#283
Entering Europe (2)
The outskirts of Paris, as the sun begins to set.
Bastien, a healthy young vampire who went out to spend his day faithfully as usual, encountered something completely unexpected.
While on patrol of the clan’s territory, he was suddenly attacked by a masked man.
He is a member of ‘Thermidor’, the largest vampire organization in France, which rules the nights of major cities including Paris!
‘You crazy beggar! How dare you do such a thing on this earth? And at night?’
Paris, the capital of France, is a world-famous metropolis and a golden land with many vested interests, so naturally the organization also paid a lot of attention to it.
In other areas, even Bastian, a level 5 vampire who could be a mid-level officer, was directly assigned to patrol missions that only lower-ranking officers would do.
‘You really are crazy. You seem to have quite a bit of confidence in your skills, but even if I die, you will never be safe.’
For some reason, my body was frozen and I couldn’t even blink an eye.
The moment he sensed his end as the cold hand slowly tightened around his neck, he muttered the final curse that would not come out of his mouth—.
He realized that he had seriously misunderstood something.
‘ah?’
Something surged like a wave from the fingertips that dug into my neck.
Before Bastian could even express his shock at realizing what it was, a huge presence shook his thoughts.
A certain entity that seemed to have been deliberately hidden was forcibly struck into his mind.
‘This is···!’
I can’t breathe.
It was an awe beyond words.
High and distant.
Wide and expansive.
Big and wonderful.
Deep and eerie.
His body was stiff not because his opponent had done something special.
It was just that my instincts were terrified when I encountered the huge difference in class without me knowing it.
My limbs were trembling without me realizing it.
‘At least 7…? Level 8? No, it’s not a level I can estimate.’
The strongest vampire Bastian had ever faced, a high-ranking officer of Thermidor, was level 7.
At that time, while he was inspecting with his comrades, he was so tense that he froze for a long time and was only able to catch his breath after they moved some distance away…
‘Maybe even more… maybe even Lord-level.’
Compared to now, back then it was like taking a vacation.
To the point where there was no comparison in the first place.
But he couldn’t continue his wandering thoughts any longer.
Woodduck— thud!
Because of the blood that entered my body, all of my foundations from head to toe were being torn apart.
‘This is… This is possible…!’
It was an evolution that was almost revolutionary.
In that brief moment, the body suddenly surpassed its limits and the clock expanded.
Bastian quietly shuddered as he felt an omnipotence that made him feel like he could handle dozens of people like he had just a moment ago.
Of course, the feeling he had was just a side effect of the excessive secretion of hormones, but he was already so high that he didn’t care about such trivial matters.
Bastian fell to his knees, his head bowed to the ground, his mind filled with awe, a sense of belonging, and loyalty. He cried out words of submission from his heart.
“Just give me the order! I, Bastien Dubosec, the Phantom, will do everything in my power to help you find Christine!”
“······.”
He was already so overwhelmed by the intimidating presence that he didn’t even seem to know what he was saying.
Heinz’s trembling eyes were fixed on the back of his head.
***
‘This is how you eat it.’
Heinz looked down at the vampire youth, Bastien, who was lying face down in front of him with a displeased look.
You’re worrying about that again just because I made a slip of the tongue once.
But the full cooperation he showed afterwards was not bad.
He, who worshipped himself to a strange degree, answered Heinz’s questions with great enthusiasm and confessed everything he knew.
Like a fanatic who worships God.
It certainly wasn’t a normal reaction, even at first glance.
‘Is it because of the ‘bewitchment’ here too? I didn’t know it would be this effective.’
Even if it was subordinated to the “purified blood”, it did not have the power to captivate the target to that extent.
Perhaps the difference in status between them also had a significant influence.
Anyway, it was a good thing for us since things got easier.
‘It was a good thing because it saved time.’
The only information he had about France in Europe was what he could get from the Internet.
For pleasant activities and quick work, the cooperation of local people is essential.
Since the consumption of 「Refined Blood Essence」 wouldn’t be that great since it would be subordinated to a level 5 anyway, it was a perfect match.
‘Even if you catch an opponent of this level, you won’t even get a message.’
Heinz II, who had already reached transcendence as a holy blood, needed the blood of a vampire of at least true blood level to complete his own bloodline and break the mold.
Even that is only the minimum, for a proper escape, there needs to be a large number of Holy Blood level beings.
‘There is only one Holy Blood Level 9 in France right now.’
Heinz’s gaze turned in the direction that “The Longing for Bloodline” was leading him.
However, since the opponent’s level was different, I could only vaguely feel it, and unlike before, I could not clearly identify the location.
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
He assessed the situation calmly, ignoring the constant urge of thirst that had been nagging at him immediately after his arrival in Europe.
‘In this situation, it’s stupid to just rush in.’
This place was the enemy’s base and a foreign country.
There may be some traps, and if we move recklessly, the government may intervene like in Japan.
‘I guess we need to shake things up a bit.’
So he got to work right away, with Bastien’s cooperation.
A little bit of advance preparation for an easy hunt.
***
Groan, groan—
“This smells pretty good. I like it quite a bit.”
“Right? It’s hard to find, but there’s nothing better than this.”
“Lady Nadia, I have something I really want to tell you…”
One of Thermidor’s strongholds, located in the city of Versailles near Paris.
“This is a total mess.”
A cold whisper came from inside the splendid mansion where a wild party was in full swing.
It was such a small sound that it was buried in the noise of the party…
“hmm?”
“···Who was that just now?”
Those who were in this space were not so easily distracted as to miss such dissonant sounds.
The relaxed atmosphere suddenly became tense.
They quickly looked around with a sense of momentum and soon discovered an intruder who had naturally blended in with them.
“What are you!”
“How did you get here? No, when?”
A ferocious aura began to emanate from them, along with their alert cries, enveloping the surroundings.
But even in that situation, the intruder who made a noise, Heinz II, wearing an opera mask, just looked around slowly with a stern expression.
A large chandelier hanging from the ceiling, tableware decorated with all kinds of precious metals, and even works of art that look extraordinary at first glance.
The sight of boys and girls shivering in the gap was so extravagant that it felt awkward.
Needless to say, the blood in the silver cups held by the participants was incongruous with the blood that was splattered everywhere as if it had been done intentionally.
‘···Tsk. I wish you had come a little sooner.’
Heinz clicked his tongue lightly and looked back at the vampires who were feasting on the fresh blood of their victims.
Before they knew it, they had surrounded the entire party venue, had finished all of their preparations and were preparing to attack.
“Oh, the connection isn’t working!”
“What? Since when···?”
Except for spreading the word about this situation to the outside world.
It wasn’t a thoughtless act that he made such a fuss when he could have handled it quietly in the first place.
“We don’t have much time, so let’s finish it as quickly as possible.”
Because the situation was already pretty much over.
Exactly—
With a light snapping sound of fingers.
“The Mystery of Blood” has been activated.
Not only was the blood scattered everywhere like avant-garde art, but the blood in the goblet also began to turn into a thick mist and envelop the surrounding area.
“It’s a blood magic barrier!”
“Come together! Prepare to respond immediately···!”
What followed was no battle.
It’s just one-sided abuse.
Heinz, who felt the resentment in the blood of the victims and watched the cause and effect flowing through the area, grabbed a piece of it.
And when he made up his mind to do so,
—That’s what happened.
Boom!
Kwaaang—!
A chandelier broke from the ceiling and fell, scattering debris.
Phew!
Chook—
The sound of something being torn erupted one after another.
“Keuhp!”
“Krrrrrrrrr···”
The blood of vampires fluttering like rose petals in the sunset mist covering the space.
The attack, which transcended perception, was impossible to defend against or evade.
Moreover, their meager regenerative powers were of no use in the vastness of the world they lived in.
“Ugh!”
Of course, not everyone was put on board with that one move.
The strongest in this Thermidor Versailles branch.
Nadia, a high-ranking officer at Level 7 who had been calmly commanding the situation from the moment Heinz appeared, immediately attempted to escape while holding onto the section of her severed left arm.
‘What the heck?! Level 9? Level 9? What the hell is this!’
An incomprehensible attack that even the most inferior opponents cannot counter.
She gritted her teeth and turned away from her men, who were torn to pieces in an instant.
‘If you go to the opera… who on earth is that guy? Where on earth is he from? Italy? Germany? Surely not Romania?’
There weren’t many level 9 vampires in the world.
Even in Europe, where the three powers are the strongest, they could be counted on one hand.
And as far as she knew, there was no one among them who had that kind of impression.
‘Could it be that they came from another continent? America? Asia? … Now that I think about it, I think I’ve heard something similar…’
But her thoughts didn’t last long.
Step by step—
Because of Heinz, who appeared right in front of me, cutting through the bloody mist.
“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”
Nadia stopped in her tracks and bit her lip.
Normally, it wouldn’t have taken a second to leave this mansion grounds.
For some reason, she was still inside the mansion, shrouded in red fog.
“···Who are you? Where are you from and for what purpose···!”
“As expected, the other guys were quite lacking.”
Her words, which were forced as she raised her voice, were interrupted by a calm word.
“You look quite nutritious.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a red tongue licked his lips from under the mask and disappeared.
Nadia’s pupils dilated at the words and actions that hinted at taboo.
“···No way, you···!”
“Shh—.”
But what can she do anyway?
Soon, a thick, blood-red fog began to envelope the surrounding area.
《Collecting new vampire factors. Due to the influence of the special skill “Mixed Evolution”···.》
And after an unnatural silence, as if the silence had been muted, only one person was left there.
***
Of the victims brought to the mansion as part of the party, only about a dozen were still alive when Heinz arrived.
Boys and girls who are on the verge of becoming adults.
“Ugh.”
“Ugh···.”
Since those who were noisy or resistant had been the first to become sacrifices, they desperately kept their mouths shut and trembled in fear even as commotion broke out during the party, as they had learned.
As ordinary humans, they were unable to grasp the situation at all because of the bloody fog that enveloped their surroundings.
This bloodshed also had the function of protecting the victims, but they were unaware of it.
‘Please, please.’
‘mom···.’
Still, one thing was certain.
At least it’s a hundred or a thousand times better for the half-masked gentleman to show up late and win than for the monsters who were trying to make them party food.
How long had it been since I had repeated my prayers in such tension?
The blood-smelling fog that had been surrounding the area soon began to slowly dissipate.
The sight that finally came into view was a wide party hall with not a single drop of blood left, let alone a vampire.
“uh?”
“Nobody… is there?”
A quiet silence enveloped the area, with no one else around except them.
Some people turned their heads here and there to find the masked gentleman who was assumed to be the winner, but he was nowhere to be found.
For some reason, the chandelier that had fallen to the floor and shattered into pieces caught my eye.
They hesitated for a moment, looking around, but soon began to take steps one by one, and eventually they all ran out through the wide open main gate as if they were running.
‘Hmm, the police are nearby, so this should be enough. Then let’s move on.’
Such surprise visits by masked gentlemen and phantoms were not limited to the Versailles branch.
Saint-Denis and Creteil, etc.
They raided branches in cities around Paris.
Even though it was something that took place in the darkness of the city, it couldn’t have gone unnoticed for so many things to have happened in one night.
Thanks to that, survivors who were able to escape continued to emerge.
And those associated with the Thermidor Clan were able to read a message through the events.
It was a blatant provocation directed at someone.
Don’t hide, come out now.
-I am here.
A very confident provocation.
