Lyon clutched his shoulder, collapsing to his knees with a scream of agony as Dracula's charred body began knitting itself back together. Skin regenerated over scorched flesh in a grotesque display.
Mikage stood frozen, trembling. What just happened? That vampire just tore through Lyon—a B-tier Divine Visionary—in a single blow. I couldn't even see the attack. This isn't a fight I can win.
"Get a hold of yourself!" a voice snapped inside his mind.
The command jarred Mikage back to reality. He shot a glance at Lyon, then at Dracula, who was now shaping three spheres of blood in his hands. Without hesitation, Mikage grabbed Lyon and slammed his free hand to the ground.
"Jirai!"
The earth beneath them sizzled and glowed red-hot. Dracula halted mid-step, glancing down just as—
Whoosh!
A pillar of fire erupted, engulfing him. The flames coiled inwards, forming a blazing sphere that sealed him inside.
Boom!
The sphere detonated, sending a wave of dust and scorching wind through the ruins. At the center stood a blood-made sphere, hissing from the heat.
"What a shame. Had I been even slightly weaker, that might have been troublesome." Dracula's voice oozed from within. The sphere split open, revealing him—skin fully restored. But Mikage and Lyon were gone.
"Where would they be?" Dracula closed his eyes, scanning the air for mana traces. But the signatures were muddled—countless foreign mana threads swirled in the atmosphere.
"Hah… oh my. That attack wasn't aimed at me, was it?" Dracula chuckled darkly. "You flooded the air with your mana, then lowered your own presence until it blended in. Clever… but not enough."
His gaze locked on a pile of rubble. Blood spikes rained down, piercing it.
"Hm. Not there? Tell me, boy—no overwhelming firepower, but plenty of refined techniques. Are you from some prestigious family?"
Under a different mound of rubble, Lyon bit down on a rod as Mikage wrapped a strip of cloth around his injured shoulder.
"Thanks," Lyon muttered.
"No problem," Mikage replied. "But what's our plan against that?"
Lyon gave a humorless chuckle. "I thought I pierced his heart… but I missed. And now that I've lost a hand, my weapon work's shot. As for you—you're nowhere near his level."
"Sigh… seems so. Maybe we just wait until this Phantom World collapses, then run for it?"
"We won't last that long," Lyon said grimly. "We scattered my blood to throw him off, but he'll figure it out soon."
"What do you suggest?"
"We kill him." Lyon's lips curled into a smirk.
"That's the worst idea I've heard all day—you already failed to kill him!"
"I think he shifted his heart to avoid my strike. And when his body burned, didn't you feel his mana drop while regenerating?"
He could still think clearly while screaming in pain? Mikage thought, uneasy.
"What's the plan, then?"
"You create an opening for me. I'll stab the heart."
"How am I supposed to keep his attention when I'm not even worth it?"
"Aren't you a Magata? Don't you have that power-boost technique?"
"It's more of a transformation, and I can only maintain it for twenty minutes."
"That's enough."
I don't fully trust his instincts, but… he's stronger than me. "Let's do it."
"Great." Lyon began connecting his staves into one long weapon.
Makes me wonder how Akira's doing… Mikage inhaled slowly, feeling his body temperature rise.
Damn… he hasn't even transformed yet and the heat's climbing fast, Lyon thought.
"Wanyūidō!"
A massive flaming wheel spun toward Dracula. Giant blood hands erupted from the ground, catching it—the wheel vanished in a burst of sparks.
"Found you," Dracula growled, his gaze locking onto Mikage.
Bzzzt!
Lightning crackled around Lyon as he blurred to Dracula's flank, rod poised for a crushing blow—
Clang!
Dracula caught it barehanded without even looking.
"That won't work twice," he said coldly, as smaller blood hands lunged at Lyon.
Lyon dropped the rod and leapt back. He reacted instantly… and I couldn't even pull free. Is he getting stronger… or weaker?
"Sun State!" Mikage's voice rang out.
The ground sizzled beneath him. His hair ignited like living flame, arm and leg skin taking on an orange hue. Glowing lines seared across his body.
"Fifty percent…"
His eyes burned molten orange as fire exploded outward.
His mana just skyrocketed, Lyon thought, shielding his face from the heat.
Flames burst from Mikage's feet as he shot forward. Blood-crafted hands rose to guard Dracula, but Mikage burned through them, his palm inches from Dracula's face.
"Atsui Tenohira!"
Dracula's eyes widened as searing fire engulfed his head..
Huff… Huff… Huff…
This is the first time I've been able to unleash this power without worrying about hurting others, Mikage thought, staring into the roaring wall of fire where Dracula stood.
"That was cool as hell! Why were you holding back this whole time?" Lyon barked, smirking through the pain.
Mikage chuckled under his breath—only to freeze as a voice slithered out from the flames:
"…Your speed has improved. And your flames burn hotter."
Their eyes widened. The air turned thick, crimson, suffocating.
What the hell? That should've at least incapacitated him. Is he… an Elder? Lyon thought, watching in disbelief as Dracula strode out of the fire. His clothes were scorched, parts burned away—but his body remained unscathed.
Tch. I couldn't coat my clothes with mana in time, Dracula noted to himself.
"Are you… an Elder?" Lyon demanded.
"…Elder?" Dracula tilted his head.
He doesn't know? Mikage thought, tense.
"Elders are the first—oldest vampires. The founding fathers of our kind. Not knowing about them is practically blasphemy."
Dracula stared for a heartbeat, then—
Hahaha!
The laugh shook the ruins. "So… in all these years, history has been rewritten? Let's correct the record. I am no Elder. I am the oldest. The first. The father of all vampires." His crimson eyes flared. "You stand before Dracula."
Both froze.
Dracula… I thought he was just a myth to scare children… Lyon's heart pounded.
Is this the presence Akira sensed…? Mikage's thoughts raced.
"Watch out!" Lyon shouted.
Mikage blinked—Dracula was already inches from him, a blood sword forming near his chest. Lyon blurred forward, lightning sparking across his frame.
"Sun State—100%!"
The voice inside Mikage roared. His body blazed molten orange—
BOOOOM!
An immense sphere of fire erupted, swallowing everything. Lyon and Dracula were hurled back, their bodies smashing into the ground, burned and battered. Mikage stood tall, his form consumed by living fire.
Above Dracula, three massive fireballs spun into existence—then plummeted.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The ground shook with the impact.
Far away, Akira fell to one knee, breathing hard, skin blistering. This heat… it must be Mikage. So this is the true strength of our school's strongest… I can barely breathe in it.
Nearby, Sigvard and Charles clashed relentlessly, their blows echoing like thunder. Charles lashed the ground—blood spikes erupted, forcing Sigvard to leap back.
"Don't you ever get tired?" Charles snarled.
"I left the world of the living long ago. I could fight for eternity," Sigvard replied coldly.
Akira grinned faintly. "Nice clap back."
"My liege, how are you holding up?" Sigvard asked.
"Don't worry. I'm adjusting the parasite suit to handle the heat—and the lack of oxygen," Akira said, forcing steady breaths.
"Then… shall we use that technique now?" Sigvard's eyes glimmered.
"As much as I want to, it's unstable. If it collapses, I'll be left too vulnerable. Besides…" Akira's gaze flicked toward Dracula's battlefield. "…we're not the only ones fighting for our lives right now."
Charles sneered. "Enough chatter. You're in the way of my fate!" His hands lashed out, morphing into blood whips—only for them to sizzle and evaporate in the scorching heat.
Akira's eyes narrowed. "You see that, Sigvard?"
"Yes. It seems your friend has just gifted us the perfect chance to end this."
Akira's grin widened.