Chapter 297: Romania (1) |
Henri Coandă International Airport in Otopeni, a city near Bucharest, the capital of Romania.
‘Finally arrived.’
Heinz the Second, having concealed his presence with “Existence Denial” as usual, stepped out of the airport and surveyed the surroundings.
‘Nothing unusual so far…’
But this was no place to let his guard down.
It was arguably the most dangerous place in Europe.
‘After all, this is where Dracul, Europe’s largest dark organization, is based.’
He was well-informed about Dracul, the group that controlled Eastern Europe from their base in Romania.
Their leader, known as the Duke, a vampire who seemed to identify with Vlad III, the historical figure who inspired Dracula, was rumored to be the strongest in Europe…
Heinz’s eyes narrowed as he felt the pull of 「Bloodline Craving」.
But he ignored the instinctive urge and focused on reconnaissance, carefully observing his surroundings.
‘I don’t know what kind of traps they’ve set. I need to be cautious.’
He had limited information about this place, as neither Thermidor nor Gomorrah had much influence here.
Of course, he was confident in his ability to handle any unexpected situation, but he couldn’t afford to retreat empty-handed. He had to finish this quickly before facing the Master of Heaven’s Turn Society.
‘And he’s supposedly the strongest in Europe. This will be different from my previous encounters. I need to be thoroughly prepared.’
He hadn’t faced an opponent of this caliber on Earth yet.
He had clashed with several powerful individuals as Hahoe Mask, but they were all within Hans’s capabilities.
‘Well, excluding the Master, of course.’
Even Yulryeongja, the East Asia Branch Manager, had risen to his position through his political maneuvering, not his combat power.
He was no match for the Duke.
‘I’ll soon see what he’s capable of.’
He felt his blood boil with anticipation and excitement, a predatory instinct stirring within him, as he left Otopeni and headed towards Bucharest.
Pause—
…No, wait.
He realized that wasn't the reason for his reaction.
‘The signal is getting stronger.’
Heinz the Second, known for his calm and rational nature, wouldn’t be affected by mere excitement.
The closer he got to Bucharest, the stronger the resonance of 「Bloodline Craving」 became.
‘What is this…?’
It was different from what he had felt in France and Italy.
Something in that city was calling out to him, drawing him in.
‘I need to investigate this.’
As he approached the city, intending to conduct a more thorough reconnaissance—.
He crossed an invisible boundary.
And then he understood.
Zing—!
A sharp pain shot through his head, and a thick, metallic scent of blood filled the air.
「Blood Ancestor」, which enhanced his vampire abilities, 「Blood Mystery」, which governed his blood magic, and 「Insight」, which allowed him to see through illusions and deceptions, all activated simultaneously, analyzing the situation.
‘A large-scale blood magic barrier?’
Heinz, also a master of blood magic, quickly grasped its nature.
Its estimated diameter was at least 10 kilometers.
It was based on blood magic, but as expected of Heaven’s Turn Society, it wasn’t just that.
It was incredibly well-concealed, undetectable until he entered its range. And the amount of energy it contained was immense, enough to dispel even his 「Existence Denial」.
“Ha!”
Heinz couldn’t help but scoff.
He hadn’t expected them to go this far.
‘I knew this was Dracul’s base…’
But it was also the capital of a sovereign nation.
Bucharest had a population of about 2 million.
Even in these chaotic times, he hadn’t expected them to be so blatant.
‘Even with its stealth capabilities, a barrier of this scale wouldn’t go unnoticed. The awakened individuals in Romania can’t be that incompetent…’
There was only one explanation.
They, and even the government, were completely under Dracul’s control.
And they had managed to keep it a secret.
‘How is that even possible? Romania isn't a poor country.’
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
Heaven’s Turn Society had infiltrated even China, a superpower.
It wasn't that surprising that Romania had fallen under their control, with Dracul as their puppet.
‘…Ordinary people wouldn’t even know.’
And only someone of his level could detect the barrier upon entering its range. It would be undetectable to most awakened individuals. They only needed to control the high-ranking ones.
‘This is going to be more troublesome than I thought. But that’s not important right now.’
Those were problems for later.
Right now,
Swish—
His location had been exposed, so he had to escape.
He could sense over a hundred presences converging on his position.
‘Tsk, they’re swarming me.’
He concealed his presence again and quickly retreated, flying towards the outskirts of the city.
He hadn’t planned to fight them head-on.
It would be a waste of time and effort if he got bogged down fighting these minions and failed to capture the Duke.
He needed to assess the situation, pinpoint the Duke’s location, and then…
His 「Rapid Acceleration」 skill activated.
Zzzt—!
A long crack appeared in the air, extending from his previous location.
He didn’t even have time to think.
He instinctively twisted causality, ignoring inertia, and pulled his body back, frowning at the sight.
‘A sniper?’
A trail of destruction, extending for several kilometers, a clear trajectory.
The scar lingered in the air for a moment, then quickly vanished, as if it had never been there.
‘That level of attack… This isn’t an ordinary opponent. Their reaction speed is incredible.’
He had only been exposed for a few seconds.
And yet, they had pinpointed his location and launched a sniper attack immediately after he concealed himself and retreated.
‘They were well-prepared. I should retreat and regroup…’
As he heightened his senses, preparing for a follow-up attack, his 「Insight」 skill activated, revealing something he hadn’t noticed before.
Blink—
A coin-sized eyeball, camouflaged perfectly with the surrounding rocks, as if it had always been there, blinked slowly.
It was staring right at him.
Despite his 「Existence Denial」.
Click— Slash!
He reacted instantly, his hand moving faster than thought, crushing the eyeball.
But as he turned to escape,
Blink, blink— Blink, blink—
Dozens of eyes, materializing from walls, rocks, trees, and even the ground itself, stared at him.
‘…This is creepy.’
Each blink seemed to weigh him down, slowing his movements.
It seemed to be a kind of evil eye, capable of dispelling stealth and inflicting debuffs…
But now that he was aware of them, it didn’t matter how many there were.
Swish—! Slash—! Whoosh!
He moved swiftly, his hand a blur, crushing the eyeballs one after another.
But they kept regenerating, appearing endlessly.
Hundreds of eyes, staring at him from all directions, their numbers increasing, their gaze unsettling.
Crackle—!
As his movements slowed, another sniper attack, its trajectory distorted and unpredictable, shot towards him.
No, it wasn’t just an attack.
It was destroying everything in its path, distorting space and even the intangible concepts it was woven with.
‘That’s dangerous.’
He had dodged the first attack, caught off guard. He wouldn't be hit by the same attack twice.
The sniper was skilled, twisting the trajectory to account for his potential movements… but Heinz, riding the flow of causality, easily evaded it.
…If it had just been that, he could have retreated and regrouped.
But he saw the massive magic circle appearing in the sky, felt the surge of magic power, and sensed the numerous presences surrounding him, closing in.
He sighed, realizing escape was impossible.
“Just how much did they prepare?”
He had expected some resistance, having already dealt with Thermidor and Gomorrah.
But he hadn’t anticipated this. A barrier covering the entire city, and a small army of powerful individuals on standby.
He had been planning to test their defenses… but their excessive preparations had caught him off guard.
‘This is… overkill.’
He was currently in a nature reserve between Otopeni, where the airport was located, and Bucharest.
A barrier, activated instantly, sealed off the area.
If he had gone in a different direction, all these preparations would have been for nothing.
‘Are all the other routes also this heavily guarded?’
He had a strong feeling they were, but that wasn’t his immediate concern.
As he frowned, pondering his next move, Heaven’s Turn Society unleashed their full might.
“Heh— You’ve finally arrived. I’ve been waiting.”
“…I was getting bored. There’s nothing fun to do in this place. If it wasn’t for Doctor, I wouldn’t have even come here.”
“Ahahaha! Me too, me too! I wouldn’t have bothered with an ordinary human! It can’t be helped!”
They must have some kind of transportation method that ignored the barrier, as several figures materialized nearby, their voices echoing through the air.
All of them radiated powerful auras.
It was a familiar scene, a sense of déjà vu.
‘It reminds me of when Hans clashed with Heaven’s Turn Society in Japan.’
The situation was similar, even though the location and the people involved were different.
But he couldn’t afford to be optimistic.
The situation might be similar, but the scale was completely different.
“…So, this is why Doctor was so insistent. I would have actually lost him if he had been serious about escaping.”
A heavy voice echoed through the air, and the surrounding space seemed to grow heavier, the atmosphere stifling.
An overwhelming presence commanded their attention, and their gazes shifted towards its source.
Thump, thump—
Heavy footsteps, shaking the very ground they stood on.
He couldn't actually hear the footsteps.
But each step, imbued with an immense presence, resonated within their minds.
“Hmm, a hybrid, as expected. Interesting.”
A middle-aged man finally emerged from the shadows.
Dressed in a noble’s attire, his beard neatly trimmed, his arrogant gaze swept over the gathered figures, then settled on a single target.
The only outsider.
Heinz met his gaze, his body stiffening.
He couldn’t look away, even as the other vampires surrounded him, their auras blazing.
It was partly because of the overwhelming presence of his opponent…
Gulp—
…But also because he couldn’t suppress his instinctive urge.
His mouth watered, his fangs aching.
「Bloodline Craving」 roared within him, its thirst insatiable.
‘That’s him.’
The Duke, the ruler of Dracul, the mastermind behind Eastern Europe’s underworld, one of Heaven’s Turn Society’s executives.
The final piece of the puzzle.
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