At night, under the moonlight, US-9 stretched into the distance. The woods on both sides rustled in the breeze, and occasionally the sound of insects could be heard.
Tracy and Daly—brother and sister—sat slumped not far from the burning wreckage of their car, their lungs burning with pain and their legs weak with fear.
"He… he's gone?"
Daly's voice was hoarse as he stared down the road.
Tracy didn't answer.
Her gaze was fixed ahead—the rusty truck slowly backed up and stopped on the shoulder, not far from the car wreckage.
The engine shut off, and the world fell into a brief silence.
Then, with a creak, the cab door swung open.
A tall, black-clad figure stepped out, his leather boots crunching dead branches underfoot.
He wore a grimy fedora, and beneath its brim, half of his bluish-gray face was faintly visible: dry lips, a hooked nose, and a pair of eyes that glowed with an eerie yellow light in the dark.
His worn leather coat hung heavily on his frame, its hem stained with dark brown splotches that looked like dried blood.
The figure turned and walked toward the truck's cargo compartment. He yanked the iron door open.
Crash—
Several human-shaped figures wrapped in white cloth tumbled out and hit the ground with a heavy thud.
One corner of the fabric unfurled, revealing half of a purple-tinged arm—fingers curled inward, dirt packed beneath the nails.
The dark figure bent down, grabbed the body like refuse, and tossed it back into the truck.
Bang…
Then he pulled a massive axe from the compartment. The blade was rusted, yet its jagged edge still gleamed faintly. The handle was wrapped in grimy bandages, with a few strands of dry hair dangling from the end.
"Run!"
Tracy forced the scream from her throat.
At the sound, Daly instinctively grabbed Tracy and bolted into the woods.
Clatter…
The siblings staggered as they ran. Dead branches whipped their faces; the mud beneath their feet was slick, and every step felt like walking on cotton. The crash had left their bodies sluggish, as if filled with lead.
"Is he chasing us?"
Daly gasped, too terrified to look back.
Tracy glanced over her shoulder—and her blood turned to ice.
Sizzle… sizzle…
The monster was striding toward them, dragging the axe behind him, its blade scraping the earth with a harsh metallic screech.
In the mingled glow of moonlight and car flames, they finally saw his face clearly:
His skin resembled cracked, desiccated bark, riddled with sores and pustules. His mouth stretched ear to ear, revealing rows of jagged fangs. His yellow eyes held no trace of humanity—only turbid, beast-like vertical pupils.
"Run!"
Tracy roared, shoving Daly forward as her pace quickened.
But they were still too slow.
The creature suddenly lunged, dropping onto all fours and sprinting toward them in a grotesque, twisted gait, a low, guttural growl rumbling in its throat.
"Tracy, what do we do?!" Daly cried in despair.
Tracy gritted her teeth, then stopped abruptly. She spun around and planted herself in front of her brother.
"Daly, run! Don't look back!"
"No! I can't leave you—"
"Run!"
She snatched a stone from the ground and hurled it at the monster with all her strength, shouting:
"Come on, you disgusting bastard!"
Bang!
The stone struck the creature's chest—but it was like hitting rotten wood. The monster didn't even flinch.
Worse—it ignored Tracy completely and charged straight for Daly.
"Daly—!"
Tracy's scream tore through the night.
Clang—!
Daly froze as the monster leapt into the air, axe raised high—
BOOM—!
A blazing flame suddenly erupted from the depths of the woods and struck the monster's chest like a meteorite!
"ROAR—!"
"CRACK!"
The monster let out a shrill howl, its body flying backward like a ragdoll and slamming hard into a tree. The trunk shattered instantly, and splinters shot out in all directions like bullets.
Daly slumped to the ground, a cut on his face from the flying wood chips, and stared blankly at the source of the fire.
A man stepped slowly from the shadows of the woods.
He was tall and slender, clad in a black-and-red leather windbreaker. The hem of his coat fluttered with each step like a burning flame.
His long, blood-red hair was tied into a ponytail, the ends slightly curled and gleaming with a metallic luster in the firelight.
The most striking feature was the massive two-handed sword in his grip—gorgeous and exaggerated, wreathed in blazing black-and-red flames that warped the air around it.
Tracy stumbled over to her brother and threw her arms around Daly, her voice trembling with relief:
"Daly—! Thank God! You're okay!"
She looked up at Diluc, her eyes brimming with gratitude, and said:
"Thank you, sir. Thank you so much! If it weren't for you—"
Diluc gave no reply. He simply walked past them, his windbreaker rustling in the night breeze.
His gaze remained fixed ahead as he spoke in a low, cold voice:
"Stand back."
Only then did Tracy and Daly notice that the monster—hurled away by the initial blast—was slowly dragging itself upright.
Its chest was charred black, its skin peeling like cracked bark to reveal writhing, raw flesh beneath.
"Chuckle…"
The creature locked eyes with Diluc, its yellow, slit-like pupils burning with a mix of rage and fear. A low, guttural growl rumbled from its throat.
It tightened its grip on the massive axe, its knuckles popping with a bone-crunching crackle.
"ROAR—!"
With a sudden lunge, the monster sprang forward, swinging the huge axe in a vicious arc that tore through the air and came crashing down toward Diluc's head with a gust of blood-scented wind!
Diluc's eyes flashed. In one fluid motion, he raised the Blackrock Blade and held it horizontally before him.
"CLANG!"
The clash of metal was deafening—sparks exploded in every direction. The monster's bulging muscles strained as it pressed the axe down inch by inch, trying to crush Diluc beneath its weight.
"Hrrah—!"
But Diluc didn't budge. With a sharp flick of his wrist, his blade erupted in roaring flames!
"Get out of here!"
"BOOM—!"
A torrent of fire surged along the blade like a furious dragon. The monster was hurled backward by the blast, crashing into a dead tree with bone-shattering force.
It barely managed to stagger to its feet—when Diluc appeared before it like a phantom, the Blackrock Slasher carving a crimson arc through the night!
"PFFFT!"
The flaming blade sliced across the monster's belly, spraying a foul puff of black blood and filling the air with the stench of charred flesh.
"ROAR—!"
Howling in agony, the beast stumbled back—but before it could steady itself, Diluc's second strike landed!
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!"
Flames and steel became one. Diluc's assault was a storm—relentless, precise, and devastating.
The monster swung its axe desperately to block, but it was utterly overwhelmed by Diluc's power.
Its flesh sizzled under the inferno, and thick, noxious smoke coiled from its wounds.
"ROAR—!"
The creature screamed in pain—and for the first time, pure terror flickered in its vertical pupils.