Chapter 245
Chapter 245
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 245
Chapter Title: Vampire Rise (5)
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The mysterious monster known as Hahoe Mask suddenly appeared in Korea.
He began indiscriminately judging criminals based solely on his own standards, and his brutal methods had the remarkable effect of stabilizing the chaotic public order.
No matter how much it disregarded law and order, relying only on brute force, no one could deny the tangible results he had achieved.
As a result, the public showered him with enthusiastic support, undervaluing those who had been responsible for the nation's security up until then.
These massive organizations couldn't even match a single person.
Kwaaaang—!
'They have plenty of excuses, but the end result is what it is... Can't really blame them for saying that.'
Yun Jiyun flashed a wry smile as she traded blows with Alpha.
But contrary to public perception, the Ability Management Bureau and the Korean Returners Association were far from incompetent.
They had simply appeared somewhat inefficient due to unavoidable constraints. How could the people responsible for a nation's security, who had maintained society thus far, possibly be useless?
'This place was definitely a major base for Heterosis, right?'
For example, she had a thorough grasp on Heterosis, the dominant faction that practically ruled Seoul's nightlife.
They maintained a moderate stance and contributed significantly to security, so the association had been observing them in an unspoken cooperative relationship. Naturally, it was still a monitored gray area.
Yet a massive hostile blood demon energy reaction had suddenly erupted from such a place.
At an enormous level.
'I rushed here as fast as I could... But the damage is already too severe.'
She bit her lip again, furrowing her brow.
From detecting the anomaly at headquarters, relaying the news to her on vacation, and racing here—it had taken barely five minutes.
Even so, the casualty count had already surpassed hundreds.
If not for one vampire who appeared to be from Heterosis drawing the monster's attention until the end, the damage here would have been even greater.
'A level 9 Mad Blood Ghost appearing at a Heterosis base. Come to think of it, Alpha, their hardliner leader, vanished before the faction collapsed.'
Pajijijik—!
Even as various thoughts swirled chaotically in her mind.
The energy fiercely rotating inside Yun Jiyun's body—her Lightning Chakra—continued to whirl, resonating with the world.
Kururung—
Through it as a medium, her will began forcing reality to bend—
Kwaaaang—!
And soon, another bolt of lightning struck from the sky to the ground.
Directly onto Alpha's head.
"Kwaaaak! I'll kill you! Kill youkill youkill you! You too! Heinz too! Aaah— all humans!"
"Ugh, you're disgustingly tough! Just die already!"
However, he was no ordinary monster.
In the split-second moment divided into dozens of fractions per second.
Alpha, roasted golden again by the chakra-infused lightning, tore through the air and charged at her.
"Ki hahak!"
His outer skin was already ragged from repeated thunderbolts, but his absurdly monstrous vitality was rapidly regenerating his body even now.
As if he were truly immortal.
'Of course, that's unlikely.'
Even if he were a real immortal, what she had to do wouldn't change.
'Mad Blood Ghosts don't die easily. Best to blast them away with maximum firepower... But no choice. There are other ways.'
The location was poor for unleashing full power.
In an urban area like this, recklessly pouring out max output would obliterate the entire district alongside the barrier the Guardians had set up around them while she fought.
She might end up causing more damage than the Mad Blood Ghost.
Pajik—!
Electricity raged wildly inside her, accelerating her thoughts beyond limits.
Breathing stopped, metabolism halted, bioelectric flow ceased—in the eternal time where all paused—
Only the chakra dwelling in her body spun endlessly.
'If you won't die, I'll burn you until you do!'
At last, the wheel-like spinning chakra's core opened her inner cosmos.
And she—Yun Jiyun—
—became lightning.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Move, move! Evacuating civilians to safe zones is priority one!"
"Healers short-staffed? Contact every priest in the area in the government's name! If that doesn't work, grab 'em by the ankles, threaten 'em—whatever it takes to drag them here!"
"Ugh, we need more support on the barrier! Blocking the aftershocks is reaching its limit! A direct hit will shatter it in one blow!"
At the outskirts of the battlefield where Yun Jiyun held Alpha at bay.
Guardians from the Returners Association and agents from the Ability Management Bureau, who had rushed out on emergency dispatch, bustled amid the chaotic scene.
In truth, they had only enjoyed relative peace recently thanks to Hahoe Mask; such incidents were all too familiar to them.
A single Villain—not even a group—causing this scale of damage was rare, but their duties remained largely the same.
The problematic Villain would be handled by the branch chief who had stepped in personally anyway.
And amid the frenzy.
One figure leisurely passed through the scene, beyond everyone's perception, approaching the barrier.
'Responding like this mere minutes after the incident. Impressive... Though it means these events happen all too often.'
Heinz, having concealed his presence with Existence Denial, nodded gravely.
Even he knew terror-related news erupted almost daily, so it wasn't all that surprising.
'And once word of this spreads, the Villains who've been lying low will start rearing their heads one by one.'
People watched their step when things were quiet, but once someone made the first bold move, others followed suit and caused mayhem—that was human psychology.
He had been capturing and crushing them as they popped up, keeping them in check, but it seemed he'd have to work hard again for a while to restore order.
'Tch, no helping it. At least Jin Soran seems to have escaped unscathed, so I can check on her later. First, I need to deal with that thing inside.'
This close, he could sense his kin without even using Lord's Authority.
She and a few surviving Heterosis vampires were huddled together a short distance away.
'That aura... Definitely Sacred Blood level at least. For Jin Soran to still be alive means it never intended to kill her from the start.'
Beyond the barrier, the intense clash of two powerful presences reverberated.
She couldn't have escaped such an opponent on her own, so the association's powerhouse must have intervened during a moment when it deliberately held back.
'Quite lucky. Now, time to learn about this guy firsthand.'
Reaching the barrier, Heinz briefly examined it with Insight.
Then, using Existence Denial, he slipped past it effortlessly and entered.
And right after, what he faced was.
"Ke gigek! Heiiiinz—!"
Kwarurung—! Kwaang!
"Seriously, you've got a lady right here and you're still yelling for someone else? Your manners match your looks—zero points!"
Pajijijik—!
A monster, half-charred to a crisp, desperately calling his name.
And a being made of light... no, electricity, grabbing it and relentlessly slamming lightning into it.
'...My name? I see. That must be Alpha.'
Pinpointing the foe's identity instantly from that clue, Heinz watched the scene with interest.
Alpha regenerated ceaselessly despite his predicament, rampaging and destroying the surroundings, but in his current state—devoid of reason, driven only by instinct—he was no match for an opponent moving like literal lightning.
'Like a lightning spirit... but closer to a fundamental concept than natural force. A Chakra user.'
Chakra—an ability to complete an inner cosmos and intervene in specific concepts and phenomena.
He had seen its users on Earth before, but this was the first time witnessing someone who could fully transform their body into the concept of 'lightning'.
'...Strong. And that doesn't seem to be her full power.'
Unfamiliar with the system beyond theory, he couldn't gauge her exact level, but he could tell she occupied a somewhat higher tier even among transcendents.
"Aaaaaah—! I, I have to kill Heinz! If you interfere, I'll kill you too!"
"Yeah, yeah. Got it, so you die first!"
Alpha shrieked savagely, his body charring from repeated lightning strikes.
His state was clearly insane, no matter how you looked at it.
A Mad Blood Ghost... Even accounting for mental corruption from devouring kin, his obsession with Heinz felt unnaturally intense.
As if someone had forcibly imprinted it into his mind.
'Well, analyzing a madman's thought process is pointless. More importantly, if this continues, that guy will die soon.'
He was still holding out with his superior regeneration, but it was slowing, reaching its limit.
Should he accept the culprit's smooth elimination and withdraw?
'...No chance!'
This incident had cost them dearly.
Losing the office and Heterosis assets was minor.
Over half the vampires there had perished in Alpha's rampage, and Jin Soran, handling Heinz's duties, was badly injured and out for a while.
In such a situation, could he really just hang back?
'We have every right to rightful revenge.'
Yes, so this was.
Absolutely not stealing.
Puuk—
"Kuhuk! You... Heinz—!"
Just a minor settling of scores.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Somewhere in China.
The man in the wheelchair let out a deep sigh, then contacted his unwelcome superior with a twinge of reluctance.
-Hello? Is that the Rate Ruler~?
"Yes, Doctor. I'm calling to report that delivery to your requested location has been completed."
-Woohoo! Excellent, just excellent!
The usual frivolous, excitable voice.
But the Rate Ruler remained impassive, calmly laying out only the essentials.
A rough summary of events so far.
"Korea's Thunder Emperor Yun Jiyun arrived far sooner than anticipated. We timed it for when she was away, but it didn't make much difference."
-Hmm, a bit disappointing! Even as a discard pawn, I hoped for a bigger bang!
A light tongue-click echoed from the comms.
After wrapping up a few more matters, the interim report ended without issue.
-Good work, Rate Ruler! Must've been tricky handling that lunatic!
"Not particularly. I'm used to it."
His words carried the unspoken 'no matter how tricky, not as bad as you,' but of course, he couldn't say that outright.
-I hope my little gift reaches that Heinz fellow safely! Of course, I've prepared contingencies if it doesn't, but quicker and simpler is better! Uhihihit!
"Hm, is that guy really that important? I heard he devoured kin without issue, but I don't see what's so impressive. Was sacrificing a hard-earned level 9 vampire necessary?"
As the Heaven Defying Society's East Asia branch chief, the Rate Ruler saw Alpha as valuable assets, so he couldn't help feeling dissatisfied with this pointless operation.
They had already lost significant forces fighting Hahoe Mask, and now this waste.
-Rate Ruler, you must sow seeds for a harvest! Fatten livestock before slaughter! Investing that defective Alpha was highly efficient! He may be level 9, but his intelligence has regressed to beast level.
"Khm, it's his elusiveness that bothers me."
-That's why we need this operation! Dangle bait to lure him where we want. If we can use that body, we'll finally complete the 'Perfect Evolution Creature Project'! Uhihihit!
A clearer, more triumphant laugh than ever burst from the comms.
How could it not?
It was one of his pet projects—he had drafted it and outsourced research with blood samples to scientists worldwide.
Though the Korean lab was destroyed midway, progress continued steadily.
And now, with the discovery of this mutant vampire Heinz, completion was in sight.
-Uhihahaha!
Thus, the Doctor ended the call, bursting with satisfaction over his great research.
Unaware that his prized brainchild had long leaked to another, already bearing fruit in someone else's hands.