Gazing at the Black drifting in the air, barely maintaining control of his body, Phaga narrowed his eyes and pushed the blade's hilt. The giant mecha immediately began to move.
The hovering cars weren't idle either. They surged forward—faster than the mech—before unleashing more than a dozen Ether lasers at once.
Boom!
The barrage swept downward, instantly shaving an entire floor off the teaching building. With a thunderous crash, the structure collapsed, thick black smoke billowing upward.
Did it hit?
Phaga's heart tightened.
He didn't expect a mere dozen Ether lasers to kill Black outright—only to land a clean hit, then wear him down. As long as Black couldn't consume ether to recover, Phaga could eventually finish him.
But the next second, Phaga's eyes widened.
A dark figure burst out of the smoke at terrifying speed.
Missed?
Phaga raised a brow, looking more closely.
Yes—he'd missed.
But Black had lost half a wing.
At the very last moment, he had blown off his own wing, using the massive recoil—and the remaining stump—to adjust his trajectory and hurl himself toward Phaga like a missile.
But…
Phaga narrowed his eyes, doubts forming.
With a wing severed, his aerial mobility was crippled. Why would he still forcefully propel himself forward like this? What was he aiming for?
But Phaga quickly nodded to himself, his gaze turning fierce.
Vampires excel at prolonged combat—so long as they can replenish blood.
Black imitated vampires, yet his essence remained Ethereal. His recovery was fueled by Ethereal as well. Inside the Hollow, his endurance was horrifying.
But Phaga didn't have that luxury.
In this Doppelgänger Hollow, where would he find humans to feed on?
(They're fighting—there's no chance he can see the Cunning Hares down below.)
If this dragged on, Phaga would eventually be overwhelmed.
So Phaga steeled his resolve.
Whatever Black's plan was, Phaga had to seize the chance to unleash everything at once—to crush him here and now.
This once-in-a-lifetime opening—Phaga had to take it.
He raised the hilt of his blade, flicking it backward. Dozens of hovering vehicles transformed into floating cannons, Ether crystals at their fronts charging with power—
Boom!
Hundreds of Ether lasers fired in sequence, predicting Black's path, streaking toward him one after another.
[So that's your plan?]
Seeing the rapid volleys, Black instantly understood Phaga's intent. His lips curled upward.
If that's the case, then let's give the Creator a little vampire-style surprise.
His remaining wing detonated. Ether Substance scattered through the air like flecks of ash.
The recoil flung him sideways like a discarded doll, sending him crashing into a hovering car and denting its roof deeply.
[That really hurts!]
Black rubbed his forehead as he climbed up, complaining aloud even as his gaze stayed locked on Phaga in the cockpit—never leaving him for a second.
Suddenly, a flicker in the corner of his eye—an Ether laser barreled toward him.
[Heh. Interesting.]
Veins bulged along his calf. Black stomped hard, carving a deep crater into the car roof. Using the force, he launched himself like a cannonball onto another car.
Only after he vanished did the Ether laser pierce through the vehicle he had stood on.
Boom!
Another stomp—another leap. Black evaded the beams while propelling himself forward again, closing the distance to Phaga.
"Tsk."
Phaga clicked his tongue, lifted the blade hilt, and swung.
Dozens of Ether lasers fired in a focused barrage.
Black stomped again, leaping high.
At that moment, Phaga's eyes lit up.
Got you.
The hovering vehicles—still charging—abruptly released their power. Ropes attached to their trunks snapped taut as the cars whipped through the air like meteor hammers, hurtling toward Black in a crushing swarm.
Die!
Phaga's grip tightened on the hilt, the impact of the command feeling heavy and decisive.
But anger and willpower alone don't kill an enemy.
The enemy also thinks. The enemy also reacts at the brink of death.
Black bared his teeth in a grin. Floating calmly mid-air, he raised a hand.
The scattered Ether Substance from his blown wings suddenly ignited into flames, shooting forward like bullets.
In an instant, every car about to slam into him was pierced clean through. Like kites with their strings cut, they drifted downward helplessly.
Black dropped onto yet another vehicle.
He lifted his head proudly, as if announcing:
Creator, I predicted your attack.
But the moment the vehicles parted, a massive iron fist came crashing straight toward him.
The giant mechanical hand clenched into a tight fist, the force behind it immense enough to shake mountains.
Black's eyes bulged as the fist neared.
This—you didn't predict.
At the last possible moment, Black punched his own abdomen, tearing open a hole. He immediately thrust his claws inside.
Moments later, he ripped out a sticky, dripping mass—drop… drop…
[The most primordial Ether Substance in my body… I really didn't want to use this.]
[But since the enemy is the Creator—if I don't take this seriously, I really will die.]
Chuckling darkly, Black flicked his hand, sending the viscous substance flying like splattered ink.
Before it traveled far, it ignited—turning into flame. The iron fist meeting it melted instantly into flowing metal, dropping straight down.
[Heh heh heh!]
Black laughed wildly.
[Didn't expect that, did you, Creator? Vampires can even throw their own organs as a last-ditch move!]
"Indeed. I didn't."
A quiet voice whispered beside his ear.
Black's laughter froze. He stared toward the cockpit—
The Creator… wasn't there.
Eh—
He looked down, eyes wide.
A long blade had pierced straight through his chest.
The once-silver blade was now coated with purple Ether Substance.
"Looks like I had the advantage after all."
Phaga stood behind him, grabbing his neck before he could react, kicking his leg out from under him and forcing him to kneel.
Tilting his head, Phaga drew the blade out, pressing it against Black's neck.
"After all, I wasn't raised among vampires. I don't know most of their abilities."
"But how do you know all this—and why is it so disgusting?"
[Disgusting? It's a survival technique!]
With his throat constricted, Black struggled to speak.
[The vampire clan is strong. They care about appearances. But Creator—do you really think fancy moves have killing power?]
[It's always the simple techniques that are hardest to counter. These are skills I learned while being besieged by thousands!]
"I see. Thanks for the lesson."
Phaga nodded—genuinely agreeing.
But his hands didn't pause.
The blade slit Black's throat in one clean stroke.
The head tumbled to the ground.
The light faded from his eyes.
Execution complete. It was over.
Watching Black's body fade into nothingness, dissolving into drifting Ether motes, Phaga exhaled deeply.
A close call. At least he hadn't let him devour Ethereal and regenerate.
"Finally… let's go home."
Phaga stretched comfortably, looking up at the morning sun—gentle, bright, dazzling,
but not harsh.
"It's… not so bad after all… huh—"
Suddenly, Phaga's eyes went wide as he stared down at his abdomen.
A silver spear had pierced through him from behind.
Instinctively grabbing the spear tip, he turned in shock and fury—
Just in time to see the Thracian he had long forgotten about floating there.
It had skewered him clean through, then calmly lifted Black's head and body, reverently fitting the head back onto the torso.
Then, before Phaga's stunned eyes—
The Thracian ripped off its own arm, threw it to the ground, crushed it underfoot, and fed the remains into Black's mouth.
Instantly, Black's eyes lit up. The drifting Ether motes halted, reversing course and pouring back into his body.
The next moment, Black tilted his head with a smile.
[My apologies, Creator. But this round… seems to be mine.]