The giant hand of the Sacrifice collapsed with a thunderous crash under the Devouring Flame. Its main body dulled along with it, eyes losing all light as it slumped limply behind the mayor.
The mayor fell silent for a long time.
The Sacrifices were valuable assets. Otherwise, the city's upper echelon would never have reacted so violently—going so far as to wipe out TOPS just to get their hands on the technology.
After all, when TOPS was strong, it was a restraint on the city's leadership. But once it weakened, it became nothing more than their money pouch and white glove.
Use it, then throw it away. No pity required.
And yet, despite how useful it was, after weighing his options over and over, the mayor had still decided that exterminating TOPS outright was worth it—as long as it secured the Sacrifice technology.
All for the sake of pulling together a completely unknown combat force in a short time, one that could stab the vampire society in the back when it truly mattered.
Whether it was Misha or Mrs. Meilin.
If there were any other choice, who would willingly coexist with others? Coexistence was just another way of dividing power.
What he hadn't expected was that Phaga would come knocking—and clearly with hostile intent.
Time buzzed beneath the burning Devouring Flame. The crimson sky seemed no longer able to endure the gunpowder-stained human world. The setting sun dipped low, burying distant sand dunes.
Then a pitch-black night fell. Under the blazing Devouring Flame, shadows on everyone's faces looked darker than coal.
At last, the mayor pressed one hand down, making up his mind to speak.
The writhing sand around them immediately stilled. The Sacrifices hidden beneath it went completely still, not daring to let even their power cores throb too loudly—afraid of igniting Phaga's temper and drawing his blade without warning.
He had heard that Phaga had already learned to fuse two attributes into one uniquely his own. The mayor didn't dare gamble on just how strong Phaga truly was.
Clearing his throat with a couple of light coughs, he forced his voice into a gentle, benevolent tone.
"Phaga, you grew up in human society. You were nurtured and benefited by human civilization. You should be on our side."
"And since you're on our side, you should understand—"
"I'm afraid I can't," Phaga replied flatly.
His voice was cold and distant. The Devouring Flame reflected in his eyes, staining them blood-red. Each step he took left a shallow imprint in the sand as he slowly closed in on the mayor.
"When the war first began, you didn't deploy the Sacrifices. During the battle against the Pureblood Vampires, you didn't deploy them either. Even during the Hollow Zero crisis, you still didn't deploy them."
"Don't tell me you were saving them to guard your tomb after you die."
Hnnng—
Phaga's blade angled slightly, and the air filled with a sharp, lingering hum.
"I was guarding against the tens of thousands of half-blood vampire soldiers under Meilin!" the mayor shot back. "The pureblood vampires deliberately avoided them—their losses were minimal!"
"Do you have any idea how much effort it would take to clean them up after peace is declared?!"
Sss—
Phaga's steps paused. His upper eyelid lifted slightly, light spilling across his gaze.
The mayor thought his words had worked. His eyes lit up, convinced that Phaga truly still saw himself as human, and hurried to press the advantage.
"Phaga, we—"
Whoosh!
Huh?
The mayor blinked. Phaga, who had been standing right there, vanished in an instant.
A flash of red light cut through the air, purple-red flames swallowing his vision whole.
The mayor felt a sudden heat at his neck. Then came a crisp metallic clang, sparks bursting outward like stars, followed by an overwhelming force slamming into his chest.
With a sharp crack, his eyes flew wide open.
He and the Sacrifice protecting him were sent flying like tumbling gourds, crashing to the ground in a cloud of dust that left him coughing violently.
"My head—my head! Hah… it's still there! Ugh… my bones! Damn it!"
As soon as he stopped coughing, the mayor frantically reached up to check his head. In that split second earlier, he had truly believed Phaga's blade would take it clean off.
Thankfully, at the last possible moment, a Sacrifice sensed his life was in danger and threw itself in the way—being destroyed by Phaga's blade to pull him back from the searing Devouring Flame.
Unfortunately, the mayor showed no gratitude. After confirming his head was intact, he cursed his broken ribs and vented his anger by kicking the ruined Sacrifice off his body.
"Damn it! All of you, attack together!" he roared. "If we don't kill Phaga today, none of us are leaving! I refuse to believe we can't handle a single Phaga with this many people!"
Grinding his teeth, he pointed a trembling finger straight at Phaga's face, screaming himself hoarse.
Before the bodyguards and soldiers could even react, the Sacrifices hidden beneath the sand had already surged up, surrounding Phaga without hesitation.
As they gathered, the Ether concentration spiked violently. The soldiers' faces changed instantly as they retreated again and again, now utterly unwilling to get anywhere near the battlefield.
Phaga, meanwhile, didn't move at all. He merely stood there, calmly observing his surroundings.
"All together!" the mayor shouted again.
Seeing Phaga remain still, the mayor assumed he had been scared stiff. The wrinkled skin on his face twitched as a sinister smile spread.
In the next instant, every Sacrifice's eyes flared. They charged as one, lunging toward Phaga.
Flames and lightning ignited in their hands. Icy fingers stretched forward, about to brush against Phaga's cheek.
The mayor's eyes widened further, already envisioning Phaga being torn apart. He burst into manic laughter.
"Hahahahaha! Void Hunter–level combat power—nothing special at all!"
Phaga didn't respond. He simply said, calmly,
"Nineveh."
That only made the mayor laugh harder. Even as blood bubbled up from his coughing, he sneered.
"Nineveh? You brat, are you—hm?"
[Hiss!]
Boom!
The world…
…was drowned in a bleak sea of purple.
Even Miyabi and the others rushing in at top speed froze, sucking in sharp breaths as shock filled their faces.
They watched as Nineveh suddenly burst forth from the raging firestorm. Bringing both hands together, dense purple light rapidly condensed.
Moments later, with a piercing cry, Nineveh slammed her arms downward. From the heart of the desert, a massive purple mushroom cloud rose skyward.
Nineveh drifted down gracefully, landing beside Phaga. The ground below was carpeted with unrecognizable corpses.
She gathered them up, and they melted instantly in her grasp. A cheerful female voice rang out in delight.
[This… tastes good!]
Phaga glanced sideways, chalking it up to Black Phaga's peculiar tastes, and didn't bother interfering.
Tightening his grip on his long blade, he walked slowly toward the mayor.
"Y-you're insane!" the mayor stammered.
It took him a long moment to regain his senses and accept the reality—that Phaga had brought Nineveh out of Hollow Zero.
"How did you bring her out… no, why would you bring Nineveh out of Hollow Zero?! This is anti-human, anti-vampire!"
"Y-you—gah!"
"Phaga, don't!"
"Mr. Phaga, spare the old man!"
[Bro, hurry up! I've been sick of this old bastard for ages!]
Phaga had no intention of arguing. He strode forward and drew his blade.
Miyabi, Billy, and Misha all reacted differently.
Misha cheered excitedly. Billy shouted for Phaga to stop, yet his legs remained rooted to the ground. Only Miyabi moved—her speed instantly exceeding one hundred kilometers per hour.
But she was still half a beat too late.
By the time her bare hand pressed down on Phaga's blade, the mayor's head had already rolled across the ground.
His eyes remained open, staring straight at Miyabi, a trace of resentment lingering within.
She turned her head away, then fixed Phaga with a hard stare, her right hand resting on the hilt of her demon blade.
"Phaga," she said coldly. "State your objective. Based on the situation, I'll coordinate with the Public Security Bureau and the Judgment Court to determine your sentence."
"Now's not the time for me to go to prison," Phaga replied. "Besides, if I ever do, it'll be by choice."
He stepped past Miyabi and walked straight toward Misha.
She moved to block him—but Phaga's next words stopped her cold.
"Will the military government take over?"
Miyabi froze. In that brief lapse, Phaga slipped past her.
Misha sensed danger and tried to flee, only to find Nineveh blocking her retreat. Before she could decide what to do, Phaga had already grabbed the back of her collar.
"The road's already paved for you. If you don't know what to do, go ask Yanagi and Lucy," Phaga said, glancing back. "Then find Mrs. Meilin and sign a peace treaty on behalf of the vampire society."
He turned fully, murderous intent blazing in his eyes.
"Don't even think about deceiving me. You absolutely do not want to see me come out of Hollow Zero with Nineveh again."
With that, Phaga stepped onto Nineveh's fan-like palm and drifted away toward Hollow Zero.
The desert stretched on in silence. Under the quiet night sky, a young woman's wails echoed endlessly. From the Outer Ring to Hollow Zero, a thousand miles of yellow sand carried her boundless resentment.
[Hey! You threatened people, so fine—but why grab me?! Aren't I the Pureblood Vampire representative? Why does Meilin get to be the representative?!]
[Damn it! Stupid big brother!]
[Miss Void Hunter! You dumb robot! Save me! Aren't we comrades who went through life and death together?!]
[Hurry up and save me!]
...