Sssshhhhhhh~

The sound slithered across the ruined streets like a serpent dragging its burning tail. Ash drifted through the air in lazy spirals, glowing as it caught the reflection of the distant inferno.

Essa and the others looked at the glowing yellow flames that devoured everything as it slowly moved toward them. The heat kissed their skin from afar, not enough to hurt yet, but enough to warn them that it would swallow the whole world if left unchecked.

"I… I forgot this," Essa muttered with slight disgruntlement as she looked at Azrael, who had come down from the building, as she said with a serious face, "It's not only here. The whole province was surrounded by the flames and slowly approaching the middle."

Everyone's face turned dreadful. The creeping fire cast their silhouettes long and distorted, as if the flames were pulling at their souls.

"What should we do? We are really trapped inside this… no way out. Either face the monsters or get burned by the flames," Azrael muttered with an annoyed and worried tone.

Raphael shrugged, "Well, what else then? Let's go and help Leo." She turned to leave, but Azrael caught her hand. "He needed his time to execute his plan, right?"

Raphael gave her a single glare, "So what? What should we do now? We don't have other options, do we? It's a dead end either way."

Everyone bit their lips. Valra added, "I think we should just fight with him… we don't have a choice… the relic trapped us the moment we entered…"

Azrael looked at Ophis, who was still unconscious. If she had been even a little awake, she would have taken them out of here, but… talk about their fate.

She brushed a strand of hair from Ophis's cheek, her expression softening for a second before hardening again.

Azrael then turned to the middle of the province, where the fighting was going on… she clenched her fist. "Well then, let's go back," she said with a tired tone.

Everyone nodded as they walked back again.

Meanwhile,

Dracula's body had fully grown back as he glanced at Leo, who was looking at him with curious eyes. "What?"

A faint trail of smoke rose from the last remnants of his regeneration, his muscles knitting cleanly under pale skin.

"Well, how did you manage to bring back your clothes? I am curious," Leo muttered with a curious tone. "It's not like your clothes too grew back, right?"

He tilted his head, genuinely puzzled, as if clothing regeneration was the real mystery compared to everything else happening.

Dracula gave Leo a dead glare. Leo awkwardly scratched his head before turning to Camazotz, who was hovering in the sky, not moving an inch.

"Looks like he is really under the relic's control," Dracula muttered with slight curiosity, seeing the relic actually be the one controlling Camazotz. Otherwise, why the hell would that bastard just hover there in silence?

Dracula glanced at Leo. "Remember, we are only doing this because of that bitch. Otherwise, I would be slitting your throat right now." His eyes glowed dangerously.

Leo nodded, "Yeah, yeah… I know. I too would be cutting you into pieces right now," he said as he tightened his sword grip with a dangerous expression before saying, "Are you ready?"

Their hostility was mutual!

Dracula clicked his tongue before saying, "I should be the one asking that… Are you ready, pathetic human?!"

Veins popped on Leo's forehead, but he controlled himself before nodding… Dracula's wings spread as he flew toward Camazotz.

Leo blankly stared at Dracula's back… a wicked smile appeared on his face, "Pathetic human, you say… Hm…" he hummed softly as his eyes scanned the area with serious intent.

Meanwhile, Camazotz, who was holding the metal rope in his hand that connected to the relic, his hollow socket eyes flinched when he saw a figure shooting toward it.

"KKKYYRRRR!!"

He houted before extending its claws and shooting toward him. Dracula's hand raised as he summoned the blood hammer, slammed it into his hand, but the blood only splattered, not the Camazotz's hand.

Dracula for a second, was surprised before the claws almost scratched his chest, but he flew back before his hands were covered in crimson lightning as he raised his hand, shooting again and again at the Camazotz.

"GRLLL!"

Camazotz's body trembled as black sludge fell from his body from the lightning before diving down as he disappeared——and appeared behind Dracula.

His claw cut off Dracula's hand. Dracula tried to react to it, but Camazotz was fast again. Dracula couldn't react to him as he kept struggling to keep up the speed, and his body was covered in wounds.

But still, he noticed something: the relic that Camazotz was holding through the rope actually moved a little bit slower than him, which was enough to make it easier to find him and the next place where Camazotz appeared with big claws ready to cut him half again when—

Spark!

The huge, sparking red crimson hurled to the place where Camazotz appeared and hit his body furiously.

The impact shook the street, ripping chunks of stone and dust into the air.

THUNNNKKK!

"KYYRRR!"

Camazotz screamed before his wings fluttered even more furiously as he caught Dracula's hand instantly. Even though lightning hurt his body, he caught it and twisted it in a weird direction.

The bones crackled like dry branches.

"ARRHH!!!"

Dracula screamed before he could do anything. Camazotz twisted his arm and gave a full swing of a kick that slammed him into a nearby building, cracking through it before hitting and stopping a few streets away. Debris rained down around him, the ground shaking from the brutal impact.

Camazotz smirked through the hole Dracula created. Dracula spat crimson blood that had patches of darkness.

He clenched his side, where he looked at the hip, where the blackness was spreading like a virus.

He clenched his fist, "I don't have time," he muttered before shooting through the hole and appearing back on the same street, raising his hand as three magic circles appeared at the same time.

The circles spun like bloody gears in the air!

And numerous blood weapons started to appear from his blood before shooting toward the Camazotz with full power. Swords, spears, chains, daggers—all forged from blood—ripped forward in a storm of crimson fury.

However, Camazotz simply moved, his wings beating faster as he flowed in the fight. Barely any weapons grazed him, and even those that hit his body dissolved immediately.

Dracula gritted his teeth as he raised his hand to the sky, muttering,

^Blood Avalanche^

Suddenly, a swarm of bloody needles swirled around the Camazotz and pierced his body. Even though they melted the moment they touched him, some of them pierced his body.

Camazotz growled furiously, as his throat elongated, the mana swirled around his throat before—

KKKYYYYY!!

The bloody needles were blasted away by the sonic force. Camazotz leapt forward, his mouth widened, ready to devour Dracula's body, but then…

Tang!

His body halted in the middle of movement, not by himself, but something caught his entire body… he looked down and… saw the metal chain that he used to hold the relic was actually wrapped around him like a tight rope.

His body fell down on the ground!

Dracula smirked, "That's the difference between a mongrel and the King of Vampires!" As he snapped his finger, "Useless human, I have done my part—now it's yours!"

His voice dripped arrogance.

Clang… Clang…

Just then, a metal scraping sound echoed. It rang from above, from the collapsed concrete floors.

Then, suddenly, a metal rope shot toward Camazotz's relic... the relic that was barely sticking out from Camazotz's tightly roped body and caught him.

The rope snapped tight with a violent jerk!

Leo smirked, standing on top of a sports car before diving back into the engine and—His eyes narrowed, his grin sharpened, and his whole body dropped into the driver's seat in one smooth, predatory motion. His hand gripped the wheel. His foot slammed the clutch.

SSSNNNNGGGG!!!

A car roared to life before running faster. The tyres shrieked, smoke blasting out as Leo shifted gear with a heavy, confident pull. The engine snarled.

They weren't on a street. They were on the fourth floor of a partially collapsed office building—the car perched on cracked concrete, half hanging over a ruined drop.

Leo didn't hesitate.

He pulled the wheel left, then sharply right, forcing the car's weight to swing. The cracked floor groaned. Camazotz's claws carved trenches into the concrete as he tried to dig in.

But Leo grinned wider, pressing the accelerator.

The asphalt tore under his claws as Leo accelerated, sparks exploding behind the tyres.

The whole building vibrated before the floor snapped—

CRRRRRRRRAAAACK!!

The car fell.

Gravity yanked them downward as the entire vehicle dropped through the collapsing floor. Dust exploded into a cloud. Leo's hair whipped around from the wind pressure as he shifted gears mid-fall, the engine screaming with him.

Camazotz slammed face-first into pillars and support beams on the way down, the rope snapping him from side to side like a rag doll.

Dracula followed them.

The car turned sharply right as it rolled, hit everything, and slammed into the building. Camazotz couldn't even react, as his face kept hitting and barely could process.

The rope twisted and trembled as he hit the walls and roads that made his face smash and scream. The black sticky liquid splashed and…Every impact sent shockwaves through his monstrous body—joints cracking, wings flailing, throat rumbling with pain and rage he couldn't voice fast enough.

The relic rolled to the side alley due to the force before a rope caught it.

The car zoomed faster toward… the Fuel Bank, where the petrols, diesel, every type of flammable liquid actually flowed out as if someone purposefully turned on them all as they spread around the bank.

Dracula smirked, "Not bad… for a mongrel," as he turned the corner and looked at the fuel bank.

"However…" he muttered before raising his hand as a red knife appeared, his face turned twisted wicked, "…I don't like working with mongrels like you… You shouldn't trust your enemies… no matter who it is. Ahahahaha! Enemy's enemy is friend… my ass! Hahaha!" he said with a wicked tone before yanking the knife that shot and zoomed toward the car before—

Thud!

Hitting the back tyre… the car screeched as the speed and tyre got hit by the knife. The car lost its control before twisting and screeching before rolling down.

Thuck!

Thuck!

Thuck!

Thuck!

The rope attached to Camazotz rolled as it pulled closer to the car before the car's top metal hit the ground, causing a spark right before hitting the fuel bank!

That spark was all the world needed!!

BOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!

A loud burst of force shot forward and a huge mushroom blast appeared…The fire erupted upward like a blooming god-flower of gold and crimson. The city shook under its roar.

Dracula almost flew by the force of the blast… more forceful than he expected… even those who were walking back saw the golden mushroom and blast force. The shockwave tore through buildings, shredded air, and drowned the city in golden flames that swallowed the sky.

Their faces turned pale.

"Leo."

They all muttered only one name in unison.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.