Chapter 430

Footage and snapshots of the occurrence, recorded by onlookers, spread rapidly across the internet, capturing global fascination.

While supernatural terrorist strikes were not entirely unprecedented… an incident of this magnitude and visual… grandiosity… was exceptionally rare.

A succession of aerial detonations, a cryptic entity soaring through the firmament, deflecting the assaults one after another… it formed an enchanting narrative, a subject that naturally commanded public curiosity.

-The footage itself is utterly terrifying. The reality surrounding the blasts looks warped.

└For real… If those strikes had connected with the town… Why did this even take place there? What could possibly be in that… isolated settlement?

-Is that truly a celestial being? The resolution makes it difficult to discern clearly.

└There are high-magnification snapshots available. Six distinct wings, full armor… that is unquestionably an angel.

-That protective gear seems incredibly recognizable… Is that Heinrich, the Saint hailing from the alternate realm?

└Holy cow, it actually is!

A few individuals had accurately deduced the angel’s identity as Heinrich… though he had no intentions of concealing it.

He harbored… alternative designs.

Naturally, very few possessed the complete narrative, the intricate realities of the conflict and its ultimate… conclusion.

“Allow me to formally present myself. I am Frey, the leader of the Burning Torch. I offer my profound appreciation once more for your backing, Masquerade.”

Barring those who participated firsthand, of course.

Frey, the President, who had remained insensible throughout the skirmish, at last recaptured consciousness and offered a respectful bow, conveying her deep appreciation.

She addressed Heinrich, the voice of the Masquerade, as well as Ken, who had stood alongside them from the very commencement.

Heinrich offered a gentle expression and returned the pleasantry.

“We merely fulfilled our obligations. The Heaven’s Turn Society represents far more than an isolated issue; they are a hazard to the whole of civilization. We must unite our strengths to resist them.”

And ‘civilization’ extended beyond the inhabitants of Earth alone, he remarked, letting his perception rest upon Frey for a brief interval.

“Are you managing well? It appeared that the… Mimic… retained dominance over your physical form for a considerable duration.”

“Ah, I feel vastly restored, all thanks to your intervention, Heinrich-nim. Fortune favored me. I managed to prevent complete assimilation due to my distinct capability.”

She offered a strained smirk and stretched her fingers, her gestures appearing remarkably… delicate for an individual who had previously assumed the guise of a massive, bearded gentleman to preserve her stature as the President.

“I remained unaware that my distinct capability, which I presumed to be a basic… physical transformation… carried such a distinct… repercussion.”

“You have not dedicated significant resources toward your distinct capability, correct?”

“…I understand you originate from an alternate realm. Your insights are quite profound. My focus was directed toward refining my Aether, achieving transcendence through that avenue. Admittedly, it proved advantageous for… shaping an ideal vessel for conditioning… and bypassing… gender-specific complications.”

The ambiance within the chamber remained light and amicable, given their fresh triumph over a shared adversary.

Ken, who had been stealthily analyzing Heinrich, alongside Ahn, who had harbored anxieties regarding Frey, both entered the dialogue, causing the environment to grow even more… warm.

This continued until Ken, unable to restrain his inquisitiveness any further, vocalized his thoughts.

“It remains a misfortune that we permitted that Executioner to slip away. We ought to have terminated him when the opportunity presented itself.”

The expressions of Frey and Ahn turned somber at his remark.

Such a reaction was entirely logical.

Frey had fallen into his captivity, and Ahn had witnessed his capabilities directly.

They recognized that he would pursue them once more upon his return…

They lacked the capacity to overcome him utilizing only their own strength.

“Ah, did I neglect to mention the outcome?”

However, their anxieties were short-lived.

“We have dealt with the Executioner. He no longer poses a concern for you.”

Heinrich’s indifferent statement, delivered in an almost… careless cadence, instantly dissolved their apprehensions.

“…T-truly?”

“At what point…?”

Every individual present, including Ahn, who had previously noted Phantom’s absence, was taken aback.

They had tentatively… anticipated such an outcome… yet they never envisioned it materializing with such swiftness.

Even Frey and Ken, who had personally clashed with the Executioner, were filled with astonishment.

‘…So their entire force was not present here. Where had they been concealed…?’

Frey, narrowing her gaze as she evaluated Heinrich, released a gentle breath.

An underground faction boasting an angel, a Saint from an alternate realm…

She had actively opposed the Heaven’s Turn Society for a span of years, yet she had remained entirely oblivious to this group’s existence.

‘…Regardless, they are undeniably our comrades, leaving me with no path forward but to place my confidence in them.’

Full reliance was not yet possible… but alternative pathways were nonexistent.

She was compelled to place her faith in them, for the protection of her adherents, for the sake of the Burning Torch.

She offered a deliberate nod, locking gazes with Ahn as their eyes exchanged a mute… agreement.

Heinrich, monitoring their transformations, flashed an assured smile.

‘…An effective exhibition of capability. Failure was out of the question, not with those three participating.’

He had not initially intended to… utilize his entire shadow faction… but the action had proven beneficial.

The advantages garnered had been… immense.

Particularly for their campaign against the Heaven’s Turn Society,

…as well as for the… standing of the Masquerade.

—

“Huu, excellent. That brings a close to my objectives in Southeast Asia.”

The pact with the Burning Torch had been effectively consolidated.

It resembled a… collaboration between two sovereign factions for the time being… yet it sufficed.

The Burning Torch, having endured severe casualties, possessed no alternative but to lean upon them.

As the days advanced, their bond would naturally… transition, with the Burning Torch shifting into their… vassal, requiring no… coercive measures.

‘…As for the Southeast Asia sector of the Heaven’s Turn Society… Well, it is functionally dismantled, now that their primary leadership has been secured.’

He intended to delegate the… questioning and… wealth confiscation to Hans, who was currently stationed in Southeast Asia.

Through this method, he would likely harvest data regarding the alternate sectors, making it an entirely… advantageous scenario.

‘…I shall command the remaining manifestations to return to their respective realms.’

Seated within the automated reclining chair, I closed my eyes and evaluated the positioning of my manifestations across Earth.

The initial figure he dismissed was Harris, the High Elf.

His headwear and garments comprised enchanted implements featuring atmospheric purification and additional practical traits… yet they were incapable of fully erasing the… agitation he endured within this… synthetic setting.

‘…He was capable of tolerating it, but… there is no rationale for forcing his endurance.’

Harris, possessing a relaxed disposition and an intrinsic bond with the natural order, functioned as a… tranquilizing element, a… mechanism for relief.

He aided him in unwinding, capturing superior rest, and his artistry, an unending and quiet tune, proved entirely… restorative.

‘…Moving forward, who follows?’

Hesperon, the initial manifestation summoned to Earth, remained fully occupied with his obligations.

He was utilizing the advanced processing arrays within the data hub, paired with Titan and 「Cybernetic Eye: Callicas」, to… guide public sentiment, multiplying the atmosphere of anxiety and dread enveloping the Heaven’s Turn Society.

‘…Yet the progression is falling short of my calculations. There was a distinct rationale for their prolonged existence within the shadows.’

Despite tying the narrative to the recent strikes, the consequence lacked the magnitude he had anticipated.

In truth, within the contemporary era, information operations of this scale amounted to… child’s play.

Furthermore, they faced Doctor, an absolute prodigy of technological systems.

“I suspected as much given the total absence of online records concerning them… Their methods are meticulous.”

It remained entirely possible they commanded their own… specialized artificial intelligence.

He would need to fortify the defensive measures protecting Hesperon’s data hub.

He could not compromise himself to a potential… retaliatory intrusion.

‘…Heinrich remains occupied with cultivating his… public reputation. And the others… ‘

Harley, the soldier of fortune, who navigated the boundary separating illumination from obscurity.

Along with his… genuine shadow faction: Hans, Heinz the Second, and Hella.

—

An environment saturated with detrimental energies, a shadowy and malevolent resonance.

“Hmm, my assignment has reached its end.”

Heinz, who had assisted in securing the Executioner, cleansed his mouth and assumed a standing posture.

[“——!”]

Subsequently, paying no heed to the echoing… concepts, the… murmurs of an unidentified presence, he departed the sealed environment, reentering the… physical realm.

Contrasted with the alternate pair of manifestations, his participation had been… restricted, allowing his objective to conclude rapidly.

[“Khehehe! It appears he truly harbors a spark of divinity. His endurance outlasted my calculations. Splendid, truly splendid!”]

“Hmm~ I might possess the ability to… extract this essence for my own utility. In that regard, his nature isn’t entirely distinct from a vampire. Even separating across realms, there are… parallels.”

As he paid attention to the stimulated banter of his alternate manifestations,

Heinz, emerging from the synthetically generated environment, inhaled deeply.

‘…That location does not suit my preferences.’

He wished he could transition his alternate manifestations into the 「Dragon’s Lair」.

In contrast to the other pair, who maintained a greater… familiarity with detrimental energy, his inclinations leaned toward… blood.

However, he had successfully gathered his requirements, the lifeblood of the Executioner along with its… hidden principles, rendering a return to that place unnecessary.

‘…And the endeavor wasn’t a total misuse of time.’

The Eternal Greater Demon, was that the designation?

Even if corrupted essence lacked substantial… nourishment for a vampire, the path of consuming it, the spiritual tie… it had fortified his Divine Blood.

‘…Though the gain is trivial when balanced against the remaining pair.’

Hella, who intended to isolate and consume the fiend’s core vitality, and Hans, who designed to… compromise his form and spirit, shifting him into a thrall…

…juxtaposed against them, Heinz, who had merely harvested a minor quantity of lifeblood and a fraction of spiritual connection, was virtually a… paragon of virtue.

Naturally, he had additionally… sustained himself upon the alternate captured transcendent beings.

With his obligations fulfilled, he journeyed back to his designated… domain.

Seoul, Korea, a location under his custody.

“Ah, greetings upon your return, Master!”

“Hmm.”

He offered a nod toward Jin So-ran’s welcome and stepped into his private workspace.

This location served as the nerve center for Heterosis, the core of the Blood Alliance’s ventures within Korea, where Jin So-ran, acting as his proxy, directed the collective.

‘…They have transitioned significantly toward a… commercial structure.’

He scanned the environment, nodding deliberately.

The workspace, spanning an entire level of a modest structure, mirrored any standard corporate enterprise…

…save for the heavily tinted glass panes and the reality that the majority of the staff operated during nocturnal hours.

“I have kept abreast of the routine accounts. It appears your schedule remains intensely filled.”

“Hmm, the situation has ameliorated. I genuinely believed my demise was imminent when Howard Industry initially debuted… yet the dynamic has transformed now that a corporate executive is presiding.”

She exhaled deeply, tossing her head back, as though revisiting a… deeply stressful memory.

“An overseer need not execute every task personally. A leader’s obligation is ensuring the staff fulfills their responsibilities correctly. There is an abundance of… experts and… capable figures available.”

“…That perspective is… remarkably… profound, Master.”

Jin So-ran, functioning as one of those… heavily burdened staff members, directed her gaze toward him, her features appearing… uneasy.

And she solidified her intent.

She would likewise… secure efficient subordinates and transfer all mundane responsibilities onto their shoulders.

“No prominent complications appear evident. Any… abnormal occurrences?”

“Abnormal occurrences… Ah! The initiative I introduced previously! The groundwork is completed.”

“Initiative?”

Which specific undertaking?

As Heinz attempted to summon the memory,

Jin So-ran, her gaze radiating brightness, articulated the words.

“The Vampire Image Improvement Project.”

At that moment, the memory resurfaced.

Regardless of Howard Industry’s recent… favorable impact, the Blood Alliance, a vampire syndicate governing the criminal networks of both Korea and Europe, still carried a… detrimental reputation abroad.

There were even journalistic pieces condemning Korea for… offering them sanctuary.

And the remedy he had… greenlit… was…

“We are stepping into the field of entertainment!”

…a strategy to elevate the public standing of the Blood Alliance utilizing… prominent public figures for promotion.