Chapter 76

Chapter 76
## Chapter 76

Brokoslack Clan (3)

Plunge—

“Ah!”

Deciding against further delaying the matter, Heinz gripped Freesia by the back of her neck with a single hand.

As his five digits pressed deeply into her delicate throat, crimson droplets began to weep from the punctures.

Heinz took this opportunity to introduce his “Refined Blood Essence” directly into her open wounds, allowing it to merge with her internal circulation.

“Ngh—! You! What do you think you are doing…!”

Her heritage as a True Blood was immediately apparent.

Despite being restrained, she managed to regulate her own circulation and isolate the pathways that had mingled with Heinz’s “Refined Blood Essence,” attempting to halt its advancement through her form.

Her capacity for instantaneous tactical adjustment was undeniably commendable.

‘Naturally, such struggles are completely pointless. We shall discover how much longer she can persist.’

The “Refined Blood Essence” flowed into her without interruption.

Left with virtually no remaining energy, Freesia found herself powerless to stop the progression.

Furthermore, because the foreign substance was entering through a critical junction like her throat, there was an expiration date on how long she could fortify that specific pathway.

“Ugh…”

Before long… the corruption that originated at her throat breached her mind and core in a flash, swiftly colonizing every corner of her physical form.

‘This psychotic bastard! Forcing his own essence into me! What is his true objective…?’

What reason could he possibly have for choosing this path over executing her on the spot?

Should the vital fluid of a True Blood—particularly one possessing superior strength to her own—invade her vessel, it would inevitably induce massive psychological degradation.

Granted, she might experience an increase in raw potency, but such gifts were worthless if she lost her sanity in the process.

‘Do not tell me he intends to manipulate me as a weapon to tear down the capital?’

No alternative explanation made sense of this extreme measure.

Lifeblood was the absolute foundation of a vampire’s authority; why would he deliberately diminish his own stores by forcing it upon another?

‘I will never permit him to succeed!’

In ordinary circumstances, a meager quantity of blood would be incapable of compromising a True Blood of her caliber.

Yet, for some inexplicable reason, the liquid now coursing through her was systematically altering the surrounding pathways and fundamentally restructuring her inherent bloodsucking factor.

A searing heat tore through her frame alongside an agonizing ache akin to a lethal toxin, forcing her to clench her jaw tightly to retain a fragile grip on consciousness.

Snap— Crackle!

However, rather than suffering from mental decay, her anatomy began undergoing a transformation she could scarcely comprehend.

‘…What is happening? Could the rewards of cannibalism truly be this profound? No, this is far more than a simple elevation of my blood magic power.’

Having spent centuries perfecting her internal awareness, Freesia detected the truth almost immediately.

Her fundamental attributes—her raw muscle power, velocity, and suppleness—had experienced a monumental surge.

Beyond that, her command over blood magic power had achieved a state of heightened harmony, operating at an entirely unprecedented level of conservation.

Her focus, previously consumed by the battle against psychological ruin, finally cleared enough to permit a logical assessment of her current state.

Every single bloodsucking factor within her architecture was undergoing a rapid mutation, driven by the alien catalyst introduced from without.

…It was a stunning metamorphosis, an experience that could only be described as a grand evolution.

In that instant, the previous declaration made by Heinz echoed in her memory.

‘Do you not wish to align yourself with me? I possess the means to grant you strength far beyond your current limitations.’

It appeared his claims had been grounded in absolute reality.

“You! What have you done to my flesh…?”

Freesia interrogated her transformed state over and over, her query heavy with profound shock.

Her intellect remained entirely unclouded, and the agonizing sensations had completely vanished.

She felt immensely more powerful than she ever had, yet she experienced absolutely no internal conflict or rejection of the new power.

Heinz offered a subtle nod, maintaining a sharp vigil over her reactions.

‘Fortuitously, the process holds true even for True Bloods. While it required a considerably larger volume of “Refined Blood Essence” than previous subjects, the expenditure is trivial compared to the harvest.’

He had remained prepared to slaughter her without hesitation had the subjugation failed, but he could now sense that the bond of master and servant had locked into place perfectly.

“It appears your condition has stabilized. Stand up.”

“What is your ultimate goal? If you believe I will simply follow your commands merely because you altered my…”

Freesia, who had been fixing him with an icy glare and speaking with venom, found her legs moving on their own to bring her to a stiff, respectful posture.

“Ah…?”

Finally recognizing the bizarre contradiction within her own autonomy, she stared down at her hands and then back up at Heinz.

She made a sudden motion to spring at him, only to instantly lock up as though she had been transformed into solid masonry.

‘The realization has set in. But her body will no longer permit an assault against me.’

Such was the foundational reality of the ‘Blood Subordination’ bond.

“This… how can such a phenomenon exist? Not even a Sacred Blood should possess this manner of authority…”

Evidently, her cognitive faculties were still too overwhelmed to engage in a proper dialogue.

“Redirect your focus to our interaction, Freesia.”

“Understood!”

He acknowledged her with a pleased nod as she finally locked eyes with him, waiting for his next words.

Employing his established methodology, he advanced his fabricated background and sought to win her loyalty, promising that even grander heights of power awaited her under his banner.

Naturally, her initial internal resistance remained visible, precisely as he anticipated.

“The Brokoslack line stands as one of the ‘Original Bloodlines’. Furthermore, it remains one of the rare factions where the Sacred Blood legacy still persists. Are you truly suggesting that a mere offshoot branch intends to dominate such a heritage?”

This statement brought to light a piece of completely unforeseen data.

While he was aware that Brokoslack traced its lineage back to the genesis of their kind, the continued survival of the Sacred Blood was news to him.

‘My instruction as a Fledgling was limited to roughly a single week.’

Consequently, he had never been granted access to such closely guarded secrets, though his current position allowed him to remedy that gap.

“Provide me with additional details regarding this Sacred Blood.”

“Ugh… the truth is…”

The Sacred Blood represented the very progenitors from whom the Original Bloodlines emerged.

They were entities possessing might that mirrored their legendary titles, though they had gradually vanished across the passage of eras, leaving an estimated count of a mere two or three survivors in the present day.

This scarcity owed to the extreme difficulty of transmitting the Sacred Blood legacy, as their immense attributes frequently failed to manifest correctly in successive generations.

“Does a living inheritor of this Sacred Blood currently exist?”

“…Several decades in the past… word reached me that the master of the Ufersh Clan had achieved succession. Whether those rumors hold weight, I cannot verify…”

The name of the Ufersh Clan had crossed his path during his brief period of instruction.

They stood shoulder to shoulder with Brokoslack as one of the three premier syndicates dominating Auterica.

‘Yet, judging by her choice of words, their faction seems to command greater authority.’

“Furthermore, our own progenitor, Lord ‘Brokoslack’, surrendered to a deep slumber an age ago. His purpose was to await an heir capable of enduring the passage of centuries to claim his legacy.”

This reality was a secret guarded exclusively by the True Bloods of their lineage.

Yet even their inner circle remained ignorant of the specific sanctuary chosen for this rest, leaving her unable to pinpoint where the Sacred Blood slumbered.

“However, should the Sacred Blood eventually awaken to discover that his lineage has been usurped by a minor branch family… you will suffer an end of unimaginable torment!”

“Regardless, he remains incapacitated by sleep for the foreseeable future. You possess no timeline for his revival?”

“Uh… it was adopted as a mechanism to withstand the weight of eras. The precise hour of awakening rests solely with him, but it is highly unlikely to occur anytime soon.”

In that case, the matter was of no immediate consequence.

Whatever the hour of that entity’s awakening might be, by the time it arrived, he would have transcended the need for apprehension.

At present, his efforts were better spent aligning this woman to his cause.

Securing her enthusiastic participation was vital if he hoped to approach the master of the Brokoslack Clan without raising alarms.

“Tell me, Freesia. Does your current existence truly bring you fulfillment?”

“…What are you implying?”

“An existence spent lurking in shadows to evade exposure, a reality where your authentic nature must remain buried, a life spent perpetually looking over your shoulder for the Church.”

Freesia’s expression turned stone-cold.

He had accumulated a significant profile on her habits while extracting intelligence from the various vampires he had brought under his heel.

Through those testimonies, he had gained insight into a specific facet of her character.

While relying entirely on external accounts carried inherent risks, one particular truth stood out above the rest.

She desperately coveted a life lived openly beneath the sun.

She made regular excursions into daylight, an experience that brought discomfort even to a True Blood.

She indulged in opulence through lavish acquisitions and cultivated ties with mortal society through constant participation in elite gatherings.

She took deep satisfaction in playing the part of a mortal, drinking in the adulation and compliments of the high society surrounding her.

Yet every piece of that existence was a fragile masquerade liable to shatter at a moment’s notice.

She herself must have understood this bitter truth better than anyone.

Time and again, she would be forced to forge fresh personas and abandon every asset and relationship she had painstakingly established.

“Yet there is no alternative! We belong to a lineage cursed to remain excluded from the daylight from the moment of our creation.”

“And who dictated that law?”

“…The consensus of mortal society, alongside the decrees of the Main God Church…”

“For what reason should we live in terror of the Main God Church?”

“Because their military might is absolute! What force across this continent possesses the strength to challenge them? Such defiance is impossible unless one commands the resources of the Empire or the Magic Tower Alliance!”

Even those massive factions maintained cooperative relations with the clergy, rendering any true opposition virtually non-existent.

Heinz offered a nod of agreement before responding to her point.

“Ultimately, the issue stems entirely from our deficiency in absolute strength.”

“…I concede that your personal gifts are extraordinary, but this systemic oppression cannot be dismantled merely because a handful of individuals attain greater power.”

“And what if our numbers extend far beyond a mere handful?”

“What? What are you suggesting?”

A subtle smirk touched his lips as he held Freesia’s gaze.

“Consider this scenario—what if every vampire syndicate scattered across this continent were to unite under a single banner?”

“That is an impossibility! Pure absurdity…”

“What makes it absurd?”

“Every individual clan operates as a sovereign entity. They possess no capacity for genuine unification; they merely congregate and dissolve according to transient mutual benefits whenever a crisis emerges. Any such coalition would disintegrate rapidly.”

Heinz maintained his faint smile, nodding slowly to validate her perspective.

Her assessment of their nature was entirely accurate.

“Precisely. Consequently… what if there existed a sovereign wielding absolute authority, capable of commanding every last one of them?”

“Ha! Such a feat is beyond even a Sacred Blo… od…?”

Freesia’s voice died in her throat as an abrupt sensation of familiarity washed over her mind.

Naturally.

Those exact sentiments mirrored the realizations that had filled her mind the moment she fell under Heinz’s domination.

Looking down at her as she stared back up in a bewildered stupor, he proceeded with calculated composure.

“That defines the scope of my capability. Utilizing this essence, I possess the means to link every vampire across this land to my direct line of command. Furthermore, every single adherent will experience a elevation in potency, identical to the one you have just received.”

“Ah…”

“How much longer do you intend to pass your days in concealment? Because the strength of our kind, already a minority population, remains fractured and disorganized, we are relegated to perpetual subjugation.”

Freesia’s gaze began to wander unsteadily.

He could clearly read the profound internal debate waging within her soul.

“In that grand design, what becomes of our Brokoslack…”

“Naturally, Brokoslack, representing the fountainhead of my lineage and the foundational pillar of my coalition, shall receive prestige commensurate with that status.”

She had reached the precipice.

The argument was concluded.

“When I ascend as the monarch ruling over our entire species, you shall stand at my flank to partake in that ultimate triumph.”

And with those words…

Freesia Brokoslack rendered her absolute allegiance to Heinz the Second.

—

Deep within the subterranean chambers of the Bright ducal estate located in the Talia Kingdom.

Seated upon a massive, high-backed chair enveloped by total obscurity, a man listened intently to a dispatch delivered by a mature gentleman.

Mulo Brokoslack, the reigning sovereign of the Brokoslack Clan, slowly rotated the vintage within his glass using his right hand, keeping his eyes fixed on the agent who had concluded his delivery and now stood in a posture of profound deference.

“Therefore, your assessment suggests the current landscape remains cloud-covered.”

“Precisely, Lord. In point of fact, their emissaries are actively soliciting our alignment regarding this crisis.”

“Hmm, the resurrection of the Immortal King…”

“Based on the intelligence I have secured, the internal state of the Church has shown irregular activity of late. Chronologically, this correlates directly with the event where their vanguard forces were rapidly redeployed utilizing our sanctuary network. A significant failure must have transpired during that operation.”

The Main God Church had distributed these sensitive updates exclusively to the supreme leadership of the continental powers.

The dispatch declared the return of the Immortal King, commanding them to initiate defensive measures without delay, and indicating that an assembly would be convened shortly to coordinate an organized response.

“Maintain your observation efforts. While the Immortal King represents a grave variable, we cannot permit the clergy to leverage this threat to expand their own hegemony.”

“Understood, Lord. I shall proceed to align our strategies with the subordinate aristocracy under my purview.”

“You are dismissed.”

“May your path be favored.”

The mature gentleman, executing a precise bow with his fingers laced together, slipped from the chamber without producing a single vibration.

Snap—

He secured the portal with absolute care, immediately standardizing his breath to wipe away the cold perspiration that had gathered on his brow.

In this domain, even a release of tension through a sigh was a luxury he could not afford.

Though this estate bore his name in public records, his actual autonomy within its walls was non-existent.

As the gentleman—Duke Bright, the individual wielding the true levers of authority throughout the Talia Kingdom—made his silent way through the stone corridor, he paused in his tracks upon spotting two figures advancing toward him.

“Lady Freesia, I offer my respects.”

“My goodness! Father, is it not? I trust you are well. It appears you have just concluded your audience with our master.”

Because Freesia’s societal masquerade cast her as a daughter of the Duke’s house, she invariably employed the title of ‘Father’ whenever their paths crossed.

This form of address was a constant source of anxiety for the noble, who vastly preferred she speak to him without such formal pretense.

“Indeed, I have just provided him with the latest intelligence regarding the ecclesiastical movements.”

The Duke finished his explanation, his gaze briefly tracking over the companion standing at her side.

Though the individual’s visage was entirely unfamiliar to him, he suppressed any sign of curiosity, lowering his eyes and shifting to the side of the corridor.

Given that Freesia, an authentic True Blood of their secret organization, accompanied this stranger, his duty was to remain entirely blind and deaf to the encounter.

“In that case, we shall proceed to our audience with the master. You should seek your chambers for some well-earned rest, Father.”

“Very well, then I shall take my leave…”

The Duke offered another deep inclination of his head before continuing down the passageway.

Meanwhile, the pair who had just bypassed the noble…

Advanced directly into the innermost sanctuary of the estate housing Mulo Brokoslack, their progress entirely unimpeded by any guard or barrier.