Chapter 534: Bloody Requiem (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 534: Bloody Requiem (9)
With every rumble in my gut, the will of Gluttony was conveyed to me.
Didn’t I warn you?
So why didn’t you stay away? Why did you let it come to this, to stand before death?
He was chiding me.
Of course, it wasn’t out of concern for me. It was probably because if I died, he would die or disappear along with me.
But through this, I naturally came to a realization.
The true identity of the duke who had introduced himself as Vlad Tepes.
“Viktor Vadim.”
Inside his country, he was beloved by all citizens.
Outside, he was the president of Romania, a man dedicated to saving his failing nation.
I was feeling the same sense of unease from the duke before me as I had when I first met him.
To be precise, it wasn't me feeling it, but Gluttony.
The moment I revealed his hidden name, the man’s expression hardened.
“…How strange.”
His suspicious eyes turned to me.
“How in the world did you know that?”
“……!”
His single sentence sent massive shockwaves through the room.
“W-what is he talking about?”
“Is he saying that vampire… is Viktor Vadim, the President of Romania?”
“My god…!”
When I’d said it without any proof, it was just nonsense. But now, it was backed by his own admission.
“Does that mean Viktor Vadim wasn’t human, but a vampire?” someone muttered to themselves.
“Ah, no, that’s not quite right,” Vlad Tepes answered, though he was under no obligation to do so.
“I am, for all intents and purposes, human. Hmm… no, to be precise, I suppose I should say I’m half-human.”
He spoke as if it were a difficult question, stroking his sharp chin.
I had a rough idea of what he meant.
“You were bitten by a vampire.”
And not just any ordinary vampire.
“Directly by a True Ancestor.”
“Pfft…!”
He suddenly burst out laughing.
The corners of his lips curled up naturally, holding an inexplicable satisfaction.
“Well, now. You’re guessing everything correctly before I even have a chance to speak. It’s almost embarrassing.”
Hmph, so that’s how it is.
He made a proposition.
“No matter how I look at it, you don’t seem to be a priest of the Orthodox Church. Am I right?”
“You are.”
I admitted it readily. Part of it was because I’d come too far to keep insisting I was a priest, but more importantly, the time for hiding my identity with lies was long past.
He asked, “Would you not tell me your true identity? I feel that would only be fair.”
I tossed aside the pristine white robe, so clean it made one subconsciously worry about smudging it.
At the same time, I used my mana to revert my slightly altered face back to its original state.
“Hoh…”
A strange light flickered in his eyes as he looked at me.
It seemed he recognized me.
“I knew you were no ordinary man, but I never imagined you’d be such a big shot.”
Vlad Tepes’s expression slowly changed as he watched me.
His eyes, once filled with curiosity, now began to fill with favor.
What’s with this guy? He’s pissing me off.
“You’re becoming more and more desirable.”
With those cryptic words, he flicked his long tongue and smacked his lips.
“Ugh.”
His attitude, like someone debating whether or not to eat the most delicious food in the world, sent a chill down my spine.
If I could, I would have run over and gouged his eyes out with my index and middle fingers.
Just as I shuddered, he made his offer.
“Have you any thoughts of switching to our side?”
“Nope, none.”
I rejected him flatly.
He had to say something that made sense for me to even consider it.
“Is that so… a shame.”
Vlad Tepes sighed softly, genuinely disappointed.
His reaction left me dumbfounded.
I thought he was joking, but he was actually serious.
“With your skill, you would have inherited the king’s blood several times more potently than I did.”
The blood of a True Ancestor.
Whether I accepted it or not, I had to admit the power contained within that blood was immense.
Hadn’t I seen it on my way up?
The vampires of the Holy Blood, who wielded great power just by inheriting a potent strain of his blood.
That’s what made his offer so tempting.
Tempting enough to make one seriously consider abandoning their humanity for power.
But not for me.
“I tried putting the True Ancestor’s blood and my talent on a scale.”
“……?”
I gave him a bright smile and continued.
“And it seems my talent is just a little bit heavier.”
“……”
The scent of blood spread in an instant.
His aura shifted violently.
Apparently, my words sounded like I was mocking him and the king he served.
“I see… Even for a big shot, it seems the boiling passion of youth is hard to control.”
Vlad Tepes muttered to himself, nodding as if he completely understood me.
“Fine. Thanks to you, I can give up on you without any lingering feelings.”
A chilling smile formed on his lips.
“We have no use for brats who don’t know their place.”
Pahak!
Blood erupted from his body.
The droplets, far too red and sinister to be human blood, slowly turned into a mist and dispersed.
Soon, a crimson fog began to blanket the entire floor.
It didn’t seem to have any adverse effects on my body, and I was wondering what its purpose was when I heard shouts.
“Keuk…?! S-suddenly, my mana won’t move…!”
“W-what’s happening? Dammit!”
Unable to use mana?
What in the world…?
“Everyone, gather over here!”
Amidst the chaos, Ju-yeon, who seemed to be the only one unaffected, expanded the range of her Holy Shield and called her panicked comrades over.
“Hmm… it seems it can’t interfere with divine power,” came Vlad Tepes’s calm voice from behind me.
I focused and looked closer at the red mist floating around us.
Then, I began to see something unexpected.
“…What is this?”
The mist, formed from atomized blood droplets, was physically pressing down on the ambient mana.
It was as if a robber was holding a knife to the mana’s throat, threatening to strike if it moved even an inch.
“Ah.”
So that was it.
That was the reason people couldn’t use their mana.
With all the ambient mana suppressed by the mist, there was nothing for their own mana to resonate with.
“Hmm…”
Suppressing mana to interfere with another’s ability to wield it.
It was quite a fascinating technique.
I was stroking my chin, my eyes darting around to grasp the exact principle behind it.
“If you’re having regrets, I’ll have you know it’s too late.”
“……?”
What is he talking about?
Does he really think my scowl means I’m regretting my words?
Talk about a misunderstanding.
As if doing me a great favor, he spread his arms and continued.
“Go on, then. Spout your nonsense like before. Do you still think your talent is superior to His Majesty’s blood?”
I gave a short reply.
“Yes.”
His lips twisted into a sneer.
“…You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that.”
Guts, my ass.
“I never said it.”
“……?”
I conjured a large flame at my fingertips and continued.
“I never said I couldn’t use my mana.”
“…No.”
His eyes widened as if they would tear, seeing the flame that burned mana as its fuel.
“How is that possible…!”
In that moment, an opening appeared.
A hole, barely large enough for a needle to pass through, opened in his once-impenetrable body and mind.
To be this shaken just by having his technique countered, he must have been incredibly confident in it.
I seized the opportunity, rushing forward and pouring mana into my sword.
Vwoong-!
The sword cried out, unable to withstand the violent surge of mana I shoved into it.
Sorry, but you’ll have to bear with it a little longer.
I don’t have the luxury of worrying about you right now…!
“Hup—!”
I aimed the sharply honed tip of my sword at the needle-sized hole that had appeared.
What I needed now was a thrust that was both precise and devastatingly powerful.
Fortunately, I had one.
A technique I had devised to pierce the core of a giant golem made of diamond.
「One Point Soul Piercer」
A single, fatal strike that pierces the opponent’s body and soul through a single point.
Its destructive power was immense, as it focused all my energy into the tip of the sword, but it had a drawback.
It left me wide open.
With all my energy and body weight thrown forward, if the opponent dodged, the situation would instantly turn into a crisis for me.
It was a move that required extreme caution, but I had no choice this time.
If I didn’t take this chance, I didn’t know when I’d get another.
“Damn it…!”
A sense of crisis dawned on the face of my opponent as he snapped back to his senses.
He had felt the extraordinary energy gathered at the tip of my approaching sword.
“You’re not getting through!”
A red barrier materialized in front of me.
I paid it no mind.
No matter the difference in our skill, a hastily erected barrier like that couldn’t stop my momentum.
Crack!
The barrier shattered the instant my sword touched it.
I pushed my speed even further, taking advantage of the moment he was trying to come up with another plan.
I had already poured more than half of my body’s mana into the sword’s tip.
And to gain more speed, I burned the rest without hesitation.
My mana was rapidly depleting.
I was about to plunge the end of this precious opportunity, bought with such a sacrifice, into my opponent’s heart.
“Kughh… You think I’ll go down like this!”
Kwakwakwaka-!
Biting his lip, Vlad Tepes crouched for a moment before flinging his body open.
And then, something incredible happened.
Scarlet blood began to gush from every pore of his body.
Fwoosh!
The gushing blood instantly became a tidal wave, rushing to block my path.
My face twisted into a scowl.
“Dammit.”
Can I break through that?
Even if I do, will I have enough power left to deal any significant damage?
I pushed the thoughts aside.
This wasn’t the time to weigh my chances.
I had to break through, no matter what.
“Uwaaaaaaah!”
With a desperate roar, I charged toward the oncoming tidal wave.
A maelstrom of blood that pushed, tore, and burned everything it touched.
Kukukuku…!
Ssssh!
Flesh was torn away.
Crack!
Bones broke.
Krrrk!
Blood vessels burst.
Slosh!
But I didn’t stop moving forward.
Wringing out what was left of my tattered calf muscles, I forced my way through the vortex of blood.
Pahak!
The world, once entirely red, returned to its original colors.
And one other thing.
The target that had momentarily vanished from my sight came back into view.
“Y-you crazy…!”
My opponent was frozen stiff, as if he never imagined I would make it through.
I delivered his sentence.
“Die.”
The tip of my sword, much slower now but still retaining enough force to kill him, surged toward his heart.
It had come at a great cost, but just as I thought I had firmly seized victory…
Kugugung!
Kwaarrrr!
The ceiling, which had been groaning under the strain of the fierce battle upstairs, finally gave way and collapsed.
Debris rained down.
From within it, a chilling streak of energy shot down, aimed precisely at the space between him and me.
“Th…!”
A short gasp escaped my clenched lips.
This was bad.
If I pushed forward, I would be impaled by that energy before I could kill him.
“Shit!”
I changed the direction of my sword, pointing it skyward to clash with the descending energy, then used the recoil to immediately put distance between us.
Kwaduk!
Thwump!
Tatak!
A cloud of dust rose as the debris from the 14th floor shattered upon impact.
Two figures were visible within it.
One stood tall and straight, while the other had failed to even land properly and was slammed into the ground.
A clear image of victor and vanquished, for all to see.
Soon, the dust settled.
And I saw it.
“To think you almost died to mere brats like these. How much further do you intend to defile my blood?”
A man in a tuxedo was brushing dust off his clothes, scolding Vlad Tepes.
“…Francis?”
“Cough, keuh…!”
And collapsed before him, struggling to breathe, was Francis Meyer.
It was the first time anyone had witnessed the defeat of humanity’s greatest hero.