your looks—zero points!"
...A scene he hadn't anticipated.