Selina frozed.
Then, she suddenly recalled, tomorrow will be Saturday. Suggesting that civilians would increase due to weekend day offs meant maintenance and clean-up for the cathedral. A variable she had failed to consider.
Despair crept, as her mind raced. It was planned... Deimsfel deliberately chose to take action this exact day for this!
W-What should I do...
The dark swarms was now gaining their distance to Selina, outside of the alleyway.
Selina's hand clenched her revolver, now with only two rounds left. She grit her teeth.
...Will I go out like this?
The next moment, she took out her knife and along with her revolver, rotated the chamber to an empty cartridge.
Her checkpoints, the rockets, have already already depleted, ending at the path towards Saint Selena Cathedral.
Selina held her breath and again ran...
This time, her initial plan had failed, but unlike earlier, this time, she had considered.
Her mind raced as her eyes darted from building to building.
None had their lights opened.
It all felt deliberate, like fate was playing a mockery at Selina's futile struggles.
Why are there no civilians awakened by the fireworks!?
Then, one of the Rose School of Thought members retracted his wings and launched himself towards Selina.
His nails grew excessively, dark pale red loomed its surface.
But being wary of their target's quick reaction, he remained at a fair distance.
With no lights to indicate the monster from advancing, his claws managed to reached Selina.
Splash!
Crimson blood burst from the slash!
But from a split second, Selina managed to react as she turned her body, loaded the gun, pulled.
Click!
The monster reacted almost immediately, pulling himself away from Selina. Only to realized that the shot was a decoy.
Blood prickled from the cut woven by the beyonder's claws.
But it wasn't deep, Selina grew weak yet adrenaline suddenly surged within, trying to hold on.
The Rose School of Thought members have extreme regeneration, bat wings and swarms and capable of producing dark claws.
She ran again, but each steps a chance to fall almost certainly.
Selina herself was in disbelief, seeing how her body retained an intermediate wound from the beyonder's claws, allowing her to held on with the chase.
But she couldn't afford to waste thinking about it.
Her gaze constantly darted from building to building. Trying to discern an official's department from residents.
At that moment, she saw the street's name, being illuminated by a crimson glow:
"36 Zouteland Street."
Selina dismissed the signage and continued the chase.
Dark plagues and suspended members of the Rose School of Thought trailed on her wake.
But upon reaching a distance. Finally, she saw a building, open with lights.
Selina didn't waste her time, she quickly proceeded on its direction. Trying to discern if the establishment is an official's department.
But upon arriving. The signage displayed states otherwise.
"Blackthorne Security Company."
It's not a police official's, but rather, for commissioning tasks from the public.
But it says security...
Whether it is or not, security met safety from this desperate chase. The building can also act as a terrain, advantageous for her.
Her task now was to escape, not to lead.
...
After leisure rest from yesterday's tracking of Ray Bieber's body.
Leonard Mitchell, an official beyonder of the nighthawks, in management of Dunn Smith, their captain. Thought of the progression of their search for the Antigonus book was becoming smoother.
Just as he was about to leave the lounge and head to the captain's office. Rozanne, the civilian receptionist, called him and said.
"Mr. Mitchell! The take-outs are here!"
Leonard halted from standing, realizing that he hadn't eaten for dinner, he released his stance and slumped back to the sofa.
After a moment, Rozanne entered with a bento box, made of cardboard processed for safety packaging.
"You go ahead and eat first, I will go and call Mrs. Orianna, Madam Daly and the others." Rozanne said before going to back to the corridor.
Leonard watched the receptionist leave the room, then took one of the stacked bento on the table.
For him, he ordered Roasted Beef-Cut from the local restaurant, which was one of the foods he had grown accustomed to during nightly shifts.
Just as he was about dine. A load bang rang across the corridor, enough to reach the lounge.
"What?" Leonard was startled.
The sound came from the hall and to the front door, entrance of the building.
Leonard immediately raised his guard as he readied his lines and revolver.
He peaked through the lounge, and from there, he saw a beautiful silver-haired woman.
Her hair was disheveled and her clothes that seems to be a white dress in a chaotic state of torn and stained.
Blood damped the very fabric, inducing horror and alertness to the onlooker.
She had a pair of gorgeous blue eyes, snow-like skin and an air of refine mixed with dread.
The lady opened her mouth, glanced at Leonard with difficulty, and plead. "Help..."
At that moment, a premonition hit him.
Leonard felt the looming danger from beyond the door, multiple of them suspended mid air.
He abandoned his food, ran towards the strange lady filled with bruises and dirt.
Then grabbed her arm and threw himself along with the lady away from the door.
Bang!
The door was immediately destroyed by a large claw. Black tinged with dark-red.
Multiple red eyes began to glow from the aftermath, debris pilled in discordance.
At that moment, simultaneous steps rang from across the hall.
Dunn Smith, Daly Simone, Klein Moretti and the other beyonders of the Nighthawks have each saw Leonard, grabbing the arm of a silver-haired lady as they were thrown from the entrance.
It's her! Klein exclaimed.
Before, when divining in the gray fog, he had pried into what is about to come. The woman, whom he had crossed paths, would arrived in the establishment he works, blood cascades from her silver hair.
This alerted him. Prompting him to make an excuse to report to his captain. Which in turn, filed a request for a sealed artifact that have arrived earlier from the other divisions and their aid in advance for preparation.
Dunn Smith, in his black wind breaker, holds what seems to be an ornament. A plate engraved with the symbolic patterns of sun, bursting with rays and strange words petrified in a golden brown luster.
In his mind, he recited the confidential information about the sealed artifact shared by Borgia, one the Nighthawks responsible for transporting sealed artifacts to Tingen:
"Sealed Artifact 2-124, The Sunbathed Template
"Security classification: Bishop, Team Captain, or above.
"Sealing Procedure: Place the artifact in an area with constant sunlight while submerged in water. Practitioners are advised to wear gloves induced with spirituality to protect from its heat.
"Description: In the secluded area of the Mirminsk Mountain lies an obelisk that worships the brilliance of the eternal sun. One mountaineer stumbled upon its engravings, and took out a template for further investigation. But upon contact, the template quickly engulfed the man with purifying light, thus creating a completely different person who knows nothing but to worship only the eternal sun.
"The template activates in response to desires, which in turn fuels the heat it induces upon contact. One member of the Nighthawks suspects that the man actually had the desire to sell the template to a black market, returning a much favorable income than researching its past.
"Upon complete inspection, the template is actually derived from an ancient small group that worships the Eternal Blazing Sun, but unlike the others, this certain group was secluded, thus they didn't managed to come in contact with the church.
"Appendix: The artifact is suspected to have been created from the secluded group of individuals that have either subjected to its effects or have deliberately surrendered to the artifact. Its actual origins are unknown."
With the artifact's confidentiality reviewed. Dunn held it, and chanted a prayer that connects to a divine being.
Suddenly, light bloomed across the hall. Like the sun, purified the looming darkness and the red glowing eyes.
The dark, swarms of bats melted, and the monsters were revealed.
Eight of them had a crimson hue for an eye. Sharp, pointy ears. Skin as pale as snow that feels like it had no blood, and piercing fangs.
During this, Dunn turned to Kenley White and said. "Send a telegram to the church, say that now is the time to deploy. Klein's divination is true."
Kenley nodded and quickly left Dunn and the others.
The purging light managed to dissipate the concealment, and with it, the monsters raised all of their right hands.
From the crevices of the establishment, with its entrance now in ruins. Black chains made of shadows erupted.
Multiple of them each launched at them.
Although her state is in peril. Selina managed to reach for her knife, and tried to block the chains.
But the template, held by Dunn Smith, glowed again with purifying light, stopping the chains from advancing.
Daly on the other-hand, murmured words unbeknownst to Selina.
Then suddenly, the air around her and the others grew colder, the shadow around her staggered.
At that moment, three of the suspended monsters halted. Their limbs became limp, and their movements rusty.
Leonard, who was holding Selina's arm awhile ago. Stood from the floor and pointed his revolver.
"Moon rose for life, night roam through light. May the goddess's embrace, purged this darkly blight, and bring serenity from her might." Leonard recited a poem.
Two of the monsters grew paler, eyes unfocused and lids heavier.
Bang!
Bullet shot from his revolver. Hitting the suspended monster, whose face was heavily concealed by a swarm of bats.
But it failed to make a dent, as the monster dismissed it by its incredible regeneration ability.
Leonard grit his teeth, looked at Selina with narrowed eyes and said. "Get behind me!"
By now, Dunn Smith had finished another charged of the ornament. Light bloomed across the hallway once more.
"What are these creatures!?" Leonard asked Selina with urgency.
Selina tightened her hold of her dress. "I don't know... But so far, they've exhibited traits similar to vampires."
Vampires... Leonard recalled the books pertaining on the old folktales. One of it has creatures known as vampires who drinks blood or life essence of living beings. Their weakness...
Leonard turned to Dunn Smith and the others. "Aim at their hearts!"
Klein raised his revolver, taken out from his gun-holster and shot three bullets.
This was his first time with marksmanship, he knew himself to not waste any bullets, but so far the two had hit the intended targets, only with a slight inaccuracy from the heart.
Then sunlight bloomed across the hallway once more.
"Here hold this." Dunn Smith turned to him and gave the template after using it for the last time. "Don't give them a chance to attack, you must already know the artifacts negative effects."
Klein nodded, then sheathed his revolver.
Dunn Smith took his out, then pointed at the monsters, suspended in mid air.
Bang!
Following his lead, Seeka Tron, another silver haired woman, Corpse Collector Frye, Lorotta and Royale Reideen have each took position and fired.
Countless bullets resounded across the ruined hall. Keeping the flying monsters at bay while preventing their assaults.
During this, Leonard have successfully escorted Selina to the backlines. Placed the silver-haired lady to the floor before turning to glance at Klein.
"Are the others safe?" He asked quickly.
Klein kept his eyes toward Selina for a moment before retracting it and replying. "Yes, they're in the underground."
Leonard nodded, looked at Selina then instructed. "Stay here, you're heavily wounded. Even your back shows severe marks, how are you able to stay alive?"
Selina didn't replied, choosing to remain to let the Nighthawk officials focus on handling the battle as even herself doesn't know what to answer.
Seeing her silence, Leonard didn't pressed. Deciding to keep the matter for now until the battle is finished.
With a barrage of bullets, the Nighthawks managed to establish a boundary. At this instance, Klein had mimicked Dunn Smith in activating the template.
A burst of brilliant light illuminated the hallway.
This time, the monsters didn't act idly. With a sonorous flap of their dark wings tinged with faint red. The monsters accelerated their flight.
Four of them grew a large shadowy nails, while the others turned into a swarm of bats.
Daly chanted solemnly under breath once more.
And apart from the swarms resembling plagues, three of the four vampires in flight halted. They felt their movements rigid, their heatless bodies colder, and eyes revealing dark colors.
Using this opportunity, Daly raised her voice. "Shoot, now!"
Her pact with the spirit capable of slight disorientation and rigidness could only last for less than one minute, two would make it lesser than half a minutes, while three becomes the limit, only handling the rigidness for a maximum of fifteen seconds, depending on the opponent's capabilities.
Dunn and the others caught on to her notice and acted accordingly.
The chambers of their revolvers lose another four rounds as cascades of bullets shot from the four members of the Nighthawks. Hitting the suspended targets but still missing their delicate hearts.
The bruise left by their attacks quickly dissipated as the three monster's bodies regained their momentum.
If this continues, we'll be depleted of ammo before we even defeated one of them... Klein muttered to himself, then thought of a way to deal damage to the flying foes.
He suddenly realized why Leonard had instructed them to aim at their hearts. Aligning with the concept of vampires. With this, again, he muttered to himself inwardly. A vampire's weakness is the heart, along with the sunlight. If we can't deal anything with just one, then...
He immediately turned to their captain, Dunn Smith and yelled. "Captain! Shoot them at their hearts once I activate the Sunbathed Template!"
Dunn Smith didn't questioned Klein's plan. Instead, he aimed intently at the approaching vampire, waiting for a trigger.
At that moment, light burst from Klein's palm, where the Sunbathed Template is held.
This caused the closest vampire to Klein and Dunn Smith to experience a severe burns.
And by the time the sunlight began to dissipate...
Bang!
A bullet shot out of Dunn's revolver. Piercing the monster's chest and directly contacting the heart.
The monster's body combusted into flames from the fading sunlight of the template, and without a functioning heart, his regeneration halted significantly, reducing the vampire into a transparent object that lasted for a split second.
The scene shocked Klein and the rest. There were no bodies resulted from the aftermath, rather it disappeared as though it was just a wind!
Flying at an equidistant from their fallen ally. The rest of the vampires suddenly changed their behavior.