Chapter 502
Chapter 502
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 502
Chapter Title: Harvest Festival (1)
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A mysterious entity appeared abruptly, without the slightest presence.
"...That guy's the one."
Taph, a vampire from the Rackers Clan, stared at him with a hardened expression and murmured lowly.
The opponent's appearance was one thing, but the fierce cry of his instincts ringing out since moments ago was the greatest proof of all.
They exchanged subtle glances with each other.
'No chance of winning in a head-on fight.'
That went without saying.
There was no way two mere Rooks could take on a single King to begin with.
Their top priority was to find even the smallest clue and report it up the chain.
But pinpointing the target's current location didn't mean everything was over.
To avoid losing track of such an elusive foe, they needed to buy time by any means necessary until a Lord arrived on site.
[This is Taph. Target spotted in Sector 1.] The telepathy shot out the moment they made contact, spreading in all directions.
Information relayed through the bonds of blood to the clanmates scattered around.
[Confirmed.] [Tracking current position.] [Moving in now.] The replies came back in an instant.
The Rackers Clan members assigned to this sector had already spread out nearby for the search, enabling an immediate response.
Whoosh—
A thick blood mist suddenly billowed up, blanketing the surroundings.
Soon, eerie glowing eyes began to emerge one by one from within it.
Vampires converging via coordinates encircled the area in the blink of an eye, forming a defensive formation.
From the Rook-level leaders taking charge to the Bishops following to support them.
Was this the true might of a massive vampire clan?
Heinz watched the rapid response unfold...
"Ho? You've come well-prepared."
He hadn't done a thing.
He could've blocked it easily if he'd wanted, but instead, he just calmly stroked his chin, as nonchalant as when he'd first appeared.
In that situation, it was the vampires—the ones in greater numbers—who felt overwhelmed.
'Damn it, why does this feel so off?'
The primal sense of crisis crawling up his spine made Taph grit his teeth hard after sending the telepathy.
It felt like every drop of blood in his body was violently rejecting hostility toward the foe before him.
Things were going even smoother than expected.
Their biggest worry had been guerrilla tactics—hit-and-run strikes forcing casualties on their side.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that was all they'd feared.
In a direct confrontation, the vampire clan alliance with nine Transcendents couldn't possibly lose.
'The moment the Lords arrive, it's over.'
No matter how slippery the target, they wouldn't be able to turn the tables then.
The elite forces dispatched from each clan as backup were surely closing in, sealing off the perimeter airtight by now.
Yet...
'Then what the hell is this...'
An ominous dread and unease climbed all the way to the top of his head.
The opponent wasn't doing anything.
Just locking eyes with them through those glowing red orbs...
"Kuh?! Mental attack! Everyone, snap out of it!"
"......"
When the hell had he started weaving his tricks?
As his mind grew hazy, he clutched his head and bellowed, but his desperate shout just scattered into the void, met with few proper replies.
'Crazy! How? It's only been moments since we spotted him and formed the formation!'
The Rooks managed to hold on somehow, but the Bishops were utterly neutralized before they could even act.
Even for a King, exerting such vast influence over another clan's kin was way beyond common sense.
"You've got sharp instincts. And impressive resistance too."
Heinz 2nd, who had bypassed the Rackers Clan's mental barriers—read from the turned Rook Berno—and infused waves laced with Beguilement and Subordinate Dominion, tilted his head slightly toward him.
"Not your average Rook, are you? Are you the Rackers Clan's Prince? ...No, even that doesn't fit—your level's a bit too low."
Prince and Princess were titles given to the strongest Rooks—clan heirs on the cusp of Transcendence, yet not quite there.
Due to the widening power gaps at higher realms, they possessed strength leagues beyond ordinary Rooks.
It was the domain Berno, who prided himself on being top-tier, had only briefly touched by burning everything he had.
"D-Damn it! What kind of bullshit is this...?"
As Heinz's intrigued gaze turned toward him.
Taph finally hit his limit and bit down hard on his own lip.
Sensing he'd be done for at this rate, he had no choice but to use his ultimate last resort, one he'd been saving.
The next instant, his presence vanished like a ghost.
Even Heinz hadn't noticed.
"Hm?"
For the first time since arriving, the ever-relaxed Heinz showed a flicker of emotion.
He unconsciously twitched an eyebrow, staring at the spot where someone had just been.
'Not stealth, not spatial jump. This is...'
A presence that could no longer be felt anywhere in this world.
He knew exactly what this meant better than anyone.
He'd escaped danger the same way plenty of times himself.
'I see. So he's an Earthling Awakener.'
The Karma Shop's 'Return' option—a final lifeline for crises.
Having apparently saved up enough points, he'd triggered it the moment he thought he couldn't hold out.
"Quick judgment. Not bad resolve either."
But if there was one piece of bad news for him.
Heinz 2nd wasn't someone you could escape by fleeing to Earth.
'Looks useful enough... Maybe pay Earth a visit later?'
Once caught in his range, it wouldn't take long.
Deciding to handle that side later when he had time, Heinz nodded and casually stepped aside.
Screeech—
In that instant.
A razor-sharp gust sliced through where he'd stood moments before.
Rumble—!
The ground split along its path, and the clouds overhead parted.
An overwhelming majesty invisible to ordinary eyes.
Followed by a crushing aura that bore down on the surroundings, a thunderous voice shook heaven and earth.
"Rackers Clan, you're a disgrace. To think all of you together couldn't lay a hand on this one."
A hulking brute with a beastly scowl and a massive blood-red greatsword slung over his shoulder strode forward.
Exuding an intimidating aura and thick scent of blood at a glance.
The moment the long-awaited figure finally took the stage.
"...Most are just Bishops rounded up to fill the formation numbers. Expecting them to handle a Transcendent alone is harsh."
"Oh my~ Even so, getting all of them mind-controlled so quick after contact? That's a bit much, isn't it?"
"Pathetic... Mental defenses weak... Need countermeasures..."
Heinz's gaze, brimming with interest, shifted to the newcomers.
But the expectation in his eyes didn't last.
After scanning them briefly, he unconsciously frowned and twisted his lips.
Expressing his undisguised disappointment openly.
"One? Just one?"
The greatsword-wielding giant at the front.
No issue there.
But the problem came next.
Heinz's eyes turned to the men and women lined up behind him.
Far stronger than average Rooks, yet still shy of Transcendence.
Princes and Princesses from the various clans, as he'd guessed earlier.
"Ha!"
Staring at them with a stiff face for a moment, Heinz let out a hollow breath and slowly surveyed the surroundings.
They weren't the only ones who'd arrived.
Over a hundred Rooks, and even more Bishops.
While the Rackers bought time, the elites from other clans had rushed over upon hearing the news, now encircling the area from a safe distance.
"Really... just one?"
But numbers like that meant nothing.
No matter where he looked, there was only one vital Transcendent in sight.
"Hah! What's with that reaction? Did you think all nine Clan Lords would show up just for you? That I, Lord Racroky, alone aren't enough?"
As if finally grasping his thoughts, the greatsword King scoffed in disbelief.
Then he raised his blood-red blade, pointing it at Heinz, face contorting.
"Your arrogance pierces the heavens. No wonder you dared provoke the vampire clans entire so boldly. Us, who dominate half—no, virtually all of this world!"
But Heinz's ears were closed to whatever the foe said next.
Reflecting on his actions, he realized what he'd missed.
'Right. From their perspective, reacting like that makes sense.'
Nine Transcendents, each reigning like kings in their domains, gathered in one place.
Arrogant by nature, with immense pride.
Agreeing to cooperate against a sudden irregular threat was one thing; all-out joint assault was another.
'The problem was holding back my full power, worrying they'd scatter if I showed too much. To draw them all in at once, I should've looked more aggressively threatening.'
Beyond the dangerous bloodline interference, he hadn't revealed true combat prowess.
So even those agreeing to eliminate him let pride override caution when push came to shove.
The result: just one stepping up, by some criterion.
Setting the stage inescapable with Princes, Princesses, and clan elites as insurance.
"So, simply put—"
Heinz closed his eyes slowly.
The surrounding air grew heavier in tandem.
The greatsword King Racroky—who'd been yapping nonstop—clamped his mouth shut, face rigid, gripping his sword hilt tight.
His body's instinctive self-defense kicking in.
"—it means you thought I looked that easy."
Easy enough to handle with one Transcendent and a bunch of scrubs.
A bloody aura crept from his body, slowly devouring the surroundings.
Rooooar—
"Fall back!"
"Lord Racroky? This is...!"
"Activate defensive formation! Full deployment!"
Heinz 2nd was fundamentally cynical and composed, but he also harbored strong self-confidence and narcissistic traits.
Created that way from the start, he was arguably more haughty and prideful than Nocternia's Kings and Queens.
And now.
That pride of his had cracked—just a little.
'...Fine. Now that I see the issue, the fix is simple.'
Heinz opened his eyes, gaze shifting to the Princes and Princesses.
More precisely, to those observing him through their eyes.
'Yeah. Make them think they'll be screwed if they don't jump in right now.'
Bloodlust exploded from his body, blanketing the sky in an instant.
Kwaaaa—!
Blood-red clouds swirled vortex-like above where Heinz stood.
The rift from Racroky's slash was gone, impossible to find even scouring with fresh eyes.
The vampires on the ground gawked up at the anomalous sky engulfing the entire area in a blink.
"You idiots! What are you standing around for?! Hurry...!"
The next moment.
Arm-thick blood spikes rained from the heavens.
Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions, tens of millions... or more.
Nowhere to hide under that crimson sky.
Like a monsoon downpour, endless blood streams swept the entire space, stabbing down relentlessly.
"Cheap tricks!"
Racroky swung his greatsword, scattering some falling streams.
An insignificant fraction of the total.
But for a King like him, that gap was plenty to seize an opening.
'Fool! Using wide-scale magic against me!'
His massive frame pierced space, charging Heinz.
King Racroky was a pure melee specialist—attack, defense, speed all Transcendent.
A physical brute no outlandish tactic or variable could faze.
Ability-dependent foes were no match.
'One hit first!'
Crossing space in a timeless flash, he brought his blade down like a comet on Heinz's crown.
With force to split any defense in one go.
And that strike.
Clang!
"Huh?"
Bounced harmlessly, cleaving empty air.
From a mere casual flick.
"Your swings are too wide."
"...!"
The next instant, Racroky realized the foe's other hand was on his chest and bulged his eyes.
A martial arts expert, he saw through the skill in one exchange.
'This guy's a fighter. Even better than me...!'
But realization came far too late.
Kwabam!
"Guhk!"
The gut-shaking impact hurled his body backward.
Toward his subordinates, impaled and force-fed blood everywhere.
And so began the grand Harvest Festival.