The first wave of vampires swooped down on Do-hyun with the coordinated violence of a swarm of wasps. But something had changed in him. The revelation about her parents had turned her fear into cold, determined anger.
[Luminous ACTIVE BOUCLIER]
[Dulture: 10 Minutes]
[EFFECTIVE: 85% REDUCATION OF DAMAGE]
The shield appeared as a golden sphere that enveloped Do-hyun, and the first vampires who touched it were repelled with cries of pain, their flesh smoking in contact with pure energy.
[Automatic counterattack triggered]
[3 VAMPIRES DE LEVEL 3 ELIMINATED]
[EXP +45]
Do-hyun didn't just defend himself. He advanced, his two Blades of Light drawing deadly arcs in the darkness. Each move was now imbued with the techniques Soo-ah had taught him - precise strikes at the joints, energy-efficient dodges, counter-attacks exploiting each opening.
Vampire Combatative Anatomy: Mastery 45%
[EFFECTIVE: +30% AGAINST VAMPIRES DE LEVEL 4 AND LOWER]
Kael watched from the back, his expression shifting from confidence to surprise, and then to a burgeoning worry.
"He has reached level 4," he whispered, more to himself than to his subordinates. "Impossible in such a short time."
Do-hyun heard it despite the distance. "My legacy, Kael!" he shouted between sides. "My parents left me much more than you could imagine!"
The mention of his parents made the vampire startle. "Your parents were crazy people trying to figure out what shouldn't be understood!"
Secret Archives: ACCESS REDACTED
[INFORMATION UNlocked: PHENIX PROJECT]
[OBJECTIVE: CREATE A SYSTEM Able to ERADIC THE VAMPIRIC THREAT]
The new information flooded Do-hyun's mind while fighting. Her parents weren't just hunters - they were visionaries. The system he used was their ultimate creation, designed to adapt and evolve with its user.
[SYSTEM IN MAXIMUM SYNCHRONIZATION]
[Efficiency of all skills: +50%]
The second wave attacked, this time with more caution. Level 4 and 5 vampires now formed the front, using their specialized skills.
One of them, a vampire who could manipulate the shadow, threw spears of darkness that seriously tested the Bright Shield.
[Luminous Shield: RESIDENT DURATION 4 MINUTES]
[Integrity: 72%]
Do-hyun adapted his strategy. Instead of waiting for the shield to fall, he deliberately deactivated it and used the conserved energy to amplify his Light Blades.
[LIGHT LAME - ACTIVE ONCHLOAD MODE]
[Damage: tripled]
[Scope: Doubled]
[Dulture: 2 minutes]
The blades became so bright that they lit up the whole street as if in broad daylight. The vampires were screaming, their ultra-sensitive eyes burned by the light intensity.
[5 VAMPIRES DE LEVEL 4 ELIMINATED]
[3 VAMPIRES DE LEVEL 3 ELIMINATED]
[EXP +155]
But the effort had a cost. Do-hyun felt his blood energy drop sharply.
Blood Energy: 35/100
[Fatigue: high]
"Now!" cried Kael, seeing the opening.
The remaining vampires - a dozen levels 4 and 5, plus Kael himself - advanced into tight formation. They had learned from their mistakes and no longer underestimated their opponent.
It was at this time that Soo-ah intervened.
She fell from the sky like a falcon, her silver spear passing through two vampires before they understood what was happening to them.
"I told you to retreat!" she shouted as she landed back to back with Do-hyun.
"I have changed my mind," he replied with a small smile. "I have a legacy to honor."
Soo-ah looked at him, and for the first time, he saw fear in his eyes. Not for herself, but for him.
" Your parents... You've discovered the truth."
Only part of it. Help me discover the rest."
Their coordination was immediate and perfect. Soo-ah with his spear and his experience, Do-hyun with his lights and his System. They were a much more dangerous team than the sum of their games.
[Combat Synergy Detected]
[EFFETS:] .
[- Combined damage: +40%]
[- COORDINATED DEFENCE: +60% ]
[- Energy regeneration: +25%]
Kael realized that the battle was turning against him. His best hunters fell one after the other, and the duo in front of him only seemed to get stronger.
"Enough!" he roared. "I take care of him personally. Take care of the Bloodline user!"
The remaining vampires rushed to Soo-ah while Kael focused on Do-hyun.
The ensuing battle was of an intensity that Do-hyun had never experienced. Kael was faster, stronger, more experienced. But Do-hyun had two advantages: his system that anticipated attack patterns, and a reason to fight that went beyond mere survival.
"Why did I kill my parents?" asked Do-hyun, making a series of quick moves.
"They were threatening our very existence!" Kael replied, redoubled his intensity. "Their Phoenix project could have wiped us out!"
Secret Archives: Full Access to the Phoenix Project
REAL OBJECTIVE: CREATE A GENERATION OF HUNERS Able to USE THE SYSTEM
[STATUS: Partial Success - ONLY COMPATIBLE SUBJECT FOUND]
Do-hyun was the only one. The only human compatible with the system that his parents had created. All their research, all their sacrifices... for him.
This realization unleashed something in him. A power he didn't know he had.
[Heired resonance triggered]
[ACCESS TO LATEN CAPACITIES AUTHORIZED]
[UNlocking: AURA DU PHENIX]
An aura of pure gold exploded around Do-hyun, so bright that even Kael was forced to retreat. Vampires fighting Soo-ah screamed in pain, some catching fire at the touch of light.
"Impossible!" cried Kael, his assurance broken. "The Phoenix Aura... They succeeded!"
Do-hyun was now floating a few inches above the ground, his body completely wrapped in golden light. His Blades of Light had merged into a single massive sword of pure energy.
PHENIX AURA - Duration: 5 MINUTES
[EFFETS:] .
[- Immunity to Vampiric Attacks]
[- FULL REGENATION]
[- CAPACITIES MULTIPLYED BY 5]
[- VAMP OF FORCE ANTI-VAMPIRIQUE]
"My parents didn't kill you," said Do-hyun, his voice echoing with a supernatural echo. "They gave me the means to arrest you."
He didn't need to attack. The mere presence of the Phoenix Aura made the surviving vampires flee, their smoking bodies, their powers neutralized.
Only Kael still resisted, but with great difficulty.
"You don't understand," the vampire scolded, struggling to stand. "Without us, the balance will be upset. Other threats will emerge."
"Maybe," Do-hyun admitted. "But you're not balance keepers. You're predators. And your reign ends."
He raised his sword of light, but as he finally struck, he hesitated.
Soo-ah, who had finished neutralizing the last vampires, approached. "Do-hyun..."
"I know," he said without looking at her. "Killing him will not bring my parents back."
Kael took advantage of his hesitation to launch one last desperate attack, projecting all his remaining energy into a single ray of concentrated darkness.
Do-hyun didn't even have to defend himself. The Phoenix Aura dispelled the attack as if it had never existed.
"Enough violence," said Do-hyun. "System, prepares an energy containment cell."
[GENERATED CONTINUM CELL]
[MATERIAL: PURIFIED PHENIX ENERGY]
[EFfect: PERMANENT REMOVE OF VAMPIRIC POWERS]
A sphere of light imprisoned Kael, and the vampire screamed as he felt his vampiric essence being systematically dismantled.
"What did you do?" asked Soo-ah, impressed.
"I let him live," Do-hyun replied as the Phoenix Aura began to weaken. "But he will never be able to harm anyone again."
When the light finally dissipated, the street was silent. Vampires were either dead, on the run, or, like Kael, permanently neutralized.
Do-hyun collapsed on his knees, exhausted but alive. Winner.
Soo-ah knelt next to him. "Your parents would be proud of you."
[MISSION: SURVIVER THE NEW MOON - ACCOMPLIED]
[REWARD: FULL ACCESS TO SECRET ARCHIVES]
[Title unlocked: PHENIX RENAISSANT]
[NEW QUEST: Reconstructing the Order of the Phoenix]
The sun was beginning to rise, its first rays dispelling the last shadows of the night. The new moon had passed, and with it, the domination of the Purple Dawn Clan over Seoul.
"What made you change your mind?" asked Soo-ah as they helped Kael unconsciously to get up. "Why didn't you kill him?"
Do-hyun looked at the rising sun, a strange peace within him. "My parents were not trying to exterminate vampires. They were looking for a solution. A balance. I think I should honor their vision rather than their revenge."
[SYSTEM IN RECONSTRUCTION MODE]
[OBJECTIVE: Establish a new balance]
[First Step: Forming a New Generation of Hunters]
Do-hyun looked at his hand, where the Blade of Light could still appear at will. He was no longer just a survivor, no longer just a hunter.
He was the heir to the Phoenix. And his work was just beginning.
"Soo-ah," he said, turning to her. "The Order of the Phoenix must be reborn. And I'll need your help."
She smiled, a real smile this time. "I thought you'd never ask."
As the sun flooded Seoul with its morning light, Do-hyun knew that nothing would ever be the same again. The night of the new moon was over, but a new adventure began.
An adventure that he would lead not as a victim of fate, but as the architect of his own future.