Pet Shop, the master of ice, was burned to ashes within seconds. The Vampires, after their brief moment of shock, immediately flooded into the mansion.
But once inside, they were met with an unexpected sight.
Beyond the main doors stretched a vast, fog-filled corridor that seemed to have no end.
"Stay sharp. Watch for ambushes," Selene ordered, advancing cautiously with her gun raised. Last time, they hadn't even made it through the main entrance before being forced to retreat in disgrace.
This time, thanks to the outside help of Mr. Adler, they had breached the mansion's perimeter with ease.
"Keep your eyes on your surroundings. Don't touch anything. If anyone starts attracting metal, fall back immediately!" Selene warned, her voice cold and sharp.
That damned Stand user last time—the one who turned people into magnets—had been a nightmare. While the magnetic pull wasn't strong enough to completely immobilize them, it had thrown off their aim, rendering their firearms useless.
She was convinced a large part of their failure against Dio stemmed from those malfunctions. With their guns operating normally, she didn't believe even Dio could dodge a bullet storm.
And now, they had Mr. Adler on their side.
A rare flicker of guilt crossed Selene's otherwise stoic face. It felt wrong to drag this man into battle so soon after the massacre of his family. Her gaze involuntarily shifted toward the rear of the group.
But then, she froze.
Where is he?
Her eyes darted around. Pale-faced comrades surrounded her—but the ruddy-faced man in the black robe, who had been following just behind, was gone.
She turned to look for him, but at that instant, the fog in the corridor thickened unnaturally. A voice echoed from deep within, arrogant and dripping with false grandeur:
"Do you want to play a game?"
The Vampires had encountered the enemy. Meanwhile, their unexpected ally had already slipped deep into the mansion.
Elsewhere, the brothers Oingo and Boingo crept through the winding corridors, faces drawn tight with anxiety. Each hesitant step felt like walking across a minefield, and they constantly glanced behind them.
Still there. The man trailed them with unsettling calm.
Earlier, amid the chaos, the two had tried to slip away quietly—only for that man to appear directly in their path, his way blocked by nothing but the blue flames dancing in his hand.
The request? Guide him straight to Dio's bedroom.
The brothers naturally denied knowing the way, claiming they were just innocent spectators caught in the mess.
But one look at those blue flames, and their courage evaporated. They had agreed—reluctantly, bitterly—to lead him.
Now, their reluctance had only grown.
The worst nightmare for deserters? Being caught and dragged back.
But even worse? Being caught by the enemy, forced to betray their leader.
Leading the enemy directly to Dio's bedroom? That wasn't desertion—it was outright treason. Vanilla Ice, Dio's most fanatical subordinate, would tear them limb from limb.
And if Dio himself intervened… they didn't even want to imagine that.
They stayed silent, communicating with wild, exaggerated facial expressions, their features nearly contorting off their faces.
Finally, they nodded to each other, silently agreeing on a new, desperate plan. They threw furtive glances behind them, barely suppressing wicked little smirks.
Kai Adler, trailing behind them, watched their antics with faint amusement, his stride unhurried, relaxed.
Each step he took left behind faintly smoking, blackened footprints—the ground itself corroded by his mere presence. His shoes had long since dissolved.
Kai had to admit, he'd underestimated things.
He thought he'd contained the Prophecy Magic and Grindelwald's Black Magic with the Obscurus. Even if his body experienced periodic outbursts, the rest of the time he should've been stable—able to wield magic freely, as needed.
There was logic to that assumption. After all, his Prophecy ability had triggered several times since last night without disrupting the energy balance in his body.
But what Kai hadn't realized… the "prophecies" he'd experienced were just passive leaks—traces of power seeping out. He'd never actively invoked the full extent of the Prophecy Magic residing within him.
Until tonight.
Dodging those ice shards, he had called on that magic repeatedly. It was like gently tapping on the snowpack of a mountain—and triggering a deadly avalanche.
Now, it felt like his monthly Obscurus outburst had arrived prematurely. Needles of dark magic jabbed outward from every nerve ending.
Kai exhaled shakily, bitter amusement curling his lips.
He had to thank the Old Man for this—the Cruciatus Curse had made him nearly immune to pain. Most wizards would be curled on the floor by now, paralyzed.
But good news? His magic was fully active.
Bad news? If he didn't fix this by tonight, he probably wouldn't live to see the sunrise.
And the solution? Locked away in Dio's bedroom.
Which brought him to his current predicament: He had no idea where that bedroom was.
Sure, he had rifled through Endor's memories with Legilimency—but Endor had been blind. His "memories" consisted of echo directions and meaningless spatial awareness lines. Useless to a sighted person trying to navigate a building.
So, even though he could clearly tell the two bumbling brothers in front were deliberately stalling, Kai followed them without complaint.
He physically couldn't walk faster, and besides—that's why he'd brought the Vampires. Let them cause enough chaos to draw Dio out. While Dio dealt with them, Kai could quietly retrieve what he needed.
Maybe, if things went well, he could still wipe out Dio's entire group himself. But for now, it was too soon to gamble on that.
A burst of gunfire echoed through the mansion, followed by distant howls.
Kai smiled faintly.
"Sounds like things are heating up," he remarked. "Gentlemen, I believe that's our cue to pick up the pace, don't you think?"
The brothers visibly flinched at his words, their faces pale.
"I-I think so too," Boingo stammered, forcing a shaky laugh.
The two exchanged a final look of resignation and scurried forward, quickening their pace without daring to look back.
They didn't slow down until they reached the top floor, stopping before a heavy, ornate door. The corridor behind them was eerily silent.
"We're here, sir…" Oingo began, his voice faltering. His eyes widened. "Wait, who—who are you?"
The sinister man following them had vanished. In his place stood a youthful, striking boy with sharp, mismatched eyes.
Kai Adler, struggling to hold together his unraveling transformation magic, didn't bother with explanations. His features had reverted to their younger form. But his presence—the crackling energy bleeding off him—was unmistakable.
His gaze landed on the closed door ahead, his voice cold, yet tinged with faint humor.
"You're sure this is the place?"