In the basement of the hotel, all the Vampires stared wide-eyed at the now-empty sofa.
Just moments ago, they had watched helplessly as that ominous stream of water surged toward the stranger's head. Everyone was convinced the man would die on the spot.
But the deadly, arrow-shaped jet of water suddenly evaporated into thin air—and the man vanished along with it.
For a brief second, someone almost shouted in surprise—but they bit back the sound, afraid to give away their position.
They had no idea if that damned water-based Stand had truly disappeared… nor could they locate where the mysterious Wizard had gone.
The room plunged into tense silence. No one dared to breathe loudly, their frozen, awkward posture bordering on comical.
Swoosh.
A faint rush of displaced air.
The man reappeared in the center of the room.
Kai Adler had returned.
He had gleaned much from Endor's fragmented memories—but one detail intrigued him most.
Endor had tailed this group of Vampires for an entire day and night, memorizing every word they uttered. From scattered conversations, Kai had pieced together a concerning truth: this squad's mission before arriving in Egypt had originated in Berlin.
That piqued Kai's interest immediately.
Had they come alongside the Werewolves? Or worse—had they been looking for him?
Kai's eyes swept across the group, arrogance and disdain gleaming in his expression.
"What are you all gawking at? The attacker's dead."
"What?" Daniel, still stuck awkwardly against the wall, blurted out instinctively. The moment the words left his mouth, he shrank his neck, nervously glancing around—half expecting another jet of water to blast him apart.
But nothing happened.
After a few silent moments, the Vampires finally accepted the reality—they were, for now, safe.
"Just like that?" Daniel clambered down from the ceiling, disbelief etched across his face as he eyed "Oka" suspiciously.
The lethal stream of water that had them scrambling mere minutes ago—neutralized, just like that? Was Wizardry truly so powerful?
Even after witnessing him vanish into thin air, Daniel's stubborn brain wasn't impressed.
Illusions and vanishing tricks? Any half-competent Magician could pull those off. But could they kill anyone with them? That was the real question.
Instead, his suspicions only deepened: what if the attacker had been this man all along? How else had he emerged completely unscathed, while even Selene—the strongest among them—suffered a bloody gash to the thigh?
He thought he was clever.
"You didn't stage this whole act yourself, did you?"
Kai sneered, eyes narrowing at the arrogant idiot in front of him. "Is this how Vampires show gratitude to those who save their worthless hides?"
"Save my ass—"
"Daniel!" Selene's voice cut him off sharply. She had lost count of how many times she'd restrained him tonight. Her exasperated sigh was heavy.
Daniel, a fifth-generation Vampire, was young by their standards. Turned after saving a Vampire as a street rat, his status among their kind had always been low. His blunt, unlikable personality didn't help.
But for reasons no one could explain, his compatibility with Vampire blood was absurdly high. Within decades, he'd climbed to the ranks of their top combatants. In terms of raw fighting ability and marksmanship, even Selene—a third-generation Vampire—was barely his equal.
During their last confrontation with Dio, it was Daniel's relentless assault that kept them alive long enough to escape, though he'd barely crawled back, gravely wounded.
If he weren't such an insufferable fool, command might've been his by now.
Still, Selene couldn't deny the sliver of suspicion creeping into her mind as she studied Kai.
The timing was too neat. They'd hidden here two nights without incident. Then this man found them—and suddenly they were under attack.
But she crushed the thought.
They'd invited this man themselves. Without that message, none of this would've happened. Assuming he was a traitor was absurd.
Besides, as a supposed pure-blood Wizard, oaths were sacred to him. Even if Klein had secured their alliance through unknown means, betraying them would serve no purpose.
What she didn't know… was that the man before her wasn't a noble-born pure-blood Wizard at all.
He was Kai Adler—a second-year Hogwarts student she'd crossed paths with only once.
Kai observed the Vampires' thinly veiled suspicion, his smirk sharpening as he locked eyes with Daniel.
"When exactly did you get the delusion that the Adler family owes explanations to Dark Creatures like you?"
"Bastard. You think I won't shoot you right here?"
The blockheaded Daniel raised his weapon without hesitation.
Kai's gaze chilled instantly. "This is the second time you've pointed that at me."
"So what?"
Kai tilted his head, an eyebrow arching coolly.
A flash of crimson light streaked across the room.
Daniel's world turned upside down.
It felt like being hit by a freight train. His body slammed into the wall behind him with a deafening crack, collapsing to the ground in a heap.
Even with a Vampire's enhanced durability, it felt like his bones shattered. His skull throbbed, vision swimming with sparks as he half-kneeled, grimacing in pain.
The Vampires stared in stunned silence, eyes darting to the short wand in "Oka's" hand.
They'd only heard tales of Wizardry—this was their first time witnessing its power firsthand. And it demanded respect.
Kai, however, frowned slightly.
That Stunning Spell had been properly cast… yet Daniel only ended up bruised and dazed?
Dark Creatures clearly retained some natural resistance to magic.
He made a mental note, recalling the Werewolves. This information could be critical later.
Selene, for her part, didn't even flinch. Daniel deserved that hit. Even with doubts, provoking their ally openly was idiotic.
She stepped forward, her piercing blue eyes meeting Kai's.
"Mr. Oka, on behalf of the Vampires, I thank you for your assistance."
A clever one, Kai mused, smirking inwardly.
She skipped over Daniel's behavior, offered no apology—merely framed it as a formal expression of gratitude.
She still needed his help, after all.
By ignoring the incident entirely, she saved face for both factions, avoiding cracks in their tenuous alliance.
But Selene underestimated Kai Adler.
Had this truly been Oka Ebo—cold, ruthless enforcer of a pure-blood family—Daniel would already be dead, their alliance shattered.
But Kai had his own plans.
He intended to bleed information about the Werewolves from these Vampires under Oka's name… and stir conflict when the time was right, leaving him free to exploit the fallout.
A glint of cold amusement flickered in his eyes.
"If it's gratitude… there should be something substantial attached, yes?"
His gaze swept over Selene, lingering deliberately. His expression turned predatory, eyes drifting over her figure like a slow, unwanted caress.
Selene stiffened, disgust rising visibly across her face as she recoiled.
"As a filthy Dark Creature, I'll admit… you look surprisingly appetizing."
Her icy glare could have frozen fire itself.
"Mr. Oka," she said flatly, "we have far more pressing matters."