A residential area that looked more like a junkyard, filled with dwellings cobbled together from tangled debris.
"I'll be back, Lamu."
"Cough, cough! Be careful, brother…"
A shabby young man emerged from one of the huts, saw off by a small, sickly girl, and set off on his way.
It was early, the sun just beginning to rise, but for someone who lived hand-to-mouth, moving while there was still some light was a matter of course. Time like this, bright enough to see clearly with the naked eye, didn't last long.
'I can't afford to waste fuel on luxuries when we're short on food.'
The young man, Liang, shouldering a large backpack, looked up at the sky as he diligently walked.
A gray sky, cracked and broken, with pieces missing here and there. He quickly averted his gaze from the pitch-black abyss swirling beyond the gaps.
"Sigh, I have to be careful. If something happens to me, there will be no one to take care of Lamu."
Those who were mesmerized by the abyss and became madmen met only death. The elderly said the sky was originally a clear, clean blue, but for Liang, who had only ever seen this sky, it was nothing more than a fairy tale.
'There actually was a picture like that in a real fairy tale book.'
He nodded, recalling a picture book he'd luckily obtained a long time ago. It was something his younger sister, Lamu, had cherished, carrying it around every day. In the end, he'd bartered it for food, so he didn't have it anymore.
'I had no choice back then. We were out of food, and I couldn't give up my parents' necklace. …Still, I hope I can find another fairy tale book today.'
Recently, his sister Lamu had become very weak. He couldn't afford to take her to a healer, so it would be dangerous if her condition worsened. If he could bring her a gift that would make her happy, it might help her regain her energy… Perhaps it was thanks to this thought that he had ventured farther than usual to start his work.
"Found it!"
Searching through the ruins of the collapsed city, looking for anything useful, he soon found a fairy tale book. And not just one or two, but a whole set of colorful fairy tale books, in surprisingly good condition considering they had been buried in the ruins for so long.
That wasn't all. As if luck was on his side today, he found a pile of items he'd never seen before scattered around the area.
'This is a jackpot! I can just search around here for the next few days.'
After diligently searching the area, he filled his bag in just a few hours. If he could find this much a few more times, he could live comfortably for the next few months without worrying about each meal. Maybe he could even take his sister to a healer…
'Today's my lucky day. Okay, let's have a rat meat feast today. If Lamu eats meat, she'll regain her strength.'
Liang, after covering up the traces of his scavenging, leaving a mark only he would recognize, stood up energetically. Although sunset was still far off, he decided to return early since his bag was full.
'It needs to be bright so I can read her the fairy tale book. I hope she's happy.'
So, Liang, rejoicing in his small fortune, took a large step forward…
Crack
…and froze stiff at the sudden ominous sound.
A cracking sound, not very loud, yet strangely clear. It wasn't a sound from nearby. Instinctively realizing where the sound originated, he looked up at the sky without thinking.
"Huh?"
Strength drained from his arms…
Thump
…and the backpack he was carrying fell to the ground with a heavy thud. The bag filled with the small fortune he had found today. But he no longer cared about it. He ran forward with all his might.
"Lamu—!!"
Toward the home where his sister was waiting for him.
Crack—Crack! Rumble—!
Even though it wasn't time for night yet, the world was gradually being submerged in darkness. Following the prelude to destruction that resonated not just in this area, but throughout the entire world.
Just like that…
…the sky came crashing down.
A world—Cossias—that had been declared a "Closed Dimension" years ago in Earth time. After the heroes gathered from all regions to protect the world from the disaster decades ago had perished, the dimension, which had been hurtling towards destruction, finally met its end.
"It's finally over."
With the fall of the "Last Messiah," who had struggled to maintain the world, there was no one left to stand in his way. Thanks to this, the Lord of Heavenly Change, who had once again entered this place, ignoring the dimension's resistance, nodded with satisfaction as he looked down at his palm.
A sense of omnipotence welled up within him. He had finally reaped the seeds he had sown with such care. How could he not be pleased?
[…Dimensional Predator. You finally…]
He glanced up at the voice calling him and looked at the figure standing before him. A being with golden hair and golden eyes that seemed to emit their own light. Although the surroundings were filled with darkness, devoid of any light, the one facing him still maintained a clear presence, defying all laws.
"Heh, what a shame. You tried hard enough, but this is it. Well, you did all you could, so you shouldn't have any regrets, right?"
[You…!]
A surge of rage erupted from his opponent at the Lord of Heavenly Change's mocking words. It wasn't some kind of energy. Everything that made up this world, including abstract concepts beyond the material, expressed hostility, sharpening its edges to repel the invader.
"It's useless."
"[Ugh!]"
But such a violent reaction didn't last long. With a casual wave of the Lord of Heavenly Change's hand, the world twisted and warped, then coalesced into a single point, firmly fixed. There was no way to affect him, as he had already secured causality by occupying more than half of the dimension's influence. Now that he could exert his full power without restrictions, he was literally a god. Even if his opponent were the avatar of the god worshipped in this world, it would be the same. No, if his opponent also possessed divinity…
"Let's finish this. I'm a busy man, you see. I have to work diligently to recover the losses I suffered recently."
[Unacceptable! I can't let it end like this…!]
…then it would only serve as a hearty, nourishing meal.
"[Cough!]"
"You've become quite human-like in your weakened state. Much more pleasant to look at than before."
The Lord of Heavenly Change casually thrust his hand into the avatar's chest and slowly pulled something out. A crystal of divinity, shining with a brilliant golden light. It was the essence of the being that had been worshipped as the one true god in this world of Cossias for ages.
"Indeed, this much should…"
In the crumbling world… He absorbed the scattered karma throughout the dimension in an instant, using the divinity in his hand as a medium, and took a deep breath. Then, he smirked and curled his lips at the gaze of the Administrator watching him. The Administrator, who was sometimes called the Main God in some worlds, was an existence akin to the system that maintained the dimension. As long as he had secured causality through legitimate means, there was no way for the Administrator to interfere, whether he killed the god or destroyed the world. In fact, the game had already ended the moment the "Last Messiah," its last resort, had fallen.
'I've finished everything I needed to do here.'
This was the end for the Cossias dimension. Soon, this place would completely disappear, and before long, everything would return to nothingness. After gathering the few remaining followers, using his cognitive ability as a god to oversee the entire world, he turned around.
And the moment he took a light step and crossed dimensions…
"Hmm."
His vision wavered, and the omnipotence that had filled him vanished in an instant. The freely flowing causality now tightly bound his entire body, and various restrictions clung to him, disrupting his near-omniscient perception.
It felt as though he was wearing a straitjacket, looking at the world with clouded vision. Since this was nothing new, the Lord of Heavenly Change calmly accepted it and immediately took care of the backlog of tasks. Now that he had returned to Earth, he intended to check on what had transpired during his absence and issue new directives…
"Huh?"
His eyes, filled with satisfaction from his recent gains, twitched. He wondered if he had seen wrong, and the information he double-checked by summoning the Oracle was even more disconcerting.
"Not only was the Southeast Asian branch annihilated… but the Executioner too?"
-I apologize, Lord.
The Oracle apologized, shamefaced. Narrowing his eyes at the response, he slowly looked around.
'…The rate of occupation has slowed.'
One way or another, his most important foothold was Earth. Stealing divinity and drawing energy from other dimensions were merely means to an end. Although there had been some setbacks recently due to the interference, he had been making good progress so far, so he had entrusted the task to his subordinates, but things had turned out like this…
'Masquerade…'
The challengers who defied the Heavenly Change Society, which he had painstakingly built over a long time. Since they had begun to actively organize and operate, it seemed necessary to tighten his grip once again for a smooth response.
Immediately after the monster that had devoured another world returned…
The executives of the Heavenly Change Society, scattered all over the Earth, were summoned all at once.
After Harley's surprise attack on the Poison Sword Clan's headquarters…
The Guardians' investigation team, who had been gradually tightening the noose through relentless pursuit, finally arrived at the scene.
Although they tended to be somewhat inefficient due to various restrictions, even considering that, the Guardians were a highly competent organization that was difficult to replace. Even the most trivial ability couldn't be ignored when combined with the synergy of those who had survived in various worlds. Moreover, as they belonged to the "Returnee Association," which effectively represented the rights of all returnees, their direct talent pool, as well as the external personnel they could call upon for cooperation, were beyond imagination.
'Thanks to their active participation, our new employees were able to track them down more easily.'
Without them, it would have been difficult to identify the mastermind so quickly. Furthermore, capturing the person behind it all would have been even more challenging. In many ways, their contribution was well worth the taxes.
'I should make an additional donation to them.'
While the Guardians, as well as the agents of the Criminal Investigation Division who had assisted in various aspects of the investigation, were raiding the Poison Sword Clan and arresting Kwon Chul-yong, the Black Yaksha…
Harley, who had visited earlier, was already leaving the scene. With the real prize, the shadow monster, secured.
[Ugh, how did you find me so quickly? And who the hell are you? Could it be that there was another transcendent in the Blood Alliance besides Phantom…!]
"Hahaha! What's this? Introduction time? Well, I don't mind. But there's an easier way. Just bear with me a little longer."
The monster, Heukyeong, being carried like luggage, squeezed out a question, but Harley just laughed heartily and continued running towards a deserted area. He briefly pacified the monster, who was still trying to escape, with a flick to the back of its head.
Finally arriving at his destination, he tossed the monster he was carrying onto the ground.
[Ugh!]
Naturally, it immediately tried to escape again by transforming into a shadow, but…
"Stop."
Before the one who had been waiting there, all its efforts were futile.
"[Groan! Damn it… Phantom, Heinz…!]"
"Indeed, you haven't given up yet. As expected of someone at the peak of the Transcendental Realm."
It was impossible for it to escape with the two of them right next to it. Looking at the monster, its eyes still gleaming as it scanned the surroundings, Heinz II let out a low sigh of admiration. He thought he had made the right choice with this method.
"[What are you…!]"
"Be quiet. It'll be over soon."
He grabbed the monster's neck with one hand and concentrated his 「Refined Blood Crystals」 on his fingertips.
"[Y-You… you…!]"
Heukyeong's eyes widened in shock at the foreign sensation penetrating his neck. Realizing what his opponent was attempting, he gritted his teeth and glared at Heinz.
"[It's useless! I'm immune to all poisons. You might be able to kill me, but even a level 9 transcendent vampire can't contaminate me!]"
Indeed, turning him into a vampire wasn't easy. As one's realm increased, so did their resistance to such things. Moreover, he possessed immunity built up as an assassin.
'Of course, that only applies if I were an ordinary vampire with holy blood.'
Resistance? Immunity?
Who cares?
Unless one had reached the realm of transcendence and transcended the limitations of their existence, such resistance was meaningless against his divine blood.
"[Gah! How…? This can't be—!]"
Only then, realizing that something was wrong, his pupils began to tremble with confusion, but it was already too late.
"[…!]"
The vampiric factor that had penetrated his entire body began to rewrite his cellular foundation from the roots. The energy latent within him transformed into blood magic, and a seal originating from the bloodline firmly took hold in his once steadfast mind.
'The amount of energy required to create a vampire on Earth is about ten times that of other worlds. Considering the amount consumed to neutralize the resistance based on their realm…'
That was the reason he hadn't been increasing his blood relatives recklessly. Changing the affiliation of an existing vampire was one thing, but completely changing their race consumed too many blood crystals.
'Well, it should be fine if it's only occasionally like this.'
The opponent's abilities seemed quite useful. And there was something he needed to hear from its mouth.
So, after a short time—
A new vampire was added to Heterosis, the bloodline on Earth.
"Black Dragon Society? If this goes well…"
Along with some intriguing new information.