The scarlet blade comes swinging down toward Hakuto—aimed straight at his chest. But then...
—CLANG!
...a sharp metallic sound cuts through the night.
«What the...?!» Itzu mutters, eyes wide with disbelief.
The rapier stops mid-air—blocked by a sword. But not just any sword—it's massive, with a blade that looks like it's made of diamond, wrapped in glowing white flames.
That sword—now in Hakuto's right hand—hadn't been there a second ago. It just appeared. Even his arm is armored in the same crystal-like material, from wrist to shoulder. His right eye—hazel before—is now pure white and glowing, as if fire were burning inside it too.
Rika and Yuzu snap out of their daze, paralyzed with shock.
Not even Itzu can believe what he's seeing—he jumps back, a nervous grin spreading across his face.
«I never imagined you had the Sacred Flame. I thought I'd be the one surprising you—but you flipped the whole thing!»
Hakuto doesn't respond. His face is dead serious, his eyes locked on Itzu.
White flames burst from his body, trailing behind like a comet as he charges.
Itzu counters, unleashing a surge of crimson energy.
Hakuto's sword crashes down—fast and powerful.
Itzu just barely intercepts the strike.
He blocks it with great effort—his feet sink into the floor from the impact. The blade stops inches from his head.
Itzu counters with a direct thrust, but Hakuto dodges with a quick sidestep.
A split second later, Hakuto's flying kick slams into Itzu's stomach and sends him crashing backward.
The fight explodes into the garden.
They move so fast it's hard to follow.
Blades clash again and again, white and red light bursting with each strike.
Trees are ripped up.
The noise is deafening—but no one beyond the massive garden hears a thing.
«Unlike your stepsisters, you really did a great job hiding that power. I didn't suspect a thing! Still, I'm glad… it's been forever since I had this much fun!» Itzu shouts, launching rapid thrusts.
Hakuto stays silent, surrounded by white flames.
He dodges and parries every strike with incredible agility—the diamond-like armor doesn't slow him down one bit.
The battle rages on—perfectly balanced.
Itzu's fast—but Hakuto's faster.
The vampire stretches out his left arm.
His palm faces Hakuto.
A wound opens on it and solid blood shoots out as thin, sharp shards, like a rain of scarlet needles.
Hakuto swings his sword.
The air blast that follows cuts forward like a blade of wind.
It shreds the red, needle-like rain instantly.
Itzu dodges the wind blade by a hair's breadth, but Hakuto is already on him.
Then Hakuto finds an opening—a deep diagonal slash from thigh to shoulder.
«D-Damn it…» Itzu growls, clutching his side as blood gushes out.
The red sword in his hand dissolves into crimson smoke, just like the aura that once surrounded him.
Hakuto dashes forward, sword raised to finish it. When...
—FLASH!
A blinding red burst of energy.
When the light fades, only a few drops of blood remain where Itzu stood. He's completely vanished.
♡♡♡
«We need to talk,» Hakuto says, his voice sharp and serious.
The flames vanish, but the sword remains—pointed at Yuzu and Rika. They're still on the floor, paralyzed with shock.
«So... you're demons.»
«H-Half-demons, actually...» Rika clarifies.
She tries to sound confident, but it doesn't hide her fear.
«Our mom, Kagura, is a demon—a succubus. And our dad was a vampire. He died fourteen years ago.»
«A vampire and a succubus...» Hakuto repeats. «I didn't even know that pairing could have kids.»
«It's not,» Rika states. «That's why we ran from N'raeth—our world. That's why that vampire tried to capture us. Yuzu and I... we're anomalies. We shouldn't even exist. We carry both vampire and succubus power. To them, we're lab rats. Tools. Nothing else.»
Hakuto sighs. His sword vanishes into thin air, just as he summoned it.
Rika gets up unsteadily and steps back from Hakuto. Then she points at him with an accusing finger.
«Y-You... that power—the Sacred Flame. It's dormant magic in humans. If you can use it... you're a Monster Reaper from HESPARC?!»
The moment she speaks, Rika jumps back—and Yuzu does the same. Black, bat-like wings burst from their backs, their eyes glowing red. A faint aura wraps around them—blood red for Yuzu, purple for Rika.
Both drop into fighting stances. They look poised to attack.
«My dad and I are out of that stuff. No need to freak out,» Hakuto explains, raising his hands. «If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have saved you from Itzu. Right? Honestly, if that's your best, I could still take you both out in a second—without breaking a sweat. Right now, I'm stronger than that vampire—and he's way above you two.»
«Y-Yeah... you're probably right...» Rika mumbles. Her body shifts back to normal. Yuzu changes right after.
«W-Wait... you and your dad?! Shin's a Monster Reaper too?! And he's out there—alone—with my mom?!» Yuzu yells, panic written all over her face.
«Like I said, we're not with HESPARC anymore. Technically, I never was. My dad got kicked out when I was just a baby and never told me why. Back then he was the strongest Monster Reaper in the world. Now we're just two regular guys living in a tiny Tokyo apartment—or at least we were, until last week,» Hakuto admits.
He doesn't even sound convinced by his own words. He can't believe this is all just a coincidence. No way Shin knows nothing. By now, he's sure his dad's behind all of it.
That marriage with Kagura isn't a love story—if it's even real. He's starting to doubt that too.
Rika picks up on it right away.
«I'm sure Mom had her reasons for hiding things. Probably why they got married so suddenly without telling us... Honestly, I'm almost relieved it's just a cover. I never understood why she'd marry someone like him. Or at least, that's what I want to believe. It'd be crazy if all this was just a coincidence...»
«Sweet as always...» Hakuto mutters.
She couldn't even say thanks... right after I saved her life.
«So now what...? Do we call Mom and Shin and ask what's going on...?» Yuzu asks, collapsing onto the couch.
She's just starting to calm down.
«No,» Hakuto replies. «My idiot dad kept me in the dark—even with how serious this all is. We were lucky only one guy showed up. I'll return the favor for his little stunt.»