Chapter 301
Chapter 301
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 301
Chapter Title: Vampire, Fairy, and Test Subject (2)
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The battlefield trembled as the air vibrated, hot waves of heat swirling through the chaos.
“Kuhahaha!”
Boom!
With Harley’s savage laughter echoing, another shockwave erupted.
Those clashing against him shouted desperately, trying to turn the tide somehow, but before they could even catch their breath, the situation spiraled further into disaster.
Their only hope had been reinforcements arriving while they held out as best they could...
Rumble—
But the relentless explosions from the forest outskirts forced them to abandon even that faint expectation.
Unlike the central brawl, the firefight raging across a vast area clearly favored the intruders—no matter how you sliced it.
And that was all exactly as one person had orchestrated from the start.
Smooth.
It couldn’t have been otherwise.
He had summoned both Harley and Harris here precisely for this.
The enemy’s forces were far from negligible, but the lineup he’d deployed was undeniably superior.
Even among transcendents, rank makes all the difference.
The same held true for the final avatar on the scene—Heinz 2nd, the Vampire King hungering for the completion of his blood.
Skreek—clang!
A short distance from where Harley and the Reverse Heaven Society thugs were locked in combat.
A sharp clash rang out, its shockwave uprooting the surrounding foliage.
“Urgh! You dare...!”
The duke gritted his teeth in fury as he barely parried a space-rending strike with his elongated blood spear.
As if he couldn’t stomach the unfolding situation for another second.
But Heinz paid no mind to the duke’s outburst, methodically continuing his assault while dissecting his foe bit by bit.
Sharp senses. Causal strikes don’t land easily on someone of his caliber.
That first hit piercing the duke’s side had only succeeded thanks to the element of surprise.
Now that the duke was fully on guard, it was getting blocked every time, yielding little effect.
Well, I never expected it to end that easily from the start.
It hadn’t been long since their one-on-one duel resumed.
With Harris and Harley handling the rest, no more interruptions were likely.
Of course, they might scout the barrier’s interior from outside and send backup...
But I have time enough.
Heinz gripped the two blood greatswords that had materialized in his hands, lowering his stance as he stepped forward.
Whoosh—
In an instant, his presence vanished, his body rocketing forward in a burst of acceleration that cleaved through space.
He circled behind the duke and swung both greatswords.
But...
“Not a chance!”
A new spear materialized in the air behind the duke’s back, blocking the attack. He swung his now thicker weapon in immediate retaliation.
Infused with the same devastating power from their first exchange.
Boom!
As expected.
Heinz felt one of his blood swords shatter into fragments from the impact, narrowing his eyes.
Even if liquid-forged weapons lacked some durability, this one had been crafted with Purified Blood Essence.
p>Shattering in a single clash was one thing—and the opponent’s weapon emerging unscathed defied reason.
An ability that interferes with the blood itself.
A unique skill, amplified to a formidable level.
Whether it was innate blood manipulation or a conduit for special abilities, it hardly mattered. For vampires, where blood equaled power, it was cheat-level prowess.
No doubt, that ability was the key to elevating him to duke.
Scree—
Then, a crimson dot hurtled toward Heinz’s face.
The sharpened tip of a blood spear.
Fired in the blink of an eye, ignoring distance as it pierced space.
It pursued the dodging, rapidly maneuvering Heinz like a living thing, slithering serpentine and striking variably.
Two, three... more joined, tightening around him from all sides.
This won’t do.
Realizing evasion alone wouldn’t cut it, he twisted his waist midair, drawing the blood greatsword to his hip.
His accelerated mind observed the spears’ trajectories via Insight.
The moment they aligned on a single line.
Swoosh—
Activating Extreme Acceleration, he slashed in a vast crescent arc.
Crack! Boom!
The supersonic whip-like blade edge collided with the spears, both sides disintegrating into shards.
Mere consumables he could remake anytime—Heinz remained impassive. But the duke’s expression grew ever more rigid as time wore on.
“What... are you...?”
An inexplicable unease.
The bizarre sensation the duke had felt since the fight truly began intensified.
A mounting premonition that he couldn’t win, coupled with real-world spikes in power drain and diminishing returns.
Even with his unique skill granting energy freedom, this was far from ideal.
What ability is this? A unique skill? Or...
Not a mere debuff reducing strength, but some conceptual interference on a higher plane.
A phenomenon even he, with decades wielding this power, couldn’t comprehend.
Dangerous.
Forcing the duke into an all-or-nothing gamble with no room left.
His detection range was exceptional; he’d already grasped the dire state of affairs.
He wouldn’t have survived this long without sensing his allies’ presences dwindling one by one to these intruders.
Once they were wiped out, what fate awaited him?
This is practically my last shot.
Whether fleeing immediately or rallying survivors.
It all hinged on dispatching the enemy before him swiftly.
Though he should’ve questioned if victory was even possible, he shoved such frailty aside.
Experience taught him pessimism aided survival not one whit.
Even if it devolved into mere thrashing.
No escaping unscathed now. Time to accept some losses.
Unrestrained acts carry commensurate risks.
The duke, bombarding the area with over a dozen blood spears, seized his moment without hesitation.
Roooar—
In a heartbeat, the blood surging through his body went berserk, unleashing colossal energy.
Boom!
“Tch?”
Despite hastily defending, Heinz was hurled back, steadying himself as he furrowed his brow at the sudden blood magic torrent.
“...What’s this?”
“Grr— this rush!”
Crunch—crack!
A twisting sound accompanied the transformation.
The handsome middle-aged duke’s face paled gauntly in an instant, while his swelling muscles shredded his suit to tatters.
Humm—humm—
The greatest change: dozens of blood spears now arrayed around him.
Crimson thorns pointed skyward in majestic formation.
The explosive potential of his blood unleashed at once warped the surrounding space, shaking the forest-enveloping barrier.
“...Feels familiar.”
Heinz narrowed his eyes at the blatantly unnatural sight, glaring.
Beyond the phenomenon, a strange déjà vu emanated from the duke’s aura.
Like something encountered before...
“...Ah! Of course. So you were behind Alpha too?”
He nodded in sudden realization.
The energy mirrored what had leaked from Alpha, the Reverse Heaven hardliner leader rampaging in Seoul long ago.
Back then, he’d only deduced some research gone awry. But duke involvement made perfect sense...
Wait.
His thoughts halted; he scowled involuntarily.
Memories from Alpha’s Seoul terror to now, plus gathered intel, flashed panoramically.
I see.
In that fleeting moment, certainty crystallized about the situation.
...Doctor’s here. Somewhere close.
One of Reverse Heaven Society’s top brass lurked nearby.
The fierce intuition rang alarm bells in his mind.
To catch me? Either way, an opportunity.
Even with Ruler memories, Doctor’s lair remained elusive.
Known to base in Europe, but his ability to erect labs anywhere defied pinpointing.
...If I can capture him.
He’d know more than Ruler or this duke.
About Reverse Heaven Society, and crucially... its leader.
“I’ll end you quick!”
As he pondered briefly, a roar heralded dozens of blood spears hurtling forth.
Markedly faster than before.
A turbulent energy maelstrom twisted space along their paths.
“We agree. Likewise.”
An intimidating barrage at a glance, but to Heinz now, mere nuisance.
Dispatch him fast, then...
New objective, with Europe goal in sight.
But first, handle the immediate threat decisively.
His fully amped mind accelerated anew, viewing the world through Insight.
Energy scale is insane. Amplified blood power further? Even for him... perhaps he bolstered via kin cannibalism in his world.
Hard to explain otherwise.
His unique skill suggested blood ties; not impossible.
Devouring foreign Earth vampires carried risks, but same lineage? Routine.
But.
Truth be told, he reigned supreme across dimensions.
Heir to all Outerica bloodlines, ceaselessly collecting Earth factors and cannibalizing kin.
Whew, surging power like this is unfamiliar. Still, adapting now isn’t bad.
Foe variables mapped.
Now, leverage intel for closure.
In time dilated to extremes by overflowing energy, Heinz rode causality’s flow, slowly stepping forward.
Step—
Blood magic from his heart and implanted Sacred Blood Essences surged through his limbs.
In the seemingly frozen world, Heinz’s and the duke’s blazing gazes locked.
Second step.
Rematerialized blood greatswords in hand, he closed to point-blank and deflected the encroaching crimson tips.
Weapons shattered? Remake and repeat, several times.
Through scattering blood mist fragments, their side held the edge in ‘time’—evident.
Third step.
Pity to waste the thick blood fog from deflections.
Heinz invoked Mystery of Blood, spawning autonomous blood swords midair.
They clashed with spears like fighter jets vying for air superiority, cycling destruction and reformation.
Exchange ratio suboptimal, but as bait buying seconds, solid return.
Fourth step.
Entered the duke’s domain fully.
Sporadic Existence Negation fizzled.
The churning aura made space itself hostile, but par for the course.
Weapons drawn, Heinz pressed on undaunted.
Fifth step.
Deeper in, their ‘time’ advantage waned toward equilibrium.
Advancing grew laborious; accumulating wounds mounted.
None lasted—regenerated swiftly—but meaningless anyway.
Step—
And finally.
“Y-You...! How...!”
“I’ve waited long.”
Planting his final step, Heinz met the duke’s gaunt, contorted face with a gentle smile.
As if reuniting with a lost half.
Hm, not wrong.
Soon to be whole anyway.
His hand extended naturally, seizing the duke’s throat.
The moment Heinz 2nd’s grasp claimed the final piece toward blood’s completion.