#126
Sacred Blood (1)
《A new vampire factor has been collected. Under the influence of the special skill 「Hybrid Evolution」, the individual’s physical abilities are enhanced.》
Hainjeu lightly stroked his chin at the message floating before his eyes.
‘I think this is the first time it’s activated in Auterika.’
Since 「Hybrid Evolution」 was a skill that pursued evolution by collecting various vampire factors, it was practically an ability specialized for Earth, where vampires from multiple dimensions gathered.
This time, it had activated because it was his first time preying on a vampire outside the Beurokoseullak bloodline, but perhaps because they were from the same dimension, the changes weren’t very dramatic.
Of course, it was still better than nothing.
“So, shall we get moving?”
With Hainjeu back as well, the situation was as good as over.
‘The scale is too large to absorb Yupeureuswi’s forces immediately. For a smooth merger, I’ll need to trim the bulk a bit.’
Of course, through the 「Refined Blood Core」, they wouldn’t be able to resist him, but for ease of management, it was more convenient to favor the Beurokoseullak side.
‘Besides, I need to replenish the blood cores I consumed quite a lot while hunting the Mad Dragon. Feeding on one’s own kind isn’t all downside.’
And that would become excellent nourishment for those who would become his limbs hereafter.
Hainjeu, who discreetly worked up an appetite like a man facing a feast, quietly seeped into the battlefield.
The work carried out while escaping perception using 「Concealment」, 「Invisibility」, and even 「Blood Mystery」 was extremely covert.
By the time the Yupeureuswi Clan sensed something wrong, the situation had already spiraled completely out of control.
And the repercussions soon began to chain into other battles as well.
The place where Peurijia Beurokoseullak and Teodoreu Yupeureuswi were fighting.
Kwa-ang—!
The tip of an umbrella brimming with blood demonic energy sharply stabbed in, and the moment he deflected it, a leg wearing pointed shoes whipped like a whip.
Teodoreu, who had dodged that attack, wielded a sharp blood whip to make Peurijia step back, his expression grave.
Having been confident that he was among the finest of the current True Bloods, he possessed sufficient discernment to tell whether her strength had temporarily increased due to the barrier’s influence.
So after experiencing the opponent’s destructive power, reaction speed, and utilization of blood demonic energy several times firsthand… he could finally, with difficulty, acknowledge the reality.
‘There is external energy assisting her, but this isn’t something that can be explained by that alone. Her inherent capabilities are several levels above what I estimated. The Beurokoseullak Clan shouldn’t have been at this level.’
He had thought that even Mullo, the former Lord of Beurokoseullak, wouldn’t last long against him, so getting his ankle grabbed by Peurijia, whom he had considered lower-ranked, was quite a blow to his pride.
But the current situation was unfolding so urgently that there was no time to worry about his pride.
‘Why has the situation become like this? What the hell is going on all of a sudden…!’
The Pure Bloods who had been holding out well until now were collapsing helplessly.
He didn’t know what problem had occurred while he had been briefly focused on his own fight, but their numbers had already visibly decreased.
‘Just when had they been pushed back this far?’
As things he had never expected kept happening since he had first drawn up the plans, it was now getting to the point of a headache.
In the midst of this, he could discover something strange in the Beurokoseullak side’s actions: under Mullo’s leadership, they were now subduing the remaining Pure Bloods of Yupeureuswi, who numbered less than half.
‘What are they trying to do now? Are they planning to take them hostage and negotiate?’
Even in this bleak situation, there was one thing Teodoreu still believed in—
It was the situation where Biseukeu Yupeureuswi would win in the battle between Sacred Bloods.
If that happened, the current board would be completely flipped.
Perhaps they, too, were preparing for that moment?
But the moment he was having such optimistic thoughts.
A chill—
At the ominous sensation of someone targeting him that he suddenly felt.
He forcibly shook off Peurijia, who was rushing at him, stepped back, and guarded the direction his intuition pointed to.
“Keen senses. As expected, it seems this won’t be so easy.”
Perhaps believing there was no need to hide since he had already been found out.
A figure revealed itself from the empty air where he had been on guard, like a ghost.
It was a face Teodoreu was seeing for the first time, but….
“Lord! You’ve finally come!”
Seeing Peurijia’s reaction, he could guess the opponent’s identity.
“…The current Lord of the Beurokoseullak Clan?”
A mysterious ability user who had not only pushed out Mullo Beurokoseullak to seize the clan, but also absorbed all existing forces including him under his command.
Only then did he realize the cause of why the situation had rushed to this critical point, and he gritted his teeth.
And Hainjeu II, the mastermind of the changes he had identified, was also looking at him and sizing him up from head to toe.
‘So this is Teodoreu Yupeureuswi. I heard he’s the current second-in-command of the Yupeureuswi Clan.’
He had already finished dealing with the Pure Bloods, exchanged brief words with Mullo, and come this way.
In the process, he had been able to hear information about this person; to put it simply, he was in a position similar to Mullo now.
One who oversees all practical affairs under the absolute being known as a Sacred Blood.
In other words, it meant he was a talent that absolutely needed to be won over in order to devour the Yupeureuswi Clan.
‘With Mullo around, things were quite convenient during the Beurokoseullak takeover. Since Yupeureuswi is larger in scale, an executive in charge of practical affairs is essential.’
The larger a force grew, the more essential the existence of capable subordinates became.
Having finally become the head of an organization, how could he personally take care of every trivial matter forever?
“Yes, I am the Lord of the Beurokoseullak Clan.”
Hainjeu looked at him and curled up the corners of his lips into a slight smile.
And seeing Mullo, who had already finished all his assigned tasks, approaching this way, he nodded in satisfaction.
“Furthermore, I am a man who will soon become your Lord as well.”
“What nonsense…!”
For one who stands above, it is enough to correctly decide the organization’s direction and properly handle capable subordinates.
That was the Royal Path he pursued.
He was a benevolent king who would win over and employ even enemies if they were necessary talents.
“I don’t know what scheme you’re trying to pull, but you won’t have your way—.”
“Mullo, Peurijia.”
“”Yes, Lord!””
“Capture him.”
Of course, the consent of the person in question was unnecessary in that recruitment process.
Because he was the king.
***
The three Yupeureuswi True Bloods who had been clashing with Halli could quickly sense that the situation was taking a strange turn.
It couldn’t be helped, for wasn’t the balance of battle breaking everywhere and the situation being resolved in an instant?
“Kahahat! That was quite fun, but what a shame! Let’s wrap this up now too, friends!”
At his taunting words, the True Bloods exchanged glances.
If they stayed still like this, they would collapse helplessly once Beurokoseullak reinforcements arrived.
Since it had come to this, there was really only one method left now.
“Let’s go!”
“Hup—!”
Two of those who had exchanged gazes simultaneously rushed at Halli.
With a resolve to die solely to tie his feet.
But the one most confident in his durability did not join that fight and immediately flung his body toward where the battle between Sacred Bloods was taking place.
Pajijik—!
A savage space where energy churned with fierce sparks.
Even Halli, who had raised his defense to the extreme, would have his entire body crushed if he intervened in their fight.
If he were to enter there, he would inevitably suffer fatal wounds endangering his life.
‘And with me, the vanguard, gone, the two holding that monster’s ankles won’t last very long either.’
It was practically no different from all three True Bloods’ combat strength withdrawing.
Even if Biseukeu Yupeureuswi temporarily gained the upper hand that way, the board could be flipped again by Halli’s intervention afterward, so he had been hesitating.
But looking at how things were unfolding now, it seemed difficult to expect any more turnarounds.
So what choice was there? He had to do it this way.
With that resolve, just as he finally tried to step into the Sacred Bloods’ domain, wrapping his entire body in blood and blood demonic energy.
“That won’t do.”
“…Huh?”
Someone approached him at tremendous speed from beside him, who had been running forward with all his might looking only ahead.
And.
Kwa-ang—!
With a great impact, his body was flung sideways and rolled across the ground.
“Keuk, you…!”
Of course, the one who had attacked him was none other than
the destroyer of balance who had been busily running around here and there, blasting apart parts of the battlefield left and right since his appearance—Hainjeu II.
“That’s the main dish over there. I’d like to wait until it’s time to let it simmer some more.”
It was an incomprehensible remark.
The True Blood looked around, but the situation was still hopeless.
The large-scale engagement of the Pure Bloods was already over, and Teodoreu Yupeureuswi seemed to have been subdued by them.
“Kwahahat! Where are you going? Come here! Let me have just one more bite!”
“Keheok! You crazy monster!”
“Why! You can eat us, but I can’t eat you?”
Moreover, because he had left, the other two didn’t seem like they could endure against the monster for long either.
‘I have to do something.’
He had to reverse the board before they completely collapsed.
Just as he was trying to somehow create an opportunity….
“You know, no matter how much I think about it, there are too many True Bloods in Yupeureuswi. Of course, it’s good to have more strong combat power, but it feels a bit excessive. It’d be annoying if factions formed.”
A low voice speaking words he still couldn’t understand reached his ears.
“So… before eating the Sacred Blood, one True Blood as an appetizer should be fine, right?”
And.
With a sinister smile, Hainjeu’s fangs gleamed sharply.
***
Though he had suffered a setback due to Halli’s intrusion, Biseukeu Yupeureuswi was able to gain the upper hand in his fight with Beuriki once again.
Since she had not been in normal condition from the start, the fact that he was at an advantage remained unchanged even after exchanging a round of attacks.
But that was only true until before.
He couldn’t easily maintain his composure in the urgently unfolding situation around him.
“Oh my, seems your concentration has wavered a bit?”
“…Shut up.”
“You were going on about old relics and whatnot just a while ago, but suddenly clamping your mouth shut is so hard to get used to. Did something happen at home?”
“Beurokoseullak….”
His continuously twitching eyebrows and grinding teeth.
It was proof that he had become quite displeased, but there was nothing more he could do here.
Whether he tried to save his incompetent subordinates or tore through this barrier to escape alone.
Whichever he chose, he would have to expend considerable strength, and the woman before him with her eyes wide open was not one who would allow such an opening.
‘How did things end up like this? Just how…’
Until the moment he made the plans, everything had gone smoothly.
He had cross-verified the information obtained through the Oath of Yeokcheon and led troops exceeding the maximum assumed enemy forces.
To finish it instantly without a scratch and devour this stronghold.
‘I had certainly prepared to the point of excess, so what the hell is the current situation?’
Biseukeu analyzed the situation with a mind working faster than usual in this crisis.
Five conclusions drawn from that.
First, he had not expected the Sacred Blood, Beurokoseullak, to be here.
Second, the overall level of the Beurokoseullak Clan had been raised uniformly.
Third, a monster of unknown identity had intruded here because of Teodoreu’s useless operation.
Fourth, the martial force of the current Beurokoseullak Clan Lord who had appeared suddenly was also greater than expected.
And finally, fifth….
‘Those bastards of the Oath of Yeokcheon who said they’d help if an emergency occurred—just where the hell are they and what are they doing right now!’
This was precisely that emergency, yet the Oath of Yeokcheon who had first brought it up was completely silent.
At this rate, he and the Yupeureuswi Clan were truly finished!
‘Don’t tell me they abandoned us? Was this a trap? …Was this Yupeureuswi deceived?’
In the end, Biseukeu had no choice but to reach that conclusion:
that for reasons unknown, they had abandoned this side and chosen the Beurokoseullak Clan.
But contrary to his thoughts, the Oath of Yeokcheon had certainly sent reinforcements.
And they were quite powerful elites who could help in such a situation.
But those reinforcements couldn’t even enter the interior of the capital, let alone Duke Beuraitu’s estate.
Naturally, the cause of that was also—
[Keheheh! To think you’d come looking for me in person, that saves me the trouble.]
“Keuk! Why is the Undead King here…!”
It was because they had been spotted by the eyes of the Undead King, Hanseu, who had been watching Tallaria.
Trapped in the barrier surrounding all sides and engulfed in darkness surging from the ground, more than twenty of them had lost consciousness.
Since he was paying attention using even the 「Eye of the Abyss」 himself, demonic beings could not escape his gaze.
In the end, excluding the existence of Beuriki, who was the first cause of the Yupeureuswi Clan’s failure, the second through fifth causes were all due to a single being.
Of course, that was a fact no one in this world could know.