Chapter 297: Romania (1)

< Romania (1) >

Henri Coandă International Airport in Otopeni, a city near Bucharest, the capital of Romania.

'Finally arrived.'

Heinz II, having habitually concealed his presence with 「Non-Existence」, slowly stepped out of the airport and looked around.

'So far, nothing to be particularly cautious about…'

But this was no place for complacency. This was arguably the most dangerous place in Europe.

'This is the home turf of Dracula, the largest dark organization in Europe.'

He was well-informed about Dracula, the organization based in this country with influence throughout Eastern Europe. He knew that the vampire lord, who called himself 'Duke', as if identifying with Vlad III, the Romanian hero and inspiration for Dracula, was considered the strongest in Europe…

'And that he's the head of the Heavenly Wealth Society's European branch.'

Heinz's eyes narrowed slightly as he felt the signal of 「Bloodline Craving」 activating. But he ignored the instinctive urge and prioritized reconnaissance, carefully scanning his surroundings.

'They might have set up some kind of trap, so it's best to be cautious.'

This wasn't an area where either Thermidor or Gomorrah could exert their influence, so his information was limited. While he was confident in his ability to handle any unexpected crisis, he couldn't afford to retreat empty-handed without achieving anything, especially with the upcoming battle against the Heavenly Wealth Society Master.

'And he's considered the strongest in Europe. He'll be different from those I've faced so far. I can't be too careful.'

He hadn't properly fought an opponent of this caliber on Earth yet. While he had clashed with many opponents as Hahoe Mask, Hans could easily overwhelm them on his own.

'Well, except for the Heavenly Wealth Society Master, of course.'

Even Yulryeongja, the head of the East Asian branch, had risen to her position through means other than combat prowess. Her actual fighting ability wasn't that impressive. Unlike the Duke he was about to face.

'I'll soon see his skills firsthand.'

He felt his blood boil with anticipation and competitive spirit as he left Otopeni and headed towards Bucharest.

Pause—

…No, wait.

Upon closer inspection, his reaction wasn't due to anticipation.

'The signal is getting stronger.'

It was absurd for Heinz II, with his inherently calm and collected personality, to experience physical changes due to such trivial emotions. As he approached Bucharest, the resonance of 「Bloodline Craving」 intensified.

'What could be the cause…?'

It felt different from what he'd experienced in the previous two countries. Something in Bucharest was tempting and drawing him in.

'I need to investigate further.'

He moved closer to the city for a more thorough investigation—

—and the moment he crossed an invisible boundary…

…he understood the reason for his body's reaction.

Ziiiing—!

A piercing headache and the overwhelming stench of blood assaulted him. 「Blood Sovereign」, which enhanced his overall vampiric abilities, 「Blood Mystery」, which governed blood-related abilities, and 「Insight」, which allowed him to see through hidden things, activated simultaneously, analyzing the situation.

'A large-scale blood magic barrier?'

As someone well-versed in blood magic, he quickly arrived at a conclusion.

Its estimated diameter was at least 10 kilometers. The core structure was based on blood magic, but as expected of the Heavenly Wealth Society, it wasn't the only thing being used. That was why he hadn't detected it until he entered its range. Its concealment was impressive, and the amount of energy contained within was substantial.

Enough to instantly dispel his 「Non-Existence」.

"…Ha!"

Heinz couldn't help but scoff. He hadn't expected them to go this far.

'I knew this was Dracula's home turf, but…'

It was also the capital of a sovereign nation. Bucharest had a population of around 2 million. Even if international relations weren't what they used to be, he thought they would be more discreet.

'Even with perfect concealment, someone would have noticed a barrier of this magnitude. The Awakened in Romania can't all be incompetent…'

There was only one answer.

The government and the Awakened were completely under Dracula's control, unable to do anything about it. And it was kept secret from the outside world.

'Romania isn't a poor country, how is this possible?'

But the question vanished as quickly as it arose. The Heavenly Wealth Society had even swallowed a large country like China. It wasn't surprising that Romania, with Dracula backing them, had fallen under their control.

'…Ordinary people wouldn't even know.'

Only someone like Heinz could detect it upon entering. It would be difficult for most people to notice, so they only needed to control high-ranking Awakened individuals.

'This is more troublesome than I thought. But that's not important right now.'

Those were problems for later. For now…

Swish—

His position was exposed due to the barrier, so he had to escape. While outside the barrier, he hadn't been detected, but now, over a hundred presences were converging on his location.

'Tsk, they're swarming.'

Instantly concealing himself again and rapidly retreating, Heinz clicked his tongue as he escaped to the outskirts. He hadn't intended to clash with them from the start. It would be a waste of effort if he clashed with such a large organization and failed to capture the Duke.

He needed to assess the situation and pinpoint the Duke's location before making his move…

Suddenly, 「Rapid Acceleration」 activated.

Crackle——!

Space tore along his trajectory.

There was no time to think. Instinctively distorting causality and ignoring inertia, Heinz pulled back, frowning at the sight. He turned his head, following the trajectory.

'A sniper?'

A line of destruction stretched for several kilometers, connecting to his previous location. The scar remained in the air for a second before quickly vanishing without a trace.

'An attack of this level. Not ordinary. Their response is faster than I expected.'

It had only been a few seconds since he was detected by the barrier. And yet, they immediately pinpointed his location after he concealed himself and retreated, launching a sniper attack.

'They were well-prepared. I'll retreat and regroup before…'

As he heightened his senses and prepared to move, anticipating a follow-up attack, 「Insight」 activated again.

An anomaly, previously beyond his perception, became clearly visible.

Blink, blink—

A coin-sized eyeball, seamlessly camouflaged with the rock, as if it had always been there, blinked, staring directly at him.

Despite his 「Non-Existence」 being active.

Click— Splat!

He reacted instantly. The eyeball burst without resistance, lacking any special defense. But as he moved again—

Blink, blink— Wink, wink—

—dozens of eyeballs, sprouting from walls, stones, trees, and the ground, stared at him.

'…Creepy.'

His body felt slightly heavier each time an eye blinked. They seemed to be magic eyes with detection and debuff abilities…

But once he was aware of them, their numbers didn't matter.

Splat—! Crackle— Spurt!

The eyeballs burst simultaneously as he moved past them without hesitation. The problem was that they kept regenerating.

They began appearing even further away, their numbers swelling to hundreds, covering the surroundings, a sight that was more than just creepy; it was chilling.

Crackle—!

As his movements slowed due to the magic eyes, another sniper shot flew towards him. No, calling it 'flying' wasn't accurate.

It was destroying everything in its path the moment it was fired.

Space itself, as well as intangible concepts connected to it.

'That looks dangerous.'

He wouldn't get hit by an attack he had already dodged once, especially now that he was aware of it. The sniper was skilled, constantly shifting the trajectory, anticipating his movements, but he was able to predict and avoid it by sensing the flow of causality.

…If that had been all, he could have retreated and waited for another opportunity.

But Heinz finally gave up on escaping as he sensed the giant magic circle appearing in the sky, the intense flow of magic power from all directions, and the numerous presences surrounding him.

"Huh, just how much did they prepare?"

Having already passed through France and Italy, he expected some level of preparedness. But he hadn't expected them to blanket the entire capital with a barrier and have so many people on standby 24/7, especially when they couldn't have known exactly when he would arrive.

He had intended to test the waters and assess their response, but their excessive measures had caught him off guard.

'This is overkill.'

He was currently in a nature reserve between Otopeni, where the international airport was located, and Bucharest. They had prepared for this contingency as well. A barrier activated instantly, sealing off the area. If he had escaped in another direction, these preparations would have been useless.

'Were traps of this level set up everywhere else?'

He had a strong feeling that was the case, but that wasn't his immediate concern.

As he frowned, pondering his next move, the Heavenly Wealth Society unleashed everything they had prepared.

"Phew— He's finally here. We've been waiting for a long time."

"…I was bored to death. There aren't many places to have fun here. If it weren't for Doctor, I wouldn't have come to this place."

"Ahahaha! Me too, me too! I would've just ignored it if it were some ordinary human! What can you do!"

As if they had some means of bypassing the barrier, a group appeared nearby, their conversation echoing.

All of them radiated a powerful presence. An eerily familiar scene.

'Reminds me of when Hans clashed with the Heavenly Wealth Society in Japan.'

The situation was similar back then. Although the location and people were different. But he couldn't afford to be optimistic. While the situation might be similar, the scale was vastly different.

"…Indeed, seeing this in person, I understand why Doctor was so cautious. I never expected this. If he had been determined to escape, we might have actually lost him."

A heavy voice echoed, and the surrounding space grew heavy. A commanding presence drew everyone's attention, and their gazes naturally shifted in one direction.

Thud, thud—

Heavy footsteps vibrated through the space. There was no actual sound, but each step, filled with immense presence, shook the air and resonated in everyone's minds.

"Hmm, a hybrid, I see. It's quite fascinating to see it in person."

A middle-aged man finally appeared.

Dressed in aristocratic attire, with a neatly groomed beard, his arrogant gaze swept over the area before locking onto someone.

The only outsider present.

Heinz met his gaze without flinching. He couldn't look away, even as the vampires who had arrived with the man surrounded him. It was partly because he sensed the man was a formidable opponent, but also…

Gulp—

…he couldn't help but salivate. 「Bloodline Craving」, which had been constantly yearning for completion, roared within him.

'That's him.'

The 'Duke,' the lord of Dracula, the hidden ruler of Eastern Europe, and one of the leaders of the Heavenly Wealth Society.

The final piece he needed for his completion.