-----
-----
Blue and red streaks clashed through the castle's main hall, each collision shaking the air. Even the shockwaves alone were tearing the century-old building apart.
After more than a dozen exchanges, Vlad realized the upper hand he'd had before was gone. In both speed and power, Drive's Formula form was pressing him hard.
"No… no! You just changed colors! You think you can beat me with that? Impossible!"
He'd been planning this for so long—there was no way he'd fall here.
"You little rat! I'll tear you apart!"
A wave of raw power burst from him.
Shhh!
Two massive, fleshy wings ripped out of his back, foul blood dripping from their edges.
With a single beat of those wings, Vlad lunged forward, his hands morphing into monstrous claws, his whole form like a giant bat as he dove at Dan.
Dan clenched his teeth so hard his jaw hurt. Every inch of him screamed in pain, crushed by pressure and injuries—but nothing, not agony or exhaustion, could shake his resolve to avenge everyone. He had become a man burdened with endless sorrow, a lone avenger.
He twisted the dial on his belt. The engine roared to life.
"For! For! Formula~!"
The tires mounted on his arms spun like crazy, shrieking as if he himself had turned into a race car tearing down the track. Dan launched forward in a blur.
"Vampire!!!"
"Brat!!!"
Car and bat collided head-on.
Dan's fist slammed into Vlad's claw, and the impact ripped through the air like an explosion. The castle's grand hall shuddered violently—floorboards cracked, rubble flew, and the entire fortress threatened to collapse.
"You demon! Go down already!"
Roaring, Dan poured every ounce of strength into his body.
For a split second, he thought he saw the children from the orphanage standing behind him, their hands on his shoulders, silently telling him: We'll always be with you.
"Impossible! This can't be happening!"
Vlad's eyes widened in terror. His claw began to crack, then shattered.
"Sei-ya!"
Dan's fist drove straight into Vlad's chest, hurling the massive creature across the hall.
Seizing the moment, Dan summoned his support car—Full Tank F01.
"Tire Koukan! Formula 01!"
The black tires on his arms flipped and locked into fiery orange ones. Boosted by the shift car, his speed spiked again. He charged.
"Rider Punch!"
His fists rained down like a storm, each strike crashing into Vlad's body with bone-breaking force.
"Ora ora ora—!"
"Sei-ya!"
One final punch sent Vlad crashing into the ground. But Dan didn't let up.
He leapt high, spun the dial on his belt, and pulled the lever. He knew—if he didn't finish Vlad here and now, he'd never get another chance.
"Finishing Move! Full Throttle!!"
Dan became a comet of blue flames, the fire licking his armor as he kicked Vlad square in the chest.
"It won't… end… like this!"
Vlad's bat-like wings stabbed into the ground, holding him up. He knew Dan was at his limit—if he endured this, victory would be his.
But Dan twisted the dial again, screaming, "This ends now! Pay for everything you've done!"
A deafening boom shook the sky. The cliffside castle crumbled into ruins.
Beneath the rubble, Dan and Vlad crashed into a hidden underground laboratory.
Dan's battered body finally gave out. The Formula armor released, peeling away. Krim fell from him.
"…Is it over?"
Barely able to sit upright, Dan turned and saw Vlad's massive body—his chest blown open.
"Over? You think it's that easy?"
Vlad's voice, twisted and demonic, rumbled again.
From his chest burst grotesque tendrils of flesh, wrapping around the scattered tubes on the ground and absorbing them into his body.
Before Dan's horrified eyes, Vlad's wounds began knitting back together at an impossible speed.
"Damn it!"
Dan tried to rush forward, but his body wouldn't move. He was beyond his limit.
"Ke-hahaha! It's over, brat!"
Vlad roared, fully healed, towering above him.
"Move… MOVE, damn it!"
Dan stretched out his hand for the belt. It was right there—but his body wouldn't obey. His trembling fingers couldn't reach it.
Vlad sneered, then kicked him hard.
CRACK!"Gah—!"
Dan slammed onto a lab table, a jagged piece of equipment skewering his shoulder. Blood dripped freely down the spike.
"How pathetic! I thought I was the one about to die—but no. Fate's cruel little joke put you here instead. That means you're the one who dies tonight!"
Vlad's triumphant roar filled the room. To him, Dan was nothing more than meat on the chopping block, helpless prey.
A drop of Dan's blood hit the bars of a nearby iron cage. Inside, a pair of glowing orange eyes snapped open.
"Hey! Kid, let me out. I'll lend you my strength!"
Dan's head whipped around. His eyes widened at the sight of a tiny bat inside.
Kivat Bat the Second! How was he here?
Then Dan noticed the wires and tubes attached to the creature. Realization hit him—this was the secret of this world's Fangires.
He laughed, half-crazed, half-in awe. "Hah… this world really is insane."
Summoning the last of his strength, he wrenched the cage open.
"Fine. I don't care how this ends anymore. Just fight with me!"
Kivat II shot out of the cage.
"Listen, brat, I can't promise what'll happen if we do this—"
Dan snatched him midair. "Who cares? Worst case, I die. Can it get any worse?"
Without hesitation, he shoved the bat toward his own bleeding hand.
"Bite me!"
Kivat's fangs sank into his skin.
"…This power…!"
Even Kivat froze for a moment, stunned.
"The power of the Dark Emperor…"
Gothic runes spread from Dan's neck across his face. Strange music rang through the lab as chains of energy coiled around his waist, forming a belt. Dan locked Kivat into place.
"Henshin!"
Power erupted around him. Black-and-crimson armor formed over his body. His mask, shaped like a bat, glowed with emerald compound eyes styled like wings. Three gems gleamed down his chestplate, and a gray cape billowed behind him. Kivat II hung upside down from the belt.
Dark Kiva.
"....."