Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Ambush (2)
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Heinz scowled as he scanned his surroundings.
The vampires encircling them, and the mysterious masked group.
He already knew the vampires' levels from Appraisal, but the masked intruders—who hadn't even registered on his senses—were all remarkably powerful in their own right.
"How did you find us?"
Now that their barrier was active, Stealth had been nullified...
But before that, how had they pinpointed him even under Concealment and timed the barrier's activation so perfectly?
"We put in quite the effort to catch the Hahoe Mask."
Black suit, hair slicked back with pomade, and a smug grin to top it off.
The man at the top of the stairs—who screamed mid-level evil organization executive—shrugged nonchalantly.
It seemed he had no intention of explaining further out of kindness.
"Are you from the Reverse Heaven Society, by any chance?"
Heinz asked, eyeing the masked figures who appeared to be the man's subordinates.
Who else but them would set a trap alongside the Blood Alliance hardliners?
"Hmm. And who might you be? I can't fathom why a vampire would side with him. Beta One, Beta Two—do you know anything about this?"
Instead of answering, the suited man turned the question back on him, glancing toward the Blood Alliance group.
"...We have no idea what's going on either. He looks at least level 7, but I've never seen his face before."
"His aura feels completely unfamiliar. Probably some guy who just returned from some unknown hideout."
The two strongest auras among the vampires responded in turn.
'Both Betas are here.'
From reading the memories of numerous hardliner vampires, he'd learned that those titles denoted their hierarchy.
The Alpha was the leader of the Blood Alliance hardliners, with two Betas right below.
The Gammas were the next tier down, totaling thirteen in all.
'Nine now, though.'
After the first Gamma and Dohanseo, he'd taken out three more.
The intel on this place had come from the last Gamma he'd dealt with.
'And thanks to the lingering power of Concealment, they haven't noticed the kin consumption yet.'
Weakened by the barrier, Concealment couldn't even maintain stealth, let alone hide his presence.
So he'd focused his remaining strength solely on masking the traces of kin consumption.
That was his most guarded secret—and the ace up his sleeve to catch them off guard.
'Two level 7 Betas. Twelve level 6s. Some of those level 6s must hold Gamma titles, but I don't know how many. Plus the guards swarming the lobby outside...'
The vampires alone wouldn't be much trouble.
The problem was the presumed Reverse Heaven Society masks.
For some reason, even now, their auras were hard to gauge.
"So, how long does the Hahoe Mask plan to lurk in the shadows? He'd better show himself by now. Or does he still think he can ignore us?"
Heinz's eyebrow twitched.
He'd thought they hadn't noticed amid the lack of mention.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Hrrrr... Bold one, aren't you? If that's what you want.] A voice like thunder from the depths of hell reverberated through the space.
If they already knew, there was no point hiding anymore.
Ssssh—
As Hans slowly emerged from the shadows...
The temperature plummeted, a chill permeating the air, and the lights illuminating the interior dimmed.
He wasn't even deliberately releasing mana; his mere presence forced these changes on the surroundings.
The encircling vampires flinched involuntarily, stepping back without thinking.
"...Hmm. This is more than I expected. Good thing we didn't try handling this alone."
A crack appeared in the suited man's relaxed facade.
Facing Hans directly must have shaken his confidence.
"Impressive, but not beyond our means to counter."
Yet composure quickly returned to his face.
He had something solid prepared.
"Black magic and necromancy—extreme powers, and thus with glaring weaknesses."
Snap—
The snap of his fingers echoed through the space.
Bzzz—
The surrounding barrier vibrated.
Ting— Ting—
The masked figures ringing the second floor had produced all manner of ritual tools from who-knows-where.
One shook bells like a shaman might, another drove wooden totems into the floor, others plastered yellow talismans everywhere, and some brandished symbols from religions unknown on Earth.
The onslaught of auras from all sides dulled Hans's presence.
An oppressive energy squeezed in, mercilessly rattling his profane aura.
[...You've prepared quite thoroughly.]
It was clear they'd researched him meticulously and made extensive preparations to counter him.
The on-site vampires grimaced uncomfortably due to the ritual nature, but compared to Hans—the primary target—it was negligible.
'No major impact on Heinz right now, either. It's stifling, though.'
A massive trap designed solely to hunt Hans.
Suppressed like this on such a grand scale, with Reverse Heaven Society and vampires combining forces...
Even Hans would have no choice but to retreat.
'If Hans had come alone, that is.'
He understood their plan perfectly.
With Heinz pegged as level 7, one Beta could handle him, freeing the rest to focus on Hans.
"Huuup—"
Heinz drew a deep breath.
His heart pounded fiercely, blood surging rapidly through his body.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Blood Flow Amplification His pale skin flushed red.
Muscles swelled, veins bulging.
"Haaa~"
He exhaled from deep in his lungs.
His senses sharpened, the emotions of those nearby feeling vivid in his grasp.
Unfortunately for them, he wasn't your average True Blood—or a level 7 by their standards.
His blood magic reserves and vampire factor density might match or even fall short of the Betas'.
But...
Boom—!
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Acceleration He kicked off the ground, his body launching like a cannonball.
"What?!"
The nearest level 6 vampire—closest to Heinz and unable to react.
Splurch—
With his shocked cry, Heinz's hand burst through the vampire's back.
"Guh... Ack!"
The vampire convulsed, vomiting blood as his heart was pierced in an instant.
But Heinz's surprise wasn't over.
'My blood... it's being sucked away?!'
His blood was being drawn into his heart at an insane rate.
More precisely, into the arm piercing his heart.
'Kin consumption?! Through the arm? That's impossible...!'
Heinz had slashed his own wrist upon piercing the heart, sucking in the vampire's blood through the wound.
Microscopic blood particles mixed with his own via the wrist wound, then retracted, bypassing the vampire's control.
Possible only thanks to the overwhelming blood manipulation of True Blood status.
And direct contact at the heart—the center of blood flow.
"Grr... You bast... Aaaargh!"
The vampire screamed, squeezing out his last strength to warn his allies.
The blood he'd coughed up now foamed beautifully red at his lips.
Blood Flower, consuming his head, spread slowly across his body, reducing him to ashes before fading.
'A smokescreen to hide the kin consumption.'
To conceal the desiccated, blood-drained corpse turning to dust, he'd enveloped the body in flames—but selectively burned only around the mouth.
Thanks to Blood Flower's precise control.
"......"
The vampires froze at the events of mere seconds.
The late-reacting Betas hardened their expressions, glaring at Heinz.
Even as he drained blood through one arm, he'd kept his guard up toward them, emanating pressure that left no opening to intervene.
Unaware of the consumption, they'd quickly written off their subordinate—heart-pierced and incinerated, beyond recovery—and sought an opportunity.
"You... how?!"
Beta One growled lowly through gritted teeth.
His question dripped with wariness.
'He reacted too fast!'
Even with his pride in physical prowess, Heinz's speed exceeded imagination.
By the time he registered, the subordinate's heart was already skewered.
And that subordinate was one of the strongest Gammas, second only to Betas.
No matter the surprise attack, for such a powerhouse to fall in seconds...
He couldn't have done it himself.
Heinz leisurely surveyed the tense vampires.
'A level 7 via ambush would be ideal, but if directly targeted, they'd react somehow. Sure, fatal wounds, but they'd recover quickly while others stalled.'
Better to decisively eliminate the nearest level 6 Gamma-equivalent.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Collecting new vampire factors. Due to the influence of special skill Mixed Evolution, the individual's mana control ability has improved. Their side weakened, his strengthened.
And one more thing they hadn't anticipated.
[Kekeke... Impressive. Is this it too? Linked rituals pieced together from spells across worlds?]
Hans had been shocked discovering ritual fusion research in the Blood Alliance hardliners' base.
An idea he'd never considered, shattering what he thought impossible.
Of course, Hans had referenced black magic from other worlds to elevate his own.
The synergy of Wicked Wisdom and Forbidden Knowledge granted exceptional analysis and acquisition for black magic.
Still, a lingering regret surfaced.
Did the skills' black magic bonuses mean he should abandon other paths?
Was he settling for the easy road, complacent in the present?
Wicked Wisdom offered absolute black magic insight, built on foundational magic comprehension.
Forbidden Knowledge, biased toward black magic, still held myriad mysteries from one world.
Were there truly no other ways to leverage it?
Was that defining his limits?
A year into the path of black magic, some might call it greed.
But time mattered little when committing to a path.
At least 'Hans' believed so wholeheartedly.
Afterward, Hans studied Reverse Heaven Society techniques during vampire raids.
Observing their magic systems, experimenting on them, adapting his skills multifacetedly.
'Not a huge leap yet, but some gains. And this is an opportunity.'
Thud—
Hans struck the floor with his staff.
Blackness spread from his feet, undead crawling out.
The interfering rituals prevented filling the building with darkness as usual.
[Let's see how hard you prepared. It'll all be fertilizer for my growth!]
If you don't know, experience it firsthand.
And here was the perfect stage, meticulously set by the foremost experts.
Black magic would've been ideal, but clashing rituals worked too.
The more lethal to him, the more sensitively he could sense and analyze them.
[Kahahaha! This'll be fun! Come on, entertain me more! Use everything you've got—no holding back!]
A chance to identify his weaknesses too.
Facing flaws head-on was the first step to overcoming them.
Survive this, and he'd grow stronger.
Vmmm—
Above the Reverse Heaven Society's barrier enveloping them, Hans's pre-set barrier activated.
The villa—nay, the battlefield—now doubly sealed.
No one would escape easily now.
[Then, let the death match begin.]