Chapter 238

Chapter 238
## Chapter 238

Zepia Republic (1)

Following the unexpected arrival of Shri Hartgen, the Elder Dragon of the Gold Clan,

He collected Horus and departed Tarak for a different destination.

It was a secluded, tiny isle situated to the northwest of the Ion Continent, which had served as his sanctuary.

“This location has been meticulously crafted. Without exact coordinates, even the Immortal King would fail to uncover it.”

“Ooooh—!”

Though his remaining days were numbered, he was resolved to invest his final moments into teaching Horus.

He was passing away, a consequence of waking from his lengthy slumber, yet he considered it a far more noble destiny to serve as sustenance for the upcoming generation rather than merely stretching out his own existence.

‘He mentioned sustaining a mortal injury during the conflict three hundred years prior, barely surviving ever since.’

Driven entirely by his duty to ensure the survival of the Gold Clan.

And now, Horus, the unpredicted heir, had arrived.

Horus walked behind Shri Hartgen, who guided him deeper into the sanctuary, experiencing a peculiar sensation within his heart.

As an outsider who had arrived merely by chance, he could not truly comprehend the depth of the old dragon’s emotions.

“My time is short, so I will maximize what remains to instruct you. This departs from our traditional method of raising hatchlings, but circumstances demand it.”

He offered these words with regret, yet Horus actually found this approach more agreeable.

He would have grown impatient had he been forced to spend years idling away like an ordinary dragon youth.

“The ‘Golden Treasury’ shall pass to you upon my passing. Its contents are diminished, as the finest relics were consumed in the war. Even so, its value remains on par with the wealth of an Ancient Dragon.”

Naturally, that modest evaluation applied only to enchanted relics and ancient artifacts. The sheer volume of standard wealth, which could be effortlessly converted into coin, was virtually a mountain.

“…Hold on, you can command the Dragon Language? When you are but a hatchling?”

“Yes, would you care for a display?”

Following that brief dialogue just prior to the commencement of their sessions,

Horus observed a look of genuine astonishment on Shri Hartgen’s face for the very first time.

“…Remarkable. It is quite common for even Juveniles to struggle with the Dragon Language, to say nothing of a mere hatchling… Dracarion…”

Hatchlings were infants, while Juveniles represented adolescents.

The developmental period immediately preceding adulthood for a dragon.

To put it plainly, the feat Horus had just performed was equivalent to a toddler successfully navigating a university entrance exam.

“I had intended to provide you with the fundamentals and trust you to master the rest over time, but this alters our timeline significantly.”

Shri Hartgen gave a slow nod, a gentle grin emerging as he adapted to the reality.

The Dragon Language was an innate trait of their kind, meaning he would have unlocked it naturally through aging, though the precise methods for its optimal deployment might have been forgotten.

He had purposed to leave guidance behind via enchanted instruments and scrolls, but Dragon Language Magic was far too intricate to be properly conveyed through such mediums.

‘I had considered seeking assistance from an alternate clan prior to my demise, but this outcome is vastly superior.’

Granted, with their entire race hovering on the brink of total erasure, the remaining clans would not have spurned his plea… yet the dignity of his lineage was at stake.

He preferred not to request aid unless absolutely devoid of options.

In truth, prior to the rise of the Immortal King a millennium ago, and even before conditions deteriorated further during the conflict three hundred years past, harmony between the various clans had been lacking.

Thus, as a dragon who had witnessed millennia pass, he felt immense gratification regarding the present circumstances.

“Very well. Superb. Let us commence without further delay.”

“Yes, sir!”

Consequently, on a tiny, anonymous isle northwest of the Ion Continent,

The education of the young hatchling Horus under the dying elder dragon Shri Hartgen got underway.

—

In a location within Suwon, South Korea.

Inside a compact, windowless chamber entirely absent of light, a lone woman with cascading dark hair sat quietly, taking sips of tea with her eyelids closed.

A serene moment of tea in the undisturbed gloom.

Yet the stillness shattered instantly as her frame grew rigid—

Clatter—

And the vessel slipped from her fingers, shattering against the tiles.

Despite the sharp echo and the dark crimson fluid pooling on the ground, she stayed perfectly still, locked in her previous stance.

Knock, knock—

“Aria? Is everything alright? I’m coming in.”

Another woman stepped carefully into the space after rapping on the wood.

Her gaze swept the area rapidly, and spotting the figure still seated at the small table, she exhaled in relief and stepped closer.

“Aria? Are you unhurt?”

“…Ah! I was drifted far in contemplation, and my grip failed me.”

“Let me clear away the broken porcelain. Give me just a second…”

“No need, I will attend to it shortly. Could you leave me for a moment?”

“…Very well. If you require assistance, just call. I will remain outside the door.”

Faced with the resolute request to leave, the companion bowed respectfully and softly departed the space.

Reclaiming her solitude, the woman with closed eyes,

Aria, the leader of the Blood Alliance’s moderate faction—one of the premier factions dominating Korea’s criminal landscape—dabbed at the crimson fluid seeping from her eyelids with a cloth and plunged into deep reflection.

‘I believed the danger had abated… But it appears that was incorrect.’

She had harbored hope that stability would return once the aggressive members were eliminated and supplanted by Heinz’s Heterosis.

Yet moments ago, her unique ability, “Stage of Fate”, had signaled another looming catastrophe.

“Stage of Fate”, a visionary ability, granted her glimpses of what was to come, serving as a lifeline that invariably steered her toward correct paths during perilous times.

Her choice to embrace vampirism, her secure return from the alternate realm, her ascent to a high tier within the Blood Alliance, her leadership of the peaceful faction against the warmongers, and even her alignment with Heinz’s dominion over the Blood Alliance had all been directed by this very power.

‘Heinz…’

The individual to whom she had surrendered everything, having found herself incapable of discovering a remedy on her own.

Heterosis, the fresh lineage he had initiated upon the human realm, had effectively consumed the Blood Alliance, rendering her position as the head of the moderate faction entirely nominal.

Owing to the benevolence of Jin So-ran, the second-in-command of Heterosis, she had assembled a small contingent of her loyalists and was experiencing a moderately serene existence…

‘I must alert So-ran.’

Exhale—

She rose to her feet, releasing a heavy breath, and simultaneously, the fractured porcelain and the pooled fluid vanished from sight.

This transpired on the fourth day following the abrupt vanishing of Hahoe Mask, who had been causing devastation across Japan.

—

The Zepia Republic, which held dominion over the eastern territory of the Ion Continent.

As nightfall descended,

Heinz the Second, the ruler governing both Heterosis on Earth and Hybrid within Auterica, stepped inside a dilapidated, aging residence situated on the boundary of the metropolis.

Though he moved along the thoroughfares and unlatched the entryway without attempting concealment, not a single soul among the neighborhood residents or the occupants of the dwelling perceived his arrival.

Not until he chose to make himself known.

“…You are behind schedule.”

The moment he terminated “Existence Denial”, a chilly feminine tone resonated from the interior of the dwelling.

“I arrived precisely at the designated hour. My schedule is quite demanding, as you are well aware.”

“Ha! I can imagine. Unsatisfied with capturing a monarchy, you are occupied with stretching your influence elsewhere.”

A biting response accompanied by the sharp tapping of footwear.

The Vice President of the Zepia Republic, Kayla McClair, creased her brow and stared up at the imposing figure.

“That is yet another error in judgment. The Zepia Republic holds no fascination for me. My sole objective is the suppression of Obaifo.”

Heinz chuckled softly and gazed down at her with a proud expression.

Kayla held his stare momentarily, then pressed her teeth into her lip and turned her face away.

‘In all honesty, I would prefer to simply absorb him.’

Yet unlike the Talia Kingdom, where his only task was to dominate the ruling elite, the dynamics here were far different.

The Zepia Republic was a formidable state, matching the might of the Azerion Empire, and its democratic framework rendered his prior strategies useless.

‘Obaifo is making minor strides, but it cannot be sustained.’

It represented a fleeting benefit, capitalising on the current state of upheaval across the continent.

They had spent decades organizing, rendering their opening gambits highly effective… yet the individuals holding authority were beginning to sense that something was incorrect.

‘The moment the threads begin to unravel, the situation will rapidly collapse.’

A governance deficit would inevitably manifest during the transition, though that would pose no issue under ordinary variables.

However, the entire landmass was presently operating under an emergency status.

Furthermore, the individual orchestrating the entire plot remained uncaptured.

Should the Republic find itself crippled by internal division, the Revolutionary would seize the opening, directing the assaults of beasts and titans toward the eastern territory, fracturing the nation’s stability.

And should Obaifo capitalize on that internal ruin…

‘That aligns perfectly with his desires.’

He possessed no desire to oversee a shattered realm, a territory overwhelmed by displaced populations.

He already faced sufficient burdens supervising the Talia Kingdom.

Moreover, he had no intention of allowing the Revolutionary to achieve his aims.

“You appear to be managing successfully.”

“…Hmph, managing successfully? I find it a miracle that I draw breath. I never anticipated that Commander O’Connell would fall in battle.”

The apex combatant who shielded the Zepia Republic, a savior worshipped as their protector.

Upon discovering his grim demise while attempting to establish contact, she had become the focus of multiple hit squads.

“I would be among the deceased if not for their intervention… the sentinels provided by Hybrid. You have my gratitude once more.”

Whoosh—

The instant her words concluded, a compact silhouette darted into the chamber and dropped to one knee before Heinz.

“High Lord! Regrets for my delayed arrival. I was required to eliminate several lingering complications.”

A youth possessing pallid skin, snowy hair, and crimson irises.

Oboro Brokoslack, the True Blood vampire assigned to serve as Kayla’s personal protection.

“Give me the breakdown of the current state.”

“The operation progresses without hitch. We have anchored Blood Gates at critical coordinates, and the battalions stand prepared.”

He offered a briefing regarding the active theater, the adversary’s positioning, and their upcoming maneuvers.

‘…What is the meaning of this?’

Yet Kayla suddenly knit her brow, detecting an odd sensation.

…The dialogue itself was not the source of her concern.

There was an alternative element, a subtle irregularity that was generating unease within her.

‘It is merely my mind playing tricks…’

She surveyed the surroundings, attempting to isolate the cause of her discomfort—

And her vision locked onto a dark shape shifting within the gloom, causing her entire frame to lock up.

Within the decaying structure where she had sought isolation from her hunters.

Amidst the intensifying shadows of the encroaching twilight, countless silhouettes were standing in absolute silence, undetected until this very instant.

‘Since when?!’

And their quantities were staggering.

It defied belief that she had remained oblivious to their presence until now.

As her eyes traveled across the space, the gathering of silhouettes multiplied further.

The partitions, the glass panes, the steps, the banisters… even the upper framework of the ceiling.

By the time the tally of dark figures neared a hundred,

“Excellent.”

A tone, saturated with an unnatural authority that demanded submission, reverberated through the space, pulling her attention directly back to Heinz.

“With our arrangements finalized…”

A freezing grin manifested on his typically emotionless visage.

“The hour has arrived to commence—the campaign to bring every vampire of this realm under one banner.”

Whoosh—

A rustling vibration, resembling hundreds of banners snapping simultaneously in the wind, permeated the atmosphere.

As the dark figures dropped low before their master, pledging their total fidelity,

“…The conflict.”

The war of the vampires was set in motion.