Bang!
With a single punch, Naira Sorkin was hurled through the air like a rag doll.
“This… this power!” Naira’s pupils constricted in disbelief. That blow—it carried a force rivaling the True Ancestor. But how? How could a royal achieve this?
Shino stood, his arms outstretched as his form began to contort. Half of his face twisted grotesquely; his hair on that side turned stark white, and his mouth split into a jagged grin.
“Ha ha ha! Shino, let’s show them what we’re capable of!” The warped side of his face sneered with malicious glee.
Naira steadied himself, his breathing shallow but measured. The power radiating from Shino was beyond expectation. Royals were known to inherit nine-tenths of the True Ancestor’s strength, but that missing fragment was what made all the difference. Yet this...
Shino launched himself into the air, his arm erupting into a massive wing of blood. The wing unfurled, slicing the wind as he surged toward the crowd below.
Purple energy erupted from Naira, and the ground trembled as rubble and debris shot upward, propelled like a barrage of bullets toward Shino.
But Shino’s blood wing swept through effortlessly, reducing the flying shards to dust.
“Flame, burn him dizzy!”
The Right Hand soldiers raised their hands in unison. From their palms, tendrils of flame writhed and coiled, merging into a fiery serpent that shot toward Shino.
The fire snake’s maw gaped wide, its searing heat warping the air. Shino’s hair curled and ignited, flames licking at his figure.
This attack was deadly—an undeniable bane to vampires.
But then, Shino’s body began to disintegrate. His flesh melted away, transforming into a flood of blood that surged like a tidal wave toward Naira Sorkin.
Naira’s eyes widened. Blood Gathering!
The realization hit him like a thunderclap. This was the signature move of Faerûn Baji, one of the five original royals.
Splat, splat!
Naira’s skin split apart as countless blood tendrils tore into him, slicing through his flesh with brutal precision. Streams of blood twisted and coiled, gathering behind him to form a humanoid shape.
From the crimson mass emerged Shino, his presence towering, his blood erupting into massive spears that loomed behind him.
Reacting instinctively, Naira released a powerful shockwave, launching himself away just as the blood spears rained down.
The spears tore through the earth, shattering nearby buildings and impaling dozens of Kitsune soldiers. The battlefield was drenched in chaos, bodies strewn amidst the wreckage.
The surviving soldiers retreated, regrouping to maintain a safe distance.
Naira landed atop a skyscraper, injecting two adrenaline shots into his veins. His muscles tensed as his body surged with renewed energy.
“Release the dog!”
Boom!
From the sky descended a hulking blood-red figure—011, the Celestial Beast. It hit the ground with a thunderous crash, then lunged at Shino with feral ferocity.
The beast’s claws shredded Shino’s body, scattering him into pieces.
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Shino’s crimson pupils narrowed. His blood surged, converging into his heart, and his body reassembled almost instantly.
The Celestial Beast charged again, undeterred. Shino’s arms exploded into enormous blades of blood, meeting the beast’s attack head-on.
But the clash was short-lived. With devastating force, the Celestial Beast shattered Shino’s blades. Its jaws closed around Shino’s arm, tearing it clean off.
Shino plummeted to the snow-covered ground. The chill seeped into his battered frame as he lay there for a moment, unmoving.
It was cold.
Shino pushed himself up, the twisted side of his face fading into calm.
“My Blood Energy is running low,” he muttered, wiping the blood from his mouth. His severed arm regenerated, though his movements were slower, his strength waning.
“Let’s go.”
The voice in his head urged, but Shino’s reply was terse. “Too much talk.”
The Celestial Beast roared, leaping toward him like a rabid wolf. Its claws slashed at Shino’s arms, tearing into his flesh before a savage kick sent him hurtling backward.
Bang!
Shino hit the ground hard, skidding across the snow.
The Celestial Beast licked the blood from its claws, its eyes gleaming with hunger. With a guttural growl, it charged again, unrelenting in its assault.
Shino gritted his teeth, summoning strength from somewhere deep within. A skeletal arm sprouted from his severed shoulder, jagged and incomplete. He raised it, defiance burning in his gaze, but the Celestial Beast’s claws shattered it instantly.
The next moment, the beast unleashed a feral barrage of blows, each strike more relentless than the last. Shino’s battered form buckled under the assault.
Naira Sorkin, bloodied and trembling, struggled to his feet. “Damn… nearly got taken out by a prince. My mental power… nowhere near enough…”
Nearby, Ye Long watched in horror as the Celestial Beast pummeled Shino. His fists clenched, nails digging into his palms. Then, with a guttural growl, his body began to change. Scales erupted along his arms, his figure twisting. In the blink of an eye, Ye Long vanished from sight.
Swish!
Ye Long’s blurred form appeared before the Celestial Beast. His leg lashed out in a fierce kick, but the beast’s reflexes were monstrous.
The Celestial Beast caught Ye Long’s leg mid-strike and hurled him like a broken toy.
Bang!
Ye Long’s body slammed into a wall, the impact forcing a spray of blood from his mouth. “Cough… that strength… easily Third Step…”
The battlefield froze for a heartbeat. The Celestial Beast halted, as if bound by some unseen force. Even Ye Long, battered and heaving, sensed the change.
Without hesitation, he dropped Pandora’s Box. In a flash, he appeared before Shino, hoisting his companion onto his shoulders. His Fish-Man speed turned him into a blur, flickering past the stunned Kitsune soldiers and disappearing into the night.
The Celestial Beast’s stillness shattered as it tore free from the black hand’s influence. Thorns erupted from its skin, rage boiling in its eyes.
But Naira Sorkin stepped forward, trembling but resolute, placing a restraining hand on the beast. “Don’t… don’t go into hunting mode. The nightmare isn’t here…”
The Celestial Beast growled, displeased, yet withdrew its thorns.
“What a waste,” it muttered, turning its gaze toward the horizon.
...
By the time Ye Long reached the southern bay, his body was trembling with exhaustion. The area was teeming with Fish-Men, their odd forms watching warily from the shadows. Finally, Ye Long collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.
Shino lay beside him, staring blankly at the heavens, his expression unreadable.
Moments passed in silence, broken only by Ye Long suddenly gripping Shino’s collar, shaking him violently.
“You idiot!” he snarled. “You charged straight at the Kitsune! Do you have a death wish?”
Shino’s gaze, calm and detached, met Ye Long’s. That piercing look drained the fury from Ye Long’s voice. He sighed, releasing his grip.
“Forget it…”
As the scales on Ye Long’s body faded, he pulled out a crumpled cigarette. He lit it, letting the smoke curl into the frosty air before offering another to Shino.
“Want one?”
Shino didn’t respond, his hand slowly rising toward the sky. Snowflakes danced in the air, landing gently on his outstretched palm.
Ye Long took a long drag, breaking the silence. “There’s no such thing as shared grief,” he muttered. “I won’t try to comfort you. How could I? I don’t understand what you’re feeling.”
He exhaled a cloud of smoke. “But if it were me… I’d have lost my mind by now.”
He paused, his voice thick with emotion. “My mother is my last family in this world. I’ll protect her, no matter what it takes.”
Shino slowly sat upright, his voice barely above a whisper. “Who was that man?”
Ye Long frowned. “Which one?”
“The one with the box,” Shino clarified, his tone cold.
Ye Long’s eyes narrowed in thought. “You mean the guy from the Serpent’s Hand?”
Shino nodded faintly.
“If you’re thinking about revenge, don’t be reckless,” Ye Long warned. “The Serpent’s Hand has Ancient Artifacts, more than you’d think. They’re no small-time operation.”
Thump. Thump.
Footsteps echoed from behind them. Both men turned sharply, their bodies tense.
An old Fish-Man Priest emerged from the shadows, his hunched form clutching a frog-skin book. His wide, unblinking eyes fixed on Shino.
“You are Shino?” the Priest rasped.
Shino turned, his body stiffening as a voice boomed from the sea itself. The sound was immense, reverberating through the air and shaking his very soul.
“Long time no see, little brother.”