Chapter 304: Chapter 304

[“Ooh ho ho! Masquerade? What a wonderful name! It suits you perfectly!”]

Doctor, a middle-aged man, clapped his hands enthusiastically, a genuine smile on his face.

But Heinz the Second, having finally reached his destination after clearing the dungeon, didn’t respond. He calmly surveyed the surroundings, a frown creasing his brow as he processed the information gathered by his newly awakened senses.

‘He’s playing tricks.’

It looked like he had finally reached his destination after overcoming countless obstacles… but this place was also an illusion, a mere reflection of the real space, like a mirror image.

And naturally, Doctor, who was chattering before him, was also an illusion.

‘A last resort, huh?’

But such a flimsy resistance was laughable at this point.

A crimson aura flickered in Heinz’s eyes, and the illusionary space around him began to shatter and distort.

He ignored Doctor’s ramblings and focused on his task.

A miniature, localized dimension, created by artificially overlapping and twisting the phases of a subspace.

That was his assessment of Doctor’s technique.

‘Hans or Horus would have been able to analyze it more thoroughly.’

The various spells woven into this space were too complex and high-level for him to fully comprehend through indirect analysis.

After all, senses were an absolute requirement for processing and interpreting information.

‘And I’m still not used to my newly awakened senses.’

But that was enough for his current purpose.

After all, he was a level 10 Divine Blood vampire, the only one in this world.

[“This is… troublesome! Hahaha! I guess this is what they call a checkmate!”]

And Doctor, the one directly involved, was well aware of that fact.

He couldn’t hide his anxiety, knowing that the last barrier protecting him from that monstrous being was about to crumble.

But despite his clearly imminent demise, he just laughed, a strange, manic sound.

Heinz frowned, unable to comprehend his reaction.

‘Has he given up? Or… Hmm?’

His thoughts were interrupted.

The surrounding energy surged, the flow of causality intensifying.

And his heightened senses immediately deduced the result.

His lips twitched involuntarily.

“…Seriously? Self-destruction?”

[“Oh? You’re quick to catch on!”]

An unusual phenomenon, engulfing all the magic in the mansion, began to manifest.

It rapidly expanded, separating the area from the rest of the world.

‘A ritual that sacrifices his own life. It wasn’t part of the original design… Did he create this in such a short time?’

Heinz, inwardly impressed, looked back at Doctor.

A ritual to separate the subspace from the dungeon and return everything within to nothingness.

If successful, the entire mansion, along with everything inside, would vanish from existence, leaving behind only a massive crater.

‘If it succeeds, that is.’

He wasn't hiding in the shadows. He was standing right before him.

There was no way he would just stand there and let him do as he pleased.

No matter how fast Doctor’s ritual was, there were still limits.

Heinz’s thoughts accelerated, time slowing down around him.

The turbulent flow of causality became clear and distinct, as if he could reach out and grasp it.

And with a single thought, he seized a thread of causality.

The mansion, once filled with noise and chaos, fell silent.

The only change was Doctor, blood trickling from his seven orifices, his body crumbling into dust, starting from his extremities, as if he alone had borne the brunt of the backlash.

“Cough! Wow… I didn’t expect it to be this easy… Khehehe… To think you could even do this… You’re much more capable than I thought!”

But even then, his chattering didn’t stop.

He chuckled, then, as if fascinated by the phenomenon, examined his disintegrating limbs, nodding thoughtfully.

“It’s a shame I can’t study this! This would have been an interesting research topic.”

He grumbled, his voice filled with a strange excitement.

Even facing his imminent demise, his mind was still on his research. A true mad scientist.

But his ramblings didn't last long.

The backlash from the disrupted ritual quickly spread through his body, reaching his torso and head.

“…I’ll see you again next time! And I hope to meet your friends as well! Mwahahaha!”

With those parting words, a mix of a final testament and a curse, Doctor’s body completely disintegrated, scattering into dust.

It was a slightly anticlimactic end, but there was nothing he could do about it.

‘…It would have been better to capture him alive, but he was determined to die.’

After all, Doctor had the advantage when it came to magic and sorcery.

But thanks to his self-destruction, he had prevented further spatial distortion and even acquired valuable information and resources from Doctor’s lab.

‘This entire place is a treasure trove. I’m sure I can find something useful. And there are some interesting items here… Oh? This will be helpful for Howard’s research.’

Heinz, having finally entered Doctor’s lab, looked around the cluttered room with a mixture of awe and disgust.

Research journals, bound in folders, strange devices whose purpose he couldn’t even guess… it looked like a junkyard.

But these were priceless artifacts, each imbued with the knowledge and skill of Doctor, the world's greatest supernatural engineer.

And then, as he was skimming through the research proposals, a familiar title caught his eye.

‘…The Complete Evolution Project?’

It was the same project he had used to create Harley.

He quickly reviewed the contents, and it seemed like it had been updated and improved since then.

But Heinz just scoffed and tossed the document aside.

After all, he had already created the ultimate masterpiece, a being that had surpassed even perfection, while they were still struggling with the design phase.

No matter how much they had updated their theories, it was still laughable to him.

‘I still have a lot to do. I need to find someone to lead the remaining Dracul members, and I have to bestow “Refined Blood Essence” upon my subordinates to ensure their loyalty…’

He was already thinking about his next move. The Masquerade was a distant memory.

And so, on the day when the Duke and Doctor, the heads of Heaven’s Turn Society’s European branch, perished,

Their control over Europe crumbled.

And the repercussions of those events spread to other countries.

Despite the global chaos, modern society still had one major advantage: rapid information dissemination.

A high-speed network that could transmit information across the globe in real time.

And that played a significant role in quickly spreading the news of the recent events in Europe to East Asia, and more specifically, to Korea.

The information, despite originating from the other side of the world, was transmitted almost without any loss or distortion.

It was a story that naturally captured the public’s attention.

After all, a single vampire from Korea, a relative backwater in the supernatural world, had single-handedly taken down several of Europe’s most powerful vampire clans and absorbed their power!

Naturally, people were skeptical at first.

But the evidence was undeniable.

Phantom was already a relatively well-known figure, with numerous photos and videos circulating online, making it easy to compare and analyze the data.

Heterosis headquarters in Seoul.

Jin So-ran, the acting head of Heterosis, sat in her office, reviewing a report.

“…I had a feeling when the Lord said he was going to Europe…”

She looked at the photos of Heinz attached to the report, a troubled expression on her face.

It was hard to believe.

He had only been gone for a short while, and he had already subdued several powerful organizations?

And not just any organizations, but those based in Europe, a land where vampires held significant power.

Heterosis, in terms of both scale and power, couldn’t compare.

Europe wasn’t known as a vampire stronghold for nothing.

‘Hmm, with the Lord’s abilities, it’s possible to take over a clan just by subduing its leader…’

But the scale of his actions was still… surprising.

She sighed, looking at the keywords trending on Korean online communities.

So far, the reactions had been mostly positive.

It was a source of national pride, after all.

The problem was the other side.

The foreign media, mainly from Japan and China.

“Heaven’s Turn Society must be behind this…”

Phantom had been openly hostile towards them, so they were now applying pressure through other means.

China was still their stronghold, and they hadn’t fully recovered from Hahoe Mask’s attack.

‘And they won’t miss this opportunity to pressure the Korean government.’

The problem was that their methods were surprisingly effective.

Objectively, Phantom and his vampires were criminals, operating outside the law.

If they didn't change their image, it would become a major obstacle in the future.

Jin So-ran groaned, clutching her head.

To fight against Heaven’s Turn Society, which had already infiltrated society, they needed to gather as much support as possible and cooperate.

That meant they had to appeal to the public…

But how could vampires, who needed human blood, appear friendly and approachable?

“Ha… Appealing to the public… Should we run ads? ‘We don’t bite’? We’re not celebrities…”

She trailed off, a thought crossing her mind.

Was it really impossible?

Considering Phantom’s current popularity, it didn’t seem that far-fetched.

And vampires were generally attractive.

They were practically born for the entertainment industry.

‘And we’re currently building a positive relationship with the government through the Returnee Association. If we play our cards right…’

Her eyes sparkled, a predatory grin spreading across her face.

Jin So-ran, the acting head of Heterosis and the Blood Alliance’s public relations manager.

A little-known fact: she was a former aspiring idol and a current streamer.