MAEPG: Episode 238

Episode 238 Zepia Republic (1)

After the sudden visit of the Gold Clan Elder Dragon, Shri Hartgen,

He took Horus and left Tarak for another location.

A small, secluded island located northwest of the Ion Continent, where he had been hiding.

“This place has been meticulously prepared. Even the Immortal King wouldn’t be able to find it without precise information.”

“Ooooh—!”

Despite his dwindling lifespan, he was determined to dedicate his remaining time to Horus’s education.

He was dying, a consequence of awakening from his long hibernation, but he believed it was a more meaningful end to become nourishment for the next generation than to simply prolong his life.

‘He said he suffered a fatal wound during the war three hundred years ago and has been barely holding on since then.’

Driven solely by his responsibility to preserve the Gold Clan.

And then, Horus, the unexpected successor, had appeared.

Horus followed Shri Hartgen, who was leading him through the lair, a strange feeling in his heart.

As a mere outsider, brought here by chance, he couldn’t even begin to understand the old dragon’s feelings.

“I don’t have much time left, so I’ll do my best to teach you while I can. This isn’t the usual way we educate hatchlings, but it can’t be helped.”

He spoke apologetically, but Horus actually preferred it this way.

He would have been frustrated if he had to spend years lazing around like a typical dragon.

“The ‘Golden Treasury’ will be transferred to you upon my death. There’s not much left, as most of the useful artifacts were used during the war. But even so, it’s still comparable to an Ancient Dragon’s hoard.”

Of course, that disparaging remark only applied to magical artifacts and relics. The amount of ordinary treasure, easily converted to currency, was practically a mountain.

“…Wait, you can use Dragon Language? But you’re a hatchling?”

“Yes, would you like a demonstration?”

And after that brief exchange before the start of their training,

Horus witnessed Shri Hartgen’s genuinely surprised expression for the first time.

“…Indeed. It’s not uncommon for even Juveniles to struggle with Dragon Language, let alone a hatchling… Dracarion…”

Hatchlings were infants, and Juveniles were adolescents.

The stage right before becoming an Adult Dragon.

Simply put, what Horus had just done was like a preschooler solving college entrance exam questions.

“I was planning to teach you the basics and hope you would master it on your own, but this will save us a lot of time.”

Shri Hartgen nodded slowly, a faint smile on his face, accepting the situation.

Dragon Language was an inherent ability of dragons, so he would have eventually learned it naturally as he aged, but the methods for using it efficiently might have been lost.

He had planned to leave instructions through magic tools and books, but Dragon Language Magic was too complex to be fully conveyed that way.

‘I was thinking of asking another clan for help before I died, but this is much better.’

Of course, with the entire species on the verge of extinction, the other clans wouldn't refuse his request… but there was also the clan’s pride to consider.

He didn’t want to ask for help unless it was absolutely necessary.

Actually, before the Immortal King appeared a thousand years ago, and even before the situation worsened during the war three hundred years ago, relations between the clans hadn’t been very good.

So, as a dragon who had lived for thousands of years, he was quite pleased with the current situation.

“Good. Excellent. Then let’s begin immediately.”

“Yes!”

And so, on a small, nameless island northwest of the Ion Continent,

The training of the little hatchling Horus and the dying old dragon Shri Hartgen began.

__________________

Somewhere in Suwon, South Korea.

In a small, sealed room, devoid of all light, a woman with long black hair sat alone, sipping tea with her eyes closed.

A silent tea time in the undisturbed darkness.

But the quiet was suddenly broken as her body stiffened—

Crash—

And the teacup slipped from her hand, shattering on the floor.

Despite the loud noise and the red tea staining the floor, she remained motionless, frozen in her initial posture.

Knock, knock—

“Aria? Are you alright? Excuse me.”

A woman cautiously entered the room, knocking on the door.

She quickly scanned the room and, seeing the woman still sitting at the tea table, let out a sigh of relief and approached her.

“Aria? Are you alright?”

“…Ah! I was lost in thought, and my hand slipped.”

“I’ll clean up the teacup. Just a moment…”

“No, I’ll take care of it later. Could you please leave?”

“…Alright. If you need anything, please call me. I’ll be right outside.”

Faced with the firm dismissal, the woman bowed politely and quietly left the room.

Alone again, the woman with closed eyes,

Aria, the vampire leader of the Blood Alliance’s moderate faction, one of the most powerful groups in Korea’s underworld, wiped the blood trickling from her eyes with a handkerchief and fell into thought.

‘I thought it had subsided… But it seems that wasn’t enough.’

She had hoped that things would be alright after the hardliners were purged and replaced by Heinz’s Heterosis.

But just now, her unique skill, “Stage of Fate”, had detected another crisis.

“Stage of Fate”, a precognitive skill, showed her glimpses of the future, a lifeline that had always guided her to the right choices in difficult situations.

She had accepted becoming a vampire, returned safely from another world, become a high-ranking member of the Blood Alliance, led the moderate faction against the hardliners, and even cooperated with Heinz’s takeover of the Blood Alliance, all thanks to this skill.

‘Heinz…’

The man she had entrusted everything to, unable to find a solution on her own.

Heterosis, the new bloodline he had established on Earth, had practically swallowed the Blood Alliance, making her title as the leader of the moderate faction meaningless.

Thanks to the consideration of Jin So-ran, Heterosis’s second-in-command, she had formed a crew with her followers and was enjoying a relatively peaceful life…

‘I should warn So-ran.’

Sigh—

She stood up, letting out a sigh, and at the same time, the shattered teacup and the spilled tea vanished.

It had happened on the fourth day since Hahoe Mask, who had been rampaging through Japan, suddenly disappeared.

__________________

Zepia Republic, dominating the eastern part of the Ion Continent.

As dusk settled,

Heinz the Second, the master of both Heterosis on Earth and Hybrid in Auterica, entered an old, run-down house on the outskirts of the capital.

Despite walking through the streets and opening the front door without any attempt at stealth, no one, not even the residents nearby or those inside the building, noticed his presence.

Until he chose to reveal himself.

“…You’re late.”

As he deactivated “Existence Denial”, a cold female voice echoed from within the house.

“I arrived precisely on time. I’m quite busy, as you know.”

“Ha! I can imagine. You’re not satisfied with taking over a kingdom, you’re busy extending your reach elsewhere.”

A sharp retort accompanied by the clicking of high heels.

The Vice President of the Zepia Republic, Kayla McClair, frowned and looked up at the tall man.

“That’s another misunderstanding. I have no interest in the Zepia Republic. My only goal is to subdue Obaifo.”

Heinz smirked and looked down at her with a haughty gaze.

Kayla met his gaze for a moment, then bit her lip and looked away.

‘Honestly, I’d like to just devour him.’

But unlike the Talia Kingdom, where he only needed to control the ruling class, the situation here was different.

The Zepia Republic was a powerful nation, comparable to the Azerion Empire, and its republican system made his previous methods ineffective.

‘Obaifo is making some progress, but it won’t last long.’

It was a temporary advantage, exploiting the continent’s current chaos.

They had been preparing for decades, so their initial moves were thorough… but those in power were starting to notice something was amiss.

‘Once things start to unravel, it’ll quickly spiral out of control.’

There would inevitably be a power vacuum during the process, but that wouldn't be a problem under normal circumstances.

However, the entire continent was currently in a state of emergency.

And the mastermind behind it all was still at large.

If the Republic was weakened by internal strife, the Revolutionary would exploit the opportunity, concentrating the monster and giant attacks on the eastern region, destabilizing the entire country.

And if Obaifo took advantage of that chaos…

‘That’s exactly what he wants.’

He wasn’t interested in ruling a broken nation, a land filled with refugees.

He already had enough on his plate managing the Talia Kingdom.

And he didn’t intend to let the Revolutionary have his way.

“You seem to be doing well.”

“…Hmph, doing well? I’m surprised I’m still alive. I never thought Commander O’Connell would be defeated.”

The transcendent warrior who protected the Zepia Republic, a hero revered as their guardian.

After learning about his tragic death while trying to contact him, she had become the target of assassination attempts.

“I would be dead if it weren’t for them… the guards from Hybrid. I should thank you again.”

Swoosh—

As soon as she finished speaking, a small shadow entered the room and knelt before Heinz.

“High Lord! I apologize for the delay. I had to take care of some loose ends.”

A pale-faced boy with white hair and red eyes.

Oboro Brokoslack, the True Blood vampire he had assigned as Kayla’s escort.

“So, what’s the situation?”

“Everything is proceeding smoothly. We’ve established Blood Gates at key locations, and the troops are ready.”

He reported on the current situation, the enemy's movements, and their future plans.

‘…What’s this?’

But Kayla suddenly frowned, sensing something amiss.

…The conversation itself wasn’t the problem.

There was something else, a subtle dissonance that was unsettling her.

‘It’s just my imagination…’

She looked around, trying to identify the source of her unease—

And her eyes met a shadowy figure lurking in the darkness, her body freezing in place.

Inside the run-down house where she had sought refuge from her pursuers.

In the deepening shadows of the approaching night, countless figures were silently standing, unnoticed until now.

‘When?!’

And there were so many of them.

It was unbelievable that she hadn’t noticed them until now.

And as her gaze shifted, the number of shadows continued to increase.

Walls, windows, stairs, railings… even the ceiling.

And when the number of shadows reached almost a hundred,

“Good.”

A voice, imbued with a strange power that commanded attention, echoed through the room, drawing her gaze back to Heinz.

“Then, with the preparations complete…”

A chilling smile appeared on his usually cold face.

“It’s time to begin—the war to unite all the vampires in this world.”

Swoosh—

A rustling sound, like hundreds of pieces of cloth fluttering simultaneously, filled the air.

And as the shadows prostrated themselves before their lord, offering their allegiance,

“…The war.”

The war between vampires began.

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