Chapter 286
Chapter 286
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 286
Chapter Title: White Knight (1)
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The Tyrant glared at the opponent who had grabbed his neck and hoisted him up, his face twisted in fury.
“Grrgh.”
Being in direct contact like this made the man's presence all the more palpable.
And he was certain that in that split second when he'd successfully pierced the barrier, his guard had unknowingly slipped.
Damn it...! He's just crushing me with sheer energy output!
There was no other explanation that made sense.
The density of the space around his foe was so profoundly different, it was baffling how he hadn't noticed sooner.
He gritted his teeth, struggling to push back the colossal torrent of blood demon energy that ravaged his body and disrupted his ability usage.
This is on another level altogether...!
He'd heard about this man before.
A level 9 vampire newly born in Korea might come looking for him someday.
He hadn't gotten the details, having ignored the additional cooperation requests related to it, but he'd secretly hoped it might be entertaining...
To think he'd be this much of a monster!
If he'd known, he would've just accepted their proposal.
No, but that would've risked letting them gain even more influence in Europe...
As the Tyrant's mind tangled in this life-or-death crisis,
Heinz, who had been tightly gripping his throat while maximally suppressing his overflowing energy, finally decided the man's fate.
He's definitely a transcendent-grade vampire, but the proportion of innate vampire abilities in his power usage isn't that high. Strictly speaking, he's more like a superpowered heteromorph.
He'd confirmed it through their exchanges of blows.
The opponent used most of his vampiric factor-derived power merely as a means to fuel high-output ability exertion.
Even then, aside from what he used for self-enhancement, he left the rest unused.
Probably meant for emergencies like rapid regeneration. Ironic that it's useless now, when he's truly in peril.
But that certainty allowed Heinz to make up his mind.
He continued pouring energy through his vise-like grip on the throat, then brought his sharp fangs to the nape.
“You bastard...!”
The Tyrant widened his eyes in alarm, but Heinz paid it no heed.
No matter how temporarily berserk his power had become, subduing and capturing someone like this wasn't easy!
He was nearing his limit anyway—he needed to wrap this up fast.
Pfshk—
His razor-sharp teeth pierced the alloy-hard skin and sank in.
And slowly, blood began to flow into him from there.
Rooooar—
Krrunch! Crunch!
The man's resistance intensified; shadow-laced energy churned wildly, clawing at Heinz's body. But with the bloodsucking underway, it was all but over.
Don't worry. I don't plan on killing you.
He seemed useful enough.
What Heinz needed for further growth was a 'vampire factor that had reached transcendence through an entirely different lineage.'
Now that all his abilities had surged and his blood control had reached extreme heights,
Predation without taking a life was no longer impossible.
“Kuh! Mad Vamp? What the— Aaaargh!”
Of course, bloodsucking wasn't just imbibing blood; it was a ritualistic seizure of the opponent's essence in a more sorcerous sense. The victim would lose a massive chunk of their total power...
But it was still better than dying, right?
At his level, dropping to lesser blood rank wouldn't be a huge loss.
Yeah, this is a win-win.
And so, the Tyrant who ruled France's shadows survived,
The citizens of this country could enjoy safer nights,
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Acquired new vampire factor. Due to the influence of Special Skill 「Hybrid Evolution」, the entity's existence becomes even more pronounced. Heinz 2nd achieved his original goal while securing a forward base in Europe.
It was a true happy ending where everyone won.
“M-My power...! You bastard! What have you done...!”
“Hm?”
One person still needed time to come around, it seemed.
As expected, 「Enchantment」 doesn't fully work on someone of this caliber. Looks like he'll need some... training.
But that wouldn't take long, either.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ While Heinz 2nd was active in Europe,
Hans, the Hahoe Mask, who had returned to Earth after a long absence, moved busily as if to make up for lost time.
Now that I know the Reverse Heaven Society's Chairman has left, no need to hold back.
One fragment from the Rate Ruler's info: the Chairman's outing.
Thanks to that, Hans swept across all of South Korea—his old stomping grounds—once more. He also resumed cleaning up the Japanese archipelago where he'd left off, and began poking at the hypersensitive Chinese side.
China's reaction is definitely off. Most of their upper echelons have probably already fallen to the Reverse Heaven Society.
Impressive that their chaos didn't last long even after their East Asia branch chief was taken out.
Replacing him alone wouldn't have been that simple.
It showed how vital China was as a stronghold for them too.
But the overall situation isn't bad. Turns out plenty already suspected the Reverse Heaven Society and were wary of them.
He'd thought he was fighting alone all this time.
According to the Rate Ruler's memories, multiple factions opposed them across various places.
Scattered and hidden due to the overwhelming enemy, they'd evaded his notice.
China's recent hardline stance toward Korea is probably because of Korea's growing anti-Reverse Heaven sentiment.
After Alpha's Seoul terror attack, as a Reverse Heaven affiliate,
Korea, centered on the Returnee Association, adopted a more aggressive anti-Reverse Heaven policy.
Of course, their puppets—in politics and elsewhere—tried interference, but...
No need to judge them directly; toppling those guys is simple.
The Hahoe Mask had never touched government officials or key figures directly.
That would've caused endless hassle.
But ignoring them? Hardly.
“Crooked bastards always hang with other filthy ones.”
Whether hitmen doing their dirty work, money launderers, or disposable thugs,
Cracking down on those underlings inevitably unearthed evidence leading up the chain.
The underworld's already in my pocket anyway.
Cleanup via the Blood Alliance made it easy.
In the end, they chose between social ruin or full cooperation.
“However...”
As everything seemed to flow smoothly,
A certain domestic movement began grating on his nerves.
Organizing the current situation, I tapped the armchair and furrowed my brow.
I planned to leave it alone for now.
The Otherworld Religious Alliance, Pantheon's investigation team.
Having spotted the North American branch secretary's involvement, he intended to observe until their goals were clear.
As long as they didn't invade his daily life.
“But they're poking around too much.”
Gathering intel on the team was easy.
They weren't hiding, having no reason to.
They weren't hunting criminals, after all.
Never mind their arrogance in seeking someone deliberately hiding.
Too many interests at stake; unavoidable.
The problem was their current actions.
To think they'd try investigating everyone from that hospital.
When they visited Grandmaster Kang Taesan's grandmother, he hadn't reacted much.
Heinrich had indeed sped her discharge, but recently, ultra-pure holy power had bathed everyone there.
No way traces from much earlier—when his level was lower—remained.
Naturally, they gained nothing and left...
But a full sweep changed things.
“I was there too, back then.”
For someone hiding his awakener status, being investigated was a huge burden.
No, downright problematic.
He could roam freely now by concealing it, but if high priests inspected seriously? Busted.
Sighing deeply in the massage chair, I scratched my head and exhaled.
If I use 「Entity Projection」's sub-ability to maximally mimic Heinz's 「Existence Denial」 and implement it on the main body...
It might work.
But with low proficiency, it was still a gamble.
Best to avoid investigation altogether.
Smacking my lips, I nodded slowly.
“...No choice.”
Really, no choice at all.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After the hospital terror made headlines and revealed Holy Knight Heinrich to the public,
People online and off buzzed with excitement, digging into his deeds.
And why not? His flashy debut had drawn massive attention, and reports flooded media about patients he'd blessed with his holy power recovering dramatically.
Unlike the Saintess, his holy power specialized in demon-banishing over healing, but such classifications only held at certain levels.
A saint-level holy power never seen on Earth, amplified by a holy sword, and bolstered by 『Dimensional Barrier Mitigation』 to minimize loss?
...This level of hype would be weirder if it didn't happen.
Healthy folks found nagging symptoms vanish, peak condition restored.
Minor injuries? Gone clean.
Severe cases needed only simple treatment to recover.
Even terminal patients improved enough to pursue cures.
The resulting fervor needed no elaboration.
Even as Pantheon and the Ability Management Bureau's joint probe overstepped, the public barely complained—likely due to this.
Everyone wanted to know the 'White Knight' behind the miracle.
Maybe even surpassing the Hahoe Mask's fame.
No, probably not? Just the difference in how to benefit.
Hahoe Mask helped regardless of identity, but White Knight's grace required knowing who he was.
Likely a big factor.
Clank— Clank—
That's why he was here now.
“Huh? No way, is that...?”
“Eh? Yeah?”
“No... really?”
A children's hospital in central Seoul.
Clank— Clank—
A knight in white armor appeared abruptly at the main entrance, striding boldly through the lobby.
A soft glow emanated from him, gradually enveloping the surroundings.
Patients, guardians, doctors, nurses—everyone in the lobby stared blankly.
But the brief confusion passed quickly.
“Whoa, it's real! Sua! Sua! Come he—.”
“Wow~ So cool.”
“Eek! Doctor! Please, our child...!”
“D-Doctor Kim. That guy's gotta be the real...”
Chaos erupted from all sides.
Eyes filled with desperate longing fixed on the holy figure at the center, held back by the imposing aura amid the gentle energy.
This feels kinda weird.
Worried about exposure from the investigation? Simple fix.
Make investigation unnecessary.
Might as well proselytize like other faiths. Could loosen Earth's power limits further.
Thus, the saint remotely summoned from Outerica
Heinrich Saint Landgard revealed himself in the heart of Seoul.