Away from the busiest streets, the sounds of battle became distant. Smoke still drifted overhead, but this part of the island had fallen strangely quiet. The occasional explosion echoed across the festival grounds, reminding anyone listening that the nightmare was spreading farther every minute.
Caesar: "Marlon!"
Marlon: "Caesar! What the hell is going on?"
Caesar: "I don't know, but I saw an old lady collapse over this way."
He pointed toward a narrow path between several buildings.
Marlon nodded immediately: "Let's go."
Without another question, the two broke into a run.
Helping people had become second nature to everyone in Odd Jobs.
As they hurried through the quiet alleyways, Marlon couldn't help but think about someone completely unrelated to the battle.
Marlon: 'Aoi.' He scratched the back of his head. 'She's really cute. Maybe after this is over, I'll ask her out.'
The thought made him chuckle despite everything happening around them. He smiled to himself.
Caesar stopped at the corner of an abandoned building: "She should be right around here."
Marlon nodded and rounded the corner.
Nothing.
The street was empty.
Marlon: "I don't see her."
Something struck him from behind. His body stiffened. He slowly looked down. A blade protruded from his abdomen. He turned his head.
Marlon's voice came out strained: "You bastard. What the hell are you doing?"
Caesar: "You're a good guy, Marlon. I don't want to kill you. Not yet at least. So… just take a little nap."
Marlon stumbled forward as the pain surged through him.
He looked back again.
Disbelief covered his face.
Marlon: "…You're…A vampire?"
A vampire emerged from the shadows carrying his mask, he handed it to Caesar. He looked down at it for a moment before speaking.
Caesar: "Actually, I'm a half-vampire. I go by Charlatan."
Marlon's thoughts struggled to catch up.
His vision blurred.
Marlon: "What the fu—"
Caesar looked toward the burning festival. Then quietly murmured: "Now. Where's Chifuyu?"
Elsewhere…
Soru and Hakim sprinted through another district of the festival, cutting down stray vampires whenever they crossed their path and directing frightened civilians toward safer routes.
Hakim suddenly slowed.
His eyes narrowed.
A flash streaked through the smoke.
It crossed the distance almost instantly.
Hakim's alter blade erupted with blue flames as he intercepted it. The projectile ricocheted into the ground. Both men looked down.
Soru raised an eyebrow: "An arrow?"
Hakim: "They have a sniper. How troublesome."
Soru's gaze shifted toward a faraway rooftop.
Then he shifted his eyes to the shadows beside them.
Soru: "…Looks like they've got a ninja too."
Without warning, a jet-black hand burst from the darkness and reached toward his neck. His sword flashed. The hand split apart before it could touch him.
Soru: "So much for your sneak attack." He casually rested his blade over one shoulder. "Come out and play, ninja."
The shadows stirred.
A cloaked woman stepped into the lantern light. Her face remained hidden beneath a dark mask while long hair spilled from beneath her hood.
Hakim blinked: "Is she actually a ninja?"
Soru: "I told you."
Aaliyah: "Insolent humans." Her voice carried quiet contempt. "Don't become arrogant because you defended one attack."
Soru chuckled: "It wasn't difficult. You were leaking so much bloodlust you were basically yelling, 'I want to kill you.'"
Hakim glanced sideways: "You could actually feel that?"
Soru: "Yeah. It's like when you suddenly get the feeling someone's watching you."
Hakim thought for a second: "I guess I have felt that."
Soru smiled: "See?"
While the two continued talking, Aaliyah had already moved. She appeared above them. Several black hands erupted from her cloack, crashing toward the two Hunters. They leapt apart. The attacks slammed into the ground. But instead of disappearing, the hands twisted around and chased them. Slithering across the ground like snakes.
Soru: "Nice. She's got the unseen hand. Except I can totally see it."
The two Hunters struck together. Their blades carved through the pursuing shadows one after another until the final construct dissolved. The instant the last one disappeared, another arrow spiraled toward them. Hakim reacted immediately. Blue flames surged along his blade before colliding with the projectile, knocking it aside.
Hakim: "Soru. Go deal with that pesky sniper."
Soru: "Already on it."
Aaliyah calmly extended one hand.
The surrounding shadows rippled and formed several animals. A wolf, serpent, crow, and a tiger.
Hakim adjusted his stance: "Her curse lets her manipulate shadows.'
Aaliyah: "Your weak flames will be swallowed whole."
The evacuation center by the ocean had become a fortress. Rows of tents stretched across the shoreline while barriers hastily erected by Hunters created a defensive perimeter around thousands of frightened civilians. 1st Rank Hunters stood watch inside and outside the encampment, directing families deeper inland as paramedics rushed from one injured person to the next.
Even so…
People were still arriving.
More civilians continued pouring onto the beach from every direction, chased by smoke, fire, and the sounds of battle echoing across Hanabi Island.
Jeremiah: "Erika, left side!"
Erika immediately sprinted toward a family struggling through the sand, cutting down the vampire that had been closing in on them before waving them toward the evacuation center.
Jeremiah: "Sylvie, keep the children behind you!"
Sylvie: "Right!"
She positioned herself between a group of terrified children and the approaching vampires, her blade weaving a defensive wall that forced two vampires backward.
Jeremiah: "Esmarie! Keep checking behind us!"
Esmarie: "Got it!"
She darted between civilians, making sure no one had fallen behind while calling directions over the growing panic.
Jeremiah took the center.
A vampire rushed him head-on.
He shifted one step to the side. His blade intercepted the claws before sliding smoothly along them, redirecting the attack just enough to expose the vampire's shoulder and land a precise cut. Not deep. Just enough. The vampire instinctively recoiled. Jeremiah was already moving. A second disciplined slash crossed its chest. The creature stumbled. A final thrust ended the exchange.
No wasted movement.
No flourish.
Just experience.
Another vampire lunged from his blind side.
Jeremiah pivoted without looking, catching the attack on the spine of his blade before driving his elbow into the creature's chest. As it staggered backward, he stepped in with measured footwork and cut across its midsection, forcing it farther away from the civilians.
A third immediately filled the opening. Jeremiah calmly retreated half a step. His strikes weren't overwhelming. They accumulated. Every exchange chipped away at his opponents while preserving his own position. It was the fighting style of someone who understood that surviving the next minute mattered more than winning the current second. A vampire tried slipping around him toward the evacuation route.
Jeremiah intercepted it immediately: "Eyes on me."
He redirected its momentum with a short parry before cutting across its legs. As it dropped, another clean strike removed any chance of it standing again.
Behind him, Erika protected another group of civilians moving across the sand. Her sword danced through the moonlight with graceful precision, every movement creating just enough space for frightened families to continue running. Sylvie remained beside an elderly couple who could barely keep up. Every vampire that approached found only calm eyes and an unwavering blade waiting for them.
Esmarie constantly shifted wherever she was needed most. Sometimes she fought. Sometimes she guided civilians. Sometimes she simply grabbed a frightened child by the hand and pointed them toward safety. The four Hunters moved like a unit despite never discussing a plan.
Jeremiah's voice anchored them: "Don't chase. Protect the line. Trust each other."
Every instruction was short and clear.
Minutes passed.
The beach slowly emptied as the civilians reached safety.
Erika: "I think this area's clear."
Jeremiah exhaled: "Looks like we can move."
Then, they could hear footsteps approaching them on the sand.
A lone woman walked across the beach. Light blue hair framed her face in two low pigtails while the back flowed into three long ponytails that swayed gently with each step. As she passed each fallen vampire, pale blue orbs drifted from their bodies. One after another. They floated silently through the air before disappearing into the sheathed sword resting at her hip. No one spoke. The only noise was the crashing waves.
Jeremiah's expression changed: "Heads up, kids. We got trouble."
Back to the town, the battle was only growing larger. Diego and Beatrice had already been forced into a fierce fight of their own against another powerful vampire, their blades flashing beneath the burning night sky.
Elsewhere, Dallas stood alone at the center of another battlefield, calmly facing an opponent that had no intention of letting him leave.
***
Lanterns burned along the ground. Smoke drifted between overturned booths, and distant screams mixed with the clashing of blades from every direction. Three vampires blocked the path ahead of Shoyo, each carrying enough pressure to make the air feel heavier.
Shoyo recognized one immediately.
Hanako.
The other two stood a few steps behind him. One had long, dark green hair that fell across his shoulders, while the other carried the frame and posture of a soldier who had spent his entire existence preparing for war.
Shoyo rested one hand on the hilt of his sword: "So this is it. Your long-awaited attack."
Hanako smiled calmly: "If that's what you want to call this." His eyes drifted toward the burning festival. "I prefer 'the prelude to chaos.'"
Shoyo drew his blade, letting the polished steel catch the firelight: "Let's get this over with." His gaze moved across all three vampires. "You should've brought more of your stooges. Even if you're all as strong as Vampire Lords, three isn't enough to put a scratch on me."
The green-haired vampire stepped forward.
Francis: "Your reputation precedes you, Shoyo Kusakabe. Let's see if you can live up to your title."
The other vampire rolled one shoulder.
Edward: "Once we kill you, Shioto will be quick to fall."
Hanako drew a sword from beneath his coat.
Shoyo's eyes narrowed. He had never seen Hanako carry one before. It was unmistakably a Hunter's sword. Someone else's. Someone Hanako had likely killed.
Hanako: "I'm surprised you were able to go toe-to-toe with Akutenshi after his memories returned." He lifted the stolen blade. "But you shouldn't underestimate us."
Shoyo: "Enough talking. Come at me. All three of you at once."
Hanako: "As you wish."
Francis activated his curse first. Violet fire erupted around his body, pouring from his shoulders and winding around his arms like serpents. The flames produced no smoke, yet the nearby wood blackened before they even touched it. Heat rolled through the street in suffocating waves, forcing the air itself to bend. They burned hotter than ordinary fire and refused to die until they had consumed themselves, which could take more than an hour. Blocking them carelessly would only turn his own blade into a brand against his hands.
Edward raised both arms. Dark metal formed across his chest in layered plates, spreading over his shoulders, limbs, and head until he resembled a warrior carved from iron. A broad shield materialized over his left arm while a long spear formed in his right hand. The armor carried a brutal Spartan shape, designed without decoration beyond sharp edges and the promise of violence.
Hanako activated nothing. He simply held the stolen sword. Then all three moved. Edward charged through the center, his armored feet breaking the pavement with every step. Francis swept in from the right, dragging violet flames behind him, while Hanako disappeared toward Shoyo's left without wasting a single motion. Edward's spear reached him first. Shoyo tilted his head, letting the weapon pass beside his cheek before redirecting the shaft with the flat of his sword. Edward immediately rotated the spear into a backhanded strike, but Shoyo teleported a step behind him and vanished before the shield could crush his ribs.
Francis filled the opening. A curtain of violet fire tore across the street, wide enough to erase every escape route. Shoyo touched the side of an overturned booth with two fingers and disappeared with it. The entire structure reappeared above Francis, dropping toward him as Shoyo emerged several meters away. Francis burned through the booth before it landed. Hanako was already waiting at Shoyo's new position. Their blades collided. One strike became three before the first echo faded. Hanako's swordsmanship was sharp, stripped of wasted movement and built around constant pressure. He attacked Shoyo's wrists, shoulders, and knees rather than chasing a dramatic killing blow, forcing him to keep adjusting his guard. Shoyo blocked each strike with increasingly smaller movements. Hanako pushed harder. Shoyo gave him nothing. Edward's spear drove toward Shoyo's back. Without turning, Shoyo touched Hanako's sword and teleported both of them sideways. The spear missed Shoyo and nearly entered Hanako's chest, forcing the vampire to twist away at the last instant.
Francis launched a compressed sphere of violet flame toward them both. Shoyo disappeared. Hanako had to throw himself clear as the blast struck the ground and spread burning liquid fire across the street. Shoyo reappeared standing on Edward's shield. Edward looked up. Shoyo stepped off and vanished before the shield rose, appearing behind Francis with his sword already traveling toward the vampire's neck. Francis dropped beneath the slash and answered with a flame-coated elbow, but Shoyo teleported to the opposite side before impact. For nearly a minute, the three vampires attacked without pause. Edward controlled the center with spear thrusts and crushing shield swings. Francis poisoned the battlefield with patches of violet fire that narrowed Shoyo's movement. Hanako entered every gap they created, his stolen blade always arriving at the exact moment Shoyo should have been most vulnerable.
Yet Shoyo remained untouched.
He moved between them without panic, sometimes teleporting only a few inches to make an attack miss, other times crossing the entire battlefield and forcing them to turn. He redirected Edward into Francis, used Hanako's sword as an anchor to escape the flames, and repositioned broken pieces of the street into the path of incoming attacks. What looked like defense was slowly becoming control.
Hanako noticed first. The reach of Edward's spear. The reach of Francis's flames. The timing of Hanako's attacks. Every attack had given him another answer. Shoyo was reading them.
Shoyo blocked Hanako's downward cut and glanced past him toward the other two. He twisted his sword, forcing Hanako's blade aside. Shoyo disappeared. Edward reacted first, driving his spear toward where Shoyo should have appeared. It pierced nothing. Shoyo materialized beside the shaft instead of in front of it, one hand resting lightly against the weapon. The spear disappeared. Edward's eyes widened just as it reappeared twenty meters overhead. The armored vampire instinctively looked up. That moment of distraction was all Shoyo needed. His sword struck Edward's shield three times in rapid succession. Each strike landed on the exact same point. The fourth never came. Instead, Shoyo was already gone. A burst of violet fire swallowed the place he'd occupied. Francis didn't stop there. He swept both arms outward, sending waves of violet flames racing down the ruined street. They rolled over broken stalls and shattered lanterns, turning the battlefield into a maze of blazing walls. Shoyo appeared atop a rooftop. He placed a hand against a loose roof tile. The tile vanished. A heartbeat later it reappeared directly beneath Francis's foot. The sudden shift in footing disrupted the vampire's balance for the briefest instant. Shoyo was already there. Francis barely managed to lean away, the blade grazing across his shoulder instead of his neck. Edward crashed between them with his shield. The impact shattered the street. Shoyo planted one foot against the shield's face, using it as a springboard to launch himself over Edward. Hanako met him in midair. Their swords collided again. Unlike Edward's overwhelming strength or Francis's destructive curse, Hanako's pressure came from timing. Every step closed space without overcommitting. He fought like someone who had studied Hunters for years. Their blades sparked repeatedly as they landed on a nearby rooftop. Hanako pressed forward. Shoyo answered every slash with the smallest movement necessary. Neither fighter wasted an inch. Francis launched another barrage from below. Violet fire erupted through the roof. Shoyo touched Hanako's sleeve before he could jump back. The rooftop vanished beneath them. Both fighters appeared in the middle of the street. Hanako immediately twisted into another strike. Shoyo met it. Their swords locked. Edward charged from behind with enough force to split the pavement. Without looking back, Shoyo kicked Hanako's blade aside. Edward tried to slam him into the ground. Shoyo was already gone. The shield crashed into Hanako instead. The impact forced Hanako back several steps.
Francis: "He's making us fight each other."
Hanako: "He's a cheeky human, isn't he?"
Edward: "We just need to continue laying on pressure."
The three adjusted instantly. Francis spread controlled lines of violet fire instead of flooding the battlefield. Hanako circled patiently, waiting for the smallest mistake. Edward lunged. The spear shot forward like a bolt. Shoyo sidestepped by centimeters, guiding the shaft past him with his free hand before appearing behind Edward. His blade struck the armor. A sharp metallic ring echoed through the street. Before he could continue, Hanako's sword was already descending. Shoyo turned just enough for the stolen blade to scrape along his own instead of finding his shoulder.
The leader hadn't activated his curse.
Not once.
Everything so far had only been swordsmanship.
The clash rang through the burning street.
Shoyo's relaxed defense disappeared, replaced by a relentless sequence of cuts that flowed together without interruption. High became low. Low became thrust. A thrust became a sweeping slash before Hanako had fully recovered from the previous exchange.
Hanako blocked them. Each impact forced him another step backward. Edward tried to intervene. Shoyo teleported behind him and struck the back of the armored knee, disrupting his stance before disappearing again. Francis attempted to box him in with violet flames. Shoyo used the burning debris itself as teleportation markers, weaving between them so quickly that Francis lost track of where he would emerge next.
Hanako found an opening. Their swords met again. Steel ground against steel. The two stood face-to-face.
Shoyo's eyes never left his: "How long are you going to hide that curse, I wonder?"
He drove Hanako's blade lower with a surge of strength.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Shoyo: "You better bring it out…"
His sword slid free with a sharp metallic cry.
The tip stopped just short of Hanako's throat.
Shoyo: "…before I lop your head off."
The fires surrounding them crackled against the ruined street while ash drifted through the night sky.
Hanako calmly adjusted his grip: "I will if I have to."
Francis stepped forward, violet flames rolling from his shoulders in heavier waves than before.
Edward lowered his spear, shifting into a stance that favored aggression over defense. All three disappeared simultaneously. The pace doubled. Edward's spear no longer came in measured thrusts. Every strike sought to pin Shoyo in place long enough for Hanako's blade to arrive. Francis flooded entire sections of the battlefield with violet fire, shrinking the safe areas one attack at a time. Shoyo barely slipped between them. A spear missed his ribs by centimeters. Hanako's sword skimmed across his sleeve. A wall of violet fire erupted where he had planned to teleport.
Shoyo clicked his tongue.
Edward no longer cared whether he landed a clean hit. He was creating better openings. Francis wasn't trying to burn Shoyo directly anymore. He was herding him. And Hanako was patiently waited wherever the only remaining escape route would be.
For the first time in the battle, Shoyo found himself reacting instead of dictating the flow.
Another clash. Hanako's sword drove into his guard. Edward's shield crashed toward his side. Shoyo teleported away just before impact. Francis immediately blanketed the landing point with violet fire. Shoyo rolled clear. A shallow cut opened across his shoulder. He looked at the blood staining his sleeve. Then grinned.
Shoyo: "Color me surprised. You guys can do it if you try."
Shoyo teleported behind Edward. Hanako was anticipating it. Steel collided. Before the sound of the clash had finished echoing, Francis swept one arm across the ruined street. Violet fire climbed the broken walls on either side of them. The flames didn't touch Shoyo thanks to his quick reflexes. But they still boxed him in. Shoyo ducked beneath Hanako's horizontal slash before planting one hand against the ground. He reappeared atop the roof of a collapsed souvenir shop. Only for Edward's spear to come crashing at him. Wood exploded into splinters. Shoyo leapt into the air. Edward jumped at him with a shield charge. Shoyo twisted away just in time.
Shoyo continued weaving through the barrage, but the violet flames demanded constant attention. Every time they spread across the battlefield, he had to recalculate every teleportation point, every landing angle, every step. His breathing grew heavier. Hanako's blade found his forearm. Edward's spear grazed his thigh. Another exchange. Another cut. Blood slowly accumulated across his clothes. None of the wounds were decisive. But they were accumulating. The trio never allowed him a moment to recover. Whenever Shoyo slipped away, Edward closed the distance. Whenever he counterattacked, Hanako intercepted him. Whenever he created space, Francis erased it with violet flames. The ruined street bore little resemblance to the festival it had once been.
Shoyo stood in the middle of it all. His breathing was now audible. His chest rose and fell with greater effort than before. Blood dripped steadily from his fingertips onto the cracked pavement. Shoyo teleported far away to get some distance. He finally placed a hand against a fallen beam to catch his breath.
Shoyo: "Damn, they're really pushing me."
Hanako was already there: "Need some water?"
Steel rang the instant Shoyo raised his sword. The exchange exploded into motion as they exchanged several slashes. Hanako pressed relentlessly, his blade driving forward with unwavering precision. Shoyo answered every cut despite his growing fatigue. The other 2 reached them. A shallow cut crossed his shoulder because Shoyo had spent half a heartbeat making sure his teleport wouldn't carry him into Francis's flames. Every decision now carried a cost. Avoid Hanako, Edward lands a hit. Avoid Edward, Francis corners him. Avoid the flames, Hanako cuts him.
Hanako twisted unexpectedly. The angle changed. Shoyo adjusted half a heartbeat too late. The stolen blade drove into his torso. His body jolted. Without hesitation, he pulled the sword free before Shoyo's counterattack swept across the space his head had occupied. Blood splashed across the broken stone. Shoyo staggered back one step. Francis and Edward landed beside Hanako. The three vampires stood shoulder to shoulder.
Shoyo barely remained upright.
Edward leveled his spear: "You can't run away, Shoyo Kusakabe."
...…..
Silence.
The words lingered.
For a moment…
They didn't register.
He simply stared.
Shoyo: "…Run away?"
He blinked.
As if genuinely confused.
Shoyo: "Who's going to run?"
A quiet chuckle escaped him.
Shoyo: "Me?"
He laughed again.
Longer this time.
Shoyo: "Haha."
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
His laughter wasn't forced.
Nor was it amused.
It carried something far more unsettling.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
Even Hanako's smile began to fade.
The air itself seemed to tighten.
Shoyo's laughter stopped as abruptly as it had begun.
His head lowered.
Shadow covered his eyes.
When he spoke again…
His voice had lost every trace of humor.
Shoyo: "Please enlighten me."
A heavy silence answered him.
Shoyo's grip tightened around his sword.
Shoyo: "Who's going to run? Me? Away from you vampires? Why would I run?"
His eyes burned with an intensity that made them all hold their breath and pause.
Shoyo: "WHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY?!"
His voice tore across the air like thunder.
The flames surrounding them seemed to recoil.
For the first time since the battle began, an unnerving air settled over all three vampires.
Shoyo disappeared.
A chill ran down Hanako's spine.
Shoyo materialized directly behind him.
His blade came from low to high.
A deep crimson line opened across Hanako's back as the slash carried through with frightening force. Blood scattered across the ruined pavement. Hanako's body lurched forward. Shoyo never paused. His sword continued its arc. One smooth rotation. One finishing strike. The blade screamed toward Hanako's neck. Instead of retreating, he caught the blade. Blood immediately poured between his fingers as the edge bit deep into his palm. The sword continued forcing its way forward. Francis erupted forward in a trail of violet fire while Edward had his spear already thrusting toward Shoyo's chest. The attacks synchronized perfectly. Shoyo stepped inside Edward's reach. The spear scraped harmlessly past his shoulder. His sword struck Edward's shield with enough force to shift the armored vampire backward before immediately reversing direction toward Francis. Francis barely avoided losing an arm. The edge carved across his forearm instead. Blood scattered into the violet flames. Hanako rejoined the battle. His stolen blade cut down from above. Shoyo blocked it without looking.
Shoyo vanished between them and reappeared above Francis. His heel crashed onto the vampire's shoulder. The impact forced him to one knee. His sword followed immediately. Edward barely raised the shield in time. The strike echoed across the battlefield. Shoyo disappeared again. Hanako turned instinctively. Another slash opened across his side. Francis answered with a barrage of compressed violet fire. The ruined street vanished beneath explosions. Shoyo became impossible to follow. Every flash of steel came from somewhere different. Every teleport was followed by another attack. Every attack forced another adjustment. Every adjustment created another opening. The trio could barely establish their footing before Shoyo dismantled it again. Hanako ducked beneath a slash aimed at his neck. Edward blocked another that could've split his armor. Francis barely twisted aside as steel grazed his cheek. Shoyo and Hanako exchanged another blistering sequence of sword strikes. Neither sword left the other's reach for more than an instant. Every clash flowed seamlessly into the next. Every counter forced Hanako backward. Edward roared as he charged into the duel, shield first.
Shoyo planted one hand against Hanako's shoulder. Both of them vanished. Edward's shield tore through empty air. Hanako reappeared directly in its path and got bulldozed. What followed was a complete one-sided battle, even though it was a 3v1. The vampires had been slashed at several times.
Shoyo smiled.
Not confidently.
Not mockingly.
Wildly.
The smile unsettled all three vampires.
It was the expression of someone who had completely surrendered himself to battle.
Someone whose body was breaking apart, yet whose soul refused to bend. Blood streamed down Shoyo's face, tracing jagged paths through the soot and ash coating his skin. One eye was squeezed shut as crimson ran into it, while the other remained frighteningly clear, his piercing gaze burning with unwavering resolve. His uniform hung in tatters, carved open by countless attacks, and fresh wounds covered nearly every inch of his body.
Yet he was smiling maniacally. Every ragged breath escaped as a laugh as the corners of his mouth refused to fall.
For the briefest moment…
Even Hanako hesitated.
He was undoubtedly the strongest human in Shioto and the Alter World.
Hanako: "Don't stop!"
The three vampires burst forward again. Edward's spear became the anchor of their formation, its sweeping reach constantly forcing Shoyo to reposition. Every thrust arrived not to kill him outright, but to steer him toward Hanako's blade or Francis's cursed flames. Shoyo's teleportation remained flawless. His options were shrinking. Yet he somehow continued to not yield any ground.
Hanako grimaced. The vampires had begun getting worse wounds.
Edward abandoned every trace of caution. His shield became a battering ram, each charge shaking the ruined street as he drove Shoyo backward through sheer force. The spear no longer sought precise openings, it became a relentless extension of his advance, thrusting, sweeping, and feinting with brutal efficiency. Francis matched the aggression. The violet flames no longer lingered in isolated pockets. They surged together into sweeping currents that forced Shoyo into ever-smaller sections of the battlefield. Burning walls rose where escape routes had once existed, funneling him exactly where Hanako wanted him.
Hanako remained the executioner.
He entered every opening created by the other two.
Every time Edward forced Shoyo to block.
Every time Francis narrowed his movement.
Hanako's blade was already there.
Yet…
Shoyo continued answering.
His teleportation stitched impossible paths through the battlefield, placing him where none of the three expected. Every disappearance became another attack. Every reappearance forced the vampires to abandon whatever advantage they thought they'd earned. Edward roared and drove his shield forward.
CLANG!
The impact echoed across the district. Shoyo struck it with his blade. Then again. And again. Over and over. Each blow struck the exact same point. Cracks spread across the shield. Edward's stance faltered. Francis threw himself into the exchange, violet fire exploding between them to force Shoyo away before the next strike could land. Edward staggered back several steps. Francis leaped back to gather some space.
For a few seconds, no one moved.
Out of nowhere, a calm voice broke the silence.
Akutenshi: "Shall I save you, Hanako?"
Everyone turned.
A man stood a few meters to Shoyo's left as though he'd been there the entire time. He was in a black jacket and casual pants. Hands resting comfortably in his pockets with a relaxed grin.
Hanako's shoulders loosened ever so slightly. Francis let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Even Edward's hardened expression softened.
Shoyo looked over. A grin slowly spread across his own bloodied face: "Heh. I thought you'd never show up."
Akutenshi smiled as if greeting an old friend.