“So irreverent. Truly irreverent.”
The Immortal Crown’s expression darkened as he looked at Extermination of Evil.
A holy attribute inside Noctarion, a land steeped entirely in demonic and evil power.
In response, the Immortal Crown infused his own sword with a unique power.
FWOOOOSH!
Dark crimson energy surged from the blade.
It was Red Drive, a power only an extremely small number among the First Blood—and especially Immortal Crowns—could wield.
Red Drive was a Bloodline Art passed down to only a select few within House Nosferatu.
And it was also the very power that had blocked Su-ho’s Extermination of Evil.
‘So that’s Red Drive.’
Fragments of Levan’s memories slowly surfaced.
The power every First Blood admired beyond all else.
It would not have been an exaggeration to say that mastering Red Drive was the dream of every First Blood.
‘Levan was aiming for it too.’
If not for the abnormality that ruined everything, Levan likely would have mastered Red Drive as well.
And perhaps—
He might even have become the eleventh Immortal Crown.
Because no matter how anyone looked at it, he had been an exceptional High Blood.
Yet his entire life had been destroyed because of one pathetic prophecy.
Su-ho smiled.
‘Don’t worry. I’ll fulfill your dream in your place.’
Su-ho swung his sword toward the unnamed Immortal Crown.
Output to the maximum.
The instant the blade moved, Extermination of Evil opened its jaws like a dragon ascending to the heavens and roared toward the Immortal Crown.
Seeing that, the Immortal Crown also swung Red Drive.
KWAAAAAAAH!!
Extermination of Evil and Red Drive collided.
Su-ho had assumed Extermination of Evil would devour Red Drive instantly.
But unexpectedly, Red Drive endured against it remarkably well.
Apparently, one did not obtain the title of Immortal Crown for nothing.
Jack laughed.
- Getting pushed back?
“Who’s getting pushed back?”
- Still, considering it’s one of Pantheon’s secret arts, I honestly expected it to crush him completely.
This bastard was mocking him now?
Still, just as Jack said, Su-ho himself had expected it to swallow everything in one strike like it always had before.
But an Immortal Crown truly was an Immortal Crown.
Soon—
BOOM!
The two attacks annihilated each other and vanished.
And behind the fading explosion stood the Immortal Crown, maintaining his lofty bearing.
The Immortal Crown smiled.
“Is that everything you have to show me?”
Rather than answering, Su-ho dashed straight at him.
The Immortal Crown also charged forward without retreating.
KWAANG!!
The two swords collided.
The two stood pressed close together with only their blades between them.
But then—
The Immortal Crown’s sword trembled slightly.
Su-ho’s strength was greater.
The moment Su-ho sensed that subtle difference, he grinned.
“You’re a bit lacking in strength, aren’t you?”
KWAAAAAH!!
This time, the Immortal Crown responded with something other than words.
Crimson energy burst from his body and lashed toward Su-ho like countless tentacles.
Blood Fenrir.
KAAANG!
However, Blood Fenrir never reached Su-ho.
Because of the Protection Holy Art that remained active at all times.
The Blood Fenrir, blocked by the barrier and losing direction, caused the Immortal Crown’s expression to twist.
In contrast, Su-ho’s face brightened.
“So an Immortal Crown isn’t all that special. Let’s finish you quickly too.”
“Nonsense!”
The Immortal Crown’s brow narrowed sharply.
Su-ho had struck a nerve.
The Immortal Crown violently activated his power and unleashed blood mana toward Su-ho like a barrage of artillery shells.
The distance was too close to evade.
Soon, massive explosions erupted one after another, enough that anyone watching would assume nothing inside could have survived.
But then—
SHWAAAAAAAAA!
The sound of water draining through a giant gutter echoed out.
At the same time, the Immortal Crown’s mana began rushing violently toward one direction.
Toward Su-ho.
Standing calmly behind the shield of the Protection Holy Art, Su-ho extended his hand and absorbed every last trace of blood mana.
[ Protection Holy Art activates. ]
[ Bloody Hand activates. ]
The Protection Holy Art protected its master.
And Bloody Hand harvested the high-quality blood mana from behind it.
Only then did the Immortal Crown realize something had gone terribly wrong and try to withdraw his power.
But it was already too late.
Su-ho’s Bloody Hand had no brakes.
It continued devouring blood endlessly, and the already pale Immortal Crown’s face became even whiter.
“Damn it!”
BOOOOOOM!!
In the end, the Immortal Crown chose self-destruction.
He intended to sever the endless flow of vampiric absorption by detonating himself.
But that was the wrong choice.
SHUUUUAAAAAH!!
The instant he exploded, the torrents of blood bursting from his body were also sucked directly into Su-ho.
The suction force was overwhelming.
It almost felt less like Su-ho was absorbing him and more like Levan himself was furiously devouring everything with all his might.
“AAAAAAARGH!!”
At last, when even the final drop disappeared into Su-ho’s grasp—
The Immortal Crown’s voice faded away like an echo disappearing deep within a cave.
And finally, Su-ho completely absorbed the Immortal Crown.
A tingling sensation lingered in his hand.
He had never felt something like this before.
Maybe because the target had been so powerful, the sensation was entirely different.
[ You have defeated High Blood and Immortal Crown Vanishing. ]
At least the system notification arrived properly.
After checking through the Great Blood Prison, the subjugation had clearly succeeded as well.
So his name was Vanishing.
Only learning his name after the battle ended really made Su-ho realize just how quickly the fight had unfolded.
Su-ho immediately summoned Vanishing.
“Gasp—!”
Vanishing appeared with a reaction similar to when Roynan had first been summoned.
The crown atop his head remained intact as well.
Still kneeling, Vanishing looked like a drenched dog as he materialized.
Su-ho looked down at him with a grin.
Then Vanishing abruptly sprang to his feet and shouted back,
“How dare you—!”
“How dare?”
At that moment—
SHLAAASH!
The sharp sound of leather cutting through the air rang out.
The source was a whip.
More specifically, the whip Roynan held.
“Are you unharmed, Master?”
“Yeah. I picked up a new recruit, but his personality seems pretty rotten.”
The moment Su-ho commented that his personality seemed rotten, a red gleam flashed through Roynan’s eyes.
“An Immortal Crown, I see. The higher their position was, the filthier their personality usually is.”
“Y-You’re Roynan of Helldown?!”
“Tsk, this bastard.”
SHLAAASH!!
Perhaps because Roynan had once been the Administrator of Helldown, Vanishing recognized him immediately.
But Roynan clearly disliked his tone and swung the whip without the slightest hesitation.
Vanishing’s head snapped violently backward from the strike, and he crashed onto the floor in a pathetic heap.
A truly disgraceful sight.
A whip across the face?
It was the first humiliation of this kind Vanishing had ever suffered in his life, and he stared blankly ahead in spicy shock after being struck.
Su-ho spoke to Roynan.
“If it looks like it’ll take too long, let me know. I’ll personally roast him with Eclipse.”
“No, Master. I could never allow your precious time to be wasted educating trash like this.”
“Oh yeah?”
Roynan’s survival instincts were truly impressive.
Probably because he now had plenty of replacement mutts beneath him.
“Fine. Then handle it yourself. I’ll go deal with the rest of the Immortal Crowns.”
“Yes. Leave it to me.”
Just as Su-ho was about to head into the White Blood Palace, he suddenly turned back around.
Then he walked over to Vanishing, who still looked completely stunned, grabbed the golden laurel crown from atop his head, and placed it onto his own.
“I’m confiscating this.”
“What are you—?!”
SLAAASH!!
Talking back earned another lash.
Vanishing’s head snapped aside again while Su-ho hummed cheerfully and headed toward the White Blood Palace.
Really incredible.
Even after seeing what happened to Vanishing, none of the others had come outside.
Was dignity truly that important to them?
Su-ho boldly pushed open the gates of the White Blood Palace.
CREEEEAK—
The interior of the White Blood Palace revealed itself.
He had expected at least a few servants or attendants.
But surprisingly, the White Blood Palace was completely empty.
It felt like staring into a grand ballroom abandoned by all humanity.
Then, the moment Su-ho stepped inside—
“Welcome.”
A servant managing the White Blood Palace suddenly appeared before him.
Like the subdued Vanishing earlier, he possessed the typical pale complexion of the High Blood, along with crimson eyes, a monocle, and the appearance of a somewhat aged middle-aged man, giving him the unmistakable air of a head butler.
Su-ho raised a {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} brow.
“And you are?”
“I am Jamel, steward of the White Blood Palace. My master ordered me to respectfully escort our guest.”
His master.
Meaning the highest existence within the White Blood Palace.
Honestly, that made things easier.
He could head directly to the highest-ranking authority.
“Lead the way.”
“This way, please.”
Su-ho slowly followed Jamel.
Soon afterward, they arrived at a reception chamber for guests.
And there, astonishingly enough, nine Immortal Crowns wearing crowns like Vanishing sat waiting for Su-ho around a long rectangular dining table.
Like Vanishing, all of them wore white garments along with crimson eyes, crimson lips, and their distinctive crowns.
Su-ho’s seat was the lowest position at the table.
A seat with no one beside it.
But it was also positioned directly across from the one seated furthest away at the head of the table.
The one seated there was a handsome middle-aged man with a somewhat larger build.
Unlike the others, he wore a magnificent beard, and among their similarly styled attire, his clothing appeared by far the most luxurious.
As Su-ho took the seat indicated by Jamel, the Immortal Crown at the head of the table spoke.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Edersen de Nosferatu, master of the White Blood Palace and leader of the Immortal Crowns.”
Edersen.
So he was the master Jamel referred to.
The owner of the White Blood Palace and the highest-ranking High Blood.
In response to the calm and courteous introduction, Su-ho answered politely as well.
“My name is An Su-ho. I inherited the will of Levan de Nosferatu.”
“Mmm.”
“Hm.”
The moment Levan’s name was spoken, uncomfortable reactions appeared here and there.
But Edersen simply smiled and raised a hand.
The other Immortal Crowns immediately fell silent, and Edersen asked Su-ho,
“I knew someday the cursed prophecy would come true. That is the nature of prophecy. So then, why has an outsider—not even a resident of Noctarion—come all the way here after inheriting Levan’s will?”
At the question, Su-ho answered honestly.
“I came to avenge Levan.”
“Revenge? Then do you intend to kill all of us?”
“Yes. That is correct.”
“I see. So this is how the prophecy continues.”
Edersen nodded slowly.
Then he quietly lifted the empty wine glass placed before him alone.
At that moment—
BOOOOM!!
A deafening explosion erupted.
At the same time, the heads of the other eight Immortal Crowns exploded apart, leaving only Edersen untouched.
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