The settlement was a cluster of dwellings made from the jumbled ruins of a collapsed world, looking no different from a junkyard.
"I'm off, Lamu."
"Cough, cough! Be careful, big brother..."
A disheveled young man emerged from one of the shacks, receiving a farewell from a small, sickly-looking girl. He set off on his way. It was still early, just as dawn was breaking, but for someone living hand-to-mouth, it was natural to move while there was still some light. The time when one could see clearly with the naked eye was short.
'We're short on food, so we can't afford to waste fuel.'
The young man, Li-ang, carrying a large backpack, hurried along and looked up at the sky. It was a gray sky, cracked and fractured with parts missing. He quickly lowered his gaze from the flickering, pitch-black abyss in the broken parts.
"Phew, I have to be careful. If something happens to me, there'll be no one to look after Lamu."
Those who fall under the abyss's spell and go mad are met only with death. According to the stories of the elders, the sky used to be clear and blue, but for him, who had only ever seen this sky, it was nothing but a fairy tale.
'There really was a picture like that in a fairy tale book.'
He nodded, recalling a picture book he had been lucky enough to find long ago. His sister had loved it, never letting it out of her sight for a single day. He had to trade it for food, so he didn't have it anymore.
'We were out of food back then, so I had no choice. I couldn't give up the necklace that was our parents' keepsake. ...Still, I hope I can find another fairy tale book this time.'
His sister, Lamu, had been growing weaker recently. He couldn't afford to take her to a healer, so if her condition worsened, it would be dangerous. A gift that would make her happy might help her regain her strength...
Perhaps it was due to this hopeful thought that he had ventured farther than usual and started his work.
"I found it!"
Sifting through the debris of the ruined city, searching for useful items, he soon found a fairy tale book. Not just one or two, but a whole set of colorful books, and they were in surprisingly good condition for having been buried in the ruins for so long.
And that wasn't all. As if luck were on his side today, a pile of objects he had never seen before appeared around the books.
'What a jackpot! I can search this area for days.'
He diligently searched the area and filled his bag in just a few hours. If he could have just a few more hauls like this one, he could live comfortably for months without worrying about his next meal. Maybe he could even take his sister to a healer...
'Today's my lucky day. Yeah, for a change, we'll have a mouse meat party. Eating meat will help Lamu recover her strength.'
After covering the signs of his digging with debris and leaving a marker only he would recognize, Li-ang stood up with a renewed sense of vigor. It was still a long way from sunset, but with a full bag, he planned to return early today.
'I can read her the fairy tale book while it's still light. I hope she's happy.'
Delighted by his small fortune, Li-ang took a big step forward.
Crack—
At that moment, he froze, a sudden, ominous sound filling the air. It wasn't loud, but the crackling sound was unnaturally clear. The sound didn't come from nearby. Instinctively, he knew where the sound had come from and looked up at the sky.
"Huh?"
His arms went limp.
Thud—
The heavy backpack on his back fell to the ground with a dull thud. It was 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—!!"
He ran toward his home, where his sister was waiting for him.
Crack— Crack! Rumble—!
The world was slowly being submerged in darkness, even though it wasn't night yet. It was a prelude to destruction, a sound that echoed not just in this area, but across the entire world.
And so, the sky collapsed.
The Heaven-Turn Society
The world of Kosh'yath, which had been designated a "closed dimension" by Earth's standards several years ago, was finally meeting its end. After the heroes who had gathered from all over to protect the world from a disaster decades ago had sacrificed themselves, the dimension that had been hurtling toward destruction finally reached its conclusion.
"It's finally over."
Now that the Last Messiah, who had desperately tried to maintain the world, had fallen, there was no one left to stop him. Thanks to that, the leader of the Heaven-Turn Society was able to re-enter this place, ignoring the dimension's resistance. He looked down at his palm and nodded with satisfaction.
An overwhelming sense of omnipotence surged within him. And since he was finally able to harvest the seeds he had carefully sown, how could he not be happy?
[...Dimension Devourer. You finally...]
He glanced up at the sound calling him and looked at the being in front of him. A being with golden hair and eyes that seemed to emit their own light. Although the surroundings were filled with lightless darkness, the one facing him was still ignoring all laws and radiating a clear presence.
"Hmph, what a shame. You put up a good fight, but this is the end. Well, you've done what you could, so you have no regrets, right?"
[You bastard...!]
The leader of the Heaven-Turn Society's taunts provoked a fierce surge of rage from the other's body. It wasn't just some kind of energy. Everything that constituted this world, from physical matter to abstract concepts, displayed hostility and sharpened their edges to exclude the invader.
"It's no use."
[Guh!]
But such a violent reaction didn't last long. With a simple wave of the Heaven-Turn Society leader's hand, the world twisted and warped, then clumped together and solidified. There was no way to harm him now that he had occupied the majority of the dimension's influence and secured its causality. Unlike when he was restricted, he could now unleash his full power, making him a being akin to a god. It was the same even if his opponent was the avatar of a god revered in this world.
No, if the opponent also possessed divinity...
"Let's finish this. I'm a busy man, you see. I have to work diligently to make up for the losses I suffered recently."
[I can't allow it! I can't let it end like this...!]
He was nothing more than a hearty meal.
[Gasp!]
"You've become much more human-like since your decline. You're much more pleasant to look at."
The leader of the Heaven-Turn Society casually plunged his hand into the avatar's chest and slowly pulled something out. It was a golden, shining crystallized divinity. It was the very essence of the being that had been worshipped as the one true god in the world of Kosh'yath for ages.
"Indeed, this should be enough..."
Within the collapsing world, he used the divinity in his hand to instantly absorb the karma scattered throughout the dimension and took a deep breath. Then, with a mocking grin, he raised the corner of his mouth toward the gaze of the administrator.
The administrator, also known as the Master God in some worlds, was a being like a system that maintained the dimension. As long as he had secured causality through a legitimate method, there was no way to stop him, whether he killed a god or destroyed a world.
In fact, the game was over the moment the "Last Messiah," the final resort, fell.
'My work here is done.'
The Kosh'yath dimension was over. It would soon completely disappear, and everything would return to nothing. With the perception of a god, he looked down at the entire world, gathered the few followers who remained, and turned his body. The moment he took a step and crossed the dimension...
"Hmm."
His vision wavered, and the sense of omnipotence that had filled his body vanished completely. The freed causality tightly bound his body, and all sorts of restrictions clung to him, blurring his near-omniscient perception. It felt like looking at the world with glazed-over eyes while wearing a straitjacket.
Since it wasn't a new feeling, the leader of the Heaven-Turn Society accepted it and immediately began to take care of his overdue business. Since he was back on Earth, he planned to check on what had happened during his absence and issue new orders...
"Huh?"
His eyes twitched with a sense of unease that replaced his previous satisfaction from the significant harvest. The information he confirmed by even calling his Oracle was even more preposterous.
"Not only was the Southeast Asian branch annihilated... but also the Executioner?"
" I apologize, Master."
The Oracle immediately offered an apology as if a loss of face. He narrowed his eyes at the response and slowly looked around.
'...The increase in our share has stopped.'
No matter what, the most important base for him was Earth. Stealing divinity and drawing energy from other dimensions was merely a means to an end. Although there had been some recent setbacks due to an unknown meddler, he had a record of past successes, so he trusted and delegated the work. He never imagined things would turn out like this.
'Masquerade...'
An adversary challenging the long-established prestige of the Heaven-Turn Society. Now that they had officially begun to act, it seemed necessary to restore order for an effective response.
Right after the monster that had devoured yet another world returned, the executives of the Heaven-Turn Society scattered across Earth were summoned all at once.
The Blood Alliance
After Harley's surprise attack on the Black Python Gang's headquarters, the Guardians' investigative team, which had been slowly closing in on them, soon arrived at the scene. Despite their tendency to be somewhat inefficient due to various restrictions, the Guardians were a highly competent organization that was difficult to replace.
No matter how insignificant the ability, the synergy of those who had survived different worlds was never to be underestimated. Furthermore, as they were affiliated with the Returnee Association, which represented the human rights of almost all Returnees, their direct talent pool and the abilities of external personnel they could cooperate with were beyond imagination.
'Thanks to their proactive efforts, our new employees were able to track the bastards down more easily.'
If it weren't for them, it would have been difficult to identify the mastermind so quickly. Capturing the mastermind would have been even more unlikely. In many ways, their performance was certainly worth the tax money.
'I should probably donate some additional funds to them.'
As the Guardians and the Criminal Investigation Unit agents, who had been a great help in the investigation, stormed the Black Python Gang's headquarters to arrest Black Yaksha Gwon Cheol-yong, Harley, who had arrived a step earlier, was already leisurely leaving the scene. He had the genuine shadow monster securely in his grasp.
[Guh, how did you catch up so quickly? And who the hell are you? There's no way the Blood Alliance has another Transcendent besides Phantom...!]
"Khahahaha! What's this? Is it introductions time? Well, I don't mind, but I have an easier way. Just bear with me a little longer."
The monster, Heukyeong, who was being carried like luggage, squeezed out his questions, but Harley laughed loudly and continued running toward a secluded area. After a moment of subduing the monster, who wouldn't give up on its escape attempt, with a firm flick to its head, he finally reached his destination and threw the guy onto the ground.
[Guh!]
Naturally, the monster immediately turned into a shadow to try and escape again, but...
"Stop."
Everything was futile in front of the person who was already waiting for him.
[Agh! Damn it... PhantomHeinz...!]
"Indeed. You still haven't given up. Quite befitting of someone who has reached the very edge of the Realm of the Extreme."
It was impossible for him to escape when both of them were right there. Heinz II murmured in admiration, looking at the creature's still-glowing eyes as it surveyed its surroundings. He was glad he chose this method.
[What are you doing...!]
"Stay still. It will be over quickly."
He then grabbed the monster's neck with one hand and concentrated his 'Refined Blood Essence' at his fingertips.
[You, you're not going to!]
Heukyeong's eyes widened in shock at the foreign sensation penetrating his neck. Realizing what the man was trying to do, he gritted his teeth and glared at Heinz.
[It's useless! My body is immune to all poisons. I'm a Transcendent, a level 9 vampire. You won't be able to corrupt me unless you kill me!]
Indeed, it wasn't easy to turn this guy into a vampire. As one's Realm advances, their resistance to such things increases, and he also had immunity he had built up as an assassin.
'Of course, that would only apply if I were an ordinary vampire of the Sacred Blood.'
Resistance? Immunity? Who cares? Unless you've reached the Transcendent stage and broken free from the limits of your existence, the resistance of someone who hasn't crossed that wall is meaningless in front of his 'Divine Blood'.
[Agh! How...?! This can't be—!]
At that moment, his pupils began to shake with panic as he realized something was very wrong, but it was already far too late.
[...!]
The vampiric factor that had infiltrated his body began to overturn the very foundation of his cells from the root. The latent energy in his entire body was corrupted into Blood Mana, and a deep-seated command from the Bloodline firmly took root in his mind.
'The amount of energy needed to create a vampire on Earth is about ten times that of another world. And if you factor in the energy consumed to neutralize their resistance based on their Realm...'
That was why he hadn't created many kin before. It was one thing to simply change an existing vampire's affiliation, but changing their species entirely consumed too much Blood Essence.
'Well, it should be fine to do it once in a while.'
Besides, the guy's ability seemed very useful, and there was something he absolutely needed to hear from him.
After a short while, a new vampire was added to the Bloodline, Heterosis, on Earth.
"The Black Dragon Society, you say? If I play my cards right..."
He'd just gained some very interesting new information.