#241
Crackle—! Snap—!
A spark that was fiercer than all that had happened until now.
Seeing that abnormal reaction, Heinz stepped back with a stiff expression after pushing his opponent relentlessly.
‘Somehow, this was too easy.’
Until just a moment ago, the fight with Obaifo had been going remarkably smoothly.
Both he and Obaifo belonged to the same pureblood lineage.
If one were to analyze their positions, the long-lived Obaifo would naturally be considered superior. However, Heinz’s overwhelming specs were sufficient to disregard such a small difference.
Setting aside the influence of various other skills, the level achieved through “Hybrid Evolution” was embarrassing enough to put the two in the same category of race.
When comparing purebloods, which could be considered the pinnacle of vampires, their differences were more than double.
‘At this level, it would be strange to lose.’
With the advantage in specs, Heinz relentlessly pressured Obaifo.
Willpower and blood magic clashed incessantly, as did their physical confrontations.
If things had continued like that, it wouldn’t have been long before he could easily subdue him…
Crackle—! Boom—!
Sparks erupted much closer than before, as the two purebloods clashed again, sending a strong shockwave rippling through the area.
Obaifo was at the center, and his territory was gradually pushed back, forcing him to be on the defensive.
‘Is this phase two?’
It seemed that Obaifo wasn’t ready to give up.
“Kuhuhu— I, Obaifo, am destined to become the king of all vampires in this world…! I don’t know why the ‘Authority of Blood’ doesn’t work on you…”
Even amidst their relentless clashes, the power surging inside him continued to rise.
The aged vampire murmured with a twisted face, writhing his body.
“No, wait a minute… You’re not…”
As he muttered to himself, he let out a gasp as if he had realized something, and narrowed his eyes at Heinz, who stood before him.
“…I see, you’re a traitor. I’ve definitely heard of you… They said a newcomer suddenly swallowed the Brokoslac Clan’s dominance and rose to the top…”
A round of exchanges followed again.
In the process, his power had wildly increased, more than five times what it was before.
Although his physically strained body was gradually deteriorating, the increase in strength showed no sign of stopping.
“So that’s it… In some way, you’ve found a method to resist the bloodline… Are you trying to usurp this throne with that ability?”
Obaifo muttered something incomprehensible as if he were possessed.
However, Heinz, who had been diligently defending his territory, suddenly realized something from his words.
‘Oh, no wonder I’ve felt an odd ticklish sensation since earlier.’
Lost in the fight and dismissing the weak response as mere excitement, he hadn’t thought much of it then.
Now that he thought about it, what was wriggling inside him seemed to be affected by the “Authority of Blood” he spoke of.
“I see. This energy, is it all ten? Then it’s all the remaining bloodlines. I never expected to use the power of other bloodlines like this.”
“Kuhehe… So you finally grasped it? Yes, I am the one who connects to the primal bloodline… Among the twelve bloodlines, the ten masters reside in me, Obaifo!”
With his power continuously expanding, Heinz’s body was forced back.
The power that normally couldn’t be contained in one place was being forcibly raised, elevating Obaifo’s status even further.
“…How is that even possible? If you forcibly use the refined blood left by other purebloods, it shouldn’t simply result in mental contamination…”
Heinz, who had barely managed to regain his balance, frowned and spoke.
Of course, he was immune to mental contamination, so he had already instructed his subordinates to search thoroughly.
And despite quite a bit of time passing, he hadn’t found even one.
‘Could it be that this guy has already recovered all of it?’
It seemed he had thoroughly exterminated the remnants of the other clans.
Crackle—! Whoosh!
And in the midst of their conversation.
Even after using “Existence Denial” to evade, Heinz took a fairly significant hit.
The wound on his thigh, which had nearly been cut through, healed in the blink of an eye, but in the current situation where Obaifo’s power continued to surge, it was not a good sign.
“Ahh… It feels like things are finally flowing in the right direction…! How is it possible, you ask? Naturally… It’s because I stand to be the king above all vampires!”
As he boasted, Heinz’s expression twisted briefly before returning.
Obaifo didn’t seem to have any intention to answer him; however, Heinz could make a rough guess.
‘The ability gained when I absorbed the vampires of the Brokoslac Clan was “Fusion.” Since it’s absorbed into “Hybrid Evolution,” it must be a similar sub-ability. Probably something linked to that.’
The abilities called bloodline powers were not entirely different from the various specialties present in each bloodline.
The “Blood Cult” exclusive to the Yufershi Clan and the unique mental abilities that swallowed entire nations like the Brokoslac Clan were part of that.
Snap—! Crash—!
This time, the impact was considerably great.
His collarbone and shoulder area were blown away in an instant before quickly regenerating.
He definitely needed to think of something quickly.
“You, traitor… You are unworthy of being my subordinate for defying the will of the primal bloodline; thus, I shall kill you here…”
Grinning confidently due to his clear superiority, Obaifo licked the blood on his hands.
He had never intended to become a subordinate, yet he was the only one excited.
Moreover, about that…
“Ugh! Koh—!”
Gurgle— Thud!
In an instant, his face turned pale as he began to cough up a mass of blood.
At the same time, the willpower that had been pressing on him staggered and began to shrink back rapidly.
‘Ah, I see. That’s the habit of vampires. After all, it’s the easiest and fastest way to gauge your opponent.’
Though he had experienced it several times before, Obaifo’s blood, unrefined by “Refined Blood Essence,” was deadly poison… No, equivalent to radiation for vampires.
However, he drank it while exerting himself, causing immense strain.
“Phew— Tch! W-What is this…! Who the hell are you…! Brokoslac? Yufershi? No, no… For your power to deviate so far from the primal source…?”
Now blood flowed not just from his mouth but also from his nose.
“Ahh— So that’s why… The reason the bloodline’s authority didn’t work on you…! What treacherous blood is this…? This is not merely traitorous; it’s heretical…!”
“That’s a bit too harsh. I just have a bit of a strong personality. My roots are still here.”
As he said, Heinz’s foundation as a vampire was from the Brokoslac bloodline, and the reason he reached pureblood was due to stealing the refined blood from the Yufershi Clan.
Naturally, it became a significant part of his constitution.
If one had to quantify it, approximately 40 percent?
Of course, most of that had transformed due to various factors, so not much of the original pure part remained.
‘That’s probably… around 5 percent?’
Looking at the internal reaction towards him, it might even be lower than that.
‘And that primal source then.’
The single great primal bloodline that encompasses the origin of all that was born.
What Obaifo referred to as the primal source was just that.
Before splitting into twelve portions, it was the imaginary bloodline that purely defined the race known as “vampire.”
Completing that and returning it to a single form would not only make one the king over all vampires but also grant the power to surpass even the Undead King— a story that sounded like a fantasy.
‘Ha!’
However.
For Heinz, it was simply laughable.
And understandably so…
‘In fact, it’s in Auterica that we find the start of all bloodlines, considering the dimensional scale, it’s merely one of the many offshoots of vampires.’
A species that takes vampire genes as the core of their strength, grows stronger by draining others’ blood, upholds a strict hierarchy, and increases their numbers through contagion.
These vampires are often treated as plagues or germs in many worlds, yet they can also be found quite commonly across dimensions, just like humans, elves, and dragons.
‘I’m not sure if there’s a divine network that shares information across dimensions.’
And perhaps due to this peculiar ecological structure, their transformations according to dimensions were typically extreme compared to other species.
Much like a real virus mutating to adapt to its environment.
“You call yourself a king, yet you can’t even withstand this much?”
“Kuh, you…!”
Heinz mockingly glared at Obaifo, who raised his head, putting on a derisive smile.
If the primal source he spoke of was the prototype of vampires, meaning that he intended to unify all the branches divided with their strengths, and if the one who achieved that was called a ‘king,’
Then what should they call someone who, not merely from Auterica, absorbed all the advantages derived from countless vampire branches?
Heinz II, who had already surpassed the primal source, was the one closest to completion.
In such a case, the term used to define him would be…
“Phew— So, I should be called the Emperor.”
Indeed, that was the only answer.
A word that spilled out like a joke.
Yet it was a title profoundly rooted in truth.
“Bullshit…!”
Of course, to Obaifo, it was merely perceived as mockery directed at himself.
And after some time spent shaking in rage, he suddenly stopped his movements.
“Kuhehe… Ah, yes… The word Emperor, huh…?”
Then he burst into a sinister laugh.
“Did you say hybrid…? It seems quite a few of your subordinates have entered this city.”
Originally, the elite who set off with Heinz were only around a hundred, but including the additional troops who entered through the bloodline, their numbers increased several times.
They were still causing disturbances among the Brokoslac Clan and the republican guards, buying time.
“Let’s see how the Emperor’s authority holds up…!”
Just after saying that.
Obaifo immediately raised his head and let out a roar filled with eerie resonance towards the sky.
[“Children of the hybrid, come to me—! Kill your false king and welcome your true king—!”]
A surge of powerful blood magic radiated through all of Uletor City in an instant.
With absolute control that could not be rejected if one was within range.
‘While I can’t help this mutant heretic, his soldiers should be different…! Let’s see you directly kill those loyal subordinates you trusted…!’
Even though his insides twisted again from exertion, considering the potential outcome, this wasn’t a huge loss.
Having let out that confident exclamation, Obaifo looked at Heinz with a meaningful smile—
Heinz met his gaze with an indifferent expression.
“……?”
A silence followed.
And during that brief moment,
Not a single hybrid vampire came rushing towards them.
Truly not a single soul.
‘Why…?’
Obaifo’s face twisted strangely.
Having experienced that blood firsthand, he already understood why his command didn’t affect Heinz.
But what about those vampires under him?
‘Are you telling me that not even those low-level lackeys can follow my command?’
By this point, he couldn’t help but feel doubt about whether he could encompass all bloodlines as he had calculated.
The foundation of his ambitions and the belief he built were beginning to shake from their roots.
“Why? Didn’t go as planned?”
The mockery from Heinz echoed in his ears, but he didn’t have the luxury to concern himself with such things.
‘That’s impossible. It can’t be…!’
How long had he poured into this?
Not only the journey to gather the heritage, but also the time taken to research it until it could be practically used.
He had spent thousands of years, even risking his own body for experimentation.
Yet to see the results come out like this?
As the thought that all his efforts over thousands of years had become meaningless flooded through him, a small despair bloomed within his heart, expanding like poison.
“…Huh… Heheh…”
With his head bowed, Obaifo kept writhing while letting out hollow laughter.
Regardless of his mood, the power surging from within him continuously elevated him, protecting his broken concentration…
‘It’s meaningless.’
His body, already on the verge of collapse from the excess concentration of power, was now visibly deteriorating due to Heinz’s toxic blood and his repeated overexertion.
To survive, he should lower this power now to stabilize, but doing so would leave him with no chance at all.
As he silently observed his breaking body, Obaifo’s hopeless gaze turned back to Heinz.
‘The ruler of the Talia Kingdom and the master of the vampire clan alliance, Heinz Hybrid II.’
A mix of unknown bloodlines.
A heretic who dared to reject the primal source and sought transformation.
And, a body that possesses nearly ultimate completion and the highest stature.
While his own body kept shattering in the torrent of fierce power, that figure truly seemed to be the most suitable vessel for holding the primal source.
‘…Very well, I’ll admit it.’
The level contained in your body far exceeds my own.
Even the sheer power that is hard for my pitiful body to contain might be easily handled by you.
If so, perhaps I could truly wield the authority of the primal source properly?
Exactly.
So then—
Give that body to me!
Crackle—!
The strongest spark roared fiercely at that moment.
Obaifo ignored his crumbling body and charged violently towards Heinz.
For he cared not for the remaining life, willing to burn everything in front of him.
‘I should be grateful to that revolutionary.’
His “Fusion Power,” which allowed him to pull the strength of various bloodlines to their limits and manifest them simultaneously.
Without it, such a method would’ve been but a dream.
Even in the terrifying prospect of memories disappearing in real-time, the uncertainty of achieving his ambition kept him enduring over the long years, leaving him unable to see anything else.
Crack—!
Finally, Obaifo’s hand grasped Heinz’s forehead.
In doing so, he allowed consecutive attacks that tore his body to pieces as he swiftly deteriorated; he only smiled bright and cheerful.
“Kuhehe! Emperor, let’s wager…”
Of course, some risks would accompany this process.
Yet, this time, he was absolutely certain.
“Let’s wager everything we possess…”
He, who had lived for millennia, rhythmically training himself.
No matter how much his memories were erased, the forgotten memories surpassed a thousand years.
And against someone who had lived a mere few hundred years with a slightly special body, there was no way he could lose.
“The winner takes everything from the loser… Including that body and soul!”
Thus.
Obaifo boldly invaded Heinz’s mental realm, borrowing unknown power.
[What the… is this?]
He unconsciously let out a weak sound upon facing a situation that was different from what he had anticipated— no, vastly different.
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