Chapter 82: Blood is the Currency of the Soul
"Who are you?"
Father Anderson's bayonet sword pierced through Alucard's body, lifting him up before turning to look at Chang Wei.
"Just a passerby," Chang Wei said with a smile.
Alucard, however, would not allow Father Anderson to casually chat with someone else. He broke free from the bayonet sword and fired at Anderson.
Father Anderson frowned. Was the holy bayonet's damage to this vampire that insignificant?
Still, in the face of Alucard's bullets, he chose to charge forward with unparalleled fervor. The bullets were all blocked by his bulletproof priest's garb. Even when struck in areas without protective material, such as his head or hands, the bullets would be expelled, and his wounds would heal.
It's worth noting that these were 13mm caliber rounds—no longer pistol ammunition but rifle-grade.
Faced with Father Anderson's direct charge, Alucard was delighted. Without hesitation, he ignored Chang Wei and engaged in combat with Anderson.
Of course, calling it "combat" was generous—the fight ended quickly. Once Alucard became excited, he stopped holding back. His recovery speed and regeneration abilities far surpassed any vampire Anderson had ever encountered. More crucially, no matter what Anderson did, Alucard couldn't be killed—beheading, destroying his heart, or even cutting him into dozens of pieces. Alucard would easily regenerate.
"I see... It seems my current equipment isn't sufficient to deal with you," Father Anderson remarked. Flipping open his Bible, he used a teleportation spell to leave.
"The next time we meet, I'll kill you!"
Alucard didn't stop him. While a bit disappointed, he knew now wasn't the time for a conflict between Hellsing and the Vatican.
"That was quite a show," Chang Wei said to Alucard.
"How do you know the title 'Count'?" Alucard asked with a grin.
"Our intelligence is excellent. We're well-versed in Van Helsing's deeds back in the day," Chang Wei replied. The original Van Helsing, accompanied by a group of extraordinary individuals, had defeated Alucard, who had just unleashed the River of Death, and sealed him away.
From Alucard's millions of souls as currency for resurrection, it seemed that the River of Death had barely been unleashed before the first Van Helsing ended it. Such a legendary figure, at the very least, must have been on par with the likes of Captain Werewolf, Father Anderson, or the young Grim Reaper Walter.
A few individuals versus millions of the River of Death's forces, resolving Alucard so swiftly—such an unbelievable feat was unlikely to ever be replicated.
"I'm growing increasingly intrigued by you all," Alucard said, striding toward Chang Wei.
Then, without pausing, he walked past Chang Wei. At that moment, Alucard seemed to sense the anguished cries of countless souls and feel a surging sea of blood.
This was due to Alucard's high level of sensitivity, which triggered his perception of Chang Wei. Chang Wei, however, had done nothing. He himself was unaware of possessing such a power. But Alucard could sense it. This momentarily startled Alucard, who then silently departed.
After Alucard left, Chang Wei also prepared to leave. He had come merely to check in and let Seras broaden her horizons, which he deemed a success. Seras had been utterly awestruck by the small-scale battle between Father Anderson and Alucard.
Yet, at that moment, Chang Wei's extraordinary senses alerted him to something unusual—something was approaching.
Then, the blood on the ground began defying gravity, converging and flowing backward toward him!
Witnessing this, Chang Wei's pupils constricted.
As someone deeply familiar with Hellsing, he knew exactly what this signified.
The blood had chosen him?
Strictly speaking, the only individual in Hellsing ever chosen by blood was the Fat Major. Alucard had willingly abandoned his faith in the cross, licking blood to become the progenitor of vampires.
However, the blood Alucard licked lacked any supernatural properties—it was merely the nearly coagulated blood left behind by a decapitated individual.
The Fat Major, on the other hand, was chosen by blood imbued with supernatural power, though he ultimately rejected it, ending the event prematurely.
Chang Wei was uncertain how to respond. He was undoubtedly tempted by Alucard's River of Death—the immortal and indestructible power from the supernatural domain, which was essentially conceptual. While he wasn't fixated on pursuing the virus route, he had no alternative given his super-virus system, which dictated his path.
He wasn't sure whether he could obtain Alucard's River of Death and vampiric abilities through Captain Werewolf's method. After all, most vampires were mere cannon fodder. Even Seras, who had been bitten by Alucard himself, couldn't perform shadow manipulation and could only summon the River of Death.
If even Seras was so weak, it raised questions about whether the inheritance involved a more mysterious process. Or perhaps Seras' abilities hadn't been fully unlocked because she hadn't drunk Alucard's blood?
"But why overthink it..."
Chang Wei crouched down and reached out to touch the blood flowing toward him.
"Mr. Chang Wei?" Seras, already shaken, now noticed the blood converging toward them in eerie streams.
Captain Werewolf remained silent.
The moment Chang Wei's hand touched the blood, it frantically surged into his body.
So licking wasn't necessary—Chang Wei had been worried he'd have to resort to that. If so, he'd have sent Seras and Captain Werewolf away to avoid embarrassment.
Now, the blood in the entire apartment building flowed toward him. This was the blood's first autonomous awakening.
Every drop of blood was absorbed into Chang Wei's body without exception.
Closing his eyes, he felt the transformations within.
"This is..."
Whatever Chang Wei muttered next was unheard by Captain Werewolf or Seras. They only saw him absorb all the blood before silently leading them out of Northern Ireland.
Chang Wei needed time to sort out his abilities as a vampire.
Alucard's powers were vast, but he had always been in a sealed state, requiring Integra's permission to fully unleash them. Chang Wei, however, had no such restrictions.
Firstly, he gained the ability to turn others into vampires, though this was limited to virgins; otherwise, they'd become ghouls. By killing others and absorbing their blood, he could claim their lives as his own.
The lives of everyone in that apartment building had been completely reaped by Chang Wei, instantly granting him hundreds of resurrection tokens.
Moreover, he successfully awakened the River of Death ability. Yet, unlike Alucard, Chang Wei had no need to rely on it for combat. His physical combat strength was already formidable.
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