'Ugh, I can't resist.'
Heukyeong gritted his teeth. He never dreamt things would turn out like this. Instead of shaking up the Blood Alliance that ruled Korea's underworld and creating an opening as planned, he had been counterattacked and ended up like this!
Who would have thought he would personally lead Phantom, the Lord of the Blood Alliance, to the Black Dragon Society's secret base?
'The concentration of blood in my body isn't that high after becoming a vampire. But why? Why can't I resist the compulsion?!'
Most of the massive amount of 「Refined Blood Crystals」 Heinz II used on him was consumed in breaking through his resistance. This meant that the amount of vampiric factor that actually altered his body structure and bound him with the blood's restraint wasn't that much. Indeed, his current level as a vampire wasn't that high. By Auterica's standards, he was barely past the Remnant Blood stage and had reached Pure Blood level, and even by Earth's standards, he was only around level 4 or 5.
Considering that his combat power at the peak of the Transcendental Realm was comparable to a level 8 vampire, his identity as a martial artist should have overshadowed his vampiric nature.
But reality was the opposite.
For some reason, he couldn't ignore the blood's restraint and had to obey the orders of the one who made him this way. With utmost sincerity, unable to use any other tricks.
"Cough!"
"Ugh, Heukyeong! Why are you doing this?!"
"This energy… could it be that you've become a vampire? How could a master of the Transcendental Realm…?"
The result was the current scene. The secret base was in chaos due to the sudden betrayal. Although he, as an assassin, was an unusual presence within the Black Dragon Society, which mainly consisted of martial artists, he was second only to the Black Dragon Lord in terms of realm.
Moreover, due to the nature of his profession, he was already familiar with the formations and traps installed in the base, and he knew the habits and weaknesses of his former comrades better than they did themselves. With him setting out to "conquer" them…
Clang!
"What are you doing? Heukyeong!"
"…Lotus Blossom Sword."
Those who didn't even possess the minimum qualifications to face him could only be helplessly swept away. Fortunately, he hadn't intended to kill from the start, so everyone was only injured enough to recover after a period of rest.
Heukyeong let out a small sigh. A young woman, her red sword blazing like fire, clashed her weapon against his scythe and shouted. Like him, she was a martial artist of the Black Dragon Society who had reached the Transcendental Realm.
"Calm down, Lotus Blossom Sword. You know Heukyeong's current state, don't you?"
"That's absurd. Heukyeong, who was on the verge of Transcendence, couldn't overcome the blood's contamination and became a vampire? How is that possible?"
"Indeed, even if Phantom is a transcendent vampire…"
Then, a group of martial artists surrounded the two. A middle-aged man with a long beard wielding a guan dao in a green robe, a slender man in hip-hop fashion wielding twin swords, a sharp-featured middle-aged woman adorned in luxury brands, and a muscular man aiming a large bow from afar. They were all masters of the Transcendental Realm who had been supporting the crumbling Black Dragon Society.
"What about the Asura Fist King? Is he alright?"
"He's alive. He's poisoned, but he's tough, so he'll recover on his own."
"…I see."
Lotus Blossom Sword, catching her breath after the middle-aged man's reply, slowly stepped back. Although she had reached the Transcendental Realm, she wasn't confident in facing Heukyeong one-on-one. Even if he was an assassin specializing in surprise attacks, there were still differences in levels within the Transcendental Realm.
'But if the five of us work together!'
In fact, they didn't even need all five. Unless Heukyeong could continue his surprise attacks, which were his specialty, two of them would be enough to guarantee victory now that he had been fully revealed.
Weren't the five of them, along with Heukyeong and the Asura Fist King who had been ambushed first due to being on duty, called the Seven Dragons of the Black Dragon Society?
They had all stepped forward to capture Heukyeong alive. There might be a way to restore him to his original state. The fact that there hadn't been any deaths so far had fueled that hope.
"Surrender peacefully, Heukyeong. We'll find a way to return you to normal. It's best for you to…"
"Do you think he'll listen? If it were that easy, he wouldn't have caused this chaos."
The man with the twin swords cut off the politely speaking middle-aged man and took a step forward.
"It's come to this, so all that's left is to use force! We just have to beat him up, tie him up, and lock him away, right?"
"Hmm."
"Heh~ That's not wrong. Seeing Heukyeong like this, it seems the operation in Korea has also failed. We can just subdue him and keep him locked up until the Black Dragon Lord returns."
The woman in luxury brands agreed with him. If Heukyeong had failed, the Black Dragon Lord's migration plan would also have to be halted. They had already contacted him, so it wouldn't take long for him to return. In that case, what they had to do was already decided.
"…Good. It's best to end this quickly before things get out of hand."
As soon as he finished speaking, the guan dao sliced through the air, aimed straight ahead. The twin swords, radiating sharp energy, and the red sword, blazing with flames, followed suit. Sharp throwing knives, pulled from a luxury bag, glinted between her fingers.
But Heukyeong didn't react even as multiple weapons were pointed at him. It wasn't that he was ignoring them.
It was just that… there was no longer any reason for him to step forward.
He quietly closed his eyes.
And…
"Hmm, is the leader absent again? Seems like our timing is off."
For a moment—the air froze.
A third party's voice, filled with an immense sense of pressure, suddenly echoed. The masters of the Transcendental Realm, flinching, quickly turned towards the source.
He was there.
Wearing a pure white opera mask, looking around at each of them… the one pointed to as the culprit behind the incident in the Black Dragon Society.
'When?'
'How?'
No one knew. Since when had he been there? How had he deceived all their senses? And why hadn't they noticed this bloodcurdling aura until now?!
Thud!
Then, a heavy figure fell among them, frozen stiff with tension. No one here didn't know who it was.
"Gunggwi…!"
A muscular man, unconscious and limp. One of the Seven Dragons, their comrade who had been aiming his bow from the rear just moments ago. Even if his specialty was archery, how could a master of the Transcendental Realm be subdued without a trace?!
'No, more importantly, we didn't notice anything until he was taken down…?'
A cold shiver ran down their spines. At the same time, they instinctively realized. The figure standing there was different from the transcendents they had encountered so far.
It wasn't simply a matter of a higher level. It was more than that… as if their very existence was on a different plane…
"Hmm, you all seem quite useful."
Heinz II muttered softly, observing the frozen figures as if appraising them. They couldn't act rashly due to the extreme tension!
But Heinz hadn't simply left everything to Heukyeong and been quietly observing using 「Existence Denial」 for nothing. This was the most efficient way to determine whether they were worth recruiting and how best to utilize them.
'It would be troublesome if they caused a commotion and tried to escape.'
Even though this was a remote area of China, it still belonged to the Heavenly Change Society
's territory. It wouldn't be beneficial to attract their attention before deciding how to utilize the Black Dragon Society.
'…But turning these guys into vampires is too inefficient.'
He glanced at Heukyeong. On Earth, a tremendous amount of 「Refined Blood Crystals」 was consumed not only in turning humans into vampires, but also in raising their level. That's why Heukyeong was stuck at his current level.
'If it were that easy, I would have raised everyone in Heterosis, including Jin So-ran, to level 8.'
As the individual's realm surpassed the power of the bloodline, the blood's binding force weakened, but that didn't matter much to him. Not only did he possess the inherent power of divine blood, but various skills, including 「Blood Ancestor」 and 「Subjugation Domination」, supplemented it all.
'Well, I still need to invest enough to ensure control if their purity is too low.'
But investing any more than this was a waste, even for him. Since they had already cultivated their internal energy and accumulated martial arts knowledge to reach their current realm, their combat power wouldn't drastically increase even if they deepened their understanding as vampires.
'It would be fortunate if their balance wasn't disrupted and they didn't become weaker.'
Heukyeong, as a former assassin, wasn't a bad match for being a vampire, but the others were a different story. So, how could he utilize them effectively…?
Clang!
A loud metallic clang interrupted his thoughts. The guan dao, imbued with aura and swung with full force towards Heinz's neck, was stopped by a single finger, the resulting noise echoing through the space.
The surprise attack didn't end there.
Whoosh!
Dozens of throwing knives flew towards his vital points like lightning. At the same time, three swords aimed for openings in his unguarded body.
A destructive aura, filled with intense killing intent, tore through the space.
"Oh? Not bad."
Heinz slowly nodded.
"Huh?"
"Cough!"
"W-What…!"
Then, as if time had been frozen, he smirked, looking down at the figures writhing on the ground, unaware of how they had been defeated. Their spirit of resistance despite sensing the gap was commendable, but with their level of swordsmanship not even reaching the level of Heart Sword, how could they even touch him, let alone injure him?
'These guys are better than I thought? Breaking through my pressure and attempting a surprise attack… It's more than just the aura they possess.'
He scanned the figures rolling on the ground with curious eyes. They were easily subdued only because their opponent was Heinz. Objectively, they possessed abilities surpassing ordinary masters of the Transcendental Realm. It wasn't simply the influence of the system, including their unique skills, but something more profound.
'Come to think of it, Heukyeong was the same. Playing hide-and-seek with Harley for a while, despite being at the peak of the Transcendental Realm…'
He stroked his chin in thought and came to a conclusion. These individuals were too valuable to simply discard.
'The Black Dragon Society is an organization that has survived for over twenty years within the Heavenly Change Society's territory.'
There must be a reason for that. Including the fact that the martial arts returnees continued to support them even in a difficult situation that required migration to another country.
'This smells like a big catch.'
Heinz, looking at Heukyeong subtly averting his gaze, smirked. It seemed his new vampire recruit had some secrets it hadn't revealed. It was a problem he had to accept when forcing subjugation without loyalty, but it was still annoying.
'I'd like to meet this Black Dragon Lord soon.'
This connection would be of great help to him. Not only as a force opposing the Heavenly Change Society…
But also in overcoming the wall that his other self was facing.
"Young Master Ha? Are you alright?"
A cautious female voice reached his ears as he was lost in thought. Ha Seung-hoon—Hugo—snapped out of his reverie and smiled, turning towards the voice.
"Ah, something just came to mind. I'm fine, Miss Jegal."
"…Did I interrupt something? A moment of enlightenment or something…"
"It's nothing like that, so don't worry. I was just thinking about where we should go next since we've finished here."
"Phew, that's a relief. I thought I made a mistake calling out to you. I heard that you're supposed to wait quietly at times like these, but I don't have much experience traveling with others…"
Jegal Hye-mi, sighing in relief at his calm reply, started chattering. Her hair, bleached white in places like a bridge due to the aftereffects of participating in the world restoration ritual, swayed gently.
"Hey! Why are you two having fun without me? I've been working hard and sweating!"
Then, a girl with her hair tied up with a hairpin for ease of movement intervened between them. A girl in her late teens, exuding a healthy and energetic aura, her large, playful eyes sparkling.
"Sorry, So-ran."
"Hehehe, apology accepted! But you know, right?"
"Hehehe, I know."
"Seriously, I don't know how I traveled without you before. My life has changed so much just by being able to shower properly!"
Hugo chuckled, looking at Namgung So-ran, who looked much younger than her actual age, chattering away while hugging Jegal Hye-mi. Indeed, Jegal Hye-mi, who could freely use dragon's magic and summon water at will, had become an indispensable presence to the group. If it weren't for her, he would have been a beggar during his journey through the martial world.
'Well, I didn't expect things to turn out like this either.'
He sighed softly, watching the two women, lost in their own world.