MAEPG: Episode 42

Episode 42 Ambush (3)

Crack—

No sooner had he parried the incoming blood-red claws than a kick aimed at the back of his knee followed.

Whoosh!

Beautiful red petals suddenly bloomed, dazzling his vision, and the opponent, seizing the opportunity, was already thrusting a fist from behind.

“Ugh… What speed…!”

Beta One, a Level 7 vampire of the Blood Alliance, gritted his teeth as he blocked the attacks.

His entire body was stained red as if he had been dipped in blood, and he had great pride in his physical abilities.

He was from a dimension that specialized in physical strength rather than spells, and even there, he had risen to a high position thanks to the synergy with his unique skill “Indestructible Body”.

After returning to Earth, he had never lost in close combat except to Alpha.

He often retreated first when clashing with Guardians, but that was because it wasn’t a one-on-one fight, and continuing the fight would only cause more trouble, so it was a different story.

That’s why he couldn’t understand the current situation.

Boom! Boom!

Every time their limbs crossed, a shockwave that vibrated the air spread.

A close-quarters brawl.

The opponent was using surprisingly high-level martial arts.

He was very skilled at deflecting attacks and aiming for vital points using his entire body.

But it was still lacking compared to him, who had spent decades fighting.

Crack!

After several feints, he felt a solid impact from his fist, which had landed on the opponent’s guard.

Beta One, seizing the opportunity, trusted his sturdy body and tried to grab the opponent to prevent him from escaping, but…

Crack— Boom!

“Ugh!”

The opponent suddenly accelerated several times faster and pushed him away, creating distance.

There was hardly any damage, but that wasn’t important now.

“Gah—!”

Whoosh—

At that moment,

Another Level 6 vampire was pierced through the heart and turned to ashes, scattering with red flowers.

He completely ignored Beta Two’s attempts to restrain him by kicking him away and throwing blood blades, focusing solely on reducing the number of his subordinates.

It was a situation that couldn’t help but infuriate him.

“You bastaaard—! Stop running away and fight me head-on!”

He shouted in frustration, but the opponent just scoffed.

He glanced at the vampires with his eyes and then chuckled.

He didn’t say anything, but his intention was clear.

You’re ganging up on one person, and you have the nerve to say that?

Beta One’s already red face burned like lava at the mockery in his eyes, and he smashed the undead that had approached him.

“Ugh—! Beta Two! What are you doing! Do something to stop him from escaping!”

“I’m doing my best! You do something to hold him back for even a moment! You’re constantly using your allies as shields!”

The situation was so bad that even the Betas were raising their voices at each other.

The lower-level vampires, who weren’t helpful in the fight, were helping Heaven’s Turn Society deal with Hahoe Mask’s undead, but they couldn’t block all of them, and the chaotic battlefield also contributed to the situation.

But the biggest problem was the opponent’s extraordinary abilities.

The vampire they were facing was definitely Level 7, but even when they, who were at the same level, joined forces, it was difficult to hold him back.

Speed that even they had to be careful not to miss, power that could push back Beta One, who specialized in physical abilities, and unpredictable stealth.

They knew he was skilled in concealment from the time he infiltrated the villa, but the way he momentarily hid his presence and ambushed them in the middle of the chaotic battle was chilling.

‘And these undead are annoying! And he’s been using invisibility since some point! Was he hiding that ability?’

At first, it was just a trick to momentarily avoid their eyes, but after taking down a few of their subordinates, he started to openly use invisibility.

And decisively, he was incredibly durable.

They had already landed several attacks, and even inflicted fatal wounds through cooperation with Beta Two, but…

The opponent recovered as if he had turned back time and was rampaging even more, driving them crazy.

And he even saw through the traps Beta Two had set up with magic and dodged them, using blood magic whenever he had the chance.

He was the epitome of versatility.

‘And that bastard, I feel like he’s getting stronger the more we fight…’

Beta One didn’t know that it wasn’t just a feeling.
____________________

Heinz took a light breath.

It seemed like he was easily toying with the vampires, but it wasn’t easy to fight against so many enemies.

There were two Level 7s and over ten Level 6s.

‘But it’s more manageable than I thought. Is it because of the living potions?’

They couldn’t escape because of the barrier, so they couldn’t withdraw their forces even though they were suffering heavy casualties.

Of course, those who lacked ability retreated to provide rear support, but I wouldn’t just let them go.

‘I’m confident I can beat the Betas, but I need to move strategically for now. First, I need to reduce their numbers.’

I used the chaos created by the undead to sneak around and ambush them, and even if I suffered losses from being reckless, I focused on reducing their numbers, trusting in my recovery through cannibalism.

As a result… the number of Level 6s was reduced to less than half, and the lower-level grunts, except for those with Heaven’s Turn Society, were on the verge of annihilation.

‘Thanks to that, I was lucky enough to get “Invisibility”. And Holy Warrior Combat Arts is more helpful than I thought.’

Heinrich, who was still diligently training at the Church.

The hand-to-hand combat, which was part of the skills he learned, was showing its true effectiveness against the vampires in Heinz’s hands.

Of course, it wasn’t perfect.

Unlike Heinrich’s real “Holy Warrior Combat Arts”, which used holy power as support, it wasn’t even a skill, so it was just imitating the outward appearance.

But it was still a real martial art.

And it was a combat technique that had been passed down through generations, developed by the Church to deal with inhuman beings.

Combined with Heinz’s overwhelming physical abilities, it was only natural that using power became more efficient than before.

‘It’s ironic that Heinz, a vampire, is using the Church’s holy warrior combat arts.’

Wouldn’t the Church be shocked if they knew?

Thanks to Heinz gaining the upper hand against the vampires, Hans was able to research Heaven’s Turn Society’s spells more comfortably.

[Oh… so that’s how they connect it? The way they suppress dark magic power is also interesting. The processes are all different, but they combined them into one and created synergy.]

Hans calmly waved his wrist, analyzing the situation even in the middle of the fierce battle.

At his gesture, black fog, starting from the tip of his staff, swelled up in an instant and enveloped the masked men.

A curse spread throughout the battlefield in an instant.

It was immediately dispelled by Heaven’s Turn Society’s spellcasters, but shadows surged, seizing the momentary opening and piercing their bodies.

But even while their allies were being defeated, those facing Hans couldn’t fully focus on him.

[Hehehehehe…]

“Kyaaagh! You’re just corpses!”

A black wave of undead shrouded in a dark aura.

They recovered in an instant unless they were completely destroyed and kept charging, so the damage to those blocking them snowballed.

“Damn it! You monsters! With this much suppression, your magic circuits should have collapsed long ago!”

The man in the suit’s face no longer held any composure.

The leadership of the vampires, who had promised to cooperate, were foolishly being held back by one guy, and Hahoe Mask’s capabilities were beyond imagination, even though they thought they had trapped him.

He had been directly hit by the opposing energy several times and only briefly faltered, quickly recovering as if nothing had happened.

“What’s going on? He’s taking this many attacks with his output suppressed, and he’s been continuously using magic power recklessly… How can he be so fine? His magic power should have backfired long ago.”

Heaven’s Turn Society’s dark magic power suppression affected not only Hans but also the undead he summoned.

If there were no undead to act as shields, Hans wouldn’t have any leeway, so summoning was essential.

But he couldn’t just let his precious undead be destroyed helplessly…

So he gave the undead more dark magic power than usual, and the reckless magic power manipulation in this hostile environment should have been a great burden on Hans… if he were an ordinary human.

The source of his dark magic power was the Immortal King’s Fragment located in his heart.

He didn’t have a mana heart or magic circuits like human mages.

He just drew and used the fragment’s dark magic power.

And thanks to “Immortality”, he could quickly recover from any damage with the dark magic power supplied from his heart.

He only faltered for a moment immediately after being hit due to the temporary lack of magic power, but it wasn’t a big blow to him.

‘It was actually more difficult to prevent my equipment from being damaged.’

After his heart, which was protected by powerful dark magic power, the next priority was protecting his equipment to prevent his identity from being exposed.

Because of that, he was vulnerable to the impact transmitted to his body, and his bones were shattered several times, but…

Even though the output he could release at once was reduced by about half due to Heaven’s Turn Society’s arrangements, the dark magic power supplied from the fragment was near-infinite.

The longer the fight dragged on, the more advantageous it would be for him.

Boom!

The opposing energy that flew in again shook his dark magic power barrier and sent a shock through him, but…

He immediately extended his hand in the direction the attack came from and responded with a death ray.

[…I think I get it now. It’s still a bit lacking, but judging by the situation, it seems like I can’t get any more help.]

Hans stopped attacking and slowly scanned the surroundings, convinced that he had gained enough.

“Huff, huff…”

“Ugh, you monster…”

Hans was also tattered from the continuous battle, but Heaven’s Turn Society was in a worse state.

Over half of them were dead, and the rest weren’t in good condition either.

Hans might have focused on research as his main goal, but that didn’t mean he was going easy on them.

Rather, he pushed them harder to observe their reactions to resisting the opposing energy and their moves in extreme situations.

It could be seen as a reckless experiment that didn’t consider the opponent’s well-being.

[Well, I’ll figure out the missing parts myself. It might even be faster this way.]

After a brief reprieve…

Hans, whose dark magic power suppression was lifted as Heaven’s Turn Society members collapsed, unleashed his strengthened dark magic power, which was even stronger than before.

[Hehehehehe!]

“Damn it! Hahoe Mask—!”

Heaven’s Turn Society, who had confidently set up a trap, collapsed one by one, incapacitated…

And the aftermath also affected the vampires who were fighting nearby.
____________________

Stab—

“Ugh… Y-you…”

《New bloodsucking factor collected. You have gained enlightenment due to the influence of the special skill “Hybrid Evolution”. The skill “Blood Magic” evolves into the special skill “Blood Mystery”.》

《The special skill “Blood Mystery” absorbs and strengthens its sub-abilities “Blood Blossom” and “Blood Flow Amplification”.》

‘Oh, this is nice.’

Heinz detached himself from Beta Two’s neck, which was slowly turning to ashes, and checked his new abilities.

It was worth consuming the magic-specialized vampire, as his “Blood Magic” skill evolved and became easier to use.

Unlike before, where he was bound by certain rules, he could now perform miracles using blood as a medium with a more intuitive will.

Naturally, the efficiency of using “Blood Blossom” and “Blood Flow Amplification” increased, and…

“Ugh—! You bastard! Cannibalism! You’re a Mad Blood Devil! You were a Mad Blood Devil all along! I thought something was strange—!”

While I was momentarily distracted, Beta One approached, smashing the undead surrounding him.

His body, glowing red like lava, and the white smoke billowing from all his pores showed how angry he was.

I judged that it would be difficult to hunt down the overly durable Beta One first while under the watch of the others, so I took care of Beta Two first with the help of Hans, who had some leeway.

It wasn’t difficult to eliminate Beta Two, a typical mage type, while the enhanced undead bought some time.

‘Of course, he was different from ordinary mages because he was a vampire, but it didn’t matter to me.’

I was torn to shreds by the blood storm he created because I recklessly approached him to finish him off quickly, but…

It was nothing to Heinz, who had consumed most of the vampires here.

As long as the accumulated energy wasn’t depleted, he could regenerate infinitely.

“How are you maintaining your sanity? No, are you just crazy in a good way? But you won’t end well after touching the taboo!”

It was the epitome of hypocrisy.

I didn’t even bother to answer and immediately used the newly acquired “Blood Mystery”.

Swoosh!

Clank—

The blood I scattered in the air solidified into chains and rushed towards Beta One, and some turned into thorns and shot at him from his blind spots.

“Ugh, you think you can stop me with such cheap tricks—!”

And Heinz, who had momentarily concealed his presence, approached him in a split second and plunged his nails into his nape.

Clang!

“Ugh—?!”

The surprise attack was deflected by his tough skin, but the impact was still felt.

And without anyone else to support him, he was just a tough punching bag to Heinz.

Clang! Clang! Clang—!

Blood-red chains surged from all directions, trying to bind his limbs, and Heinz, moving at high speed, pounded his entire body with his blood magic power-infused fingertips.

Red petals bloomed with every clash, burning his skin.

Drip—!

And the spot he focused on the most.

Beta One’s skin on his nape, which had reached its limit from the continuous attacks, tore, and a drop of blood splattered.

It meant that the tough durability of his body had finally reached its limit.

And it was the signal for Beta One’s end.

‘Level 7 vampires have strong blood control, so it’s difficult to absorb blood from other parts. I have no choice but to make a hole with my teeth and suck it in.’

That’s why I had to bite Beta Two’s neck and suck his blood…

But it didn’t matter now.

There were no witnesses anyway.

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