"Swish!"
The night sky over New York was stained a deep purple by neon lights. Diluc's crimson hair fluttered in the wind, and wind-formed wings spread silently behind him, carrying him swiftly between the towering skyscrapers.
"Woo-woo!"
"Ugh—!"
Suddenly, a strange, eerie shriek tore through the night, followed by a shrill scream.
Neither sound was human—both were twisted, malevolent, and utterly unnatural.
Diluc frowned, activated his Elemental Vision, and his fiery red eyes swept across the dilapidated industrial zone below.
In the shadows of the abandoned factory, he caught a glimpse of dark, bloody, and ominous energy fluctuations.
He folded his wind-formed wings and landed on the iron roof of the factory as silently as a cat, without making a sound.
Below, in the open space surrounding the building, three men in suits were fleeing in panic.
Their skin was unnaturally pale—almost translucent—with traces of blood still clinging to the corners of their mouths. Their pupils glowed faintly red in the darkness.
Vampires.
But at this moment, they were no longer predators—they were prey.
"Whoosh! Whoosh—!"
Not far behind them, a dozen figures in black robes gave chase. They moved faster than the vampires, their forms flickering like ghosts, each step seeming to skim the air itself.
Their faces were hidden beneath pitch-black hoods, as if even light dared not touch them.
"Damn it! Why can't we shake them?!"
"Swish!"
One of the vampires roared, seized a broken concrete pillar, and hurled it backward.
The pillar screamed through the air, hurtling toward the lead robed figure—but just before impact—
"Bang—!"
The robed man raised a hand and flicked his wrist. The concrete pillar exploded into dust midair, crushed by an invisible force.
"Haaaa!"
Another vampire gritted his teeth and shoved over a rusted iron wall, hoping to block their pursuers.
"Bang!"
But the robed figures didn't even slow down. Before the wall hit the ground, they'd already passed through it like black mist, closing in relentlessly.
"I can't escape…"
The third vampire whispered in despair, crimson light flaring violently in his eyes.
"Then we fight! Ahh——!!"
The lead vampire roared. His eyes flooded with blood, his fangs lengthened in an instant, and his nails transformed into razor-sharp bone blades.
"Bang—!"
He slammed his foot into the ground, cracking the thick concrete beneath him, and launched himself forward like a cannonball toward the nearest robed figure.
"Go to hell!"
"Swish!"
His bone blade sliced through the air, aiming straight for the robed man's throat at terrifying speed.
But the figure calmly sidestepped—the blade only grazed the edge of his cloak.
"Puff!"
Yet the vampire shifted instantly. His left hand morphed into a claw and swept across, carving five deep, bloody gashes into the robed man's chest.
But no blood flowed from the wounds—only thick, black mucus oozed out.
The vampire's pupils contracted in shock. Before he could react, the counterattack was already upon him.
"Bang!"
A powerful punch struck him in the abdomen, sending the vampire flying over ten meters and crashing through three brick walls.
"Puff—"
Amid the flying bricks and rubble, the vampire coughed up mouthfuls of blood—but rose to his feet with a grim smile. His wounds healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Is that all you've got?!"
He stuck out his tongue, licked the blood from the corner of his mouth, and charged again!
"Shuashuashua—!"
This time, he changed tactics, using his supernatural speed to dart around the black-robed man. Sharp bone blades rained down like a storm.
The black-robed figure's cloak was shredded to pieces, revealing bluish-gray, rock-like skin beneath.
"Bang!"
Finally, the vampire seized his chance and delivered a whip-like kick to the man's knee. As his opponent staggered, the vampire crossed his arms and slashed toward his neck.
"It's time to end this."
"Pah…"
The black-robed man suddenly raised his hand and clamped down precisely on the vampire's wrist. To the vampire's horror, no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't move forward even an inch!
Slowly, the figure lifted his head. A strange, creaking sound emanated from beneath his hood. The vampire thrashed desperately, but the grip held firm—like an iron vise.
"No… Impossible…"
"Puff!"
Without warning, a barbed, petal-like mouthpart burst from under the hood. Like a blooming carnivorous flower, it engulfed the vampire's entire face in an instant.
"Mmmmmmmmm—!!"
His screams were muffled by the stench of blood and flesh as his limbs convulsed violently. He clawed and kicked at the black-robed figure, leaving shallow scratches—but it was useless.
"Gurgle… gurgle…"
After a few seconds, the vampire's struggles ceased.
"Plop…"
The black-robed man retracted his grotesque appendage and casually tossed aside the vampire's withered, shriveled corpse—now a desiccated husk, as if every drop of blood and ounce of muscle had been sucked dry.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Witnessing the gruesome fate of their leader, the other two vampires broke down completely.
"No—don't!"
One turned to flee, only to be intercepted by two black-robed figures simultaneously. Their mouthparts shot out, piercing his neck and draining his life in an instant.
The last vampire dropped to his knees, hands trembling as he raised them in supplication:
"Please! I know where the Blood Clan Elders' Council is based! I can take you there—I can also—"
"Crack."
The black-robed man gave him no chance to plead further. His mouthpart lashed out ruthlessly, impaling the vampire's chest and pinning him to the ground until he, too, became a dried-up corpse.
The three bodies were discarded without ceremony. The dozen or so black-robed figures stood in silence, as if the slaughter had been nothing more than a trivial errand.
On the rooftop above, Diluc watched it all with cold, unwavering eyes.
These black-robed beings were neither vampire nor human.
Their strength, speed, and grotesque feeding method defied common sense.
It reminded him eerily of the Reapers from Blade II.
Suddenly, the lead black-robed figure slowly lifted his head—and the darkness beneath his hood seemed to "look" directly at Diluc.
Then the second, the third… one by one, they all turned toward him in perfect unison.
No words were spoken. No movements made. Yet Diluc could feel their gaze locking onto him.
They noticed me long ago.
The night wind stilled. The air turned icy.
Diluc's hand settled on the hilt of the Blackrock Slasher—and faint flames flickered along the blade.