To The Rescue

[Title: Ruined King's Envoy.

— Damage dealt with monsters will be increased by +100%.

— You gain access to two of the Ruined King's Exclusive Skills, [Ruination Domain], and [Absolute Ruin].]

Next, Hans clicked the detailed description of the said skills.

[Ruination Domain (No Rank)

Description: A domain is a form of Innate power a user can manifest once they reach the rank of ???.

Uses:

— Creates a field spanning around 10 miles in diameter which enhances the user's attacks and skills by +100%.

— Any enemies inside will be struck by [Corruption] which would drain their maximum health by 1% every 5 seconds and their movement speed is reduced by -50%.

—???

Mana Consumption: 10 mana per second.

Note: Other abilities aren't available for an Envoy.]

[Absolute Ruin (?)

Type: Passive

Description: One of the most deadly abilities known to man.

Uses:

— Every attack, you have a 0.5% chance to trigger the [Absolute Ruin] which destroys the target's core.

Note: Luck wouldn't increase the chance of triggering the skill.]

Although Hans had a fair share of seeing Urs domain nearby, he hadn't really thought about how powerful it was.

But now…

"Is this the power of a domain?"

Just reading its description, it's enough to make his legs tremble.

What's even crazier is that this wasn't the domain's maximum capability. As he was only an Envoy, he had no authority to cast its full power.

Even then, this was already absurd.

Imagine fighting an army and suddenly he cast this skill. He could kill them all in less than 9 minutes without doing anything!

Of course, if they heal the time would extend but still…

'I thought my [Endless Plunder] was already a cheat but it seems like I overestimated it too much.'

[Cringe.]

Ignoring Plundy's words, Hans' gaze shifted to the other skill.

No need for further explanation. This skill was perfectly designed for someone who could attack fast.

'Kristina was her name, right?'

She was the SS-Class Awakened who uses guns as her primary weapon. She might even have a gun that could fire 100 bullets in a second or even more.

Hans held his chin.

'Should I change my career?'

A gunner seems pretty awesome too. However, this thought immediately vanished after he realized that the skill would only last for 30 minutes and would eventually disappear.

'This should be enough to finish those two vampires.'

At that moment.

Hans sprung up from the warm ground and brushed the dirt off his pants. The wind faintly emitted shockwaves and some of them were being sucked in from somewhere.

Hans swept his eyes around. Aside from the see-through walls, the area was more like a room to his observations.

"How did I get here?" A puzzled look appeared on his face.

Although he was in deep sleep, he was certain that before he left, his body was atop a building. But now, he's inside this scorched and abandoned house with dead bodies lying around.

"Did I teleport on my own?" He thought.

[Someone helped you.]

At that moment, Hans' brows furrowed.

"Help?"

[Yep, he's the guy you met back at the Trial Dungeon.]

"Oh, really?"

[Yep, it's him.]

Hans nodded.

Well, honestly, he couldn't really recall the guy anymore. His memories were still jumbled. The memories of his a million lives were still slowly fading.

It might take time before his real memories resurfaced.

Hans kicked the door and as he stepped outside, the humid air crawled on his skin. Flames burned and sizzled the houses like meat while a floor resembling a magma chamber could be seen at the distance.

Whoever saved him must have been fighting those two vampires right now.

Shu—!

Strong shockwaves arrived at Hans, blowing his hair backwards together with his fit. The swords on his hips shook happily as if they felt that their master had become stronger.

Hans raised his head and stared at the blood-red moonlight illuminating the Empire. His eyes sharpened.

'Someone summoned a vampire with royal blood.'

He has seen this in his one of rebirths. However, due to his rebirth's memories already fading, Hans could not recall any information other than that.

Any minute further, his million life memories would be wiped out and all that would be left was his only true memory.

'What a sad ending.'

Hans closed his eyes and sighed deeply. There are more important things to do than thinking about that. As Hans opened his eyes once again, determination surged in his heart.

"First, let's help that guy first."

Swish—

Almost instantly, Hans' figure disappeared, leaving behind a trail of wind on the spot.

At that moment, as Hans vanished, a streak of silver-white lights hovered around the air before finally following where Hans was currently at.

.......

Count Vlad licked his lips, staring at Gab who was already exhausted after a few punches. Although they seemed to be in a stalemate, it was clear that Count Vlad was only toying with his opponent.

Drip—, drip—

Gab controlled his breathing. Blood trickled down his wounds until it almost covered his entire body. Cuts appeared on his arms as he blocked Vlad's consecutive slashes.

In the end, he had no option but to back away and recuperate even just a little. Fortunately, Vlad did not chase him.

"What a pitiful sight, human."

Gab gritted his teeth. Amador didn't want to fight either. He could feel that there must be a reason for that.

"Do you still have any tricks you could show?"

"..."

"Come on now, don't be shy. I promised…" Vlad raised his arm and continued, "...I won't laugh."

Gab held his bleeding stomach and pulled a dagger out of his inventory while also preparing an item for escape in case his attack failed.

He has realized many things after this battle and that is… he's weak. No matter how much damage he inflicted towards Vlad, all of them already healed.

On the other hand, almost every part of his body was injured. Additionally, some of his internal organs were bleeding. It would only be a moment before his body couldn't take it anymore and he might just collapse on the spot.

Grip—

Gab gripped the dagger tightly on his right hand. Mana flowed out of his palms and wrapped around the daggers' edges.

'This time, I'm using it.'

There's no need to hesitate.

It was because of this that he was here in the first place. Rather than waiting for his death to come, he might as well go all out.

As his eyes sharpened, a dangerous aura leaked on his body.

At the same time, Count Vlad burst out his mana as he sensed the danger enveloping his body. Blood particles in the air seemingly reached an agreement and they wrapped around Vlad's body like a cloth.

"So you're going all out now!? Come on then!" Vlad screamed in excitement.

It's been a long time since he fought a human with such resilience and skill. Although his combat experience lacks many things, the human in his eyes learned every time they clashed.

Shrruuum—

The space was being distorted as a heavy pressure descended upon the area. Bits of rocks seemingly levitate from the ground as if gravity wasn't restricting them anymore.

Shruuuum—

Gab's eyes were firm as he glared at the vampire ready to pounce at him.

"SHOW ME, WHAT'S SPECIAL IN YOU!!!"

In a flash, Vlad dashed towards him and brandished his claws.

Gab maintained a calm heart until… his mellow voice echoed.

[Manifest: Golden Crown]

BOOOOOM—

A burst of golden light exploded throughout the empire.

......

Dash—

Hans was only a few meters away from the battle when suddenly a blinding golden light surged. The moment it appeared, Hans could sense its familiarity, and the light it emitted carried that attribute.

'Ruination!'

No doubt about it.

The light hit his skin but to his surprise, it didn't inflict any damage at all. Aside from the slightly dangerous mana it has, this golden light was pretty much harmless.

This phenomenon lasted for a full minute before the light gradually dimmed and in the end, fully vanished.

Hans swept his gaze around the area and after determining that he was safe, he sprinted towards where he could sense enormous energy clashing together.

...…..

"HAHAHAHAHA, FUNNY!!" Count Vlad mockingly grinned. He stared at Gab before lowering his eyes.

His skin was almost toasted and he couldn't even regenerate this body anymore. Even then, at least, in the end, the victory was still in his palms.

Although the golden crown could vanquish any evil, its power would still rely on the user. If the user is weak, of course, it wouldn't be enough to kill him.

What's more, just casting it once would require a great amount of mana.

"Is that it?" Vlad then shrugged his shoulders, "Well, to be honest, that surprised me a bit."

His eyes darted at Gab who was kneeling on the ground with his other hand supporting his upper chest. His pale face was even paler than Count Vlad's due to mana exhaustion and also probably because of physical and mental tiredness.

Not liking what he's seeing, Count Vlad raised his fan and its sharp edges reflected the moon.

"Thanks for entertaining me and for that, I'll give you painless death."

Slash—

As the sharp fan reached Gab's neck, his eyes suddenly brightened. A blurred figure appeared in his sight.

Clang—

Gab stared at the swords blocking the sharp fan with ease. Then, his eyes shifted towards the man.

"I never thought it would be you, Gab."

"Hans."

Hans smiled and immediately fended the attack off. Vlad backed away after his arms quivered in pain. He looked at his fan and saw a chipped edge.

No doubt, the newly arrived man in front of him was a swordsman. Not just an ordinary swordsman, but someone who has a high comprehension and understanding of swords.

'But why is he stronger?'

Ocula's memories clearly showed the strength Hans possessed. However, the reality is far from it.

'Could it be that he's been hiding his true power and just waiting for me?'

Of course, this was just a random guess. But if ever it's true, how terrifying is that?

'I need to be careful.'

Meanwhile, Hans crouched and used his healing skill at Gab. Although it's low level, at least it could heal those small cuts and stop the bleeding of his wounds.

"Thanks for saving me by the way. Go away, quick. I'll take over from here." Hans said calmly.

"Are you sure you can beat him?" Gab asked.

"Don't worry about that now. I'll teach him a lesson."

Gab nodded. Now that his wounds closed, he could move without worrying about his blood spilling out. Although he wanted to fight, he knew his limit. Hopefully, Hans could defeat the enemy as he said.

"Alright but…" Gab glared at the vampire and continued, "Be careful of him. He's a troublesome guy."

"I'll keep that in mind." Hans patted his shoulder and motioned him to leave.

As Gab turned around and left, Hans' gaze quickly shifted towards the unfamiliar vampire. His appearance was almost impossible to distinguish because of his burned flesh.

Even then, his presence completely distinct him from Acula and Ocula.

'This might be the one those two summoned.'

His memories were gradually fading at an alarming speed. Some of them which still haven't disintegrated yet, contain valuable information.

'This is… a Count.'

Then, a smile formed on his lips.

"Hello there, I'm Hans."

The vampire sucked the air in tension but quickly stopped when he realized Hans only introduced himself.

'Wait… why am I even scared!?'

Vlad shook his head and revealed his giggling face.

"He hehe, a human with manners. What a rare sight. You can call me Count Vlad."

Hans nodded, "Nice to meet you then, Cunt Vlad."

Vlad frowned, "You… are you mocking me?"

"Well, no?"

Count Vlad suppressed his anger and attempted to calm down his raging heart. In fact, he was more curious about one thing.

"Where did a guy like you come from?" Vlad asked in a quiet voice.

"I'm from the US." Hans nonchalantly said.

Hearing Hans' words didn't contain any deceits, Vlad wanted more information so he asked once again. For him, this US place intrigued his mind.

"Is that an Empire we haven't heard of?"

"Well, it's uhmm… quite complicated. Anyways, enough of the chit-chat, why don't we start now?"

The allies of the Baru Empire might already be on their way. Also, his title has a time limit so he needed to make the most out of it.

"That's what I thought too, Hans. I'll show you what true despair is!!" Vlad shouted as blood orbs manifested behind his head.

"Show me then." Hans calmly spoke.

At that moment.

Swish—

Bang—

Vlad kicked the ground and launched a quick stab at Hans' heart.

Stab—

Hans effortlessly dodged it by tilting his body sideways while also unleashing a knee towards the vampire's head.

Baam—

Hans' attack was, unfortunately, blocked. Vlad slid away with his arms crossed. Even just a casual knee, his arms already became numb. His eyes immediately became alerted waiting for Hans to counter but to his dismay, he didn't even leave his position.

'If that's the case…'

Vlad mischievously grinned as a thought came to his mind.

"Do you have a family, perhaps?"

Vlad saw Hans faintly flinched. His grin grew even further.

"He hehe, once this is over I'll kill them too but first I'm gonna torture them in front of you!! Maybe... you'll like it if I castrate their organs first? Or maybe... you're into more gore? Then, I'm gonna chop them into pieces!"

Seeing Hans frown, Vlad was overjoyed. Finally, his taunt was successful. If his main body was here he wouldn't have to resort into this.

Only…

"Really? But...that's like the most basic torture." Then, a smirk formed on his lips as he continued, "Would you like me to recommend you a more gruesome technique instead?"