Heinz frowned as he surveyed his surroundings.
Surrounding him were vampires and an unidentified masked group.
I knew the level of the vampires through "Penetration," but the masked group, although not detected, seemed to be equally skilled.
"How did you know?"
Now that their barrier had been activated, stealth was disabled, but before that, how did they detect me, especially considering I had used "concealment" as well?
"I made some efforts in various ways to catch Hahoe mask."
From his black suit to his slicked-back hair and smug smile, the man on the stairs, openly an executive of the evil organization, shrugged his shoulders casually.
It seemed like he had no intention of explaining kindly.
"Are you guys from the Abyssal Conclave, by any chance?" Heinz asked, examining the masked individuals who seemed to be the man's subordinates.
It seemed that only they would set traps with the hardliners of the Blood Alliance.
"Hmm, but who are you? I don't understand why a vampire like you is with them. Beta One, Beta Two, do you know anything about this from your side?" The man in the suit didn't answer, instead turning the question to the Blood Alliance.
"...We don't know what's going on either. Judging by his level, he seems to be at least level 7, but he is a completely unfamiliar face."
"The energy itself is quite unfamiliar. It seems like someone who recently returned from an undisclosed place."
The two strongest vampires in the group answered in turn.
"Beta Two" meant the two Betas were both here.
According to the memories of many hardline vampires I had read, their titles indicated their ranks.
The leader of the Blood Alliance's hardliners was Alpha, followed by two Betas.
There were twelve Gammas below them.
'Now there are nine, though.'
After dealing with the Gamma named Dohan Soo, I had hunted three more.
Information about this place was obtained from the last Gamma I dealt with.
'Also, maybe because the power of 'concealment' is still lingering, they haven't noticed that I've preyed on our kind.'
With the weakening of 'concealment' due to the barrier's effect, I couldn't maintain stealth, let alone hide my presence.
'So, how many 7th level Betas are there? Two. Twelve at level 6. Among the level 6, there are probably a few exceptional ones who received the Gamma title. I don't know how many of them are here, along with the guards gathered outside the lobby...'
Dealing with vampires alone wouldn't be a big problem.
The problem was the masked group presumed to be Abyssal Conclave.
Even in this situation, I couldn't gauge their energy.
"But how long does Hahoe mask plan to stay hidden in the shadows? By now, it should be time to come out. Or is he still ignoring us?"
Heinz's eyebrows twitched.
Until now, there had been no mention of Hahoe mask, and I thought they had not noticed.
[Hmm... a bold one, aren't you? If that's what you want, then so be it.]
A voice, resonating as if from hell, echoed through the space.
If he already knew, there was no need to hide anymore.
Ssshh—
As Hans slowly revealed himself from the shadows... the temperature dropped sharply, a chill pervaded, and the light that illuminated the surroundings lost its power.
He hadn't intentionally emitted magical power, but just his presence alone forced changes in the surroundings.
Surrounding vampires, taken aback, involuntarily took a step back.
"Hmm... this is more than I thought. If we tried to handle this alone, it would have been a big problem."
Cracks appeared on the relaxed face of the man in the suit.
Facing Hans directly seemed to have shaken his confidence.
"It may be more than I thought, but it's not something we can't handle."
However, soon his face regained composure.
It seemed he had solidly prepared strategies.
"Dark magic and necromancy. Since both are extreme powers, their weaknesses are also clear."
Clang—
The sound of his fingers snapping echoed through the space.
Woong—
The barrier surrounding them vibrated.
Ding-ding— Ding-ding—
And, as if they had brought them out at some point, the masked individuals surrounding the second floor were holding various objects.
Someone shaking a droplet or a bell suitable for a shaman, another pulling out a wooden totem and pounding it into the ground, someone taking out yellow talismans and sticking them everywhere, and even those who brought out symbols of various religions that didn't exist on Earth.
The force rushing from all sides weakened Hans' momentum.
A stifling energy relentlessly shook his illicit energy in all
directions.
[...You seem to have prepared quite a lot.]
Certainly, it could be seen that they thoroughly investigated and prepared various things to respond to him.
Vampires sitting in their positions due to the nature of sorcery made uncomfortable expressions, but compared to Hans, who became the direct target, it was more like a clan blood flow.
'It doesn't immediately affect Heinz much. It's a bit frustrating, but...'
A massive trap set solely to hunt Hans.
In this suppressed state of strength, if the Abyssal Conclave and vampires joined forces and attacked...
Even Hans, no matter how powerful, would have had to retreat.
'If Hans came alone...'
I understood their thoughts well.
Since Heinz seemed to be at level 7, one Beta would be enough to capture, and the rest of the force was determined to deal with Hans.
"Hup—"
Heinz took a deep breath.
His heart pounded fiercely, and the blood in his entire body began to circulate rapidly.
"Blood Circulation Amplification."
His pale skin turned reddish, muscles expanded, and veins protruded.
"Haaa~"
He exhaled deeply from his lungs.
His senses sharpened, and he could vividly feel the emotions of those nearby as if he could grasp them in his hands.
Unfortunately for them, he wasn't an ordinary 7th-level vampire according to their standards.
The quantity of blood magic and the concentration of the vampiric factor were similar to the Betas or possibly even less.
But...
Kwaaang—!
"Acceleration."
His body, thrust into the ground like a bullet, shot forward.
"What?!"
Heinz, the closest one, and a level 6 vampire who failed to react to his movement.
Poof—
With an exclamation of shock, Heinz's hand pierced through the vampire's back.
"Ugh..."
In an instant, the vampire whose heart was pierced vomited blood and trembled violently.
But his astonishment didn't end there.
'Is my blood... being sucked in?!'
His blood was rapidly being drawn into his heart.
More precisely, it was the arm of the opponent that had pierced his heart.
'Cannibalism?! Through the arm? This is absurd...!'
While penetrating the heart, Heinz also inflicted a wound on his own wrist, absorbing the vampire's blood from there.
Through the wound on his wrist, tiny blood particles mixed with the opponent's blood, and by recovering it, he ignored the opponent's control.
This was possible due to the overwhelming blood control gained from becoming a Noble Blood.
Additionally, by inserting his hand into the opponent's heart, he was able to make direct contact with the center of the bloodstream.
"Ugh... this guy, cann... agh!"
The vampire, who had been trying to warn his comrades with his last strength, screamed.
The blood Heinz had sucked in had turned into a beautiful red flower, fluttering around his mouth.
The "Blood Bloom" that engulfed his entire body slowly spread before turning him into a pile of ashes and then disappeared.
'It's a deception to hide cannibalism.'
Even though Heinz covered the entire body to hide the sight of blood being sucked in and turning into ashes, only the area around his mouth was left untouched.
Thanks to "Blood Bloom," which selectively burned what he intended, based on his will.
"······."
In the mere seconds that passed, all the vampires in the room froze at the unexpected event.
The Beta vampires, who reacted belatedly, stared at Heinz with hardened expressions.
Because he had been on guard and emitting his presence, they couldn't find an opportunity to interfere.
They didn't know that Heinz was sucking blood while the vampire's heart was pierced, so they quickly gave up on the subordinate with no chance of recovery, who had his heart pierced, and seized the opportunity.
"How...?"
Beta One muttered, grinding his teeth.
His question was full of caution.
'I couldn't react immediately!'
He was proud of his physical abilities, but Heinz's movements surpassed his imagination.
By the time he reacted, the subordinate's heart had already been pierced.
Moreover, the subordinate hit was one of the strongest Gammas.
Although it was an unexpected sneak attack, it took only a few seconds for such a strong opponent to fall.
He couldn't do the same in that short time.
Heinz calmly looked around at the tense vampires.
'It would have been nice to deal with the 7th level through a surprise attack... If I were directly attacked, I would have reacted somehow. Of course, I could have inflicted fatal injuries, but the others would have quickly recovered while buying time.'
Instead, it was better to definitively deal with the 6th level with the strongest Gamma power closest.
[Collecting a new vampiric essence. Due to the effect of the special skill 'Blood Fusion Evolution,' the individual's magical power control ability is enhanced.]
Thanks to this, the opponent's power weakened, and Heinz's power increased.
And there was another unexpected factor.
[Hehehe... Impressive. Is this it too? A combination of meticulously woven spells from various worlds?]
Hans discovered a collaborative research product of spell combinations at the stronghold of the Blood Alliance hardliners and was greatly shocked.
The result broke his expectations, defying common sense he had considered impossible.
Of course, Hans had significantly increased his own magical level by referencing dark magic from other worlds.
The synergy between "Sinister Wisdom" and "Forbidden Knowledge" provided outstanding analytical and acquisitive abilities in dark magic.
However, there was a lingering regret.
The skill only provided additional adjustments to dark magic, and he had given up entirely on trying something different.
Has he been pursuing only the easy path and not settling for the present?
While "Sinister Wisdom" claims to provide absolute understanding of dark magic, there was an insight into the magic itself to achieve that.
"Forbidden Knowledge," though biased towards dark magic, held numerous mysteries accumulated from one world.
Was there really no other way to use this?
Was this act defining his own limits?
Of course, considering that Hans had entered the path of magic less than a year ago, someone might criticize it as mere greed.
However, in deciding on one path and dedicating himself to it, time was not such a crucial factor.
At least, Hans sincerely thought so. Afterwards, Hans continued to research the techniques of the Blood Alliance while taking advantage of opportunities to attack vampires.
He observed the vampires' magical system, experimented on them, and worked hard to utilize his skills in various ways.
'It may not be significant yet, but there was some gain. And this is actually an opportunity.'
Hans struck the ground with his staff. The area under his feet turned black and spread around, and within it, the undead began to emerge.
Perhaps due to the interference of the magic that hindered him, he couldn't fill the entire building with darkness as usual.
'Let's see how well they've prepared. This, too, will be a stepping stone to my growth!'
If you don't know, experience it firsthand.
Coincidentally, wasn't this a stage set up by the Blood Alliance, which was at the forefront in that regard?
If they also used dark magic, it would have been the best, but the extreme magic was not bad either.
Since it was as fatal to him, he could feel and understand the magic more sensitively.
'Hahaha! I'm looking forward to it! Now, entertain me more! If you've prepared something, it's best to use it without hesitation!'
It was also an opportunity to identify his weaknesses.
Facing weaknesses is the first step to overcoming them.
If he could overcome this, he would be able to grow even more.
Above the Blood Alliance's barrier that surrounded them, the barrier Hans had set up before entering was activated.
In this battlefield, surrounded by double barriers, now no one could easily escape.
'Well, let's start the Death Match then.'