Jack was still stunned by everything that had just happened.
That overwhelming surge of power flowing through his veins, the golden energy from the sword coursing through his body—it made him feel more alive than ever before. For the first time, he felt like himself.
But—
He remembered the moment John had stabbed the sword into his chest. A moment of pain… but also, oddly, a moment of release.
What had really happened? Jack frowned, but there was no time to think.
—
BOOM!
The Vampire leader—the one in noble attire—raised his hands and began chanting.
"Lightning Bind!"
From his palms, chains of lightning erupted, snaking through the air and wrapping around Jack's body.
CRACK!
Electricity surged through his muscles, trying to subdue him.
—
The support-type Vampire raised his staff, casting an enchantment toward the archer.
"Flaming Arrow Boost!"
The arrow in the archer's hand ignited, burning with intense heat—enough to pierce steel with ease.
The axe-wielding brute leapt into the air, muscles tensed, preparing for a devastating overhead strike.
All four struck simultaneously.
They had fought together for a long time. Their coordination, their synergy—it was flawless.
This time, they were sure to bring Jack down.
But—
Jack felt everything slow down.
His senses sharpened. Every detail of the battlefield etched itself clearly into his mind.
He could see where the axe would land. The angle of the incoming arrow. The movement of the electric chains.
Jack… was someone completely different now.
"Hmph."
He tensed, muscles bulging, and—
RIP!
The lightning chains exploded into sparks, shredded like threads.
The axe came crashing down—but—
Whoosh!
Jack tilted his body, slipping past the blow with graceful ease, light as a breeze.
And then—the flaming arrow came flying in.
"Too slow."
Jack smirked and swung Last Light.
SLASH!
With a gentle motion, the massive fire arrow collided with the holy sword—and stopped dead.
—
"No way…!" the Vampires gasped.
But before they could react—
Jack shot forward like a golden flash.
His speed was blinding.
The support Vampire hadn't even raised his staff when—
SLASH!
His head flew into the air. His body ignited in holy fire, reduced to ash in seconds.
The hallway fell into dead silence.
Jack raised his sword. His gaze was razor-sharp.
"Who's next?"
Mira stared in disbelief. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Jack—a Vampire—had just saved her?
He, the infamous Butcher, a killer of countless innocents, now stood before her… protecting her from his own kind?
She could feel the golden light surrounding him.
No… this wasn't ordinary light.
It was warm. Powerful. Stunningly beautiful.
Mira had never seen a Vampire like this.
To her, all Vampires had only one color: darkness.
But Jack—he looked like the sun.
John slowly stepped forward, eyes filled with a strange mix of emotions.
He looked at Jack, at the sword in his hand, and muttered almost to himself:
"That light… I've never seen Last Light shine like this…"
"Mira, do you see? That's the final hope of humanity."
"The sword chose him."
Mira frowned.
"The final… hope?"
Those words echoed in her mind, stirring something deep within.
She wouldn't have believed it before. But now, standing before Jack, witnessing this light with her own eyes—she couldn't ignore it.
—
She lowered her gaze, voice barely audible:
"So… the legends are true?"
"The man with the cursed weapon… wandering through the apocalypse…?"
"…And your daughter… the end of the world?"
—
John closed his eyes, his expression distant, as if remembering something from long ago.
"You wouldn't understand, Mira."
"…But one day, you will."
"…Soon, the dawn will come."
—
Mira said nothing more.
She simply watched, her eyes quietly glowing with a hope even she didn't realize.
Two of their comrades were gone. The remaining Vampires howled in rage.
"He killed him!"
"What the hell is that weapon?!"
"Even silver doesn't kill Vampires that fast!"
But Jack didn't care.
He gripped his sword tightly, muscles tense, eyes burning amber like twin blades. He sensed something.
A deadly intent.
The Vampire mage was sweating.
He couldn't understand.
Why… why could a Vampire wield that horrifying weapon?
Why did that light burn his soul?
That feeling… it was the same Jack had felt when standing before John in the bunker.
Absolute fear.
A fear rooted in the primal instincts of every Vampire.
This mage was the leader of their squad, higher in rank than the others. He'd lived long enough to grasp what was happening—
He was smarter. Wiser. And most importantly—
He wasn't a fool.
Stay here and fight Jack?
Not a chance.
Without hesitation, the Vampire interlaced his fingers, chanting rapidly.
Bolts of lightning sparked from his fingertips—
—
BOOM!
A deafening roar.
He poured every last drop of mana into a massive lightning storm.
A furious storm swept through the hall like the wrath of a god.
So fast the other Vampires couldn't react.
Two were caught instantly, their bodies charred black, twitching before dropping dead.
In that split second, the mage acted purely on survival instinct.
Even his own allies hadn't seen it coming.
Normally, high-ranked Vampires knew how to assess danger, how to plan carefully—
And this… was his choice.
Jack sensed the danger instantly.
John and Mira were nearby. If they got hit—they'd die.
No time to think—
Jack dashed toward them at full speed. He stabbed the sword into the ground, bracing himself.
"JOHN! MIRA! BEHIND ME! NOW!!!"
—
John and Mira saw the storm of lightning coming.
They had no other choice. They ran toward Jack—their only remaining shield.
A moment balanced on the edge of death.