Know Your Place

Soyun is angry, which is frankly a step or two below how she initially felt when she got the news that her friends were kidnapped. The only reason she isn't absolutely livid is because Neugdae confirmed to her via a telepathic message that he got them out of there without any issues. Frankly, that and the fact that he also needed to get a few things done behind the scenes are the reasons why she hadn't started ripping into the Noble Blood the moment she saw him.

A decision that became more and more difficult to endure the longer she allowed him to continue talking, and boy did he like the sound of his own voice. Part of her was curious to see where the conversation would go since they both knew why she was there, but when he pulled out blood in wine bottles and started mentioning the victims, Soyun knew that she needed to switch tactics lest she start before Neugdae was ready.

Unfortunately, she chose to ask the question that was most likely to trigger her, especially coming from someone like Ji-Hae. The Noble Blood didn't fail to disappoint, and it stung to know that merely associating with her put her friends in danger like this. More than that, however, Soyun was angry; she was angry at herself and angry at her situation, but with Ji-Hae, she wasn't angry; oh no, with Ji-Hae, Soyun is pissed and his face looked so punchable in that moment that she just could not help but deliver the first strike.

*BOOM*

She hit with the force of an explosion; the ground beneath cratered, and the wind force was such that debris, furniture, and even nearby vampires were sent flying into the far corners.

"…!"

And yet…

"Hey-"

The Noble Blood was seemingly unmoved.

"You didn't think I'd let you get in another cheap shot, did you?" Ji-Hae snarled with a scowl, having blocked Soyun's fist with his forearm.

Shoving her arm away, he retaliated with his own wild swing, only for Soyun to redirect it while slamming a knee into his gut, drawing a grunt from him before punching him in the face.

With an annoyed snarl, Ji-Hae attempted to backhand her, but Soyun leapt back away from the attack.

"What the hell was that? Ji-Hae demanded, rubbing his cheek and holding his stomach.

"…" Soyun remained silent as she regarded him with an unreadable expression.

'How is she so weak?' Ji-Hae thought before mentally shaking his head, 'no, it's not that she's weak.' His fist clenched, 'it's just that I'm that much stronger.'

He couldn't help but laugh at that. "I thought because you were a pureblood that it'd be tricky to beat you," he grinned, "but you're nothing like Him."

"Him?" Soyun's eyes narrowed.

"Of course," he suddenly disappeared, and Soyun gasped as his voice sounded from behind her, "you didn't think you were the only Pureblood, did you?"

Soyun whirled around only to receive a gut punch. "Gah!"

As she folded on his fist, Ji-Hae grabbed her by the neck and held her up. With a choked grunt, Soyun swung her leg, which he caught by the ankle before her boot could touch his head. Growling Soyun attempted to punch him, only for Ji-Hae to swing her by the leg through the already broken bar. As she skidded across the floor, Ji-Hae appeared above her, aiming to stomp on her but Soyun avoided the attack with a backward handspring.

*Boom*

As Ji-Hae landed with explosive force, creating another crater and sending debris everywhere Soyun landed next to some stairs only to immediately jerk her body to the side to avoid a punching lunge from Ji-Hae, which ended up destroying said stairs. In the next instant, both of them seemingly disappeared from the view of the Common Bloods as the area became inundated with afterimages as they moved across the dance floor, walls, and even the ceiling.

Despite this, it is clear that Soyun was on the back foot, seemingly unable to properly retaliate, at least so it seems to the gathered Common Bloods, including the previously admonished head of security, Ki Hyo.

'The boss has her on the ropes' thought the man as he narrowed his eyes.

Hyo thought she was a monster with how easily she destroyed the others, but now he can sort of make out her movements, and her attacks seem a lot weaker than he thought. Was he wrong in his assumption of her strength before?

"Those are some fancy moves you got there. Did the priest teach you?" Ji-Hae taunted. 'No, it's not that she's weak' far from it, as he knows he stood no chance against her, 'it's just that the boss is that strong.'

Unlike the vampires in the room, Ki Hyo was part of the first generation of Common Bloods. Ki Hyo witnessed the early years of the rise of vampires across the country, a time period generally referred to as the 'dark ages' in the community. Back then, there was general chaos across the country as vampires started gangs and fought for territory and control. Gwangju was one of the worst, with a large concentration of some of the most brutal vampire gangs all vying for control of the city in a bloody stalemate.

That all changed when Ji-Hae appeared, and in just a few days he managed to break the stalemate, bringing all the gangs under his control and establishing himself as Gwangju's vampire lord.

*CRASH*

'It looks like it's over.'

Ji-Hae and Soyun reappeared from their latest clash, with Ji-Hae looking ruffled and scuffed, but judging by the wide, near-unhinged grin, it is superficial damage at best. Soyun, on the other hand, is sweating, panting, and generally looking worse for wear.

"What do you know about the Pureblood?" she panted.

"Curious?"

"They've been using you and the other Noble Bloods to hunt me for years now," she stated bluntly.

Ji-Hae chuckled at that "well, if you really want to know…"

In a blink, Ji-Hae disappeared, moving faster than ever to deliver a punch to Soyun's gut. The Pureblood gagged as she folded over his fist. An uppercut had her flung backwards, only to be caught by her ankles once more as she slammed into the ground, where her body made a hole. Before she could properly recover, Ji-Hae pinned her to the ground by her neck.

"I suppose I can oblige your request," he continued his earlier sentence with false casualness.

As Ji-Hae began to speak, Kyo couldn't help but reminisce. The existence of the second, or rather the first, Pureblood is something of an open secret amongst the first generation like him or those who managed to make their way to high positions under the Noble Bloods. They refer to him as Hananim, and his appearance marked the end of the chaotic period known as the Dark Ages.

Why is that?

Because this vampire singlehandedly united the warring vampire factions in the entire country with his own hands, a feat Ji-Hae could only dream of. Hananim divided the country into 7 territories, chose the strongest Common Bloods to elevate to Noble Blood status, and assigned them as leaders of said territories with the title of Monarch. This part Kyo knew well because he was there to witness Ji-Hae's ascension, and that memory is burned into his subconscious to this day.

Up to that point, Kyo had seen Ji-Hae overcome insurmountable odds. In the bloodiest vampire wars he has ever witnessed he easily triumphed and came out on top. Kyo truly believed during those times that Ji-Hae would be the one to conquer all of Korea because who could possibly be able to match him?

Then came the faithful meeting.

Hananim came with only a few men and a female assistant when he confronted Ji-Hae and demanded his servitude. Normally, such demands would be grounds for Ji-Hae to kill him, as it has always been up to that point. There was no battle this time however as shortly following his words an immense pressure swept through the area causing the very blood in his veins to boil and sending Kyo to his knees.

Most of the others weren't so lucky as he saw the majority of them simply explode in a mess of gore. By the end of it, only a handful of those gathered were left, something that both Hananim and his assistant took note of. Ji-Hae, on the other hand, had better luck being the only one of them to remain on his feet; however, to say that he was unaffected would be a massive understatement.

"KNEEL"

After such a show of force it took a single word from Hananim for Ji-Hae to surrender.

Seeing the man who dominated all of Gwangju and whom he thought was going to conquer all of Korea reduced to such a state shattered Kyo's worldview. Even more so when he realized that Hananim did this through his sheer presence alone, without raising a single finger. Despite this Hananim deemed Ji-Hae 'worthy' before his assistant produced a golden goblet, which he filled with his own blood. Just the sight of it put Kyo on edge with indescribable feelings of greed and fear.

Ji-Hae accepted the blood, and after drinking it, he changed, but not in a physical way. He didn't even know how to describe it, but Ji-Hae's presence just became more. Nothing compared to Hananim, but distinctly different. Following that whole encounter, Ji-Hae changed; no longer was he an impulsive, headstrong, and savage vampire. Not to say that he no longer held those qualities but he layered it with false joviality, a flare for theatrics, and a kind of patience all of which is only disrupted in certain circumstances.

"Hananim wants you for himself." Ji-Hae's words broke through Kyo's thoughts: "He never told us why he wanted you alive." Ji-Hae giggled with an unhinged and bloodthirsty look on his face. "Not that it matters because I figured if a cup of his blood can turn a Common Blood into a Noble Blood, his clawed finger trailed to the left side of her chest. "I wonder just how much it will take to turn a noble blood into a Pureblood."

As he said this, there was suddenly an abrupt change in Soyun's demeanor of the pureblood. Her struggles ceased; the pained sneer on her face relaxed into a neutral expression, and when she spoke, it was with a casual calmness.

"So that's it, then?"

Ji-Hae's fanged smile disappeared as he gave her a look of confusion. "What?"

Soyun let out a breath "and here I thought you'd have some information that would be worth my time, but I was wrong." Her brows furrowed as impossibly red eyes glared into his own. "it turns out you're just a spoiled, entitled brat with delusions of grandeur who got a little taste of power and thinks he's worth something more."

Ji-Hae gritted his teeth, clamping down on her neck with his full might. "You talk a lot of shit for someone who's at my mercy."

To that, Soyun raised an eyebrow and asked, "Am I?"

"…!"

Much to the surprise of everyone, the Pureblood grabbed Ji-Hae's wrist and clamped down hard. The crack of bones was picked up by the vampires as Ji-Hae yelled out in pain.

"Pathetic."

That single word made the Nobel blood see red, and he reared his fist back and said, "You bitch!"

Before he could finish, Soyun stuck her foot into his gut, crushing bones, pulping organs, and driving the air out of his lungs before vaulting his body overhead. Soyun rolled to her feet as Ji-Hae's body smashed into the ceiling before falling to the ground. He managed to recover in midair, with his impressive healing factor undoing the damage before he even landed on his feet.

Soyun stood up easily, no longer struggling or panting, and the scrapes and bruises adorning her body have long since healed, leaving her without a scratch save for her clothes. After a few stretches where her bones audibly popped, Soyun laid her eyes on Ji-Hae, who felt an involuntary shudder run through his body.

'What is this?'

"I can't believe I kept up that farce, and I don't even have anything to show for it," she said.

Before Ji-Hae could respond, the Noble Blood felt a wave of something pass over the room before the heads of the gathered Common Bloods simultaneously exploded.

"What!?" Not even Ji-Hae could hide his shock at the turn of events.

Then he remembered his first encounter with Hananim, and his eyes widened. It's just like back then, he said, suddenly his mouth feeling dry. But she shouldn't be able to do that.'

The reason why Ji-Hae and really all of the other Noble Bloods were tasked with capturing a Pureblood was because Hananim assured them that despite being a Pureblood, Soyun is very young, and thus a majority of her abilities have not manifested yet. From what Ji-Hae read of the reports and from what he saw of her up to this point, it only confirmed this, which in turn made him confident in pulling off his gambit. She should not be strong enough to pose too much of a threat to them or to him, so...

'What the hell!

As Ji-Hae's thoughts raced on what he should do Soyun looked around at the carnage and huffed before speaking, "I take it things are finished on your end?"

"Yeah".

The voice caused Ji-Hae to jolt, his head whipping to the sound, and he felt his jaw drop.

'Where did he come from!?'

Ji-Hae couldn't sense him; even when he was standing right there within sight.

"Who are you?" Ji-Hae demanded.

The man ignored him and continued with a filtered voice, "the humans are safe, vampires are dead, cameras are offline, footage is deleted, evidence is downloaded, and-"

Veins bulged in Ji-Hae's neck as the mysterious man ignored him. "I said," suddenly he vanished, lunging towards the man, "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?"

Ji-Hae's fist met the air as the man suddenly vanished, but not in the way that would suggest great speed. There was no twitch of movement, displaced air, or anything like that. One moment he was there, and the next he was just gone.

"The police are on their way." Once again, Ji-Hae whirled around to find the man, this time with his back turned, standing next to Soyun and continuing his conversation as if Ji-Hae hadn't moved. "You have less than ten minutes before they arrive, give or take."

"That's nine more minutes than I need," replied Soyun, who kept her eyes on Ji-Hae.

"I'll leave you to it. I'm going to make a few calls to see if the information on his blood-wine operation is legit. I'll pass the info onto the police, but depending on what I find, I might just shut it down myself."

Soyun's scowl became more pronounced: "Wait for me if you can."

"Don't take too long," he replied, and in a blink, he was gone, and so was Ji-Hae's patience.

"What did you do!?"

"We're taking down your empire," Soyun responded before giving a mirthless smile, "and you won't even be around to see it."

"That's it; no more fucking around! He yelled as he lunged at her, "I'll kill you, eat your heart, and...

A pale fist slammed into his face, interrupting his tirade. The impact dislocated his jaw, knocking out several teeth, including one of his golden fangs.

*Crash*

Ji-Hae slammed into one of the speakers with a look of disbelief.

"I am so sick and tired of hearing your voice," said Soyun with the purest look of disdain on her face.

With his face healed and teeth regrown due to his regeneration, Ji-Hae surged to his feet with bloodshot eyes and said, "Don't you dare look down on me! He lunged at Soyun with all his might.

Soyun lashed out, gripping his neck, managing to halt his momentum without moving a single inch, and as he struggled against her grip, he found he could not loosen it at all. It was as if Ji-Hae had met an impenetrable wall, and it was starting to dawn on him. Before any further thoughts could be had, Soyun slammed her fist into his chest, breaking all his ribs and pulverizing his organs again. Ji-Hae spewed blood as he was sent flying into what was left of the DJ booth.

Ji-Hae struggled to his knees, letting out a wheezing cough that spewed out even more blood. A glance to the side saw a few of the controls for the light and music intact.

"If this is what you Noble Bloods are capable of, I could have put an end to this a long time ago," she paused, "or maybe you're just the weakest one."

Ji-Hae saw red, but he did not lash out; instead, he reached out to the DJ's controls and cast the entire place in darkness before loud music and blinding strobe lights took their place. Soyun cringed at the sudden change as her senses were bombarded, while Ji-Hae took the opportunity to slink away.

'Even I had trouble dealing with the lights and music at first, Ji-Hae thought to himself as he watched the Pureblood growl while glaring up at the lights and cringing at the music.

The assault on the senses was uncomfortable but can be adapted to.

'Not that I'm going to give her the chance!'

Ji-Hae lunged at her flank, initiating the first out of a hit-and-run tactic; however, a simple side step and elbow to the back of his head had him slamming into the ground, but not for long as the Noble Blood scrambled away in a burst of speed. His actions took his eyes away from the pureblood, and now he couldn't find her.

"Where is she?" He frantically looked around.

"Behind you," a voice whispered almost soothingly in his ears.

"Gah!" he swung his arm around in a panic only to have a fist buried deep into his cheek, destroying bone, knocking out some more teeth, and sending him crashing into the speakers, cutting the sound off from another end of the room and creating an uneven and discordant noise.

"Really?" Soyun spoke as she strode towards him, "You think a few blinking lights and some loud music are going to throw me off?"

This time Ji-Hae felt no indignation at her words, just an ever-deepening pit of dread.

'I have to run!' He thought, yet he did not move from his kneeling position: 'I-I can't move my legs... I can't even speak!'

It is true; his legs felt like jelly, his entire body shook, and his mouth felt incredibly dry.

'What is this?'

He already knew the answer. The only time Ji-Hae has ever felt this way was when he met Hananim.

FEAR.

As Soyun approached, she spoke, "I bet you're thinking if she had this kind of power, why didn't she use it from the beginning?"

Looking up at the Pureblood even amongst the strobe lights, her eyes, like glowing red jewels in the dark, stuck out to him, looking down on his position. In that moment, it was as if she were a god looking down at an insect with the highest contempt.

She continued her words, "mainly I wanted to buy some time for my partner and squeeze a bit of information from you, which wasn't all that difficult since you love to talk so much." She clicked her tongue, "a small part of me though was curious about your strength. I didn't really plan on dragging this out, but then you just had to run your mouth with that 'Blood Wine' business," she sneered, drawing a flinch from the terrified Noble Blood.

"And I just couldn't let that slide," she started chuckling, "but you're so fucking pathetic that whatever catharsis I could have beating the crap out of you is nonexistent."

Grk," Ji-Hae twitched, his anger flaring for but a moment before it was snuffed out by her next words.

Then she sneered with an absolute look of contempt, "Chong Ji-Hae, you are the most worthless disappointment of a vampire I've ever met."

Ji-Hae's eyes widened as he trembled, but not for the same reasons as before. His fist clenched to the point where it drew blood, and he bit through his lip.

Finally, he spoke in a trembling tone, "you think killing me is going to change anything? He chuckled and added an unhinged note to it: "Hananim has every vampire across the country gunning for you." As he continued to speak, his tone became more unhinged: "We're everywhere! The police, the media, the government—you won't have a moment's rest! They'll drag you out of whatever hole you, that priest, and those two little shits are holed up in and-"

Ji-Hae choked on his words as killing intent pressed down on him like a compactor.

"There you go running your mouth again," spoke Soyun in an eerily calm voice, "and if that's the only thing you have to say," she raised her hand and pulled her middle finger with her thumb "and just to let you know, killing you, the other Noble Bloods, and the Pureblood was always the plan. I just decided to skip a few steps."

"W-w-wait!" he pleaded however it fell on deaf ears.

"Know your place"

And with that Soyun flicked her finger while standing sending out the force equivalent to a grenade directly at his head.

*BAM*