Chapter 21

Chapter 21
## Chapter 21

Arch-Lich (2)

[Incredible… truly magnificent. Marvelous!]

Hans gathered every single piece of loot retrieved by his phantom minions, transferring the entire haul into his storage vault without leaving a single item behind.

The spectral servants were meticulous, gathering up every valuable trinket and coin that possessed even the slightest monetary worth.

Thud!

Directing a crushing wave of malevolent energy across the property, he tore down any structure or wall that seemed to conceal a secret compartment, smashing through obstructions without a moment’s pause.

[…Stunning.]

The concealed vault lay packed with an assortment of rare minerals and precious metals.

The sheer volume of treasure amassed by the dark host, who had systematically drained the metropolis and hoarded wealth across generations, was breathtaking.

‘And yet, it is all mine to claim now.’

On that particular evening, alongside the expansion of Hans’ spatial vault, my inner self felt a profound sense of satisfaction.

‘Tonight, we feast on premium meat.’

—

“Hans… a remarkably ordinary name.”

Deep within the heart of Talaria, the royal seat of the Talaria Kingdom situated across the western lands.

Inside a dim chamber sealed off by heavy drapes, a figure stood motionless, peering into a chalice filled with a crimson beverage.

‘—Identify yourself.’

‘—I am called Hans.’

A fleeting exchange with an enigmatic intruder concealed behind a mask.

“Tch, utterly useless right up to your demise.”

These fragments represented the final thoughts transmitted back by Vyrrak, who oversaw the operations within the Ajantu territory.

Whether the connection had been disrupted or corrupted during transmission, this meager scrap of memory was all that remained.

“I cannot allow this transgression to go unanswered.”

A relic of the Eternal Sovereign, which he had been monitoring with great care, had been plundered.

It was highly probable that the local branch in Ajantu had been completely compromised as well.

Before taking action, he required a precise assessment of the battlefield.

He drained the remaining liquid in a single gulp and shattered the vessel against the stone tiles.

Smash!

“Hans…”

The supreme leader governing the Brokolak clan, Mulo Brokolak, immediately dispatched an elite reconnaissance team toward the borders of Ajantu.

—

A serene interlude followed.

“Goodness me, how remarkable. How do you manage to track down such nimble game so effortlessly every single time?”

“Haha, it was merely good fortune during my morning walk. I leave the preparation in your capable hands.”

“Leave it to me. I shall have these ready for the fire in no time.”

A seasoned traveler took charge of the game I had brought back, skillfully preparing the rabbits for cooking.

“Sir! Are we having fresh meat again for supper? Incredible!”

Aaron, who had been assisting his older sibling with organizing their campsite, leaped up with a joyful shout.

A warm expression crossed my face as I reached out to tousle the young boy’s hair.

Our path was taking us away from the ruined streets of Ajantu City, charting a course toward Tilak City located further to the east.

Departing the settlement had proven quite simple.

With the ruling vampire nobility eradicated, the subterranean syndicates and local gangs paid no heed to our departure.

Three days had elapsed since we secured the services of a travel carriage and a seasoned handler.

Our guide, Valter, possessed a background in mercenary work, allowing me to pick up several practical wilderness survival methods from his experience.

“A drink for your exertions, Sir.”

Diana stepped forward, offering a travel container toward me.

“Ah, my gratitude. This is much appreciated.”

I tipped the vessel back to slake my thirst before turning my attention toward Diana.

Her physical condition had visibly mended compared to our initial encounter, an obvious benefit of the hearty meals she had enjoyed over the past few days.

Moving away from the shadow of Ajantu had clearly eased her mind, lifting the constant dread she had been forced to endure daily.

Observing that the others were occupied, Diana darted a quick look around the clearing before closing the distance between us.

“Um, Sir… if your thirst remains unquenched, would you care to partake of my blood?”

I blinked in astonishment at her quiet words whispered directly to me, letting out a soft laugh before pressing a thumb to her brow and playfully messing up her hair.

“There is no need for that, truly. My reserves are quite full from recent events.”

Gorging upon the fallen rulers of Ajantu had provided more than enough sustenance to last for quite a while.

Even if that weren’t the case, I could never bring myself to draw nourishment from a young girl.

It would be far more appropriate to seek out wicked elements once we arrived at the next metropolis to replenish my needs.

“Reflecting on it, I realize I have not crossed paths with Rosillica lately.”

Suddenly, the image of the female warrior from the Barkolak faction who had supervised my training crossed my mind.

I had seen no sign of Rosillica during my infiltration of the relic’s vault, nor during the subsequent dismantling of their primary stronghold.

Though our paths had crossed in the past, I felt no desire to seek her out for harm.

Still, it was undoubtedly for the best that our trajectories no longer intersected.

Given the scale of my escape, assuming she had perished amidst the downfall of the city was the safest conclusion.

“The coals are ready for roasting!”

“Oh, Sir! Dear sister! Come quickly, the food is waiting!”

Valter and young Aaron called out to us from their positions near the blazing hearth.

Their enthusiasm had been bounds ahead of usual ever since I began utilizing exotic seasonings retrieved from my homeland to flavor our meals over the past few days.

A soft smile remained on my face as Diana and I made our way toward the gathering around the fire.

It marked another tranquil day on our long journey.

—

As the first faint light of dawn broke over the horizon, deep within the woodlands bordering Ajantu City, the Barkolak operative Rosillica concluded her grim report with a heavy heart.

Standing beside her, the mixed-blood tracker Prita, who had been deployed beyond the city perimeters to locate the missing artifact, mirrored her expression of profound frustration.

“Sigh… in the conclusion of all this, we remain entirely devoid of certain answers.”

Rosillica had sprinted from the burning ruins to summon Prita immediately following the initial breach, but by the time their peripheral forces rushed back to the center of operations, the cataclysm had already concluded.

The sanctum shielding the sacred fragment and the central command post of their entire family had been thoroughly leveled.

Prita, gifted with heightened sensory perceptions, could still feel a massive vortex of deathly energy radiating from the heart of the settlement.

She recognized immediately that the entities lingering within the walls possessed a level of power that far exceeded what their remaining numbers could confront.

Consequently, they chose immediate withdrawal, relaying the dire intelligence back to the higher echelons of the family.

They maintained a vigilant watch from the tree line, keeping track of the mysterious entity’s subsequent movements.

“They dare to remain within the city limits after unleashing such devastation? Do they view our existence as so utterly inconsequential… What manner of being are we dealing with?”

A youthful figure, having absorbed the entirety of their reports, rose from the high branch where he had been resting and fixed his gaze upon the distant skyline.

A pair of burning crimson eyes pierced through the shadows of the fading night.

“In that case, shall we pay a personal visit to unmask this intruder? Let us see who possesses the audacity to orchestrate such a farce within our domain.”

Swoosh—

The moment his decree echoed through the air, dozens of dark forms surged forward from the depths of the timberline, advancing rapidly toward the urban borders.

Rosillica and Prita hastened to keep pace, trailing the youthful figure who leaped effortlessly across the canopy.

This was none other than Ovor Brokolak, a true Nobleblood of the vampire aristocracy.

Within moments, a massive swarm of winged creatures blotted out the sky, descending upon the city.

—

Hans carried out another sweep of the urban sectors on that particular day.

‘The social order hasn’t fractured nearly as drastically as I anticipated.’

Despite the total elimination of the vampire lords, the lesser factions and syndicates were managing to maintain structure with surprising efficiency.

‘Then again, a mere three days have passed. It makes sense for them to move with extreme care until the power vacuum clarifies.’

For these criminal enterprises, a wrong move meant total erasure.

They understood the severe peril of overstepping their bounds, fearing the swift execution that would follow should their former masters reappear.

‘For now, I only need to suppress the elements that become overly reckless.’

I resolved to leave the existing underworld hierarchy alone, provided they refrained from committing extreme atrocities.

Regardless of their nature, they operated under an established code of conduct.

‘Such a system is far preferable to chaotic lawlessness taking over without rhyme or reason.’

Since my presence in this settlement was merely temporary, embedding myself too deeply into its governance was counterproductive.

The ideal resolution would involve the regional crown deploying administrative forces to reclaim the territory, though such an outcome remained highly improbable.

The chief administrator had functioned merely as a puppet for the vampire lords—not transformed into an immortal himself due to his public-facing duties, but acting purely as a tool to execute their commands.

‘Eventually, this territory will inevitably slide back under the dominion of another vampire syndicate. That is an outcome beyond my power to alter… Hold on, they have arrived.’

My senses picked up a cluster of powerful entities breaching the city perimeters at immense speed.

The distinct signature of their energy left no doubt as to their immortal nature.

‘Now that the counterattack has arrived, it is time for me to make my departure.’

Turning away from the direction of their approach, I accelerated toward the dense woodlands on the outskirts.

‘They are tracking my trajectory perfectly. Have they pinpointed my exact position? My methods of concealing my magical signature remain flawed.’

Having recently integrated the contents of the second artifact, my command over the massive influx of dark energy was still unpolished, creating a clear vulnerability.

Nevertheless, since an engagement formed no part of my agenda, their numbers were of little consequence.

‘I shall simply engage them briefly before slipping away… ’

Boom—!

Without warning, my protective wards shattered under a tremendous impact, sending my physical form hurtling through the air.

[Well, that certainly caught me off guard.]

An assault delivered with staggering velocity had struck me head-on.

Fortunately, I managed to mitigate the brunt of the collision by deploying an auxiliary barrier of magical force at the exact instant of contact.

Re-establishing a dense layer of defensive wards around myself, I evaluated the individual who had initiated the strike.

The adversary appeared to be a youth whose appearance placed him in his late adolescence.

There was no mistaking his immortal heritage.

Yet the potency of the aura he radiated was on an entirely different level…

[A Nobleblood, if I am not mistaken?]

“Aha, an insightful deduction. To project such an overwhelming scent of the grave, you must be a lord of the undead—a lich?”

The entity standing before me was a high-tier vampire characterized by stark white hair and crimson eyes.

A malevolent smirk distorted his youthful features as he locked his gaze onto me.

Though descriptions from hearsay had been vague, confronting him directly made his true nature undeniable.

He represented a tier of apex predator completely divorced from the common mixed-bloods I had encountered.

“I am called Ovor. I hold the rank of Nobleblood within the Brokolak Clan. Do you count yourself among the zealots of the ‘Oath of the Reversal’? Is that what drives your pursuit of our sacred relic?”

“Precisely. Word reached our ears regarding the ‘Immortal King’s fragment’ held within your grasp, prompting our preemptive strike. Did your kind truly believe such a treasure could remain hidden from our sight indefinitely?”

Presented with a perfect opening to misdirect these monsters and sow discord among my enemies, fabricated claims flowed effortlessly from my lips the moment the opportunity manifested.

The youth approached with an air of complete composure, seemingly convinced of his inevitable triumph—or perhaps he was merely biding his time for the reinforcements closing in from all sectors to seal my escape.

‘Contending with a single Nobleblood might be within my capabilities, but… ’

Factoring in a host exceeding twenty mixed-bloods alongside five pure-blooded commanders, the odds became overwhelmingly disadvantageous.

Furthermore, several hours remained before the arrival of dawn would strip them of their advantage.

In response to my bold declaration, Ovor narrowed his gaze, scrutinizing my demeanor as if attempting to verify the validity of my words.

“Intelligence suggested that a hidden settlement under their protection was put to the torch. Was that devastation not your handiwork as well?”

“Ha! Our designs operate on a grander scale. If our paths must cross like this, is it not natural that the stronger faction shall claim dominion through force?”

I tilted my head back, delivering the fabrication with absolute confidence.

My gaze remained unreadable, and my skeletal form was incapable of showing signs of stress.

The words I uttered were merely the product of magical resonance echoing through the air.

“…The details matter little at this juncture. Your actions have reduced our clan’s reputation to a laughingstock.”

In an instant, scores of immortal warriors materialized upon the surrounding branches, completely encircling my position.

A closer inspection revealed they had woven an intricate web of blood-based boundary magic across the perimeter, completely sealing off all avenues of retreat.

‘So that explains their coordinated approach from every vector… ’

While concentrating my entire magical output focused on a single point might allow me to shatter the boundary, the aristocratic vampire standing before me would hardly remain passive during the attempt.

Summoning the full complement of my spectral legion remained an option, but doing so would incur an unacceptable drain on my permanent forces.

“Your escape routes have been utterly severed. We shall subdue you here and extract the location of our stolen property under duress.”

Hemmed in by an elite force of immortal hunters with boundaries locking down the terrain, all while struggling to master a newly acquired wellspring of power, the situation bore all the hallmarks of a catastrophic trap.

Yet to my perception, it felt like an exhilarating theatrical performance.

[Heh… extraction is a foolish hope. My departure from this realm occurs on my own terms.]

Fully committing to the persona, I delivered a dramatic declaration fitting of an apex antagonist, losing myself entirely in the roleplay.

Crash—!

Before the echoes of my speech could fade, Ovor unleashed a devastating offensive.

The layers of protective wards surrounding me began to buckle and tear away under the pressure, yet I maintained my footing through sheer force of will.

Simultaneously, the surrounding vanguard of vampires launched a synchronized barrage of attacks directly toward my position.

[Engrave this memory upon your souls! I am Hans, vanguard of the Oath of the Reversal! I am the hidden thorn that pierces the breast amidst the silence of the breaking dawn! Weep for your utter inadequacy. I am the architect of your demise!]

Swept up in the grandiosity of the villainous monologue, I found myself entirely unable to resist leaning into the drama.

Though a detached portion of my psyche felt an urge to cringe at the absurdity, there was no reason not to relish the performance while it lasted.

The embarrassment could be dealt with at a later time.

[Our paths shall cross again.]

Uttering the final dramatic line that entered my thoughts, I flashed a defiant gesture toward the encroaching adversaries closing in from every side.

‘Terminate Summoning.’

With that mental command, the Arch-Lich Hans vanished entirely from the fabric of the Outerica reality.

Meanwhile, back on the surface of Earth.

As a direct consequence of his unbridled theatrical indulgence, Hansung-hyun spent the subsequent hour thrashing against his blankets in an agony of embarrassment…

It was an inevitable consequence of his own actions.