Episode 241 Vampire Rise (1)
Crackle—! Snap—!
A spark, far more intense than any before.
Heinz, who had been relentlessly pushing his opponent, frowned and took a step back.
‘I thought it was too easy.’
Until a moment ago, the fight against Obaifo had been going surprisingly smoothly.
They were both Sacred Bloods.
If he had to rank them, Obaifo, who had lived for a much longer time, would be higher, but Heinz’s overwhelming stats more than made up for that difference.
Putting aside the effects of his other skills, the difference in their levels, amplified by “Hybrid Evolution”, was so great that it was almost embarrassing to even consider them the same species.
The gap was more than double, even among Sacred Bloods, the pinnacle of vampires.‘It would be strange if I lost.’
Heinz had been relentlessly pushing Obaifo, confident in his superior stats.
Their wills and blood magic power clashed relentlessly, their bodies colliding repeatedly.
If it had continued like that, he would have easily subdued him…
Crackle—! Boom—!
A spark erupted much closer than before, and the two Sacred Bloods clashed again, a powerful shockwave sweeping through the surroundings.
Obaifo’s will expanded, pushing back Heinz’s domain, and he was gradually being forced into a defensive position.
‘Phase two?’
It seemed like he wasn’t planning to give up.
“Kuh… I, Obaifo, am the one destined to become the King of all vampires…! I don’t know why the ‘Blood Authority’ of the origin doesn’t work on you, but…”
His power continued to surge as they clashed.
The old vampire groaned, his face contorted, even as his body crumbled.
“Wait… Don’t tell me…”
He gasped, as if realizing something, and glared at Heinz with narrowed eyes.
“…So, you’re the traitor. I’ve heard of you… They said you suddenly appeared and took over the Brokoslack Clan…”
Another exchange of blows.
His aura surged again, now more than five times stronger than before.
His body was starting to break down from the strain, but the increase in power showed no signs of stopping.
“I see… You must have found a way to resist the bloodlines… And now you’re trying to usurp the throne with that power…?”
Obaifo muttered incomprehensible words, as if possessed.
But Heinz, who had been diligently defending his mental domain, also realized something.
‘Ah, that’s why I’ve been feeling this strange tingling sensation.’
He had been too focused on the fight, and the reaction had been too subtle, so he had dismissed it as the excitement of battle…
But now that he thought about it, the sensation he had felt within him seemed to be the result of being affected by the ‘Blood Authority’ Obaifo was talking about.
“I see. This aura… all ten of them? So you have all the remaining bloodlines. I never thought you could use the power of other bloodlines like this.”
“Khehehe… You’ve finally noticed? Yes, I am the one who inherited the original bloodline… I, Obaifo, am the master of ten out of the twelve bloodlines…!”
Heinz was thrown back as Obaifo’s aura surged, the combined power of the bloodlines amplifying his level.
“…How is that possible? Using the blood of other bloodlines, especially the essence of a Sacred Blood… It shouldn’t just end with mental contamination.”
Heinz, regaining his footing, frowned and spoke.
He was immune to mental contamination, so he had already ordered his subordinates to search for the missing Sacred Bloods.
But they hadn’t found a single one.
‘Did he already collect them all?’
It made sense now why no one seemed to know the whereabouts of the other clans, despite Obaifo having absorbed them all.
He must have thoroughly eliminated all traces.
Crackle—! Whoosh!
And as they were talking,
Heinz was hit by a powerful attack, despite using “Existence Denial” to dodge.
The wound on his thigh, almost severed, regenerated in an instant, but it wasn’t a good sign, considering Obaifo’s ever-increasing power.
“Ah… It’s finally going according to plan…! How is this possible? It’s only natural… because I am the one destined to become the King of all vampires…!”
Obaifo’s self-praise made Heinz frown.
He didn’t seem interested in answering his question, but Heinz had a rough idea.
‘The ability I gained from absorbing an Obaifo Clan vampire was “Fusion”. It must be a sub-skill of “Hybrid Evolution”, considering it was absorbed. So he created a secret technique based on that.’
It wasn’t a bloodline ability like those from other dimensions, but each bloodline had its own specialty.
The Ufersh Clan’s “Blood Gate” and the Brokoslack Clan’s mind control were prime examples.
Crack—! Boom!
This time, the impact was significant.
His shoulder and collarbone were blown off, regenerating in an instant.
He needed to do something, and quickly.
“You… traitor… You defied the will of the origin… You’re not worthy of becoming my subordinate… I’ll kill you here…”
Obaifo grinned confidently, licking the blood off his hand.
Heinz hadn’t even considered becoming his subordinate.
More importantly, that blood…
“Ugh! Gah—!”
Obaifo suddenly turned pale and vomited a mouthful of blood.
His aura, which had been surging relentlessly, faltered and then quickly receded.
‘As expected. Is that a vampire habit? It’s the easiest and fastest way to analyze an opponent.’
He had experienced it several times before, but Heinz’s blood, unfiltered by “Refined Blood Essence”, was practically poison… no, radiation, to other vampires.
And he had just consumed it while overexerting himself.
“Ugh—! Wh-what is this…! Who are you?! Brokoslack? Ufersh? No, that’s not it… Such an impure blood…?”
Blood started to pour from his nose as well.
“Ah— So that’s why… why my Blood Authority didn’t work…! Such an impure blood… This isn’t just betrayal… it’s heresy…!”
“You’re exaggerating. It’s just a bit… unique. My roots are still here.”
As he said,
Heinz’s foundation as a vampire was the Brokoslack bloodline, and he had ascended to Sacred Blood by absorbing the essence of Ufersh.
Naturally, they were the most significant components of his being.
About 40%?
Of course, most of it had been mutated, so there wasn’t much of the original blood left.
‘About… 5%?’
Judging by his body’s reaction, it might be even less.
‘But the origin, you say…’
The great one that encompassed all twelve original bloodlines.
That’s what Obaifo meant by ‘origin’.
A hypothetical bloodline that was the foundation of the vampire species before it diverged into twelve branches.
If he could complete it and unify it, he would not only become the King of all vampires, but also gain power surpassing even the Immortal King… a fantastical tale.
‘Ha!’
But…
To Heinz, it was just a joke.
After all…
‘It might be the origin of all bloodlines in Auterica, but on a dimensional scale, it’s just one of the countless vampire factions.’
A race that preyed on the blood of others, strengthened by absorbing blood factors, with a strict hierarchical system, and expanding their influence through infection.
Vampires were often treated like a plague or a disease in many worlds, but they were also a relatively common species, just like humans, Elves, or dragons.
‘I don’t know if there’s some kind of network between dimensions for gods to share information, but…’
And for some reason, vampires showed extreme variations between dimensions, perhaps due to their unique nature.
Like a virus adapting and mutating in different environments.
“You call yourself a king? You can’t even handle this much?”
“Ugh, you…!”
Heinz, smirking, looked down at Obaifo, who was struggling to regain his composure, and taunted him.
If the ‘origin’ he spoke of was the original form of vampires, a combination of all twelve branches…
And if the master of that origin was called ‘King’…
Then what should he, Heinz the Second, who had absorbed the strengths of countless vampire factions from various dimensions, be called?
He was the most evolved, closest to the ultimate form, surpassing even the origin.
The only fitting title for him was…
“Hmph— Then I suppose I should be called Emperor.”
…that.
It was said as a joke,
But it was also the closest thing to the truth.
“Nonsense…!”
Of course, to Obaifo, it was just another taunt.
He trembled with rage for a while, then suddenly stopped and…
“Khehehe… Ah, yes… Emperor…?”
…started to chuckle sinisterly.
“Hybrid, was it…? It seems like you have quite a few subordinates in this city…”
Heinz had only brought about a hundred elites with him, but with the reinforcements arriving through the Blood Gates, their numbers had increased several times over.
They were currently distracting the Obaifo Clan and the Republic’s forces, buying him time.
“Let’s see the Emperor’s authority…!”
And as soon as he finished speaking,
Obaifo raised his head and roared towards the sky, his voice imbued with a strange resonance.
[“Children of Hybrid, come to me—! Kill your false king and welcome your true king—!”]
A powerful wave of blood magic, affecting only vampires, swept through Ulethor.
It was an irresistible command, absolute control over his blood relatives.
‘That heretical mutant is an exception… but his subordinates are different…! Let’s see you kill your own loyal followers with your own hands…!’
He felt another wave of nausea, but it was a small price to pay for the result he was anticipating.
Obaifo smiled meaningfully at Heinz, confident in his victory, and—.
Heinz met his gaze with an indifferent expression.
“······?”
Silence.
And as a few moments passed,
Not a single Hybrid vampire came to him.
Not one.
‘Why…?’
Obaifo’s face contorted strangely.
He understood why his control didn’t work on Heinz, having tasted his blood.
But his subordinates were different.
‘My commands don’t even work on those weaklings?’
He couldn’t help but doubt his own calculations, his belief that he could control all the bloodlines.
The very foundation of his ambition was shaken.
“Why? Isn’t it going according to plan?”
Heinz’s mocking voice echoed in his ears, but he didn’t have the time to care.
‘This can’t be… This can’t be happening…!’
How much time and effort had he invested in this?
The journey to gather the legacies, the research to unlock their secrets, the countless experiments on his own body…
Thousands of years of dedication…
And this was the result?
A small seed of despair sprouted in his heart, growing and spreading like poison as he realized the futility of his efforts.
“Heh… hehehe…”
Obaifo bowed his head and chuckled hollowly, his body trembling.
The power surging within him, fueled by his despair, was protecting his crumbling body…
‘But it’s meaningless.’
His body, already on the verge of collapse from the excessive concentration of power, was now rapidly deteriorating from Heinz’s poisonous blood and his reckless actions.
He had to suppress his power and stabilize his body to survive… but then he would have no chance of victory.
Obaifo’s empty gaze shifted back to Heinz.
‘Heinz Hybrid the Second, the ruler of the Talia Kingdom and the leader of the Vampire Clan Alliance Hybrid.’
A mixed-blood with an unknown lineage.
A heretical body that defied the origin and sought change.
And a body with near-perfect compatibility and the highest level.
A perfect vessel for the origin, unlike his own crumbling body.
‘…Yes, I admit it.’
Your physical potential far surpasses mine.
You might be able to handle the power that’s too much for my meager body.
If that’s the case… wouldn’t you be able to truly manifest the authority of the origin?
Yes…
So—.
Give me your body!
Crackle—!
A blinding spark erupted, more intense than ever,
And Obaifo, ignoring his collapsing body, charged towards Heinz.
Nothing could stop him now, as he burned his remaining life force.
‘I should thank the Revolutionary.’
The unknown power that had amplified his ‘fusion ability’ to its limit, allowing him to unify and unleash the power of different bloodlines simultaneously.
He wouldn’t have even dreamed of such a method without it.
He had nothing left to lose, his ambition, which had sustained him through the fear of losing his memories, now uncertain.
Crack—!
Obaifo’s hand finally grabbed Heinz’s forehead.
His body was battered and broken from the attacks he had endured in the process, but he smiled brightly, as if he didn’t even care.
“Khehehe! Emperor, let’s make a wager…”
There was a risk involved, but…
He was certain of his victory this time.
“The stakes are everything we have…”
He had lived for ten thousand years, constantly honing his skills.
And even though he had erased most of his memories, he still had over a thousand years’ worth of experience.
There was no way he could lose to someone who had only lived for a few hundred years, even with a special body.
“The winner takes all… body and soul!”
And so,
Obaifo confidently entered Heinz’s mental world, using the unknown power…
[What… is this?]
…and let out a bewildered gasp as he faced a situation far different from what he had expected.
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