Ch.306Special Side Story for New Release Promotion – Vampire War (4)

[[“I see I’m too late, Gotland.”]]

Without any warning, Doom revealed himself.

The man with an evil smile, holding a blood-red spear over 3 meters long, possessed an appearance that went beyond merely handsome—he looked like a masterpiece into which some artist had poured their entire being.

Some magical charm combined with something in his physical form, emanating overwhelming charisma and allure in all directions.

His body boasted perfect golden proportions that wouldn’t cause biological revulsion regardless of age or gender, but the true impact came from his face, which bore an expression beyond solemnity—heavy and profound.

His somewhat androgynous face had the characteristic alabaster skin of vampires, yet it simultaneously possessed a wild masculinity with strong features and distinct facial contours.

His golden long hair, freely flowing, puffed up like a lion’s mane giving him a valiant appearance, while his blood-red eyes, containing both eeriness and wickedness, held indifference and a hint of anger.

Additionally, he wore splendid and elaborate garments reminiscent of noble bloodlines or high-ranking military officers—clearly resembling an officer’s uniform at first glance—

“The… Emperor!”

Realizing this being was the infamous Emperor of the Vampire Empire, I finally understood how immensely powerful this terrifying existence was.

Massive shadow wings covered the sky as if it were night, and a blood-red power emanated, writhing and struggling like a living thing.

Red energy leaked out recklessly from all directions, welcoming his arrival, and what must have been at least hundreds of pressure-based abilities scattered physical force everywhere.

Beyond Transcendent… Perhaps a monster that could be considered a god directly descended to earth. In his presence, I instinctively moved my body to create distance—

‘….A spear?!!’

At that moment, a spear resembling a sword staff, over 3 meters long and wrapped in a blood-red aura, flew toward me.

[—Accelerate!!]

I urgently activated wild magic in command form to greatly increase my speed, but the spear followed as if imbued with some special power.

Assuming it must be one of the Emperor’s abilities, we quickly layered leather over our skin to defend against the attack.

—BOOM!!!

Thanks to this, I managed to block the attack with just a slight numbness in my arm. Just as I was about to launch a slash magic to keep him at bay, I saw him forming a hand seal and taking a stance as if shooting a bow.

In his hands that formed the seal, a flame of intense heat burned red, taking the shape of an arrow.

“—Robo!!!”

I drew upon primordial power to extract cold energy and create an ice wall against it, while raising my resistance to flames based on Meary’s mystery.

—WHOOSH!!!

Suddenly, as if slipping away from my arm, the flame arrow flew toward me, melting through the ice walls and ultimately embedding itself in my body, burning—

‘This damn bastard…!!!’

Having lost my entire left arm to this unavoidable strike, I hurriedly activated healing magic based on the mystery of the Silver Deer while glaring at him.

But then…

‘…Huh?’

The ‘sky’ opened, and four sacred beings wrapped in holy radiance and flames appeared, flapping their wings.

Their power level was somewhere below Transcendent but above Superior. Each one overpowering the Vampire Lord I had faced earlier, they revealed themselves on earth, holding armor and weapons made of flame and light.

Messengers of the Pantheon, incarnations of gods. Sacred beings wrapped in brilliance and flashes like cloaks—Angels.

[[“Blasphemer! The exalted Pantheon has unanimously sentenced you to death!”]]

After clearing away the red mist covering the sky, they made this single declaration before immediately charging with their weapons—

[[“…How ugly.”]]

Immediately after, a red line crossed the heavens, cutting one of those sacred radiances in half.

The unexpected sight of a body made of light and divinity being split in two and falling to the ground entered my vision, and regardless, red lines were drawn on the remaining three celestial beings.

One’s head flew off while the rest of the body was cut diagonally. Another had both arms severed, and before it could react, its body was sliced like cube steak, falling in pieces.

And the last one…

“Hold on!!”

Perhaps barely withstanding the Emperor’s strike, the angel with nearly half its body severed—seeing this, I shouted while condensing elements in my newly healed arm.

A desperate attack like an ultimate technique of ability systems, shooting three elements (attribute attacks) into the range of energy annihilation.

With the secret hope that the angel would hold out a little longer, I prepared an attack that inevitably required some time to cast…

‘…As expected!’

Though I had hoped against hope, I confirmed the angel couldn’t hold out and collapsed. I immediately launched my completed attack—Elemental Collapse.

—KWAAAAAA!!!

The elemental collapse reaction flew forward, voraciously devouring everything in its path, eventually consuming the entire space…

‘…Hah, as expected.’

The Emperor, who somehow intercepted the attack at the cost of losing an entire arm, immediately healed it with regenerative powers befitting one who calls himself the Emperor of Vampires, and once again amplified his power.

And from the still ‘open’ sky, a pillar of light descended.

—KWAAAAA—!!!

This was, of course, divine punishment. True heavenly retribution created by the noble gods of the Pantheon to punish mortal beings.

This pure power, a light that erases only that which is unjust, struck down from the heavens directly above the Vampire Emperor’s head—

‘…He’s unharmed.’

Having deployed some sort of slightly golden barrier to defend against my attack, he immediately began unleashing attacks toward me.

Thousands of arrows made of blood-red substance formed above his hand and poured down, while shadow blades erupted from the ground everywhere, flying toward me alone.

—SLASH!!!

No matter how many slashes I launched, the attacks truly kept coming endlessly. In this state, the outcome would inevitably be my defeat after an endless battle of attrition.

Therefore—this was precisely when I needed to use my ‘tools’ directly.

“Yongyong!!”

Responding to my call, Yongyong assumed his true form—a dragon—and soared upward like ascending to heaven, followed by the powers of three more superior magical beasts infusing my body.

Kechak’s power to copy allies’ abilities strengthened me, and Griffin Gretel’s power possessed me, imbuing my body with aura.

And then—as Yongyong, who had soared into the sky, returned to infuse my body, I, now possessed by half of my twelve animal friends, glared at him and…

[[“…Sigh, let’s stop here.”]]

As if he had no reason to continue fighting, he began withdrawing his power. Naturally, I didn’t lower my guard.

No matter how nicely one tries to phrase it, he is ultimately an enemy. In fact, in this situation, lowering my guard would be the more foolish choice.

But… it seems we’re thinking along similar lines.

He doesn’t seem fully committed to fighting head-on after taking a divine punishment, while I’m in an unprepared situation facing an enemy who, though also a Transcendent, is on a much higher level.

In other words, we both recognized that continuing to fight would be disadvantageous for each of us and decided to withdraw.

“Fine, let’s end it here for now.”

Thus, implicitly understanding the situation without needing to speak, I began to retreat while still maintaining my guard…

“…Hey, Emperor.”

“What is it?”

“You… what was your purpose in causing this commotion?”

This was purely an impulsive question. I didn’t really expect him to answer, but I asked just in case…

“…Would you believe me if I said it was to establish an ideal society?”

His answer was truly unexpected.

“A paradise where everyone can live by finding what they want to do and pursuing it. …If those damned inquisitors hadn’t interfered, the Principality would have become the paradise we desired.”

“Paradise… not a barn where cattle are raised by vampires?”

“Well, some desperately wanted a barn. Your words are ultimately just the complaints of the privileged, nothing more.”

“…Hah. No way to deny that.”

The Emperor of the vampires, who seemed to have clear goals and ideals beyond mere lust for power.

Meanwhile, I clearly recognized that what this being ultimately wanted was a closed world projecting his own ego.

Our ideologies and perceptions existed in completely different realms, and therefore we had no intention of trying to persuade each other.

Everyone has their own subjectivity, and ultimately, when two people view the world from different perspectives, conversation becomes largely meaningless.

However, if I were to leave one last emotionally charged statement to that person…

‘…In the end, we’re not so different.’

Perhaps, before becoming Emperor, he was more ordinary than I had thought.

Just like me.