Meanwhile, in the warehouse in Tokyo, Izumi is in is vampire form up against Paulo.
With his vampire form fully awakened, Izumi surged forward like a crimson blur, his speed now bordering on supernatural.
Paulo, sensing the incoming threat, reacted swiftly, his instincts honed from countless battles.
He summoned his Dual Dragon Serpents, hoping to slow Izumi's approach.
The twin serpents, crackling with lightning energy, shot toward Izumi with ferocious intent. But Izumi, now faster and more agile than ever, twisted through the air and evaded the attack with ease.
Paulo recalibrated, aiming lower this time. He fired another set of Dual Dragon Serpents, targeting Izumi's legs to disrupt his movement.
Yet again, Izumi dodged, his vampire reflexes allowing him to slip past the serpents like wind through cracks.
Refusing to relent, Paulo launched a third barrage, once more aiming for Izumi's legs. But Izumi, undeterred, danced around the attack with fluid grace and closed the distance.
Now face-to-face, Paulo attempted a powerful infused Dual Lightning Kick, channelling his elemental energy into a devastating strike. But Izumi, anticipating the move, sidestepped effortlessly. In a flash, he countered with a brutal force, sending Paulo crashing into the wall with a thunderous impact.
Before Paulo could recover, Izumi began pummelling Paulo repeatedly, each punch landing with bone-shaking force. The assault was relentless, a barrage of strikes meant to break Paulo's defences and spirit.
As the battle reached a fever pitch, Izumi now fully immersed in his vampire form rose from the debris with a sinister gleam in his eyes.
His body pulsed with dark wind energy, and with a sudden leap backward, he prepared to unleash one of his most devastating techniques: the Divine Wind attack.
The air around him twisted violently, forming a spiralling vortex of razor-sharp currents infused with vampiric malice.
Paulo, bruised and battered, barely had time to react. He steadied himself, lightning flickering around his limbs, but he knew he was vulnerable.
The Divine Wind was too fast, too powerful. It surged toward him like a celestial blade, ready to carve through his defences.
But just before impact, a figure blurred into view, stepping directly into the path of the attack.
The Divine Wind roared across the battlefield like a wrathful god's scream, tearing through the air with a force that bent steel and shattered stone. The sky itself seemed to ripple under its fury, clouds twisting into unnatural shapes as the shockwave surged outward. Paulo instinctively threw his arms up, bracing for the agony he knew was coming.
***
The ground trembled beneath his feet, and the air was thick with dust and debris, choking out light and sound.
But the pain never came. Instead, there was silence, an eerie, unnatural stillness that settled like a shroud over the chaos. Paulo lowered his arms slowly, his heart hammering against his ribs. He squinted through the haze, eyes stinging, lungs burning. And then he saw it.
A silhouette. Someone stood between him and Izumi, the source of the Divine Wind. The figure was barely upright, swaying like a dying flame in the wind. Paulo's breath caught in his throat. The shape was familiar—achingly so.
It was Yuki. Her wings, once proud and radiant, now hung in tatters behind her. Feathers scorched and torn fluttered to the ground like dying embers. Her tengu form, majestic and fierce, was ravaged. Her skin was blistered, her robes shredded, blood trickling from deep gashes across her arms and chest. Smoke curled from her body, and her knees buckled as she stumbled forward.
Then, without a word, she collapsed into Paulo's arms. He caught her instinctively, cradling her fragile form against his chest. Her body was alarmingly light, as if the wind had hollowed her out. Her breathing was shallow, each inhale a struggle. Paulo's vision blurred with tears, hot and relentless, dripping down his cheeks and neck.
"Yuki…" he whispered, voice cracking. "Why? Why would you do that?" She opened her eyes slowly, the golden irises dimmed but still filled with warmth. Her lips curled into a faint, trembling smile.
"Because I love you, silly," she murmured, her voice barely audible over the dying wind. "It's my job to protect my everything."
Paulo shook his head, his grip tightening around her. "No… no, you did not have to. You should not have. You could have died. You—" His voice broke. "You're all I have."
Yuki reached up with a trembling hand and touched his cheek; her fingers smudged with ash and blood. "And you're all I ever wanted," she said softly. "I crossed worlds for you, remember? I defied fate, my clan, even the gods. I knew what I was doing."
"But you're hurt," Paulo said, his voice rising with panic. "You are bleeding, Yuki. You—"
"I know," she interrupted gently. "I can feel it. It is… fading. But listen to me, Paulo. You have to keep going. You have to survive this."
"I can't do this without you," he said, tears falling freely now. "I'm not strong enough."
"Yes, you are," she insisted, her voice growing weaker. "You have always been stronger than you think. You just needed someone to believe in you. That is why I came. That is why I stood between you and Izumi. Not because I am brave… but because I believe in you."
Paulo pressed his forehead against hers, his body shaking. "Please don't leave me."
"I wish I could stay," she whispered. "I wish I could see you win. See you smile again. Dance with you under the moonlight like we used to. But if this is the end for me… then let it be the beginning for you."
She coughed, blood staining her lips, and her hand slipped from his cheek.
"No," Paulo said, his voice trembling. "No, no, no. Stay with me. Just a little longer."
Yuki's eyes fluttered closed, but her lips moved one last time.
"Don't die, Paulo," she breathed. "Live. For me. For us."
Then her body went limp in his arms.
Meanwhile, in the warehouse in Tokyo, Izumi is in is vampire form up against Paulo.
With his vampire form fully awakened, Izumi surged forward like a crimson blur, his speed now bordering on supernatural. Paulo, sensing the incoming threat, reacted swiftly, his instincts honed from countless battles.
He summoned his Dual Dragon Serpents, hoping to slow Izumi's approach. The twin serpents, crackling with lightning energy, shot toward Izumi with ferocious intent. But Izumi, now faster and more agile than ever, twisted through the air and evaded the attack with ease.
Paulo recalibrated, aiming lower this time. He fired another set of Dual Dragon Serpents, targeting Izumi's legs to disrupt his movement. Yet again, Izumi dodged, his vampire reflexes allowing him to slip past the serpents like wind through cracks.
Refusing to relent, Paulo launched a third barrage, once more aiming for Izumi's legs. But Izumi, undeterred, danced around the attack with fluid grace and closed the distance.
Now face-to-face, Paulo attempted a powerful infused Dual Lightning Kick, channelling his elemental energy into a devastating strike.
But Izumi, anticipating the move, sidestepped effortlessly. In a flash, he countered with a brutal force, sending Paulo crashing into the wall with a thunderous impact.
Before Paulo could recover, Izumi began pummelling Paulo repeatedly, each punch landing with bone-shaking force. The assault was relentless, a barrage of strikes meant to break Paulo's defences and spirit.
As the battle reached a fever pitch, Izumi now fully immersed in his vampire form rose from the debris with a sinister gleam in his eyes.
His body pulsed with dark wind energy, and with a sudden leap backward, he prepared to unleash one of his most devastating techniques: the Divine Wind attack. The air around him twisted violently, forming a spiralling vortex of razor-sharp currents infused with vampiric malice.
Paulo, bruised and battered, barely had time to react. He steadied himself, lightning flickering around his limbs, but he knew he was vulnerable. The Divine Wind was too fast, too powerful. It surged toward him like a celestial blade, ready to carve through his defences.
But just before impact, a figure blurred into view, stepping directly into the path of the attack.
The Divine Wind roared across the battlefield like a wrathful god's scream, tearing through the air with a force that bent steel and shattered stone.
The sky itself seemed to ripple under its fury, clouds twisting into unnatural shapes as the shockwave surged outward.
Paulo instinctively threw his arms up, bracing for the agony he knew was coming. The ground trembled beneath his feet, and the air was thick with dust and debris, choking out light and sound.
But the pain never came. Instead, there was silence, an eerie, unnatural stillness that settled like a shroud over the chaos. Paulo lowered his arms slowly, his heart hammering against his ribs. He squinted through the haze, eyes stinging, lungs burning. And then he saw it.
A silhouette. Someone stood between him and Izumi, the source of the Divine Wind. The figure was barely upright, swaying like a dying flame in the wind. Paulo's breath caught in his throat. The shape was familiar—achingly so.
It was Yuki. Her wings, once proud and radiant, now hung in tatters behind her. Feathers scorched and torn fluttered to the ground like dying embers. Her tengu form, majestic and fierce, was ravaged. Her skin was blistered, her robes shredded, blood trickling from deep gashes across her arms and chest. Smoke curled from her body, and her knees buckled as she stumbled forward.
Then, without a word, she collapsed into Paulo's arms. He caught her instinctively, cradling her fragile form against his chest. Her body was alarmingly light, as if the wind had hollowed her out. Her breathing was shallow, each inhale a struggle. Paulo's vision blurred with tears, hot and relentless, dripping down his cheeks and neck.
"Yuki…" he whispered, voice cracking. "Why? Why would you do that?" She opened her eyes slowly, the golden irises dimmed but still filled with warmth. Her lips curled into a faint, trembling smile.
"Because I love you, silly," she murmured, her voice barely audible over the dying wind. "It's my job to protect my everything."
Paulo shook his head, his grip tightening around her. "No… no, you did not have to. You should not have. You could have died. You—" His voice broke. "You're all I have."
Yuki reached up with a trembling hand and touched his cheek; her fingers smudged with ash and blood. "And you're all I ever wanted," she said softly. "I crossed worlds for you, remember? I defied fate, my clan, even the gods. I knew what I was doing."
"But you're hurt," Paulo said, his voice rising with panic. "You are bleeding, Yuki. You—"
"I know," she interrupted gently. "I can feel it. It is… fading. But listen to me, Paulo. You have to keep going. You have to survive this."
"I can't do this without you," he said, tears falling freely now. "I'm not strong enough."
"Yes, you are," she insisted, her voice growing weaker. "You have always been stronger than you think. You just needed someone to believe in you. That is why I came. That is why I stood between you and Izumi. Not because I am brave… but because I believe in you."
Paulo pressed his forehead against hers, his body shaking. "Please don't leave me."
"I wish I could stay," she whispered. "I wish I could see you win. See you smile again. Dance with you under the moonlight like we used to. But if this is the end for me… then let it be the beginning for you."
She coughed, blood staining her lips, and her hand slipped from his cheek.
"No," Paulo said, his voice trembling. "No, no, no. Stay with me. Just a little longer."
Yuki's eyes fluttered closed, but her lips moved one last time.
"Don't die, Paulo," she breathed. "Live. For me. For us."
Then her body went limp in his arms.
Paulo's eyes ignited with a searing crimson light, glowing like embers stoked by fury.
***
The atmosphere around him shimmered and warped, thick with heat and tension, as if the very air recoiled from his presence.
A low rumble built in his chest, rising into a scream so fierce and primal it shattered the silence of the storm, echoing like thunder across the heavens. It was not a cry of pain, it was a declaration, raw and ancient, a sound that belonged to something far older than man.
Beneath his feet, the earth trembled violently. Cracks, spiderwebbed, outward, releasing bursts of dark energy that surged upward in jagged arcs, as though the ground itself could no longer contain the force erupting from within him.
The storm above raged in response, lightning flashing in chaotic bursts, drawn to the maelstrom of power now centred on Paulo.
From his back, feathers exploded outward in a violent cascade, sleek, black as polished obsidian, and razor-sharp at the edges. They shimmered with a sinister sheen, catching the stormlight like blades forged in shadow.
His face contorted, bones shifting and stretching unnaturally until his features resembled a monstrous bird of prey. A jagged beak replaced his mouth, curled into a permanent snarl, and his skin took on a dark, scaled texture that pulsed with energy.
His hands twisted grotesquely, fingers elongating into talons tipped with glistening claws that could rend steel. The glow in his eyes intensified, no longer human, now ancient, malevolent, and filled with a knowledge that defied time.
Paulo screamed, "You're going to die!" with intense fury. He then appeared behind Izumi and killed him instantly with his aura.
The vampire association ended, with one blow.