Blue flames surged around Kamaki's body, licking the sky as his scream echoed like a beast breaking free. The concrete beneath him cracked and splintered, unable to withstand the pressure of his awakened power. The blood moon burned above them, and even the night itself seemed to recoil.
Enma: (licking her lips, arms spread wide in ecstasy)"Oh my~! So much power… I want it! Give it to me! LET LOOSE! USE ME! Entertain me!"
Felicia, blood dripping down her forehead, dropped to her knees.
Felicia: (screaming)"KAMAKI!!"
His aura sent tremors through the battlefield. Gendai, Lihanna, Tyrone—and every fighter in the area—felt the spike. Kamaki's rage was no longer human. It was an eruption.
In the northern industrial ward of the city, away from the others, Tyrone and Lihanna stood atop the skeletal frame of a collapsed warehouse. The air was unnaturally quiet—until it wasn't.
A thunderous roar ripped through the silence. A pressure—raw and violent—rushed across the district like a storm front. The ground vibrated beneath them. Both turned, eyes wide, as a flare of blue flame surged into the sky in the distance, colliding violently with the red hue of the blood moon.
Tyrone: (staggering slightly)"…What the hell was that?"
Lihanna: (her eyes narrowing, wind lifting her long blue hair)"That wasn't natural. That was Kamaki."
They stood still for a moment, the blue light flickering in the horizon, painting the metal ruins around them in ghostly light.
Tyrone: (adjusting his scythe on his back)"I've never felt him like this. It's like… he cracked open something inside."
Lihanna: (clenching her fists)"It's not just him. That's the Blood Moon. It's amplifying every dark instinct in him... and vampires. He's losing himself."
Tyrone: (a grim look crossing his face)"You think he's turned?"
Lihanna: (softly, but firmly)"No. Not yet. If Felicia's still alive, she's anchoring him. But something bad is happening over there."
The flames surged again, and a far-off explosion rattled the steel beams they stood on.
Tyrone: (half-smirking)"Tch. And here I thought we were assigned the dangerous route."
Lihanna: (pointing toward the west)"We need to wrap up here fast. Whatever Kamaki's fighting… it's beyond what we've seen so far."
Tyrone: (walking forward, eyes locked ahead)"We've seen gods. You saying this is worse?"
Lihanna: (serious)"…I'm saying whatever's over there just got through Felicia. That doesn't happen. Ever."
They both leapt down the ruined frame, landing in unison on the street below. A horde of approaching vampires stood between them and the route west.
Tyrone: (rolling his neck, a green gleam flashing from his pupils)"Guess we slice through the warm-up first."
Lihanna: (grinning, unsheathing her nodachi)"You're always trying to impress me."
Tyrone: (raising a brow)"Not trying. Just succeeding."
The moment broke into chaos. Lihanna dashed forward, spinning into a crescent slash that took out three vampires instantly. Tyrone followed close, his scythe carving a twin arc beside her. As they fought, that same pressure in the air remained—Kamaki's fury pulsing like a second heartbeat.
Tyrone: (thinking, while cutting down an enemy)Just hold out, Kamaki. We're coming.
He dashed toward Enma in a flash of black steel, gauntlet gleaming. She leapt over him effortlessly. Kamaki moved like a phantom, his fist wreathed in blue fire. He launched a devastating strike—
Enma: (flipping off his arm mid-air)"You're in such a rage, darling. You're stronger… but also predictable."
But her taunt didn't save her. Kamaki grabbed her hair mid-flip and slammed her into the ground, the earth erupting under the impact. Before she could bounce back, he rose above her and kicked her chin with enough force to send her flying into the cliffside. Dust rained. Silence fell.
Felicia stared, stunned.
Felicia: (breathing hard)"That power… That's not the Kamaki I know. The blood moon… it's pushing him past Gendai-level. What even is he now?"
Kamaki brushed his hair from his eyes. Enma's clothes were torn, her chest exposed, her body limp in a crater. His dark eyes scanned her—an internal conflict rising.
Kamaki's thoughts:She's evil… if I eat her, I'll get even stronger. But damn… she's hella hot. And those rags… I mean, it'd be a waste, right?
Enma stirred. Her crimson eyes opened slowly and caught him staring.
Enma: (smirking as her clothes regenerate through blood magic)"Sorry, cutie. You're not strong enough to have my body. Only my Lord can."
Kamaki: (brows furrow)"…Your lord? You're not the top dog here?"
Enma: (laughing)"Oh, not even close. You're just fighting a clone. The real me… she'd erase you without breaking a nail."
Kamaki: (wide-eyed)"A… clone?!"
Enma: (exploding with laughter)"HAHAHA! That fear! You can't even handle my clone! What'll you do when you meet the real me?!"
She walked up to him, slow, seductive. Behind him now. Her cold arms draped over his shoulders as she whispered into his ear—
Enma: (voice silky)"You're one of us, aren't you? A vampire. So why fight for humans? They'll kill you the second they find out."
Her long white hair fell against his neck. She entwined her fingers with his and turned his face to her dual-colored eyes.
Enma:"Come with us. You don't belong here… my precious…"
Just as her lips neared his, purple lightning split the night—
Felicia, now in her lightning mode, blitzed in with godspeed, katana gleaming with electricity. She slashed with all her might—
CLANG.
Enma: (grinning as she caught the blade)"Predictable."
The katana shattered in her hand. Felicia's breath caught—then Enma seized her by the neck, lifting her with one arm like a doll.
*Felicia gasped, choking, her feet off the ground. She summoned every last ounce of power—generated a lightning orb in her palm—and slammed it into Enma's face.
BOOM!
Enma recoiled, releasing her. Felicia dropped to the ground, coughing hard.
Felicia: (desperate)"KAMAKI!! Please… snap out of it!"
The dust cleared. Enma stood still—half her face blown off, revealing part of her skull. She wasn't smiling anymore.
Enma: (coldly)"You… You're at your limit. And you still refuse to kneel?"
Felicia: (wiping blood from her mouth, eyes fierce)"I won't watch an ally fight alone… not if I can still move."
She pointed at Enma, voice cracking in pain.
Felicia:"You ugly patchwork freak… You look like a dying ghost, pale as shit. This ends now—I'm gonna—"
Too late. Enma vanished. In a blur, she grabbed Felicia's face and launched her through six buildings, leaving craters through each one. Felicia finally crashed into the outskirts of town, embedded into a wall. Blood spilled from her lips. Her body trembled.
Felicia's Monologue (Internal)
Her face… healed completely. Like nothing happened. So fast…
These vampires regenerate like nightmares.
This is it. I… I'm going to die here.
Tyrone… Lihanna… Kamaki…
I'm sorry.
This is just a clone? The real one's even stronger?
Please… survive. All of you. Until the blood moon fades.
Enma raised her claw, preparing the final strike. Felicia, too broken to move, closed her eyes and accepted the inevitable.
Then—
THUNDER.
*A bolt of green lightning cut the silence. Enma's eyes widened—too slow. A streak of green, coat flaring, closed the distance in milliseconds. Two daggers slashed in an X—the sound of thunder exploded as they met her neck. Her body froze, her head lolling—then she collapsed.
Felicia blinked, alive. Her vision blurred, but through it, she saw the back of a figure standing between her and death. Green sparks danced off his shoulders. His coat bore the insignia of the Prismic Gathering.
He turned slightly. A calm smile over his shoulder.
Raijin:"You did well… holding out against that thing. Take a breather. I'll handle it from here."