My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness

Morning came to the small town in southern Thailand, which had been shaken by the sudden commotion the previous night.

Just a few hours ago, the entire city could have been destroyed…

But those who survived had to return to their daily lives, their livelihoods depending on it. So, the citizens of Yala, as if nothing had happened, went about their business.

“Hey, did you see it last night…?”

“Of course. I thought I was dreaming!”

“I was so scared, I thought a war had broken out…”

But not everything was the same.

The citizens, gathered in small groups, their voices hushed, their faces etched with fatigue from a sleepless night, were clearly still… shaken by the events of the previous day.

And it wasn't just the locals who were talking about it.

<A commotion in the middle of the night. A supernatural terrorist attack?> <An angel appears above Yala City, Thailand! What happened?>

<A beautiful aurora protects the city from a bombardment. Photos of the angel at its center attract attention…>

<Thai Government – No signs of a missile attack. Currently investigating the possibility of a supernatural terrorist attack. A special investigation team will be dispatched to Yala City.>

Videos and photos of the incident, captured by witnesses, circulated online, attracting attention from all over the world.

Supernatural terrorist attacks weren’t uncommon… but an incident of this scale, this… spectacle… was rare.

A series of explosions in the sky, a mysterious figure flying through the air, intercepting the attacks one by one… it was a captivating story, a topic that naturally drew attention.

-Even the video is intimidating. The space around the explosions is distorting.

└Seriously… If those had hit the city… But why did this even happen? What’s in that… backwater town?

-Is that really an angel? It’s hard to see clearly.

└There are close-up photos. Six wings, armor… it’s definitely an angel.

-That armor looks familiar… Is that Heinrich, the Saint from another world?

└Holy crap, it is!

Some had even correctly identified the angel as Heinrich… but he wasn’t planning to hide it.

He had… other plans.

Of course, not many knew the full story, the details of the incident and its… resolution.

“Let me formally introduce myself. I am Frey, the leader of the Burning Torch. Thank you again for your assistance, Masquerade.”

Except for those who were directly involved.

Frey, the President, who had been unconscious during the battle, finally regained her senses and bowed respectfully, expressing her gratitude.

To Heinrich, the representative of the Masquerade, and Ken, who had been with them from the beginning.

Heinrich smiled gently and returned her greeting.

“It was our duty. Heaven’s Turn Society isn’t just someone else’s problem, it’s a threat to all of humanity. We have to work together to oppose them.”

And ‘humanity’ wasn’t just limited to Earthlings, he added, his gaze lingering on Frey for a moment.

“Are you alright? It seems like that… Mimic… possessed your body for quite a while.”

“Ah, I’m much better now, thanks to you, Heinrich-nim. I was lucky. I was able to resist being completely absorbed thanks to my unique skill.”

She smiled wryly and flexed her fingers, her movements surprisingly… feminine for someone who had been pretending to be a burly, bearded man to maintain her image as the President.

“I didn’t know my unique skill, which I thought was just a simple… appearance alteration… had such a… side effect.”

“You haven’t invested much in your unique skill, have you?”

“…I’ve heard you’re from another world. You seem to be quite knowledgeable. I focused on cultivating my Aether and transcended through that. Well, it was helpful in… creating the perfect body for training… and avoiding… gender-related issues.”

The atmosphere in the room was relaxed and friendly, as they had just achieved a victory against a common enemy.

Ken, who had been cautiously observing Heinrich, and Ahn, who had been worried about Frey, also joined the conversation, and the atmosphere became even more… convivial.

Until Ken, unable to contain his curiosity any longer, spoke.

“It’s a shame we let that Executioner get away. We should have eliminated him when we had the chance.”

Frey and Ahn’s faces darkened at his words.

It was understandable.

Frey had been captured by him, and Ahn had witnessed his power firsthand.

They knew he would be targeting them if he returned…

They couldn't defeat him on their own.

“Ah, did I not mention it?”

But their worries didn’t last long.

“We’ve taken care of the Executioner. You don’t have to worry about him anymore.”

Heinrich’s casual remark, his tone almost… dismissive, dispelled their fears.

“…R-really?”

“When…?”

Everyone, including Ahn, who had noticed Phantom’s absence, was surprised.

They had been… hoping for it… but they hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly.

Even Frey and Ken, who had fought the Executioner themselves, were surprised.

‘…So they weren’t all here. Where were they hiding…?’

Frey, looking at Heinrich, her eyes narrowed, sighed softly.

A secret organization with an angel, a Saint from another world…

She had been fighting Heaven’s Turn Society for years, and yet, she hadn’t even known they existed.

‘…Well, they’re clearly our allies, so I have no choice but to trust them.’

She couldn't completely trust them yet… but she didn’t have any other options.

She had to trust them, for the sake of her followers, for the sake of the Burning Torch.

She nodded slowly, meeting Ahn’s gaze, their eyes conveying a silent… understanding.

Heinrich, observing their reactions, smiled confidently.

‘…A successful demonstration of power. It wouldn’t make sense for them to fail, not with those three involved.’

He hadn’t intended to… deploy his entire dark side… but it hadn't been a bad move.

The gains had been… significant.

Both for their fight against Heaven’s Turn Society,

…and for the… reputation of the Masquerade.

____________________

“Huu, good. That concludes my mission in Southeast Asia.”

The alliance with the Burning Torch had been successfully established.

It was more of a… partnership between two independent organizations for now… but it was enough.

The Burning Torch, having suffered heavy losses, had no choice but to rely on them.

And as time passed, their relationship would naturally… evolve, the Burning Torch becoming their… subordinate, without any… forceful intervention.

‘…And Heaven’s Turn Society’s Southeast Asia branch… Well, it’s practically over, now that we’ve captured all their executives.’

He would leave the… interrogation and… asset stripping to Hans, who was currently in Southeast Asia.

And he would probably acquire information about the other branches in the process, so it was a… win-win situation.

‘…I’ll send the other avatars back to their respective worlds.’

I, sitting in the massage chair, closed my eyes and reviewed the status of my avatars on Earth.

The first one he sent back was Harris, the High Elf.

His helmet and clothes were magic tools with air purification and other useful functions… but they couldn’t completely eliminate the… discomfort he felt in this… unnatural environment.

‘…He could endure it, but… there’s no need to force him.’

Harris, with his laid-back personality and his connection to nature, was like a… calming presence, a… stress reliever.

He helped him relax, sleep better, and his music, a constant and soothing melody, was… therapeutic.

‘…Now then, who’s next?’

Hesperon, the first avatar he had summoned to Earth, was still busy with his work.

He was using the supercomputers in the data center, along with Titan and 「Cybernetic Eye: Callicas」, to… manipulate public opinion, to… increase the sense of unease and fear surrounding Heaven’s Turn Society.

‘…But it’s not going as well as I expected. There was a reason why they’ve been hiding in the shadows all this time.’

Even though he had linked it to the recent terrorist attacks, the effect wasn’t as significant as he had hoped.

Well, in the modern world, this level of information warfare was… child’s play.

And they had Doctor, a master of technology.

“I knew it when there wasn’t any information about them online… They’re thorough.”

Perhaps they even had their own… modified AI.

He would have to reinforce the security of Hesperon’s data center.

He couldn’t risk being… counter-hacked.

‘…Heinrich is busy with his… public image. And the others…’

Harley, the mercenary, who walked the line between light and darkness.

And his… true dark side: Hans, Heinz the Second, and Hella.

____________________

A space filled with negative energy, a dark and sinister aura.

“Hmm, my task is complete.”

Heinz, who had helped capture the Executioner, wiped his lips and stood up.

[“——!”]

And then, ignoring the echoing… thoughts, the… whispers of an unknown entity, he stepped out of the isolated space, back into the… real world.

Unlike the other two avatars, his involvement had been… limited, so his task had been quickly completed.

[“Khehehe! So he does have a divine spark. He lasted longer than I expected. Good, very good!”]

“Hmm~ I might be able to… extract this and use it myself. In that sense, he’s not that different from a vampire. Even across dimensions, there are… similarities.”

As he listened to his other avatars’ excited chatter,

Heinz, stepping out of the artificially created space, took a deep breath.

‘…I don’t like that place.’

He wished he could bring his other avatars into the 「Dragon’s Lair」.

Unlike the other two, who were more… accustomed to negative energy, he preferred… blood.

But he had acquired what he needed, the Executioner’s blood and its… secrets, so there was no need to return there.

‘…And it wasn’t a complete waste of time.’

The Eternal Greater Demon, was it?

Even if demonic blood wasn’t very… nutritious for a vampire, the act of consuming it, the karmic connection… it had enhanced his Divine Blood. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs NoveI~Fire.net

‘…Though it’s insignificant compared to the other two.’

Hella, who was planning to extract and devour the demon’s essence, and Hans, who was planning to… corrupt his body and soul, turning him into a puppet…

…compared to them, Heinz, who had only taken a small amount of blood and a bit of karma, was practically a… saint.

Of course, he had also… fed on the other captured transcendents.

Having completed his task, he returned to his… territory.

Seoul, Korea, a place under his protection.

“Ah, welcome back, Lord!”

“Hmm.”

He nodded at Jin So-ran’s greeting and entered his office.

This was Heterosis’s headquarters, the heart of the Blood Alliance’s operations in Korea, where Jin So-ran, his representative, managed the organization.

‘…They’ve become quite… corporate.’

He looked around, nodding slowly.

The office, occupying an entire floor of a small building, looked like any other company…

…except for the darkened windows and the fact that most of the employees worked at night.

“I’ve been receiving regular reports. It seems like you’re still very busy.”

“Hmm, it’s gotten better. I thought I was going to die when Howard Industry first launched… but it’s different now that we have a professional CEO.”

She sighed, shaking her head, as if recalling a… traumatic experience.

“You don’t have to do everything yourself. A captain’s job is to make sure the crew is doing their job properly. There are plenty of… specialists and… talented individuals.”

“…That’s… very… insightful, Lord.”

Jin So-ran, one of those… overworked crew members, looked at him, her expression… troubled.

And she reaffirmed her resolve.

She would also… recruit capable subordinates and delegate all the tedious tasks to them.

“There don’t seem to be any major problems. Any… unusual activity?”

“Unusual activity… Ah! The project I mentioned before! The preparations are complete.”

“Project?”

What project?

As Heinz was trying to remember,

Jin So-ran, her eyes gleaming, spoke.

“The Vampire Image Improvement Project.”

And then, he remembered.

Despite Howard Industry’s recent… positive influence, the Blood Alliance, a vampire clan that controlled the underworld of both Korea and Europe, still had a… negative image overseas.

There were even articles criticizing Korea for… harboring them.

And the solution he had… authorized… was…

“We’re entering the entertainment industry!”

…a project to improve the Blood Alliance’s public image through… celebrity endorsements.