'Damn it, I can't resist.'
Heukyeong gritted his teeth. He never expected things to turn out like this. Instead of creating an opening by destabilizing the Blood Alliance that controlled the Korean underworld, he had been ambushed and ended up in this state. Who would have ever thought he would personally lead Phantom, the leader of the Blood Alliance, to the Black Dragon Society's secret base?
'The blood concentration in my body isn't very high from the vampirization. But why? Why can't I refuse his command?'
Most of the enormous amount of 'Refined Blood Essence' that Heinz II had used on him was spent just getting through his resistance. It meant that the vampiric factor that actually altered his physical structure and bound him with blood was not very significant. In fact, his current vampire rank was not very high. By the standards of Auterica, he was barely at the level of a Pure-blood, just a little beyond a Residual Blood. Even by Earth's standards, he was only around level 4 or 5.
Considering that his combat power, having reached the end of the Hwa-kyung realm, was on par with an 8th-level vampire, it should have been normal for Heukyeong the Martial Artist to overpower his new vampire identity. But the reality was the exact opposite. For some reason, he couldn't ignore the blood command and had to obediently follow the orders of the one who had turned him into this. He had to do his best with sincere effort, unable to play any tricks.
"Guh!"
"Agh, Heukyeong! Why would you!"
"This energy... Has he been turned into a vampire? How could a Hwa-kyung master..."
This was the result of that obedience. The secret base was a chaotic mess from the sudden attack by an ally. As a Killer, he was an unusual presence within the Black Dragon Society, which was primarily made up of Martial Artists, but in terms of his Realm, he was second only to the leader, the Black Dragon Lord.
Furthermore, due to the nature of his profession, he was intimately familiar with the formations and traps in the headquarters, and he knew the small habits and weaknesses of his former comrades better than they did. With him determined to 'conquer' them...
Clang!
"What are you doing, Heukyeong!"
"...Lotus Sword."
Those who didn't even have the minimum qualifications to face him were helpless and quickly fell. Perhaps the only good thing was that he didn't intend to kill them from the start, so they were only injured to a degree that a good rest would heal.
Heukyeong let out a small sigh. The young woman who was clashing her scythe with his blazing red sword and shouting at him was a Martial Artist of the Black Dragon Society who had also reached the Hwa-kyung realm.
"Calm down, Lotus Sword. Don't you see what state Heukyeong is in?"
"It can't be. Heukyeong, who was on the verge of Extreme, was unable to overcome the blood contamination and was turned into a vampire? How can this be?"
"Right, even if Phantom is a Transcendent vampire, still..."
Following her, a group of Martial Artists surrounded the two. They included a long-bearded man in a green uniform with a Guan Dao, a slender man in hip-hop clothes wielding twin swords, a sharp-looking middle-aged woman dressed in luxury brands, and a muscular man aiming a large bow from a distance. They were all Hwa-kyung masters who had somehow managed to hold up the collapsing Black Dragon Society.
"Is the Asura Fist King okay?"
"He's not in any mortal danger. He's been poisoned, but he's a tough guy, so he'll shake it off on his own."
"...I see."
With a sigh of relief at the Guan Dao-wielding man's answer, Lotus Sword slowly backed away. She had reached the Hwa-kyung realm, but she wasn't confident enough to face Heukyeong one-on-one. Even though he was an assassin specializing in surprise attacks, there was a difference in skill level within the Hwa-kyung realm.
'But with all five of us!'
In fact, all five weren't even needed. If Heukyeong could continue to use his specialty of surprise attacks, that would be one thing, but now that he had fully revealed himself, just two of them could guarantee a victory. Weren't the five of them, Heukyeong, and the Asura Fist King, who was the first to be attacked and taken down due to being on duty, called the Seven Dragons of the Black Dragon Society?
The reason they all came out was to ensure Heukyeong was captured alive. There might be a way to turn him back to normal. The fact that no one had died so far also fueled that hope.
"Surrender quietly, Heukyeong. Then we will find a way to turn you back. It would be better for you to..."
"You think he'll listen to that? If he could do what he wanted, he wouldn't be causing this mess."
The twin-sword-wielding man cut off the middle-aged man's polite words and took a step forward.
"Since it's come to this, all that's left is to use force! We just need to beat him until he can't resist and then tie him up and lock him away, right?"
"Hmm."
"Heh heh, that's not a bad idea. Looking at Heukyeong, it seems the operation in Korea failed completely. We can just subdue him and hold him until the Black Dragon Lord returns."
The beautiful woman in luxury brands agreed with his words. If Heukyeong had failed, the immigration plan that the Black Dragon Lord had been preparing would have to be halted. They had already contacted him, so it wouldn't take him long to return. This meant their task was clear.
"...Good. There's no benefit to this getting any messier, so let's end this as quickly as possible."
The moment his words ended, the Guan Dao, which had sliced through the air, was aimed at his front. The same went for the sharp twin swords and the blazing red sword. Sharp throwing knives emerged from the luxury bag, radiating a sharp aura between her fingers.
But Heukyeong showed no reaction even as multiple weapons were aimed at him. It wasn't because he was ignoring them. It was simply because there was no longer any need for him to step forward. He slowly closed his eyes.
And then.
"Hmm, so the leader's away after all? Looks like our timing was off."
Suddenly, the air froze. The unexpected sound of a third person's voice, filled with immense pressure, was heard. The frozen Hwa-kyung masters quickly moved and looked toward the source of the voice.
He was there. Wearing a pure white opera mask, he was looking at each of them... the one they believed to be the root cause of the incident at the Black Dragon Society.
'When?'
'How?'
No one knew. They didn't know when he got there or how he deceived everyone's senses. And why hadn't they noticed his aura, which was so heavy with the smell of blood that it made their skin tingle?
Thud!
At that moment, a heavy figure fell between them, who were frozen stiff with tension. No one in the room didn't know who it was.
"Archery Ghost...!"
It was the muscular man who had lost consciousness and was now limp. He was a member of the Seven Dragons, and a moment ago, he had been aiming his bow from the back. Even though his main strength was his bow, it was unbelievable that a Hwa-kyung realm master could be subdued without making a sound!
'No, more than that, how could we not have noticed anything until he fell...?'
A cold shiver ran down their spines. At the same time, they instinctively realized that the person standing there was different from any Transcendent they had encountered before. It wasn't just a matter of a higher level. He was on a completely different plane of existence.
"Hmm, you all seem quite useful."
Heinz II looked at the frozen figures as if appraising them, his voice calm.
Meanwhile, they were at their peak of tension, unable to make any rash moves. But Heinz hadn't just handed everything over to Heukyeong and quietly observed them using 'Existence Denial' for no reason. This was the most efficient way to accurately determine if they were worth taking in and how best to use them.
'It would be a pain if they ran away while making a scene.'
Even though this place was in the outskirts of China, it was still part of the Heaven-Turn Society's territory. There was no benefit in attracting their attention when he hadn't even decided how to use the Black Dragon Society.
'...But it's still too inefficient to turn these guys into vampires and use them.'
He glanced at Heukyeong. On Earth, in addition to turning humans into vampires, a massive amount of 'Refined Blood Essence' was also consumed to raise the level of a vampire. There was a reason Heukyeong's level was so low.
'If it were that easy, I would have raised not only Jin Soran but everyone in Heterosis to level 8.'
When a person's Realm is higher than their Bloodline's power, the binding force of the blood is naturally weaker, but this wasn't a problem for him. His status as a Divine Blood and his skills like 'Blood Progenitor' and 'Subjugation' supported him in all things.
'Well, if the purity is too low, I might not be able to control them well, so I'll have to invest at least that much.'
But any more investment would be a waste for him. Since they had already trained their inner strength and built up their Martial Arts principles to reach their Realm, their combat power wouldn't increase dramatically even if their depth as a vampire deepened.
'In fact, it would be lucky if their balance didn't get disrupted and make them weaker.'
While the compatibility between Heukyeong, a Killer, and a vampire wasn't bad, it was different for the others. So how could he efficiently use these guys...?
CLANGGGGG—!
The thoughts in his mind were interrupted by a loud metallic clang. The sound was from a Guan Dao, filled with Inner Qi, which had been swung with all its might at Heinz's neck but was stopped by a single finger.
The surprise attack didn't end there.
Swoosh—
A dozen throwing knives flew like lightning toward his vitals. At the same time, three swords aimed for his body's weak points. The destructive Inner Qi, containing a dense killing intent, tore through the space.
"Oh? Not bad."
Heinz slowly nodded his head.
"Huh?"
"Cough!"
"What in the...!"
He smiled as he looked at the figures writhing on the floor, who didn't even know why they had fallen, as if time had been cut. Their will to resist, even in the face of such a power difference, was commendable, but how could they possibly lay a finger on him with a Sword of the Heart they hadn't even reached?
'Still, these guys are more capable than I thought. The fact that they were able to try a surprise attack through my overwhelming pressure... It's more than just the energy they hold.'
He looked at the fallen figures with a strange look in his eyes. They were only easily subdued because their opponent was Heinz, but objectively, they had abilities that surpassed an average Hwa-kyung master. He felt a strong sense of something more than just the influence of their unique skills and the system.
'Come to think of it, Heukyeong was the same. The very fact that he was able to play a cat-and-mouse game with Harley for a while, even at the edge of the Realm of the Extreme...'
He stroked his chin, and a conclusion came to mind. These guys were too valuable to be discarded.
'Come to think of it, the Black Dragon Society is an organization that survived for over two decades within the Heaven-Turn Society's territory.'
There must be a reason for that. Including the fact that the Martial Artist Returnees continued to support them, even in a difficult situation that required them to move to another country.
'This smells like a big catch.'
Heinz looked at Heukyeong, who was subtly avoiding his gaze, and the corners of his lips turned up. It seemed this new vampire had a lot of things he hadn't disclosed because he wasn't asked. It was a problem that had to be accepted when attempting forced subjugation without loyalty, but he couldn't help feeling a little annoyed.
'I'd like to meet this Black Dragon Lord soon.'
This connection would be of great help to him. Not only as an ally against the Heaven-Turn Society but also in helping his other self overcome the wall he faced.
The Blood Alliance
"Young Master Ha? Are you okay?"
A cautious female voice entered his ears as he was lost in thought. Ha Seung-hoon... Hugo—who had been staring blankly, smiled and turned to her.
"Ah, something just came to mind. I'm fine, Miss Jegal."
"...Um, I didn't interrupt a moment of enlightenment or anything, did I?"
"No need to worry about that. I was just thinking about where to go next, since we're done here."
"Phew, that's a relief. I called out to you and then thought, 'Oh no.' I was told to just wait patiently at moments like that, but I've never been outside and traveled with others..."
Jegal Hyemi sighed in relief and began to chatter, her hair, which was bleached white in some spots as if it had been streaked from the aftermath of a ritual to restore the world, fluttering around her.
"Hey! Why are you two having fun without me? I just came back from sweating my butt off!"
At that moment, a girl who had tied her hair with a hairpin for better mobility came between them. She was a late-teen girl with a healthy and lively aura and sparkling, mischievous eyes.
"Sorry, Soran."
"Hehe, I'll forgive you since you apologized! But you know the deal, right?"
"Hehe, I know."
"Seriously, I don't know how I ever traveled without you, big sister. Just being able to wash makes life so different!"
Hugo chuckled as he watched Namgoong Soran chatter while hugging Je-gal Hye-mi, who looked much younger than her actual age. Indeed, Je-gal Hye-mi, who could now freely use the dragon's divine arts to summon water, had long become an indispensable member of the group in many ways. If it weren't for her, he would have been a beggar on his journey through the Jianghu.
'Well, I didn't expect things to turn out like this, either.'
He let out a small sigh, looking back and forth between the two women who were now lost in their own world.
Guan Dao (언월도): A type of Chinese blade weapon.