Chapter 25
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Reporting Ritual
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"Ah, so vampires won't die from something like this."
No problem.
Even vampires weren't immortal.
I grabbed the collar of the monster that was still alive despite its head exploding, screaming in agony, and hurled it into the back compartment.
"Grrrrr...!!"
A displeasing voice shouted from behind that face, which was already starting to regenerate.
W-With things like this...! Die! Just die already!
A blackish-red curse shot out from the vampire's hand, piercing straight through my chest.
But seeing me still perfectly fine, both the vampire and the voice behind it couldn't hide their shock.
Wh-Why? Why! Why won't you die...!
"I told you."
Now farther from the cockpit, I summoned lightning once more and replied.
"It doesn't work on me."
...!!
The voice muttered in disbelief.
S-Such a thing! My curse doesn't work...!
His voice trembled.
Th-Then does that mean a worm like you is really the proxy? If so, what about the signs! When the hell were the signs!
I couldn't help but furrow my brow at those incomprehensible words.
'Proxy? Signs?'
What the hell had it been babbling about since earlier?
'Doesn't matter anyway.'
Honestly, I was a bit pissed off right now.
Not for any other reason, but because it had gone after my sister just to make me suffer.
I didn't know if that curse toyed with my most horrific memories or whatever.
Whatever it was, it felt like an insult to the dead to me.
Th-This...!!
In denial, the voice fired another blackish-red curse at me.
Die! Die! I said die!
It shot and shot and shot again.
But as I remained utterly unfazed, the voice gradually filled with despair.
Th-This... Could it be...
The bastard swallowed hard.
...The priest's, that old man's words were true?
Reading the mood—or perhaps panicking—the vampire finally spoke in its own voice.
"G-Gamlong-nim?"
If that's true, then I... What the hell have I done until now...?
"Gamlong-nim!!"
A-Ahh!! B-Baal!!
At that moment, somehow I knew.
The voice that had been lingering in the vampire had vanished somewhere.
Then the vampire's lost eyes turned to me.
'Baal?'
My face hardened at the familiar word.
"Don't tell me you're from that demon cult?"
"!!"
Seeing it flinch, I finally pieced together what was going on.
'So that's it...'
I didn't know the reason.
'Those fanatics tried to kill me, so they pulled this stunt?'
What incomprehensible bastards.
One minute they're kowtowing and begging forgiveness, the next they're attempting assassination?
'This is why you shouldn't get tangled up with crazy fuckers.'
On top of that, the vampire's already pale face drained of all color as it trembled.
"No, th-that can't be."
"......"
It swept a hand over its face and muttered like a madman.
"Does that mean I've committed a grave sin right now? No, no, no! After all my devotion to the cult...! For everything to go up in smoke like this...! No way, no way!"
Suddenly, the vampire bit into its own hand with its fangs.
With a spray of fresh blood.
Shockingly, the blood floated in the air before shaping into sharp blades gripped in its hand.
"If you're truly that great one!"
I quickly glanced at Inspector Yenitz's condition.
She had passed out with a dark, ashen complexion.
So there was no need to dodge.
A storm of blood whipped through the cabin.
"You can easily block something like my blades!!"
In that instant, the swung blades split like tree branches, shooting toward me all at once.
"Die!!"
At the same time, countless blood blades pierced my body.
Seeing me skewered in an instant, the vampire sneered.
"Kuhahaha! That's right! As if a worm like you could be that great one!?"
It curled its lips.
"Yeah! There must've been some mistake...!"
But the vampire couldn't continue.
Its blood-red eyes trembled.
"What?"
Because the me who had clearly been skewered and dead moments ago was staring back at it, perfectly fine.
"Y-You bastard..."
I gripped one of the blood blades—that had pierced my body—made of its own blood.
Its sharpness coldly dug into my palm.
And most of this blood was water anyway.
Meanwhile, the vampire asked in disbelief.
"You bastard, how...?"
Lowest Bolt
Lightning arced out, surging along the branch-like blades and striking the vampire's entire body.
Krzzzzzt!
"Kiyaaaaak!!"
Of course, I had no intention of stopping after one.
Lowest Bolt
Lowest Bolt
Lowest Bolt
Lowest Bolt
My mana was infinite anyway.
But.
'I wonder about the vampire's boasted vitality.'
"I'm curious."
The deluding curse sorcerer who nurtured life force by burning multiple sacrifices died on the tenth one.
Then what about a vampire who had stockpiled life force by devouring countless people?
"How many lives do you have?"
Krzzzzzt!
"Kraaaah!!"
Its eyes rolled back as it fired more blood blades at me.
Pew pew pew! Splash!
Red blood sprayed from my body, riddled with random stabs.
No matter how high my endurance had grown, my body wouldn't crumble, but it couldn't resist those casual sharp edges piercing through.
But so what.
I was infinite.
"Why, why the hell won't you die!! Why!!"
And it was finite.
Lowest Bolt
"Grraaaaaah!!"
At the absurdity, the vampire thrashed and raged.
Blood blades surged from its body in all directions, so I quickly spun to block Inspector Yenitz.
Crunch! The blade pierced me instead, splattering her with blood.
Then a faint gaze that seemed to have regained some consciousness looked up at me.
"Cl-Clark...?"
'This is a bad time to wake up.'
I chopped the back of her neck, knocking her out again.
'Sorry.'
Apologizing inwardly, I tossed the inspector deeper into the helicopter.
She might get a bit bruised, but better than getting caught in the crossfire.
I intercepted the blades aimed at her mid-flight and unleashed [Lowest Bolt] again.
"Aaaack!!"
No matter how low-tier the bolt was, if it was submerged in a pool of blood, its power would multiply several times over.
Especially with relentless barrages—the limit depended on how well its regeneration could keep up.
One of the wildly flung blades hit something vital, and with a clang, the hatch flew open.
Fierce, polluted winds from the 8th Special District whipped in.
Sunset light poured through, dyeing the space between us red.
"Cough, heok..."
"You look anxious?"
I asked.
"Worried you're down to your last few lives already?"
"!!"
If the hatch had at least fallen off, maybe, but it was still early evening.
The sun was dipping, darkness gathering beyond, but it would take time to reach here.
'If it were night, my lightning probably couldn't keep up with its regeneration.'
Its arrogance, certain the curse would work on me, was its downfall.
"U-Uuuuugh...!"
Crawling backward in terror, it cried out to me as if begging for mercy.
"Pr-Proxy...!"
Proxy this, proxy that.
"Who's Gamlong?"
"G-Gamlong is the sh-shepherd of the B-Baal Cult..."
The vampire swallowed hard and suddenly spewed red mist toward me.
"...!"
At the same time, its voice echoed.
"Change course!!"
In that instant, the helicopter's fuselage spun abruptly.
"?!"
Realizing it had ordered the cockpit minions, I looked up with a start.
But the vampire had already spread bat wings and leaped from the hatch.
'Hurry...! Hurry!!'
The vampire flapped its wings at full speed.
Having tried to kill Baal's proxy, there was no mercy awaiting it.
That proxy, the Baal Cult, would pronounce the harshest death on it for its grave sin.
'I can't die like this, no way!'
It had to escape somehow.
'I'm so close to becoming a great bloodkin!'
In its gaze, the nearly set sun came into view.
As night's darkness crept closer bit by bit, the vampire flew with all its might.
'Just a bit...! Just a little more...!'
If it could hold out until nightfall, it still had a chance.
'And we've put so much distance now...!'
No matter the proxy, it couldn't catch up!
As it reached for the approaching darkness—
Suddenly, krzzzzk.
A chilling energy grazed its nape from afar.
"!?"
Startled by the eeriness, the vampire instinctively looked back.
The sight made its blood-red eyes widen in shock.
The helicopter's open hatch.
There hung the proxy, glaring this way with one hand gripping it.
But that wasn't all.
Krzzzzzzzzzt!
If living lightning were grasped as a single spear, it would look just like that.
And that spear grew larger and fiercer by the second.
The moment its sharpness reached its peak—
Thunder Bolt
Piercing supersonic strike!
The violent thunder spear broke the sound barrier and shot forth.
Meanwhile, the ground was in considerable chaos.
A massive police force had suddenly appeared and begun moving en masse toward Sector 5.
"Wh-What's going on?"
"What's happening?"
Nearby residents stared blankly at the untimely police mobilization.
"They heading to a war or something?"
A middle-aged man took his mouth from a liquor bottle and spoke.
"You bet it's war!"
"Huh?"
"What, you haven't heard? About Sector 7! The Al Kimia Alliance had a hideout there, and the cops turned it to rubble today!"
"What?!"
"Damn, you're totally out of the loop."
He spoke as if to say watch and see.
"They're definitely hitting Sector 5 this time!"
"...What's in Sector 5?"
"Hell if I know. Probably another Al Kimia Alliance spot, right?"
Setting down his bottle, he continued.
"Impressive, though. Mobilizing like this in a single day—they must be dead serious at the precinct."
"......"
Meanwhile, a man stepped outside and made a call.
"Yes. Yes. It's me."
He flicked away his anxiously chewed cigarette and continued.
"Cops seem to be heading to Sector 5. Yes. Confirmed with my own eyes. Looks like the Investigation Bureau's special forces are moving too. Target is..."
A helicopter squadron flew overhead right on cue, and he shook his head.
"No clue right now."
Got it. Keep watch.
Bang! The door flew open, and an Al Kimia Alliance executive shouted.
"All members of the Aion School, immediately initiate sealing procedures for your research data!"
The alchemists began murmuring at the sudden order.
"What?! What's this all of a—"
"Move! No time!"
The executive's face twisted.
"Looks like this hideout's location got exposed to the cops too. They're coming from trashing Veritas straight to Sector 5!"
"!!"
"Prepare defenses, but prioritize preserving research data! Move the samples to the sealed zones now!"
"Yes!!"
Rushing into the hallway, he looked up at a sudden blinding light outside the window.
A brilliant yellow flash erupted in the sky's center, as if on cue.
His expression went slack.
"What the hell is that?"
"Why the hell are the cops swarming Sector 5...!"
"Inform the Sordi Family too! We're going into full defense mode for any contingencies!"
Mafiosi hurriedly grabbed weapons and armed themselves.
"The boss's safety comes first no matter what. No shooting until ordered!"
"Yes!!"
A young mafioso asked.
"Did they figure out the mafia summit is in Sector 5 today?"
"How the hell would I know!"
The executive in a brown suit chambered his implant's autocannon and said.
"Whatever, if this place is the target, things are about to get messy...!"
Just then, he frowned at something reflected outside the window.
"...What the hell is that."
It was a single helicopter.
Mafiosi peered out the windows.
One muttered.
"Isn't that a police chopper?"
"Al-Already here?!"
"Nah, doesn't feel right. Just one?"
"Wait, what's that at the tail?"
Something extraordinary swirled at the tail, and someone whispered.
"...Lightning?"
Team Leader! There it is!!
Joseph, who had hurriedly boarded a chopper with Alpha Team to pursue Unit 6, rushed to the cockpit.
"Where!"
O-Over there!
Confirming the tiny silhouette of Unit 6 in view, Joseph muttered.
"Something's wrong. Hatch is open."
No way it'd be open mid-flight in normal ops.
He grabbed the radio.
"Mother bird transmitting! Unit 6 location confirmed! Repeat, Unit 6 location confirmed! Coordinates Sector 5, 4-5-2..."
Then it happened.
The helicopter spun suddenly, and something black dove from the hatch.
Bat wings spread, and Joseph narrowed his eyes.
"What the hell is that bastard."
A vampire?
But it didn't end there.
Team Leader! The hatch!
"!!"
Those watching Unit 6's rear couldn't hide their shock.
That's... 43471?! It's 43471!!
Kyle in combat gear dangled from the swinging hatch.
"What the hell is he doing there...!"
But he couldn't finish.
A streak of lightning exploded from Kyle's hand.
Krzzzzzzzzzt!
It rapidly grew massive and sharper, panic washing over Joseph and the cops' faces.
"That's..."
Someone muttered at the forming shape.
A spear?
The Al Kimia Alliance's unexpected crushing defeat.
Followed by the cops' massive mobilization.
As those lurking in the 8th Special District all turned eyes to Sector 5 amid the uproar—
A massive thunder spear cleaved the blood-red sky.
KABOOOOOM-!!