Two figures calmly walked through the crowd of vampires. They immediately gave the two space. The first wore an elegant gothic-lolita dress that looked so pristine it appeared as if it glistened in the forest around her. Long silver hair shimmered beneath the lantern light, and a warm, innocent smile rested on her face.
Nicholas had never seen someone who looked so harmless…
Yet made every instinct in his body scream.
The second vampire strolled beside her with a grin that bordered on madness. His eyes were wild, constantly twitching with excitement as if he had been waiting his entire life for this moment. He cracked his neck then laughed.
Lily clasped her hands behind her back: "You're doing much better than I expected."
Her voice was sweet. Almost childlike. It made Nicholas even more uneasy.
Lily looked around at the fallen vampires: "Seven already." She sighed dramatically. "You guys are embarrassing me."
Several nearby vampires lowered their heads.
Then Lily smiled again: "Cray."
The crazed vampire eagerly stepped forward.
Lily: "Hurry up and take out this small fry."
She glanced toward the direction Jenna had fled.
Lily: "Then go kill the girl that ran off."
He dragged his claws across one another, producing a harsh metallic screech.
Cray: "One human filet coming right up."
Nicholas's heartbeat settled.
His grip tightened.
He was alone and outnumbered.
There was no room for fear anymore.
Only resolve.
Nicholas lowered his stance.
His eyes locked onto Cray.
Nicholas: "Come."
Black veins spread beneath Cray's skin like ink racing through cracked glass. Cray slowly raised both palms. Orange embers gathered between his fingers. The air distorted from the heat. A sphere of fire condensed into existence, crackling violently before splitting into dancing flames that wrapped around both of his fists.
Nicholas narrowed his eyes.
Fire.
It was the most common vampire curse. They were taught that during their first year at the Academy. Keep moving. Never let them dictate the distance. Close the gap when they expect you to retreat.
Cray rolled one shoulder. His foot exploded off the ground. The distance vanished instantly. A flaming right hook screamed toward Nicholas's jaw. Nicholas leaned just outside its path. The flames brushed past his cheek, scorching several strands of hair. Heat blasted across his face. Before he could counter, a second punch came from below. Nicholas twisted sideways. The burning fist scraped across his yukata instead, setting part of the sleeve ablaze. He immediately tore the burning fabric away.
Cray laughed: "You're quick."
Nicholas moved one sharp step forward. His blade flashed toward Cray's ribs.
Cray caught the strike on his forearm, at the same instant a fireball erupted from his free hand. Nicholas kicked off the ground. The blast tore through the space where he'd been standing only moments earlier, exploding against a tree behind him. Wood splintered. Flames climbed the trunk. The surrounding vampires erupted into cheers. Nicholas landed lightly. His breathing remained steady. Again Cray rushed him. Flaming fists became a relentless barrage. Hooks. Elbows. Palm strikes. Every swing left streaks of fire hanging in the air. Nicholas's feet never stopped moving. One step. Pivot. Slip. Duck. Counter. He flowed through the assault without wasting movement. Because one mistake meant being burned alive. After every few exchanges, another vampire lunged from the surrounding circle. Nicholas never had the luxury of focusing on only one opponent. One vampire dove from a tree. Without looking, Nicholas turned and cut it down midair before immediately blocking Cray's flaming kick. Another rushed from behind. Nicholas spun, driving the pommel of his sword into its throat before slashing across its chest. Cray's fist was already coming. Nicholas barely managed to duck. The flames passed close enough to blister the skin on his neck.
Cray chuckled: "Now this is a fight! Let's turn up the heat, kid!"
Nicholas remained silent. A giant fireball came hurling towards him, he barrel-rolled out of its way. A vampire tried to pin him down during the recovery. One clean slash ended the attempt. The battle never slowed. Every second demanded another decision. Another dodge. Another block. Another life-or-death calculation. Sweat rolled down Nicholas's face. His breathing grew heavier. Cuts continued appearing across his body. A claw slashed his side. Another opened his shoulder. Blood stained the sleeve of his yukata. Cray looked fresh. Untouched. He launched forward faster than before. Nicholas met him head-on. The impact echoed through the trees. Cray threw another punch. Nicholas slipped inside its arc. Another punch cam from his left, Nicholas stepped around it. A third. Too committed. Too much weight on the front foot.
There.
Nicholas exploded forward. His sword carved a clean diagonal line across Cray's torso. A crimson line appeared. Blood splashed across the forest ground.
Cray looked down.
Lily's eyes widened ever so slightly: "…Oh?"
The surrounding vampires stopped smiling.
Cray touched the wound. His fingers came away red. Cray slowly looked back up. Then laughed. A low, amused laugh: "Nice." He licked the blood as his grin stretched wider. "But if this is all you can manage, you're better off running away."
The words lingered.
Running away.
Nicholas's grip tightened.
For an instant…
The burning forest disappeared.
Instead…
He saw another house.
His house.
Blood on the floor.
His parents standing between him and a vampire as he hid.
His mother's trembling voice.
"Run."
His father's final shout.
"Hide!"
He survived. But they didn't.
Not a day had passed since then without wondering…
What if I had been stronger?
Like Iris.
Regret had followed him longer than grief.
Nicholas slowly raised his sword again. He looked directly into Cray's eyes: "I'll never run away again."
For the first time, neither Cray nor Lily smiled.
Nicholas: 'If I want to be someone I can be proud of. I'll defeat you right here, right now. Vampire!"
The battle heated up.
Steel clashed against burning fists as Nicholas and Cray crashed into one another again and again, every exchange sending sparks across the forest floor. Their feet carved trenches through the dirt, shattered roots, and scattered fallen leaves that immediately ignited from the intense heat. Neither gave the other room to breathe. Cray's offense was relentless. Every swing of his fists left a trail of flames that lingered in the air for a heartbeat before bursting outward. Fireballs exploded from his palms whenever Nicholas created even a few meters of separation, forcing him to constantly weave through explosions that turned trees into pillars of fire.
Nicholas's breathing had become heavier, but his footwork never lost its rhythm. He slipped beneath a flaming hook, turned his shoulder to avoid a claw from another angle, and answered with a slash that forced Cray backward. A fireball screamed toward him. He rolled beneath it. The blast erupted behind him, showering burning bark across the battlefield. Another came immediately afterward. Nicholas deflected it with the flat of his blade just enough for it to veer past him before detonating against a boulder. The heat washed over his back. His clothes had begun to blacken.
His breathing sounded rougher every minute.
Yet…
His eyes never changed.
The crazed grin of the vampire slowly faded.
Nicholas's eyes sharpened.
Now.
His body exploded forward.
The first slash carved deeply across Cray's chest before the vampire even realized he'd moved.
Cray's eyes widened.
Nicholas never stopped.
He spun around the vampire's blind side, reversing his grip just long enough to generate another burst of speed.
The second slash crossed the first, opening an X-shaped wound that sprayed blood across the burning leaves.
Cray roared.
Nicholas completed the rotation.
One final cut.
Cray's right arm separated from his body.
It spun through the air before crashing into the dirt several meters away.
Nicholas's sword continued traveling.
Straight toward Cray's neck.
Cray barely threw himself backward in time.
The blade missed.
By the width of a single hair.
Blood poured from Cray's chest.
Nicholas lowered his blade.
Blood dripped steadily from its tip.
His chest rose and fell.
He hadn't won.
Not yet.
Cray slowly reached toward the wounds covering his torso. He was beyond pissed. Fire exploded outward. The temperature skyrocketed. Nearby trees ignited almost instantly. Branches cracked. Leaves curled into ash before they even reached the ground.
A flaming kick crashed into Nicholas's guard.
The impact sent him skidding several meters.
His arms trembled.
His grip nearly failed.
Another blast.
Nicholas tried to dodge.
Too slow.
Fire engulfed his left leg.
Agony ripped through him.
His pants had burned away around his calf.
Smoke rose from the wound.
Nicholas nearly collapsed.
If he had been a fraction slower…
He knew.
There wouldn't have been a leg left.
Cray laughed wildly.
The surrounding trees continued catching fire.
The battlefield glowed like a furnace.
Even Lily had begun casually sidestepping the explosions.
One particularly massive blast skimmed past her shoulder, setting the edge of her sleeve smoking.
She calmly patted it out still smiling.
Lily: "Cray~! If your flames so much as graze my outfit again…" She tilted her head sweetly. "…I'll kill you."
Cray didn't respond.
He hadn't heard her.
Nicholas pushed himself back onto his feet. His body screamed at him to stop. His burned leg barely obeyed. His vision swam. Every breath hurt.
Still…
He raised his sword.
Cray gathered both hands together.
The flames merged.
Compressed.
Condensed.
A sphere of fire several meters wide formed.
The surrounding air warped violently.
Cray grinned: "Burn."
The blast erupted.
A wall of fire consumed the entire clearing.
There was nowhere to go.
His injured leg wouldn't let him escape.
Time slowed.
Nicholas: '…I'm about to die.'
He tightened his grip.
One final swing.
Not to win.
Just to fight until the very end.
Nicholas cut forward.
The impossible happened.
The fire split.
Like fabric being sliced apart.
The flames parted cleanly down the middle.
Both halves surged past him instead.
Nicholas stared at his sword: "…This blade can cut through fire."
His eyes widened. Then narrowed. He gripped the hilt tighter. He was way past his limit, but he pushed his legs to run. Fireballs erupted one after another. Nicholas cut through them. The flames no longer slowed him. Each swing opened a path forward. Cray stumbled backward. For the first time, he felt fear .
Cray: "This is impossible!"
With one swift motion, the sword passed through Cray's neck. His head flew into the air and straight into the sea of flames he'd created himself. The body remained standing for only a second before collapsing into the burning forest. Nicholas held his finishing stance. His right arm remained extended. His breathing came in ragged gasps. Blood dripped steadily onto the scorched earth. Every muscle shook from exhaustion. The forest crackled around him.
Applause echoed through the clearing.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
Lily smiled brightly: "I can't believe you defeated all of them."
Nicholas could barely talk as he gasped for air: "Who are you?" He pointed the blade directly at her. "Are you with the Slayers?!"
Lily clasped her hands together excitedly: "Bingo!" She gave a cheerful little bow. "I'm one of Hanako's Fangs. Lily, at your service!"
Nicholas: "A Fang… So there are two more of you."
Lily tilted her head: "Oh!" She laughed. "That would be true for the other guys. But there are eleven of us."
Nicholas froze.
Lily: "Our little rat Patrick didn't know that." She shrugged. "So there was no way you Hunters would've known either."
Nicholas: "…What?"
Lily turned toward Cray's corpse: "And that guy?" She waved dismissively. "He wasn't a Fang. Not even close. You have my salutations for beating him though!"
Nicholas felt his heart sink.
That vampire wasn't even one of their strongest?
He blinked.
Lily vanished and appeared directly in front of him. A small knife slid from the stocking around her thigh. She twirled it effortlessly around one finger. The blade stopped right beneath Nicholas's chin.
Lily: "You're someone to be proud of. Good for you."
She raised the knife.
Right before she could slash his throat, 3 figures burst through the trees.
3 blades stopped against Lily's neck from different directions.
Chifuyu.
Iris.
Hairene.
Hairene: "Move one finger, and you're dead."
Chifuyu: "Good job holding out, Nicholas!"
Iris: "Jenna's safe!"
Nicholas let out the breath he'd been holding: 'Jenna… She made it.'