Chapter 74

Chapter 74
## Chapter 74

### Brokoslack Clan (1)

—

Harris journeyed eastward across the Ion Continent alongside the representative from the Elven Kingdom over the span of several days.

‘Traversing the continent is incredibly simple when backed by the Church’s credentials.’

Because the Main God Church possessed immense authority that cut across all races and nations, securing transit passes to travel anywhere under their endorsement was an effortless matter.

After making their way through a succession of holy sanctuaries, the travelers finally reached the easternmost border of the eastern republic and immediately struck out toward a neighboring woodland.

“Um… Aren’t we supposed to take a ship across the ocean?”

When Cecily voiced her confusion regarding their route, Rapori offered a warm, gentle smirk.

“Sailing directly across the sea is both perilous and inefficient. Keep this in mind, Cecily. The World Tree serves as the foundation for every tree across the globe, and High Elves are the chosen stewards of its legacy.”

To put it plainly, it signified that High Elves possessed the ability to relocate to any faraway woodland by drawing upon the grand power of the World Tree.

‘From tracing Hans previously to this current feat, the capabilities of the High Elves truly defy belief. Though, it makes perfect sense considering they are tapping into the energy of the World Tree, doesn’t it?’

Naturally, the greater the distance they needed to bridge, the more monumental the depletion of energy, which was precisely why they had journeyed overland to this specific point to keep the transit gap as narrow as possible.

Even so, he couldn’t help but think this method might be far more practical than relying on the Main God Church, which was restricted to long-distance relocation solely via institutional temple gateways.

‘If you look past the restriction that only a High Elf can actually trigger it. It really was a pointless contrast to draw.’

They could hardly utilize the single-digit number of High Elves existing among the entire Elf population as a mere transit service.

“Now, maintain a tight formation right behind me from this moment on. Take care not to wander away from the rest of us.”

A crisp, invigorating aura radiated outward from Rapori’s frame, wrapping around the entire party.

With that, the travelers plunged deep into the dense foliage, guided by Rapori at the vanguard, while Cecily and Harris, both entirely unfamiliar with the wilderness path, were positioned securely in the center of the line to ensure they didn’t fall behind.

“We will need to keep trekking in this fashion for a handful of days. There is no urgency driving us at this stage, so let us proceed at a comfortable pace.”

They had pushed themselves relentlessly to liberate Cecily with utmost speed, but there was zero reason to exhaust their bodies on the return trek.

Elves, being a species blessed with vast lifespans, were naturally inclined to a relaxed approach to time.

In this manner, they advanced through the forest track, which took on an ethereal, dreamlike quality, and commenced their transit across the vast waters.

—

Heinz the Second slipped past the gates of Talaria, the bustling capital city of the Talia Kingdom situated in the western territory of the continent.

Not a soul caught wind of his true presence, as he remained entirely focused on masking his aura, pushing the limits of his “Concealment” technique to its absolute peak.

“That price is far too steep… Drop it down a bit for me.”

“What nonsense are you spouting! I’m barely clearing a profit even at this rate!”

Common citizens going about their routine affairs.

It was an entirely mundane urban landscape that one could witness in any corner of the world.

‘There are vampires scattered throughout… though their numbers aren’t excessive, and every single one is masking themselves flawlessly.’

Heinz took his time observing the local environment as he strode through the streets.

He was uniquely capable of discerning their presence owing to his elevated, transcendent perceptions and his status as a vastly superior vampire, yet the sheer quality of their camouflage was undeniably commendable.

Then again, regardless of how deep their roots ran here, this location was the heart of a sovereign nation, complete with a prominent sanctuary dedicated to the Main God Church.

It would be exceedingly risky for vampires, being entities born of darkness, to operate without absolute discretion.

‘I must formulate a strategy to disrupt their operations. Charging straight into their primary stronghold remains an premature move.’

Beyond the sheer volume of combatants entrenched there presenting a major obstacle, they were an institutional power that had manipulated the levers of this monarchy from the dark for generations.

Instigating mindless chaos would offer absolutely no benefit to his long-term objectives.

Ultimately, his singular option was to incrementally erode their outer structures to force a lapse in their guard, and to accomplish that, he required an insider ally thoroughly versed in their internal operations.

‘Accomplishing that is trivial utilizing “Refined Blood Essence”. Now, let us locate an appropriate vampire to bring into the fold.’

The methodology would naturally require a degree of physical dominance and intimidation, but the arrangement would ultimately yield great benefits for the target.

He had personally witnessed the dramatic empowering attributes of “Refined Blood Essence” on multiple occasions while developing Heterosis.

A solitary droplet of his lifeblood represented a transcendent boon for any ordinary vampire.

‘There is a perfectly viable prospect just ahead. I shall begin with that individual… Wait a moment?’

He detected a vampire suppressing their aura on the upper floor of a residential structure that showed no outward signs of occupancy.

Yet, as his steps brought him closer, the underlying energy signature began to feel strangely familiar.

‘The signature is distorted by some sort of cloaking method… Could it truly be?’

When it came down to it, how many vampire acquaintances did Heinz actually possess in this world?

The vast majority had been completely eradicated during the events in Azantu, leaving only a meager handful unaccounted for.

Furthermore, if there was an operative assigned to sentry duty in a location such as this, the identity would likely point to…

Upon narrowing the distance to confirm his suspicions, the figure he discovered was, precisely as anticipated, an immortal he recognized.

‘Rosilica. So this is where she ended up.’

The Fledgling who had overseen Heinz the Second’s initial instruction when he first transitioned into a vampire.

He had lost all track of her location following the chaotic incident involving the theft of the Immortal King’s Fragment back in Azantu, but it appeared she had been relocated to serve in the capital city.

‘I assumed she might have perished during the violent dispute with the Church, yet here she is, breathing?’

Word had reached him that an immense number of vampires had been put down during the massive conflict that erupted out of Azantu.

Observing her survival after enduring a succession of severe crises starting from that initial city, she clearly possessed an incredibly resilient survival instinct.

Invoking the power of “Invisibility”, Heinz silently breached the structure she was occupying.

“Ugh~ What a waste of time standing guard in broad daylight. My complexion is getting completely ruined, how much longer must I endure this tedious existence?”

Rosilica’s grumbling form came into view the moment he slipped soundlessly into the interior of the residence.

The dimly lit chamber, featuring every window heavily sealed with light-blocking drapes, was covered in a wide array of esoteric blood magic arrays sketched out in vital fluid.

The wards ranged from configurations designed to completely wipe out the presence of any occupant to sensory enhancements that streamlined the observation of the street outside, alongside standard tripwires and defensive measures against uninvited guests.

‘Naturally, none of these barriers pose any real obstacle to me.’

He thoroughly deciphered the structural layout of the arrays using “Blood Mystery” and effortlessly bypassed them utilizing the masking properties of “Concealment”, closing the distance to stand directly behind Rosilica.

‘An alert mechanism exists that triggers automatically if the sentry is neutralized, but it lacks any system to broadcast the internal audio or visuals in real time. Perfect.’

He calmly analyzed the runic networks from his position behind her back and dissolved his “Invisibility”.

However, because he maintained a flawless dampening of his physical presence, she remained completely oblivious to Heinz’s arrival and kept her gaze fixed out the window.

“I absolutely must get proper rest during the daytime hours so my skin doesn’t lose its…”

“Rosilica.”

Her physical frame jolted violently and seized up instantly, though the paralysis lasted only a split second.

“My profound apologies~! I was simply rambling to myself… Wait, what?”

Rosilica, pivoting around swiftly to offer her compliance, gasped in shock the moment her eyes locked onto Heinz’s features.

She was utterly derailed by the sight; rather than the commanding superior she anticipated—someone capable of bypassing her wards who already knew her designation—a complete stranger stood staring directly at her.

“…Forgive me, but who exactly are you supposed to be…?”

Yet, likely influenced by the anomalies of the situation, she inquired with immense care, maintaining an intensely guarded stance.

It was entirely logical that she failed to identify him, given that his facial structure and physical proportions had evolved drastically since the period they had spent working together.

“It is Heinz.”

“Heinz…?”

He provided his actual identity without hesitation since he had no grand design to deceive her, but she merely tilted her head in confusion, showing no major shock, clearly assuming he was simply an unrelated individual sharing a common name.

“Are you an honored guest visiting our faction?”

Did her instincts warn her that she was facing a powerful entity far beyond her capacity to defeat? Rosilica maintained a deferential tone while keeping her guard fully raised.

“Indeed, I am a guest.”

“Ah! In that case, this particular station is not the appropriate…”

“However, I arrived without an invitation.”

The moment the final syllable left his lips,

Vwomp—!

A set of five piercing blood tendrils erupted from the tips of her right hand, driving straight toward Heinz’s position.

Simultaneously, her left hand darted toward a specific node in the defensive array to broadcast an emergency signal, except…

“Ngh?”

A collection of crimson, blood-forged chains had already bound themselves tightly around her entire form, utterly freezing her physical limbs and neutralizing the activation of her internal magical reserves.

“This defies logic! You couldn’t possibly be… a True Blood?… This territory belongs entirely to Brokoslack! This constitutes an absolute breach of our non-aggression pact!”

She shrieked in sheer panic, operating under the assumption that Heinz must be a True Blood originating from a rival faction due to the staggering disparity in raw combat capability.

Heinz, however, was focusing his intellect on a completely different angle.

‘Hold on. What if I play it this way?’

He was currently positioned within a masterfully constructed cloaking field, so he deliberately permitted a localized fraction of the vampire aura he had been masking with “Concealment” to leak out.

He precisely channeled only a minute fragment of his presence, demonstrating his flawless mastery over vital fluids and his overwhelming command over blood magic mechanics.

Rosilica, possessing the acute sensory awareness toward blood inherent to all vampires, instantaneously identified the underlying lineage scent carried within that aura.

“Uh… what? Our own bloodline? No, it feels distinct… Wait, how?”

He had focused his will to the absolute limit to project an energy signature that closely mirrored the original strain, but it appeared a minor variance remained.

Even so, that subtle resonance was more than enough to completely shatter her train of thought.

Exploiting the window of her profound cognitive confusion, Heinz calmly began to speak.

“I belong to an offshoot lineage of the Brokoslack family.”

And in keeping with his established methods, he began spinning a narrative constructed around highly plausible historical realities.

The structure of the immortal underworld contained numerous disparate factions.

There were offshoot branches that had somehow broken away from the absolute control of the ‘Blood Subordination’ bond over time, subsequently carving out their own sovereign domains.

Despite sharing a singular foundational origin, they gradually diverged across successive generations until they transformed into entirely separate entities.

Heinz recalled these historical outliers and seamlessly integrated them into his fabrication.

He was effectively framing the situation as a family squabble originating from the same ancestral root, asserting that he, as a member of a marginalized offshoot branch, merely sought to claim the leadership position for himself.

He further clarified that this action did not represent an assault by an external enemy, but rather an internal rivalry for dominance within the clan, meaning he possessed no desire to destroy the family structure as a whole.

It was a masterclass in absolute fabrication.

However, because he anchored the lie to established structural truths and subtly reinforced it with a delicate psychological compulsion powered by “Blood Mystery”, she failed to find any glaring flaws to dispute.

‘Then again, looking at it objectively, it isn’t an outright falsehood.’

His foundational lineage did, in fact, trace back to Brokoslack.

“Um… I am merely a low-ranking Fledgling, why target me…”

“Pledge your compliance to me, and I shall bestow immense strength upon you. Your sole requirement is to assist me with a handful of objectives.”

The entire reason he was bothering with this intricate diplomatic approach was to lower her psychological defensiveness as much as possible.

The binding dynamic enforced through “Refined Blood Essence” did not possess the psychological property of rewriting a subject’s mind into unthinking, fanatical devotion.

“…I am deeply honored, but I must decline…”

She parted her lips to voice a rejection.

It was a completely natural response; very few individuals would willingly abandon an established, stable hierarchy to gamble their lives on an unknown entity they had just encountered.

“Ah! Allow me to clear up any misconception you might have.”

Before she could even articulate the remainder of her refusal, Heinz’s tone, tinged with an amused chuckle, cut her off completely.

“You do not actually possess the option to refuse.”

He had merely laid out the logistical context to convince her to cease her resistance and fall into line willingly.

The moment an immortal became bound through the application of “Refined Blood Essence”, the transformation was entirely permanent, forcing them to execute his directives regardless of their personal desires.

Heinz reached out his palm toward Rosilica, whose face was frozen in an expression of profound uncertainty.

—

Ultimately, he succeeded in securing seamless compliance from Rosilica, who had completely surrendered to her altered reality.

Though a lingering trace of hesitation remained visible in her demeanor, she found immense satisfaction in the profound surge of personal power granted by the consumption of “Refined Blood Essence”.

The structural intelligence regarding the Brokoslack Clan that he managed to extract from her proved highly valuable.

Granted, she was locked out of top-tier organizational secrets due to her status as a common Fledgling, but her extended deployment in this specific urban center allowed her to compile several highly actionable insights.

Chief among these pieces of intelligence was detailed data regarding Freesia Brokoslack, the elite True Blood tasked with commanding the espionage and monitoring network throughout the capital.

“Lady Freesia is an eccentric figure. She frequently takes leisurely strolls out in the open during daytime hours. She takes immense pleasure in drawing admiration and attention from the mortal populace…”

An ostentatious, high-born socialite who took delight in lavish shopping excursions and similar trivialities, parading through the capital’s streets draped in extravagant garments.

That was the civilian persona adopted by that particular True Blood.

“The scope of her sensory detection is staggeringly vast. Word within the network suggests her awareness can span all the way past the outer city perimeters whenever she positions herself within the primary marketplace. She is likely capable of tracking half the capital entirely on her own.”

Reflecting on the description, the profile felt remarkably familiar.

It aligned perfectly with the events of Heinz the Second’s initial arrival in the metropolis to secure Heinrich’s placement within the Main God Church.

She was the exact True Blood whose path he had crossed, forcing him to execute a rapid tactical retreat.

‘Ah… the memory returns to me. She was the specific vampire who utilized the Devil Eye.’

She had materialized without warning directly at his back, interrogating him on suspicions of rogue feeding, prompting him to break engagement using Dismiss while vowing to settle the score at a later date.

‘And yet, fortune brings our paths to cross once more in this fashion.’

The vivid recollections of that past encounter rushed back into his mind.

In truth, he didn’t harbor an intense personal vendetta against her since he had successfully evaded capture immediately, but she certainly wasn’t an individual he recalled with any measure of fondness either…

‘Let us see how our reunion unfolds after all this time.’

A chilling, predatory smirk formed across Heinz’s features.