Chapter 245

Chapter 245
## Chapter 245

Vampire Rise (5)

The Hahoe Mask—a cryptic persona who made an abrupt appearance within the borders of South Korea.

Taking justice into his own hands, he passed absolute judgment upon wrongdoers using a personalized set of ethics. This merciless approach proved highly instrumental in bringing order to a fractured society.

Granted, his tactics were extreme, bypassing established legal frameworks in favor of brutal force. Yet, the undeniable efficacy of his actions remained beyond dispute.

The populace rallied behind him with great fervor, which subsequently cast a shadow of doubt over the traditional institutions tasked with upholding peace.

These massive administrative entities were suddenly perceived as completely inadequate when measured against the power of a single person.

Rumble—!

‘Excuses aside… the outcome speaks for itself.’

Yoon Ji-yoon wore a tight, strained expression as she traded blows with Alpha.

Contrary to what the public assumed, the Supernatural Management Bureau and the Korean Returnee Association were far from helpless.

Their primary obstacle was the bureaucratic red tape that throttled their efficiency. In truth, they were the very foundation that had preserved societal harmony and kept anarchy at bay for so long.

‘This location… it was supposed to be a secure Heterosis compound, correct?’

She possessed a deep understanding of Heterosis, the undisputed syndicate governing the underbelly of Seoul.

Because they had collaborated covertly with official channels to maintain local stability, she had monitored their activities while preserving a tacit truce.

Yet, a massive spike in spiritual energy had abruptly registered from their headquarters.

It was an overwhelming, malevolent manifestation of sanguinary sorcery.

‘I mobilized with maximum speed… but the devastation is already catastrophic.’

Gritting her teeth, she narrowed her gaze in frustration.

Scarcely five minutes had elapsed from the moment the central network flagged the disturbance, forwarded the alert to her during her off-hours, and her subsequent arrival on the scene.

Even so, hundreds of lives had already been snuffed out.

Had a certain vampire affiliated with Heterosis not managed to draw the assailant’s focus away, the body count would have been vastly more severe.

‘For a Rank 9 Mad Blood Devil to strike a Heterosis base… If memory serves, Alpha, who once commanded the extremist faction, vanished entirely following their collapse.’

Zzzzt—!

Amidst her racing thoughts,

The lightning chakra circulating through Yoon Ji-yoon’s meridians established a resonance with the atmospheric conditions.

Thunder rumbled deep within the clouds.

Her internal resolve began to reshape external physical laws—.

Crack—boom!

A brilliant pillar of electricity cascaded from above.

Striking squarely upon Alpha.

“Arrgh! Death to you! Death to Heinz! Death to every single mortal!”

“Good grief, your resilience is infuriating! Just crumble already!”

The adversary, however, was no commonplace monster.

In the blink of an eye,

Alpha, though severely scorched by the chakra-laden tempest, lunged forward and cleaved through the wind toward her position.

“Kieeeek!”

His epidermal layer hung in shreds from the continuous electrical bombardment, yet an abnormal, monstrous vitality was knitting his flesh back together at an alarming velocity.

It mimicked absolute immortality.

‘An illusion, surely. True immortality does not exist.’

Regardless of his regenerative boundaries, her objective remained clear.

‘A Mad Blood Devil, regardless of state… Total annihilation is the cleanest route… but the situation restricts me. I must employ alternative tactics.’

Unleashing her unbridled capacity in this dense sector was out of the question.

If she carelessly triggered her ultimate techniques within municipal borders, the protective boundaries maintained by the Guardians, alongside the surrounding real estate, would collapse entirely.

The collateral ruin from her own assault might eclipse the havoc wrought by the Mad Blood Devil itself.

Spark—!

Currents raced across her skin, pushing her cognitive processing to an astronomical velocity.

In that suspended fraction of a second, her respiratory function ceased, her metabolic processes froze, and the natural electrical impulses of her nervous system ground to a halt—.

Only the concentrated chakra inside her core rotated with infinite momentum.

‘I will incinerate you until there is nothing left to heal!’

Suddenly, a microscopic cosmic expanse expanded at the nexus of that spinning energy.

She, Yoon Ji-yoon,

—fused entirely into living lightning.

—

“Move quickly! Prioritize the relocation of civilians to the designated safe zone!”

“We are desperately short on restorative magic! Contact every available clergyman nearby! Employ pleas, demands, or whatever leverage required to get them on site!”

“Damn it, reinforcement is needed on the barrier grid! We are operating at maximum load! A direct impact will cause total structural failure!”

Just beyond the perimeter of the intense clash between Yoon Ji-yoon and Alpha,

Personnel from the Returnee Association alongside operatives from the Supernatural Management Bureau scrambled in a state of high alert.

They had experienced a brief period of calm courtesy of the Hahoe Mask’s interventions, yet they were well-acquainted with crises of this magnitude.

While it was unusual for a solitary rogue to inflict such concentrated devastation, their operational mandates remained identical.

The regional director would neutralize the threat.

And amidst the chaotic backdrop,

An individual glided effortlessly through the defensive lines, utterly unseen, making his way toward the energy wall.

‘To orchestrate a counter-response of this caliber so swiftly… Commendable… It indicates such catastrophes are a recurring element of this world.’

Heinz, maintaining complete concealment through the application of “Existence Denial”, gave a somber nod.

He recognized that localized terrorism was a persistent blight.

‘Furthermore, once this event becomes public knowledge, the outlaws currently lying low will undoubtedly seize the opportunity to strike.’

It was a fundamental trait of sentient beings to mimic collective momentum. During periods of tranquility, caution prevailed; however, the moment an instigator shattered the peace, others would rapidly follow suit.

He had dedicated substantial effort to hunting and punishing these criminals, yet it appeared an equally arduous campaign would be required to re-establish stability.

‘Hmph, it is an unavoidable chore. It appears Jin So-ran managed to extricate herself from the immediate danger, meaning I can locate her down the line. First, the threat within the perimeter demands my attention.’

Even without activating “Monarch’s Authority”, he could readily detect the positions of his subordinates.

Jin So-ran and a small gathering of surviving Heterosis vampires were clustered together a safe distance away.

‘That specific pressure… He is indisputably of the Sacred Blood tier. However, given that Jin So-ran still draws breath, his primary objective was likely not her immediate execution.’

He could perceive the ferocious collision of powers occurring past the defensive barrier.

There was zero probability she could have eluded such a formidable adversary unaided; thus, the attacker must have consciously permitted her escape, or she exploited the distraction provided by the incoming Association forces.

‘Fortune smiled upon her. Regardless, I can extract the details of this foe through my own methods.’

Arriving at the perimeter wall, Heinz executed a rapid assessment utilizing “Insight”,

Before stepping seamlessly through the energetic barrier under the shroud of “Existence Denial”.

Immediately upon crossing, a scene unfolded before him…

“Gah! Heinz!”

Rumble—! Crash!

“Listen to me, your opponent is standing right before you! Yet you choose to disregard me while calling out for someone else? Your lack of etiquette is appalling!”

…A horribly burned monstrosity was frantically roaring his name,

While a entity composed entirely of blinding voltage pinned him down, continuously frying his tissue with celestial arcs.

‘…My designation? Fascinating. So that creature is Alpha.’

Heinz, swiftly identifying the aggressor through that singular vocal clue, watched the engagement with calculated curiosity.

Alpha fought with mindless fury, mending his wounds perpetually while fracturing the landscape, but he was fundamentally outmatched by a foe operating on pure elemental speed, stripped of rationality and guided by absolute instinct.

‘The manifestation resembles a Lightning Spirit… yet the underlying source is chakra, an energy far more primordial than natural elements.’

Chakra—the esoteric discipline of actualizing concepts and reality distortion by finalizing an internal cosmic ecosystem.

He had crossed paths with various chakra practitioners on this planet, but this marked his initial encounter with an individual who had successfully mapped their entire existence onto the abstract concept of ‘lightning’.

‘…Her capability is formidable. And she is clearly holding back her true output.’

Operating under an unfamiliar methodology, he could not perfectly calculate her exact power ceiling, though she undeniably ranked among the elite transcendents.

“I… I must tear Heinz apart! Interfere and I will butcher you as well!”

“Blah, blah, I hear your complaints, so do me a favor and perish!”

Alpha shrieked as his flesh was reduced to carbon beneath the unyielding electrical storm.

His cognitive faculties were entirely shattered.

Even factoring in the mental decay resulting from cannibalizing his fellow vampires, his hyper-fixation on Heinz crossed into the unnatural.

It bore the hallmarks of a foreign command forcibly carved into his psyche.

‘Attempting to analyze the rationale of a lunatic is a fruitless endeavor. Yet, if I refrain from intervening, his demise is imminent.’

The monster’s cellular recovery was flagging, approaching its absolute threshold.

Would it be wiser to simply relish the destruction of the instigator and depart the area undetected?

‘…Absolutely not.’

He had sustained measurable damages of his own.

The physical obliteration of the Heterosis real estate and operational headquarters was a minor inconvenience.

However, a vast majority of the vampires stationed within the facility had perished during Alpha’s assault, and Jin So-ran, who supervised his logistical affairs, had suffered critical trauma.

Departing empty-handed under these circumstances was unacceptable.

‘I possess the legitimate prerogative to claim restitution.’

Consequent to that logic, this action was not…

…larceny.

Step—

“Arrgh! You…? Heinz—!”

It was merely the straightforward execution of balancing the ledger.

—

Deep within an isolated territory in China.

The individual confined to the wheelchair emitted a lengthy breath before initiating a communication link with his superior, a faint trace of anxiety coloring his thoughts.

-Greetings~ Is that you, Yulryeongja~?

“Greetings, Doctor. I am reaching out to confirm that the asset has been successfully deployed.”

-Oh my! Is that so? Splendid news!

The tone on the other end was characteristically flamboyant and brimming with misplaced mirth.

Yulryeongja refrained from showing irritation, delivering the intelligence with clinical detachment.

“Yoon Ji-yoon, recognized as the Lightning Empress of South Korea, materialized at the coordinate significantly ahead of our projections. We attempted to capitalize on her supposed absence, but… the maneuver yielded minimal strategic return.”

-Ah, what a pity! I anticipated a far more dramatic conflagration!

The distinct sound of snapping fingers resonated through the speaker.

With that, the preliminary status update concluded without further complications.

-Your diligence is highly appreciated, Yulryeongja! Managing that unhinged specimen must have proven quite tiresome!

“It was manageable. I have developed a tolerance for such variables.”

The subtext of Yulryeongja’s remark clearly signaled, ‘No matter how problematic he was, he paled in comparison to the headache of dealing with you,’ though he naturally kept that sentiment closely guarded.

-I genuinely trust that my token of appreciation was delivered directly into Heinz’s hands! I devised an alternate protocol just in case, though a swift and direct resolution is always preferable! Ahahahaha!

“Is that specific target truly worth such resources? Reports indicate he maintains cognitive stability despite engaging in cannibalistic consumption of his lineage, but… I remain skeptical of his true value. I question whether it warranted the forfeiture of a Rank 9 vampire we invested so much effort to cultivate.”

Alpha represented a highly prized piece on the board for Yulryeongja, who directed the East Asia sector of the Heaven’s Turn Society, leaving him fundamentally frustrated by what appeared to be an unproductive exercise.

They had already absorbed massive operational deficits during their conflicts with the Hahoe Mask, making this latest expenditure feel reckless.

-My dear Yulryeongja, one must scatter seeds across the soil if one wishes to gather a harvest! One must properly nourish the stock prior to the culling! From that perspective, utilizing Alpha—who was fundamentally a corrupted specimen—was an incredibly prudent allocation of resources! His Rank 9 status existed purely on paper; his mental capacity had regressed to that of a common beast.

“Be that as it may, my apprehension stems from the immense difficulty in monitoring his coordinates.”

-Which is precisely why this strategy is paramount! We shall guide him to our preferred destination utilizing the correct incentives. And provided we gain access to his physical form, the realization of the ‘Complete Evolution Project’ will finally be secured! Ahahahaha!

The Doctor’s unbridled amusement vibrated clearly through the audio connection.

It was an expected reaction.

This stood as one of his foundational endeavors, an initiative he had mapped out and distributed to various global research cells, supplemented with trace amounts of authentic dragon blood.

Though the primary laboratory situated in South Korea had faced total destruction, the broader research framework had maintained steady advancement.

And with the identification of Heinz, the anomalous vampire variant, the final puzzle piece was within their grasp.

-Ahahahaha!

The Doctor, utterly delighted by the prospects of his grand design, continued to snicker until the transmission severed.

He remained entirely oblivious to the reality that his highly coveted blueprint had already been intercepted, parsed, and successfully actualized by an outside party.