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The battle reignited. Dan and Degha clashed fiercely. With his body fully adapted, Degha unleashed his full power, giving Dan a serious run for his money.
Stark, on the other hand, kept blasting vampires left and right with his repulsor.
Then—from the darkness—two crimson eyes suddenly lit up.
"Raaagh—!"
A blur shot straight at Stark.
"Not on my watch!"
Erik snapped his fist-mounted gun into his belt and slashed out with his cross-shaped sword.
The moment his blade struck the blur, the Ixa armor snapped into place.
SWOOSH—!
Sparks flew as the sword landed.
Stark finally got a good look at the attacker.
That guy—they both recognized him. It was the wolf-shaped Bloodsucker they'd seen back at the Clawen Estate.
"It's you!"
Stark scowled.
Erik wiped off his blade.
"You got away last time. Not again, vampire!"
Garulu snorted.
"Don't lump me in with those filthy bloodsuckers. I'm a proud descendant of the noble werewolf clan!"
A dark blue curved blade appeared in his hand as he charged straight at Erik.
"Werewolf?!"
In the middle of his fight with Degha, Dan's eyes lit up like he just realized something.
"Focus! You're in a fight here!"
A woman nearby smiled warmly and called out to her daughter,"Have fun, Kana!""I will, Mom!"
The sound of children's laughter echoed across the meadow. The sun was shining bright, and nothing felt better than a big family picnic together.
But the more beautiful a moment is, the easier it is to break.
The weather suddenly changed. Clouds rolled in, and the sky darkened fast. Thunder crackled and roared like the heavens themselves were about to collapse.
The adults were clearly worried, let alone the kids.
"Mommy, I'm scared…"
Little Sharina clung tightly to her mom, burying her face in her mother's arms.
"It's okay, Sharina. We're heading home now."
Sharon called out to her husband, urging him to get the car ready fast.
CRACK!
A deafening boom of thunder tore through the sky, and a crack appeared in the air like reality was splitting apart.
From that crack, a glowing light shot out like it was being called—heading straight for the family.
And in the blink of an eye, they saw it clearly.
It was… a sword.
Seeing this, the husband immediately sprang into action. To protect his wife and daughter, he bared his fangs and launched himself straight toward the oncoming sword.
But in the next second, that silver blade pierced right through him.
"John!!"
Sharon watched in horror as her husband was run through in an instant—her heart shattered.
But the blade didn't stop. It didn't even slow down. It kept going—right for little Sharina.
"Sharina!!"
SCHLICK!
A flash of blood burst out.
Just before the sword could hit Sharina, Sharon threw herself in front of it and took the hit with her own body.
"Mom! MOM!!"
Sharina screamed, devastated, reaching out with trembling hands, trying desperately to stop the bleeding. But the moment her small hand touched the blade, a strange light flowed down the sword and entered her body. A mysterious mark briefly appeared on her palm—then vanished without a trace.
But it didn't end there.
A monstrous hand suddenly grabbed the sword and yanked it out of her mother's body.
The thing holding the blade was some freakish creature—half man, half bat.
As soon as it pulled the sword free, a terrifying roar echoed across the sky. A wave of brutal, overwhelming power surged from the sword into the creature. In an instant, the monster and the blade became one.
Or rather… the sword took over the monster.
Now wielding the blade, the beast charged at little Sharina.
"No! DAD, DON'T!"
Sharina shielded herself with both arms and screamed in despair. From the moment the sword pierced her father, she had seen the change in him. She recognized that monster… it was her father.
Just as the blade was about to fall on her, the mark on Sharina's palm reappeared. A strange, brilliant energy burst forth—and the monster disintegrated into ash on the spot.
Not far away, Sharon's sister and brother-in-law witnessed the whole unbelievable scene.
"....."