Chapter 301: Chapter 301

On a battlefield filled with turbulent energy and scorching heat,

Another shockwave erupted, accompanied by Harley’s savage laughter.

His opponents roared and struggled, desperately trying to turn the tide, but the situation continued to deteriorate, spiraling out of their control.

Their only hope was for reinforcements to arrive while they held the line…

…But the constant explosions from the outskirts of the forest dashed their hopes.

Unlike the fight in the center, the wide-ranging bombardment clearly indicated that the intruders had the upper hand.

It couldn’t have gone any other way.

He had summoned both Harley and Harris for this very reason.

Their opponents were formidable, but his forces were overwhelmingly superior.

‘Even among transcendents, there are levels.’

And that applied to the last avatar on the scene as well, Heinz the Second, the Vampire King, who craved the completion of his bloodline.

Some distance away from Harley’s battle,

A sharp clang echoed through the air as the shockwave from their clash sent trees and bushes flying.

The Duke, having barely blocked the attack with his blood-red spear, gritted his teeth in frustration.

As if he couldn’t tolerate the current situation.

But Heinz, unfazed by his opponent’s reaction, continued his relentless assault, calmly analyzing the Duke’s abilities.

‘His senses are sharp. Causality manipulation isn’t very effective against high-level opponents.’

His initial attack, which had pierced the Duke’s side, had only been possible thanks to the element of surprise.

Now that the Duke was on guard, his attacks were easily blocked.

‘Well, I didn’t expect it to be that easy.’

It hadn’t been long since their one-on-one duel began.

Harris and Harley were doing their job, so there shouldn’t be any more interruptions.

Of course, there was a chance that reinforcements would arrive after sensing the commotion…

‘But that’s enough time.’

Heinz gripped the two blood-red greatswords that had materialized in his hands, lowered his stance, and took a step forward.

His presence vanished for a moment as he accelerated, his body blurring, crossing the distance in an instant.

He swung both swords, aiming for the Duke’s back…

…But a new spear, thicker than before, materialized behind the Duke, blocking his attack, and the Duke immediately counterattacked, his weapon imbued with an overwhelming force.

Heinz’s eyes narrowed as he felt one of his blood swords shatter from the impact.

Even if liquid weapons were less durable, it was still made with 「Refined Blood Essence」.

It was absurd that it shattered after a single clash, while the Duke’s weapon remained intact.

‘He can manipulate blood itself.’

It seemed to be a high-level unique skill.

He wasn’t sure if it was an innate ability or a special power derived from his blood manipulation… but it was a cheat-like ability for a vampire, whose power was derived from blood.

It was probably the key to the Duke’s current level.

A crimson dot flew towards Heinz’s face.

The tip of the Duke’s blood spear.

It crossed the distance in an instant, ignoring the intervening space, and like a sentient being, it twisted and turned, its trajectory unpredictable, pursuing Heinz as he dodged and weaved.

Two, three… more and more crimson dots appeared, surrounding him from all directions.

‘This isn’t going to work.’

Realizing that evasion wasn’t a viable strategy, he twisted his body mid-air, bringing his remaining blood sword to his waist.

His thoughts accelerated, and his 「Insight」 skill analyzed the trajectories of the approaching spears.

And then, as they all converged on a single line,

…He unleashed “Rapid Acceleration”, swinging his sword in a wide arc.

The blade, extended like a whip, its tip moving at hypersonic speed, collided with the spears, shattering both weapons into a shower of crimson mist.

Heinz’s expression remained unchanged, as they were just disposable weapons… but the Duke’s face hardened.

An unsettling feeling.

A strange sensation, growing stronger since the beginning of their fight.

An ominous premonition that he couldn’t win, accompanied by a rapid depletion of his energy and a decrease in the effectiveness of his attacks.

Even with his unique skill, which granted him an almost limitless energy supply, this wasn’t a good situation.

‘What kind of ability is that? A unique skill? Or…’

It wasn’t just a simple debuff. It was something more fundamental, a manipulation of concepts.

Even he, a master of his craft with decades of experience, couldn’t comprehend it.

It forced him to make a drastic decision.

He was also a skilled sensor, so he was well aware of the situation.

He wasn’t a fool who couldn’t sense the dwindling number of his allies.

And once they were all eliminated, what would happen to him?

‘This is my last chance.’

Whether it was escaping or regrouping with his remaining forces,

It all depended on how quickly he could eliminate his opponent.

He should have been questioning his chances of victory, but he deliberately pushed aside such thoughts.

Such negativity wouldn't help him survive.

Even if it was just a desperate gamble.

‘I can’t return unscathed. I’ll have to accept some losses.’

Desperate measures always came with risks.

The Duke, unleashing a barrage of blood spears, finally found an opening and acted without hesitation.

His blood surged, an overwhelming energy erupting from his body.

Heinz was thrown back, despite his hasty defense, and frowned as he regained his footing.

“Kuh— This is exhilarating—!”

A grotesque transformation.

The Duke’s once handsome face became gaunt and pale, his muscles swelling to an unnatural size, tearing his suit to shreds.

And the most significant change was the number of blood spears surrounding him.

Dozens of crimson spikes, their sharp tips pointing towards the sky.

The explosive energy released by the unleashed potential within his blood distorted the surrounding space, shaking the barrier that enclosed the forest.

“…This feels familiar.”

Heinz narrowed his eyes, observing the unnatural phenomenon.

He felt a strange sense of déjà vu, a feeling he had experienced once before…

“…Ah! I see. You were involved in Alpha’s incident as well, weren’t you?”

And then he realized the source of that familiarity and nodded in understanding.

The Duke’s aura was strangely similar to that of Alpha, the leader of the Blood Alliance’s hardliners who had rampaged through Seoul.

He hadn’t been able to understand the cause of Alpha’s transformation back then, but if the Duke was involved…

Heinz frowned, stopping his train of thought.

The events that had transpired since Alpha’s attack, and all the information he had gathered, flashed through his mind.

And after a brief moment, he reached a certain conclusion.

‘…Doctor. Doctor is here.’

Somewhere nearby, Doctor, one of Heaven’s Turn Society’s highest-ranking executives, was present.

His instincts screamed that truth.

‘Was it to capture me? This is my chance.’

He hadn't been able to pinpoint Doctor’s location, even after acquiring Yulryeongja’s memories.

He knew Doctor was based in Europe, but he could create a lab anywhere, so his location wasn't fixed.

‘…If I can capture him…’

He would know much more than Yulryeongja or the Duke.

About Heaven’s Turn Society… and about the Master.

“I’ll finish this quickly!”

As he was lost in thought, a barrage of blood-red spears, their speed significantly faster than before, shot towards him, accompanied by a furious roar.

A turbulent stream of energy, distorting space along its trajectory.

“It seems we’re on the same page.”

It was an overwhelming attack, but to Heinz, it was just a minor nuisance.

‘Once I’m done with him…’

A new target had appeared, a chance to acquire valuable information.

But first, he had to deal with the immediate threat.

Heinz’s thoughts accelerated, his 「Insight」 skill analyzing the situation.

‘The scale of his energy is incredible. Did he amplify his blood power again? Even so, this is… Perhaps he also gained his power through blood consumption in his world.’

It was an overwhelming amount of energy, difficult to explain otherwise.

And it wasn’t an implausible theory, considering his unique skill seemed to be related to blood.

The risk of consuming vampires from different lineages was high, but it wasn’t uncommon for those from the same lineage to gain power through blood consumption.

If anyone was an expert in that field, it was Heinz himself.

He had united all the bloodlines of Auterica and continued to consume various blood factors on Earth.

‘Hmm, it’s not easy to control this much power. But I might as well get used to it.’

He had already assessed his opponent's abilities.

Now all that remained was to finish him off.

Heinz, riding the flow of causality, his senses amplified to the limit, took a step forward.

Blood magic power, drawn from his heart and the essences of Sacred Blood he had absorbed, surged through his limbs.

His burning gaze met the Duke’s.

He drew his blood swords, deflecting the approaching spear.

He repeated the process, his weapons shattering and reforming.

Amidst the shower of crimson mist, he could clearly sense that he still had the upper hand in terms of speed.

He couldn't just let the blood mist dissipate. It was a valuable resource.

He used 「Blood Mystery」 to create multiple blood swords, hovering in the air and moving independently.

Like fighter jets battling for air superiority, they clashed with the Duke’s spears, shattering and reforming.

The exchange rate wasn't favorable, but they were just a distraction, buying him time.

He had fully entered the Duke’s domain.

His 「Existence Denial」 was no longer effective.

The entire space seemed to be hostile, trying to push him back… but he was used to it.

He continued his advance, his weapons drawn.

The deeper he went, the slower he became, the Duke’s ‘time’ catching up.

His injuries increased, though they quickly regenerated.

Heinz, having taken his final step, smiled gently as he faced the Duke, his face gaunt and pale, his features distorted.

As if meeting a long-lost… half.

‘Well, it’s not entirely wrong.’

They would soon become one.

He reached out and grabbed the Duke’s neck.

Heinz the Second, the Vampire King who craved the completion of his bloodline, had finally grasped the last piece of the puzzle.