Chapter 285: Entering Europe (4)

In a laboratory where all sorts of miscellaneous items were scattered around in disarray.

Whirr— Click-clack!

Along with the sound of a motor rotating intensely, the sound of something grinding was echoing loudly.

Following that, a series of loud noises of things being broken and smashed continued to be heard.

It was a sound of work that was not very fitting to its appearance, where advanced devices were lined up everywhere, but even that was just the usual everyday scene here.

While that usual routine was going on.

Beep—

A different, unusual sound entered the midst of the commotion.

-Doctor, Doctor, are you there?

However, whether the operator of the laboratory had not heard it or not, the loud noises that had continued to echo began to gradually stop only after several more calls.

-Doctor?

It had already been about 5 minutes since the first call, but that voice continued to speak with a calm tone as if it was used to it.

"Hmm? What is it? I was just getting into the groove."

At that, Dr., the operator of the lab who had been moving around frantically, grumbled and crossed the area that was full of miscellaneous items.

He picked up a towel that was lying around, and roughly wiped the red liquid from both of his hands.

Beep—

And then, after approaching a desk that was placed in one corner, he lightly tapped on a magic tool that was placed on it, and connected to the communication line.

"Yess~ yess~ this is Dr. What business do you have?"

-Ah, Doctor. I'm sorry for contacting you so suddenly.

"It's good that you know it. So quickly tell me what business you have. It seems like I might have an idea about how to pioneer a new paradigm on the usage of ocular organs right now!"

Even though he had talked around it, it meant that there wasn't anything that had really progressed right now.

But since this wasn't the first time that he had said these things, the person who had contacted him gave him the news as if nothing had happened.

-I have obtained information that the prey that you told me to pay attention to has entered Europe.

It was the good news that he had been eagerly awaiting.

-Phantom, Heinz from Korea, has snuck into Paris, France. Right now, he is in the midst of annihilating the Thermidor branches of the surrounding satellite cities, and a clash with the tyrant is imminent.

"Hoo?"

Dr.'s eyes, which had been gloomy, curved into a crescent shape after hearing that.

When he had been waiting so anxiously, there had been no news, and then it had suddenly come in an unexpected moment like this.

It was nothing short of a surprise gift!

"Ohohot~! Finally! France, you say? That's a little disappointing. Well, it's not bad! Now that he's in Europe, it's pretty much certain that we'll reach our goal!"

It would have been better if he had arrived in Eastern Europe, but it was only a matter of time, so it was not a big deal.

Now, whether it was sooner or later, he would naturally go to Eastern Europe, and especially to Romania, by following the guide he had arranged in advance.

If he went there, then the situation would be over.

"Tell the Duke! Tell him to prepare without any issues so that we don't make any mistakes later!"

-Yes, I will deliver it to His Grace the Duke as you say.

"Report to me immediately even if there are any other issues about this."

-Yes, Doctor.

Soon after, the light that had been emanating from the magic tool, which had been softly vibrating, slowly died down and silence descended in the interior, where all sorts of miscellaneous items were scattered around.

"..."

Dr., who had been lightly stroking his beard since right after the communication had ended, was quietly lost in thought while looking around his workshop.

He was feeling thrilled with excitement, thinking that a sample that would be a crucial clue in his long research was about to be in his hands.

He then twisted up one corner of his lips and nodded heavily.

"Yes…"

And then, as if he had made up his mind, he opened his mouth with a solemn tone.

"Should I get pepperoni pizza after all."

For today's lunch menu.

Even if it was a critical situation, meals were still an important matter.

In a bizarre space where everything was dyed red.

Creak—

A dark shadow had begun to encroach on one corner of it.

The shadow of a ferocious monster, which was constantly squirming and eating away at the area as if it was alive.

It continued to inflate and expand its area without rest—.

"You're being a nuisance."

Slash—

The shadows were torn apart into pieces, as if they had been torn by hundreds of invisible hands, by the power that was being exerted all around them.

However, just like how it had always been, the situation did not end there.

The shattered pieces of the shadows each began to gather, and then they rose up into the air, flapping their bat wings, as a group of demons.

The shadows were continuously being regenerated and pushed back, no matter how many times they were destroyed.

Heinz II, who was facing them, was able to clearly feel why the other party's alias was the tyrant.

'Furthermore, I can't think of him as a summon type either. He's a jack of all trades… this is troublesome.'

He, who had been lightly floating in the air, glanced down at the darkness that was writhing as it settled itself all over the ground.

The shadows that the tyrant was using were an all-purpose ability that could be used in all aspects such as the creation of subordinates, scouting, stealth, movement, attack, and defense.

Moreover, he was also quite skilled, as he was deftly using all of those functions and persistently opposing him.

'Even though I realized that the vampiric factor was not a measure of strength, I still underestimated him a little. I need to reflect on that.'

Perhaps because of that, the fight was taking longer than he had thought in the beginning.

Even though he had lured him into the barrier during the day, when the shadows, which were the opponent's main strength, were weaker, according to the information that he had collected beforehand.

However, it was not only Heinz who was feeling such thoughts.

…No, on the contrary, the other party, who was doing his best to avoid a head-on battle after sensing the difference in power after a few initial clashes, had more of those thoughts.

'This is absurd… Where did such a monster suddenly come from? Korea, you say? Just what kind of country is that…!'

The vampire, level 9 tyrant, who ruled over the underworld of France and was the master of Thermidor, frowned.

While continuously hiding his body in the shadows, changing locations while shifting through the space, in a manner that was unbecoming of his reputation.

Swoosh—

As he was looking for a chance, he rushed to one side of the barrier once again.

Zap—

About one second after colliding with the barrier.

If he were to invest just a few more seconds, he would have been able to create a hole to escape, but…

"Damn it."

He had to stop before he was able to finish his task and immediately disappeared into the shadows, leaving the area.

And then, seeing that the barrier that had been damaged was immediately restored and the shadows of the area were being torn apart in an instant, he forced himself to swallow a sigh.

'Just how much energy does he have?'

After he had started to avoid head-on battles, the first thing that he had tried to do was escape from the barrier that was surrounding the area.

Perhaps it was to be stealthy and quick, but there were no special features in the barrier other than to confine the area, but he could not just keep following the other party's lead, allowing them to have things their way in a battleground that he had prepared, right?

Also, although he had confidently rushed forward due to a misjudgment of the other party's power in the beginning, his forte, which was the nature of the shadow, was a guerilla battle rather than a head-on battle, wasn't it?

It would be much more advantageous if he had a vast space instead of a limited space, in order to make the most of his advantage…

'No, it's not simply an energy problem. He was able to maintain a barrier that was at a level that I can't even pierce through, while fighting the shadow forces, and then he immediately countered and restored the barrier as soon as the sign of escape was detected?'

Even after thinking it through again, it was so absurd that his eyes twitched involuntarily.

Even if he had been prepared to some extent beforehand, it was impossible for him to have been given that much time.

As expected, one-on-one against that monster in the current state was impossible.

Shink—

"Kuh!"

And, somehow knowing where he was, he was attacking as if a ghost every time there was an opening. As all of his means had been blocked, he was so frustrated that he could barely stand it.

"…Fast."

But even Heinz, who was unilaterally gaining the upper hand, was not at ease.

He clicked his tongue and got rid of the sharp shadows that were spreading from all directions, and then focused his mind again.

However, since the other party had also reached a considerable level, his attacks, which used the flow of causality, were also not working since they were trying to avoid it by any means possible.

'I can't waste more time here.'

Even though he had prepared the barrier carefully, the forest where they were in was not far from the capital city of Paris.

The more time that passed, the greater the probability that the surrounding forces would intervene. And if he was to be interrupted like that, he would lose the other party, whom he had managed to capture due to a stroke of luck.

If that happened, he might not ever get another chance.

'Now, when a careless guy came to me by himself, is the only chance I have, in reality.'

He had come all the way to Europe and invested this much time, he could not fail in his first hunt, could he?

It seemed that it was necessary for him to also go a bit overboard in order to end this quickly.

'…Just for a moment would be alright.'

He had been through a lot of things since ascending to the sacred bloodline.

In Auterica, he had obtained the pure bloods left by other original bloodlines, along with Ovaipho.

And on Earth, he had absorbed the blood of Alpha, who had reached level 9, albeit incomplete.

'I couldn't unleash my full power in the fight with the revolutionary after that since I couldn't control my power properly yet.'

Furthermore, he had to focus on supporting Heinrich and Halley at that time, so there was no need to do so.

Since that was the situation, it was not bad for him to get data from actual combat at this opportunity.

To properly test the power that he had reached the peak of through a method that was unimaginable for other vampires.

"Haa—."

Heinz, who had decided that, let out a deep breath.

And while maintaining "Existence Denial" which was hiding his aura, he awakened "Blood Lineage Overlord", the foundation that made up the vampire race.

Thump!

The blood that had evolved to its limit through "Mixed-blood Evolution"… the blood that had been refined to the extreme through "Refined Blood Essence" coursed throughout his entire body while containing "Mysteries of Blood".

Thump!

He observed his body with "Insight" and accelerated the change in an instant by adjusting the causality using "Super Acceleration".

Crack— Creak—

Whoosh—!

The blood that was circulating throughout his body while accelerating continuously, the heat and steam that were erupting from the pores all over his body.

His muscles were expanding, and his skin flushed red due to the increase in blood flow.

'Even if a craftsman doesn't blame their tools…'

Wasn't it common sense that they could achieve much better results when they had better working conditions and tools?

That was a fact that Howard, who was working in the front lines of production himself, always felt.

"Hoo…"

And, the body was the most perfect tool that a living thing could have.

'Then…'

And so, the factors that had been dormant deep inside the body of Heinz II, which had been sealed normally in order to reduce the burden placed on his body.

Had awakened all at once.

The storm that had been rushing in incessantly had stopped.

But the tyrant, who was hiding his body and looking for an opportunity, could not move recklessly.

'What is it?'

He couldn't tell.

It was clear that now, when the enemy had suddenly stopped, was the perfect opportunity to escape this place, but his instinct, which had saved his life for a long time, was screaming for him to stay hidden no matter what.

He hesitated for a moment, but he soon made a rational decision.

'Escaping is the priority for now.'

He didn't know the reason, but such an opportunity didn't come easily.

He would try escaping for now, and if he felt that something was wrong, he could hide again.

Just as he always had done.

And so, after rushing to the barrier in an instant, he unleashed an attack that used all of his power on the barrier.

Zap—

Just for a few seconds.

He had finally created a hole in the wall that had been blocking the space with no particular check on him, when—.

Tingle!

Goosebumps ran down his spine.

Immediately after, he used his power as if it had been imprinted in his instincts.

Sharp spikes that had erupted from the darkness that had been covering his entire body pierced through all sides, and the black giant's fist, that had erupted from the floor, covered the area.

At the same time, all of the shadows that had been cast within the barrier writhed and extended in this direction in the blink of an eye.

And, less than a breath after all that had happened, he, who had been deeply buried in the shadows of the floor…

"I finally caught you, you rat."

Along with the cold voice that he heard after that.

Swish— Slash!

He was grabbed by the neck with the strong grip that had pierced deeply into the floor, and was pulled above ground like a fish that had been caught by a harpoon.

'…Kuh, when did he?!'

And around him.

The shadows that he had scattered just before were smashed and scattered like cherry blossoms.

It wasn't very poetic since they had all been a gloomy black.