Orunidia, a bustling tourist and entertainment city in the middle of the New World, is a relatively large kingdom with a population of nearly one million.
Just yesterday, the kingdom's military reported that they had found a figure resembling Alucard from a wanted poster, a report that shocked the entire court.
Two months ago, Alucard's flag flew in the central part of the kingdom, but it has since been taken down. More importantly, they knew what it would mean if the real Alucard had entered the country.
As night deepened, King Salamander looked out at the night sky from his window, completely devoid of desire for the concubine resting beside him. He couldn't fall asleep.
"Your Majesty, you should rest soon. Didn't you already order the army to be on high alert?" the half-naked concubine said, stroking Salamander's beard-covered face.
"If this were something our army could handle, why would I be so worried?"
Salamander forced a bitter laugh, but he reassured himself. The report only said the person looked similar, and he had already notified the Marines. They said a fleet was on its way and would arrive in less than two days, so everything should be fine.
That's how people are; when they come to a fork in their thoughts, they prefer to lean in the direction that benefits them.
Regardless, the best thing Salamander could have done was find a body double and hide, or at least use that method to hold out until the Marines arrived.
But he was already in a panic and had lost his basic judgment.
"Hmm!"
"Hey! Who are you? Don't you know this is the royal palace?"
At the palace gates, two soldiers saw a person walking up the steps who wasn't a familiar face. They quickly came down the stairs and used their long spears to block his path.
Bang!
Alucard shot one of the guards in the abdomen, leaving a gaping hole in his stomach.
Poosh!
Before the guard could die, Alucard suddenly bit hard into his neck, releasing him a few seconds later.
"Grrah... Guh... Ghhhh... Alucard... Alucard... ALUCARD!!"
The bitten guard's body began to rot at a visible speed. His skin, once a healthy flesh color, turned green as his fat rapidly withered, leaving him a skeleton covered in a layer of skin.
A ghoul!
If a person who is not a virgin is bitten by a vampire and survives, they don't gain power like Hancock. Instead, they transform into a creature called a "ghoul."
Ghouls are stronger than ordinary people but are witless and slow-moving. Anyone bitten by one, regardless of whether they're a virgin, will turn into a new ghoul. This is completely different from a vampire.
If they aren't stopped in time, one ghoul will turn into two, two into four, four into eight, and so on, multiplying endlessly.
"Hey! What's wrong with you? Hey!"
The other guard yelled anxiously as he watched his companion transform. Alucard, meanwhile, acted as if nothing had happened and continued walking toward the palace entrance.
"Hey! You can't enter..."
"Haaa!"
The remaining guard was about to stop Alucard when the ghoul suddenly pounced on him. The ghoul's immense strength gave him no chance to resist, and after struggling for less than five seconds, his neck was bitten.
A few seconds later, a second ghoul was born. They stumbled around as if their legs were broken, looking for other living people to bite.
The palace gates were opened, and two seconds later, gunshots rang out. The screams of fifty soldiers echoed through the palace. In just a few short minutes, the two ghouls outside had multiplied into dozens!
Alucard made his way up to the second floor. Behind him, the first-floor hall was covered in blood and corpses.
"Easy to find."
When he reached the top floor, Alucard placed his hands on the doorknob. "Open, sesame..."
Two years ago, he intervened in his country's war. By submitting on his own accord, he saved his army from being wiped out.
However, more than a month ago, he had agreed to a proposal from the World Government and joined the plan to rebel against Alucard.
Half a month ago, he had been ecstatic when he learned the Marines had won. But just yesterday, his army reported seeing Alucard's silhouette in the city, which instantly terrified him and made him report it to the Marines.
He saw a figure yesterday, and now he's here today. Why so soon?
Alucard walked over to the bed. King Salamander's movement had ceased, and his concubine's face, which had been full of dissatisfaction at first, now mirrored his.
"It's been a while, hasn't it... Hmm, your name is..." Alucard said, trying to remember the king's name.
"A... Al... Alucard-sama!"
Salamander stuttered for a while before suddenly getting up, completely ignoring his own nudity. He pleaded, "Alucard-sama! No, it's not my fault! It's... it was the World Government that forced me to do it! I was just too scared to defy them, which is why I did such a thing!"
"I know you were forced..."
Alucard smiled eerily. Just as a hint of relief crossed Salamander's face, a gun barrel suddenly appeared in his mouth.