Chapter 286: White Knight (1)

< White Knight (1) >

The tyrant stared at the person who had grabbed him by the neck and lifted him up, his face contorted in a grimace.

"Ugh..."

Being in such close contact, he could feel the presence of his opponent even more clearly.

And he was certain that it was in that fleeting moment when he had succeeded in breaching the barrier that he had unknowingly relaxed.

'Damn it...! He's overwhelming me with pure energy!'

Otherwise, it was simply incomprehensible.

He couldn't understand how he hadn't noticed sooner, the way the density of the space around his opponent was so distinctly different.

He gritted his teeth, trying to push back the massive torrent of blood mana that was ravaging his body and hindering his ability to use his powers.

'This is different than I was told...!'

He had heard about this being.

That a Level 9 vampire, newly born in Korea, might come looking for him someday.

He had ignored the additional requests for cooperation and hadn't heard the full story, but he had secretly hoped it might be interesting...

'I never expected him to be this monstrous!'

If he had known, he would have just accepted their offer.

No, but if he had, there would be a risk of them gaining more influence in Europe...

As the tyrant's mind was spiraling in this desperate situation, Heinz, who was controlling his overwhelming energy while holding the tyrant's neck, was finally able to decide on his fate.

'He's definitely a transcendent vampire, but the proportion of his power that comes from his unique vampire abilities isn't that high. Strictly speaking, he's closer to a different kind of superhuman.'

He had realized this clearly after exchanging a few blows with the tyrant.

His opponent was using most of the power derived from his vampiric traits simply as a means to assist with high-output supernatural abilities.

And he had even left some of that unused, except for a portion used for self-enhancement.

'He probably planned to use it for rapid regeneration in an emergency. It's ironic that he doesn't have enough to handle this current crisis.'

But thanks to that, he could be certain of his decision.

Heinz kept pouring energy into his hand that was grasping the tyrant's throat and then brought his sharp fangs to his neck.

"You...!"

The tyrant's eyes widened in alarm, but Heinz paid no heed.

It was never going to be easy to subdue and capture an opponent of this caliber, even if he was using temporarily boosted power!

He was already reaching his limit, so he needed to finish the job as quickly as possible.

Thump-

Sharp fangs pierced the skin as tough as alloy and sunk in.

And then, blood slowly began to flow through the wound.

Gooo-

Crackle! Crack!

The tyrant's resistance intensified, a shadowy energy wildly surging and lashing out throughout his body, but with the blood drain already in progress, it was as good as over.

'Don't worry. I don't plan to kill you.'

He seemed quite useful, after all.

All he needed to grow was 'vampiric traits of a different system that had reached a higher level'.

Now that all of his abilities had skyrocketed and his control over blood had become extreme.

He could proceed with consumption without taking his life.

"Ugh! Mad Vamp? What is this...! Aaaargh!"

Of course, the act of blood drain wasn't just about sucking blood, but rather a ritualistic act of stealing a part of the opponent's power, so there was the problem of the target's absolute power being significantly reduced...

But it was better than dying, wasn't it?

At his level, even if he fell to the residue level, it wouldn't be that big of a loss.

'Yeah, we can call this a win-win.'

And so, the tyrant who ruled the underworld of France was able to survive.

And the citizens of this country were able to enjoy safer nights.

"Collecting new vampiric traits. Due to the influence of the special skill "Hybrid Evolution," the individual's presence becomes even more pronounced."

Heinz II had achieved his original goal and, at the same time, he was able to seize a European outpost.

It was a truly happy ending for everyone.

"My, my power... You! What did you do...!"

"Hmm?"

It seemed that one person still needed some time to understand.

'I guess "Bewilderment" doesn't work properly against opponents of this level. I might need to educate him a little.'

But even that wouldn't take too long.

While Heinz II was active in Europe, Hans, who had returned to Earth after a long absence, moved busily as if to make up for his time away.

'Now that I know the troublesome Branch Chief has left his post, I don't need to hold back.'

One of the snippets of information he'd obtained through the Law Giver was that the Branch Chief was on an overseas trip.

So, Hans not only swept through the entire South Korea that had been his original stomping ground, but he also continued the work of cleaning up the Japanese archipelago, which he had stopped halfway, and even began to poke at China, which was reacting sensitively.

'China's reaction is suspicious, no matter how I look at it. It seems that most of the higher-ups over there have already been taken over by the Branch Union.'

Even after the Law Giver, who was the East Asian Branch Chief, was eliminated, the chaos within the Branch Union was not long-lasting, which was quite impressive.

It wouldn't have been easy to handle the situation simply by sending a new replacement.

It meant that China was also an important base for them to care about so much.

'But the situation itself isn't that bad. It seems that quite a few people had already become aware of the Branch Union and were wary of them.'

He had thought he was fighting a lonely battle all along.

According to the Law Giver's memories, there were quite a few resistance groups against them in various places.

Due to the nature of resistance groups against a powerful enemy, they were scattered and hidden, operating in the shadows, so he hadn't been able to identify them.

'China's recent hard-line stance towards Korea is probably due to the strengthening of the anti-Branch Union sentiment.'

After Alpha's terrorist attack in Seoul, who had been part of the Branch Union.

Korea, led by the Returnee Association, had begun to take a more proactive stance against the Branch Union.

Of course, there were also puppets who seemed to be influenced by them that were carrying out obstruction operations in various fields, including politics...

'Even without directly judging them, it's easy to bring down guys like that.'

Until now, the Hahoe Mask hadn't directly targeted key figures, including government officials.

Doing so would have been a hassle in many ways.

But that didn't mean he was just letting them get away with it.

"Those with shady pasts tend to hang out with other shady people."

Be it hitmen who do the dirty work, illegal groups for money laundering, or mercenaries who can easily be used and discarded.

By taking down those guys, evidence about the higher-ups who ordered the work would come tumbling out.

'And the underworld is already in my hands anyway.'

The Blood Alliance could handle the cleanup without much trouble.

In the end, they would have no choice but to choose between social ruin and full cooperation with him.

"However..."

As he felt that everything was going smoothly.

A certain movement within the country began to subtly grate on his nerves.

As he quietly organized the situation, I tapped the armrest of the chair and furrowed my brow.

'I was going to leave it alone for now.'

The investigation team of the Interworld Religious Union, Pantheon.

Since he had found out that the secretary of the North American Branch of the Branch Union in the United States had somehow intervened, he intended to observe the situation for the time being until he could fully understand their purpose.

As long as they didn't infringe on his daily life.

"But they are meddling too much."

It wasn't difficult to get information about the investigation team's activities.

They didn't seem to have anything to hide, so they weren't trying to conceal anything.

Since they weren't searching for criminals, that was only natural.

'Leaving aside the fact that it is already self-righteous to try to find people who have deliberately not shown themselves.'

It was something that had various interests tangled up, so it couldn't be helped.

The problem was the steps they were taking right now.

'I never expected they would try to investigate everyone who was in the hospital at the time.'

When he first heard that the investigation team had visited Kang Tae-san's grandmother, he hadn't taken any action.

Of course, it was clear that Heinrich had been involved in the grandmother's rapid discharge, but everyone on the scene had been bathed in a high-purity divine power not long ago.

How could any trace from a time much earlier, when his level was much lower, possibly remain?

Naturally, they had no choice but to retreat without gaining anything...

But the story would change if they conducted a full investigation.

"I was there at that time, too."

For someone who was hiding the fact that he was an Awakened, being a target of an investigation was a big burden.

No, frankly, it was incredibly troublesome.

He was currently able to hide his identity and wander around freely, but if high-ranking clerics were determined to examine him, it would be obvious that he would be exposed in the end.

Sitting in the massage chair, I sighed deeply, scratching my head.

'If I could use the supplementary abilities of "Individual Projection" to mimic Heinz's "Existence Denial" as much as possible and implement it in my main body...'

Maybe he could hide it that way.

But since his proficiency was still not that high, it was still a gamble.

The most certain way would be to not become a target of investigation in the first place.

In the end, I clicked my tongue and slowly nodded.

"...I have no choice."

It was a situation he truly couldn't avoid.

After the hospital terrorist incident was reported and the existence of the holy knight Heinrich was revealed to the public.

Many people, online and offline, were excited and sought information about his actions.

It was because of the fact that his spectacular debut had attracted the attention of many, as the news of the dramatic improvement of the patients who had benefited from his divine power had been widely reported by the media.

Of course, unlike the Holy Woman, Heinrich's divine power was specialized in exorcism rather than healing, but that categorization was only valid to a certain extent.

A saint-level divine power that had never appeared on Earth before, amplified by a holy sword, and even with the loss reduced by the "Dimensional Barrier Relaxation"?

' ...It would be stranger if they didn't react like this.'

Those who were originally healthy found that minor symptoms that they had been unaware of had disappeared, and their condition had soared to its peak.

The wounds of those with minor injuries had completely vanished.

Even patients with serious injuries had recovered to the point where they only needed simple treatments to heal.

Even the condition of terminally ill patients had greatly improved, to the point where they could start treatment again and aim for a complete recovery.

The ensuing fever was something that didn't need to be mentioned.

Perhaps the reason why the public didn't express much dissatisfaction, even though the joint investigation of Pantheon and the Ability Management Bureau had gone a little too far, was due to its great influence.

Everyone was interested in the person who had brought about the miracle, the 'White Knight'.

Perhaps even more so than the Hahoe Mask.

'No, is that not the case? It may just be due to the difference in the ways they can gain benefits.'

They didn't need to know the Hahoe Mask's identity to benefit from him, but to receive the White Knight's grace, they needed to know his identity.

That may have been one of the reasons why so many people thought that way.

Clank— clank—

That was why he was standing here right now.

"Huh? Is that...?"

"Huh? Wh-what?"

"No... really?"

A children's hospital at a certain university in Seoul.

Clank— clank—

A knight in white armor suddenly appeared at the main entrance and confidently strode across the hospital lobby.

A faint glow that had been simmering from his body slowly began to cover the surroundings.

The gazes of everyone in the lobby, including patients, guardians, doctors, and nurses, were focused on him.

But that slight confusion was short-lived.

"Oh, oh, it's real! Su-ah! Su-ah! Come here..."

"Wow~ He's so cool."

"Kyaa! Teacher! Please, can you get that person to help my child...!"

"Mi, Mr. Kim. Is that really him...?"

Soon after, screams erupted from all directions.

The longing gazes of those who couldn't dare to approach, due to the imposing presence even within the gentle energy, focused on the saint at the center.

'This is a strange feeling.'

If he was worried about his identity being revealed because of the investigation, the solution was simple.

Make it so they wouldn't need to investigate him at all.

'I might as well start proselytizing like other religions do. Maybe the restrictions on my power on Earth will be lifted further.'

And so, the saint who had been summoned from Auterica through remote summoning.

Heinrich Saint Landgard appeared in the middle of Seoul.