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A strange forest stretched across the uninhabited wilderness. For hundreds of miles, thick fog smothered the trees, hiding swamps and poisonous mists. Only a single winding, muddy path cut through the jungle, leading deep toward a sheer cliff.
Vrrrm!
The sudden roar of an engine shattered the eerie silence. Black crows exploded from the branches in a flurry of panicked wings, shrieking like something out of a nightmare.
In its wild mode, the Draitron rolled on massive all-terrain tires, bulldozing through the dense undergrowth without slowing.
"Dan," Krim's voice came from the console, "the target's stopped moving. Deep inside the forest."
Dan didn't answer. His hands tightened on the wheel, and he slammed his foot down. The engine's snarl deepened, and the black Draitron surged forward.
Dead trees, swamp mud—nothing could slow him down.
In the castle, a frantic member of the syndicate burst into the meeting room. Nonika was still on the phone with a mysterious voice.
She glared at the intruder."What's the matter with you? Didn't I say no panicking? We're about to become a great vampire clan—try to have some dignity."
The man blurted out,"Clan leader! A car! There's a car heading straight for the castle!"
"A car? Impossible. This place is nothing but swamps and forest—how could a car get through?"
"It's true! It's tearing through the forest like it owns the place—it's almost here!"
Something in Nonika's gut told her this wasn't right."Let's see for ourselves."
She hung up and led the others up to the castle's watchtower. From there, the misty forest spread out in all directions.
Sure enough, a rugged, beastly-looking vehicle was plowing straight toward them.
"They're not here for tea. Gather the men—whoever it is, kill them on the spot."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Back in the forest, Dan gunned it one last time. The wild Draitron smashed through trees as thick as his leg, bursting out into the open. A cold, menacing castle loomed ahead.
"Krim… let's go for a run."
He unhooked the Driver from the console, buckled it around his waist, and stepped out.
The castle doors flew open. Dozens of vampires poured out, all with the same goal—kill the one who dared approach.
They roared as they charged.
"Dan," Krim urged, "start your engine!"
But Dan didn't listen. Instead, he swung a strange, heavy cannon from his back.
"Die, you blood-sucking freaks."
He pulled the trigger. A massive beam of energy tore from the barrel. The vampires froze mid-charge, glancing at each other—nothing seemed wrong.
Then, in the next heartbeat, they were screaming and coming apart in bloody chunks.
"Oh, my god, Dan! How did you—"
He didn't answer. His only thought was to wipe out these parasites.
Inside the castle, more came. This was the Aranka syndicate's full nest.
Dan showed no fear. His weapons were strange, deadlier than the last.
A swarm rushed him from the front. He flicked a potato-sized capsule from his belt. The moment it hit the ground, it burst into a wave of slime. Vampires and even the stone walls melted to sludge on contact.
Others tried to sneak up behind him. Without looking, Dan drew a laser pistol. A green pool shimmered on the floor where the beam hit, and tentacles of dark purple shot out, dragging the attackers under.
He lobbed a grenade forward—it became a miniature black hole, swallowing part of the castle along with its victims.
He moved through the chaos at a steady pace, like he was strolling through his living room. No matter how many came at him, they couldn't slow him down.
The vampires cursed in frustration. What kind of monster was this? And those bizarre weapons—what even were they?
The tooth-blood vampires were sent in next.
A giant moth-like one dove at him from above. Dan pulled a short tube from the strap on his chest, pressed a button, and it unfolded into a glowing green lightsaber.
He sidestepped, kicked off the wall—his shoes shifted gravity—and slashed. Blood and shredded wings filled the air, and the creature crashed to the floor.
Without pause, he stabbed the blade into its skull.
Splurt!
Brain matter and blood sprayed. Dan simply wiped his face clean and kept walking toward the red marker on his visor, as if killing these things was no more than stepping on ants.
In the monitoring room, Nonika swore violently. Rage ate at her, but the fear of those strange weapons kept her head clear.
"Call every single tooth-blood we have. I don't care what it costs—kill him!"
Soon, they came from all directions.
One mole-like vampire tunneled beneath him, relying on sound to pinpoint his target. As the others distracted Dan, it leapt from the ground.
"Die, brat!"
It emerged to meet a pair of cold black eyes and a mountain of corpses.
A massive mechanical arm extended from Dan's shoulder and crushed a vampire's skull like fruit. He turned, spotted the attacker, and raised his palm. A blinding white flash burst from it, and the creature's head was gone.
He scanned the room. The sheer pressure of his presence made every vampire freeze.
"Trash."
He tore the mechanical arm free—it folded into a sword hilt with no blade.
Click.
Vmm!
A huge energy blade flared into existence, like something ripped from a sci-fi epic. Dan brought it into reality.
"Die."
One sweeping slash cut the front line in half.
"....."