Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Raid (3)
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Crunch—
The blood-red claws flying toward him were smacked away, only for a kick to immediately target his ankle.
Whoosh!
Beautiful red petals suddenly bloomed, captivating his gaze, and in that split-second opening, his opponent had already closed in from behind to drive a fist into him.
"Urk... What the hell kind of speed is this...!"
Beta Won, a level 7 vampire from the Blood Alliance, gritted his teeth as he blocked the attack.
His entire body had turned bright red, as if he'd dunked himself in blood. He took great pride in his physical abilities.
He hailed from a dimension specialized in physical prowess over spells, and even there, the synergy with his unique skill 「Indestructible Diamond」 had propelled him to a high rank.
Back on Earth, he'd never lost a close-quarters fight to anyone except Alpha.
Clashes with the Guardians often ended with him pulling back first, but those weren't one-on-one duels, and prolonging them would only invite unnecessary trouble, so they didn't count.
That's why he couldn't wrap his head around the current situation.
Boom! Bang!
Every time their limbs clashed, shockwaves rippled through the air.
This was brutal close-range brawling.
His opponent wielded martial arts far more refined than expected.
The way he deflected attacks and targeted vitals using his entire body was incredibly skilled.
Still, it wasn't quite enough against someone like Beta Won, who'd spent decades in constant battle.
Crack!
After a few feints, his fist sank into the opponent's guard, delivering a solid hit.
The moment Beta Won seized the chance and trusted in his sturdy frame to grab the bastard before he could flee...
Crunch—Boom!
"Ugh!"
His opponent suddenly accelerated several times faster, shoving him back with a kick to create distance.
There was barely any damage, but that wasn't the point right now.
"Kuhurk...!"
Roar—
In that instant.
Another level 6 vampire had his heart pierced, turning to ash amid blooming red petals.
He ignored Beta Shin's check from afar—kicking Beta Won away while hurling blood blades—and focused solely on thinning their ranks.
From Beta Won's perspective, it was enough to make his blood boil.
"You bastard—! Stop running around like a coward and fight me fair and square!"
He bellowed in fury, but his opponent just scoffed lightly.
A quick glance over the vampires, followed by another smirk.
No words were needed; the intent was crystal clear.
You're ganging up on one guy, and you're talking about fair fights?
The mocking glare made Beta Won's already flushed face burn like lava, and he smashed a nearby undead charging at him.
"Grrraaah—! Beta Shin! What the hell are you doing?! Do something to pin that bastard down!"
"We're doing our best over here! You try tying his legs for even a second! He's using our allies as shields the whole time!"
Tensions flared even among the Betas, their situation growing dire.
The lower-level vampires, useless in direct combat, were aiding the Bancheon Society against Hahoe Mask's undead horde, but they couldn't stem the tide entirely, turning the battlefield into chaos.
But the real issue was their opponent's freakish abilities.
He was undoubtedly level 7, yet even combining forces, the Betas couldn't pin him down.
Speeds so blistering even they had to focus or lose him. Power that repelled Beta Won, the physical specialist. Unpredictable stealth.
They'd known from the initial villa infiltration that he had stealth skills, but his ability to vanish mid-melee for ambushes sent chills down their spines.
'These undead are a pain too! And at some point, he started going invisible! A hidden ability?'
At first, it had just been misdirection to slip attention momentarily, but after picking off a few underlings, he was openly mixing in invisibility.
And crucially, he was insanely tough.
They'd landed hits multiple times, even critical ones in tandem with Beta Shin... yet...
He recovered as if rewinding time, rampaging even fiercer. It was maddening.
On top of that, he dodged Beta Shin's magical traps, countering with blood magic whenever an opening appeared.
A true jack-of-all-trades.
'And the bastard... he's getting stronger the longer we fight...'
Beta Won had no idea that his gut feeling was spot on.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Heinz caught his breath lightly.
He made it look effortless to toy with the vampires, but battling a horde was never easy.
Two level 7s and over ten level 6s.
'Still, it's more manageable than I thought. Must be thanks to these living potions.'
Trapped by the barrier, they couldn't withdraw despite heavy losses.
The weaklings had fallen back to rear support, but did I let that slide?
'I could take the Betas in a straight fight, but strategy calls now. Thin their numbers first.'
He exploited the chaos from his undead with stealth ambushes, relying on cannibalistic recovery even if it meant reckless risks, prioritizing reductions.
The payoff: level 6s halved or less, grunts nearly wiped out except those aiding Bancheon.
'And luckily snagged 「Invisibility」 out of it. Plus, the Holy Warrior Combat Arts are proving more useful than expected.'
Heinrich, still diligently training at the Church.
The bare-handed techniques he'd learned— a subset of Holy Warrior Combat Arts—shone in Heinz's hands against vampires.
Not perfectly, of course.
Heinrich's true version required divine power; Heinz was just mimicking the forms, unskillified.
But it was still proven combat martial arts.
Refined over generations specifically against inhuman foes.
Paired with Heinz's overwhelming physique, his power usage grew far more efficient.
'A vampire using Church Holy Warrior arts—ironic, huh.'
The Church would clutch their necks if they knew.
Thanks to Heinz gaining the upper hand against the vampires, Hans could study Bancheon's spells with less hassle.
[Oh ho... So that's how they link them? Fascinating way to suppress black magic too. Processes vary, but they've woven them into synergy.]
Even amid fierce exchanges, Hans analyzed coolly, flicking his wrist.
Black mist erupted from his staff's tip, instantly swelling to engulf the masked foes.
A curse blanketing the field in a heartbeat.
Bancheon dismantled it swiftly, but shadows exploited the gap, impaling them.
Yet even as allies fell, those facing Hans couldn't focus solely on him.
[Kekeke...]
"Argh! Damn corpse!"
Undead waves cloaked in dark aura.
Reforming in seconds unless fully destroyed, they overwhelmed the defenders, casualties snowballing.
"Damn it all! Monstrous freak! Under this suppression, that consumption rate should've collapsed your mana circuits ages ago!"
The suited man's face held no trace of leisure.
The vampires they'd allied with were pinned by one foe like idiots, and Hahoe Mask's power exceeded expectations despite the trap.
Even direct hits from his natural counterforce barely fazed him; he recovered nonchalantly.
"What the hell? Output suppressed, tanking hits like this, overtaxing mana nonstop... How's he still fine? Mana backlash should've hit long ago."
Bancheon's black magic suppression affected not just Hans but his summoned undead too.
No undead shields meant no breather for Hans; summons were essential.
But letting precious undead shatter helplessly? No.
So he'd overinfused them with black magic. In this hostile setup, the strain should've crushed him...
If he were a normal human.
His black magic source: the Immortal King's Fragment in his heart.
No mana hall or circuits like human mages.
Just drawing from the fragment.
And 「Immortality」 let him repair instantly via heart-supplied black magic, no matter the damage.
Post-hit mana dips shook him briefly, but no big deal.
'Protecting my gear from exposure was the real chore.'
After heart protection via potent black magic, hiding his identity came next.
Internal shocks pulverized bones repeatedly.
Even halved output from Bancheon's setup, the fragment's black magic was near-infinite.
Longer fight favored him utterly.
Kaboom!
A counterforce blast rattled his shield, shocking inward.
He retaliated with a death ray toward the source.
[...I've got the gist. Still gaps, but looks like no more time for help.]
Confident in his gains, Hans halted attacks, scanning slowly.
"Huff... huff..."
"Urk... Monstrous bastard..."
Hans was ragged too, but Bancheon was worse.
Over half down, survivors battered.
Hans prioritizing study didn't mean half-assing foes.
He'd pushed aggressively to test reactions against counters, extreme coping moves.
Reckless human experimentation, basically.
[Gaps? I'll fill 'em myself. Might be faster.]
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Stab—
"Urk... Y-you... bastard..."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Acquired new vampire factor. Influenced by special skill 「Hybrid Evolution」, gained enlightenment. Skill 「Blood Magic」 evolves into special skill 「Mystery of Blood」. ⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Special skill 「Mystery of Blood」 absorbs subordinate abilities 「Blood Flower」 and 「Blood Flow Amplification」, becoming further strengthened. 'Oh, nice.'
Heinz pulled away from Beta Shin's nape as he crumbled to ash, checking his new power.
Devouring the magic specialist had paid off; 「Blood Magic」 evolved into something more intuitive.
No longer bound by rigid rules—he could now perform blood-mediated miracles via sheer intent.
Efficiency for 「Blood Flower」 and 「Blood Flow Amplification」 effects had spiked, naturally.
"Grrraaah—! You bastard! Cannibalizing kin?! You're a Mad Blood Vampire! A Mad Blood Vampire! That explains the weirdness—!"
In that brief lapse, Beta Won shattered the encircling undead and closed in.
His lava-red gleaming body and white steam blasting from every pore screamed his rage.
Judging the over-tough Beta Won too risky first amid checks, they'd used freed-up Hans support to take Beta Shin.
Reinforced undead buying time made quick work of the mage-type.
'Sure, tougher than average mages as a vampire, but meaningless to me.'
Overextending to finish fast shredded him in Beta Shin's blood storm...
Trivial for Heinz, who'd devoured most vampires here.
Infinite regen as long as stored energy held.
"How do you even keep your sanity? Or are you just plain insane? Either way, you've crossed the taboo—you won't go down easy!"
Classic hypocrisy.
Not worth responding. He unleashed fresh 「Mystery of Blood」.
Splash!
Clang—
Sprayed blood solidified into chains hurtling at Beta Won; thorns shot from blind spots.
"Urk, with these parlor tricks—?!"
Heinz vanished instantly, lunging to rake claws into his nape.
Scraaaape!
"Urk—?!"
The ambush skidded off tough skin, but the impact landed.
Without support, he was just a sturdy punching bag to Heinz.
Crack! Scraaaape! Clang—!
Blood chains from all sides bound limbs; Heinz blurred around, pummeling with blood magic-infused fingertips.
Friction birthed red petals, scorching skin.
Splurt—!
Especially the focused nape.
Endless blows finally rent skin, blood spurting.
Sign his durability had peaked.
Harbinger of Beta Won's end.
'Level 7s have ironclad blood control—can't suck from elsewhere. Gotta bite through.'
He'd done the same to Beta Shin...
But witnesses? None left.