"Huff… huff…"
The man's breathing was ragged. One hand clutched his chest, where arcs of electricity still crackled, while the other gripped the back collar of a ball-shaped figure, dragging it forward step by step.
At last, his legs gave out. With a dull thud, he dropped to one knee.
Fortunately, the sand beneath him was soft, and he wasn't injured.
Lowering his head, he checked his palm. The skin had been scraped open by accident, a few beads of blood seeping out. Compared to the injuries covering the rest of his body, it was hardly worth mentioning.
His thigh, however, was another matter.
The pain was so intense it felt as though tens of thousands of needles were stabbing into it all at once. Beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolled down his forehead, his face twisted into a frightening grimace.
He looked ahead at the Cinder Lake, then back at the ball-shaped thing in his hand.
For a moment, hesitation crept into his eyes, as if he were weighing whether to abandon it here.
But the next second, he clenched his teeth hard, as though having made up his mind. His gaze sharpened, resolute and bright, and he forced himself to stand, enduring the pain and exhaustion by sheer will.
Step.
Kovei took one stride forward.
Suddenly, an irresistible wave of drowsiness surged into his mind. It was as if all the world's fatigue had crashed down on him at once. His right hand loosened, losing its grip on the ball, and his limbs went slack as he pitched forward—
No. He didn't fall.
Before he could hit the ground, through his blurred vision he saw a half-transparent, ethereal figure catch him and hold him in its arms.
"Kovei, you're late."
Almost at the same instant, another emotionless voice sounded from behind the apparition.
Soon after, a man wrapped completely in clothing stepped out from behind it, a rope looped around his hand.
The other end of the rope was tied to a scrapped mechanical body. Sparks crackled across it nonstop, black smoke pouring out from every part.
Hearing his name, Kovei—cradled in the ethereal's arms—frowned unwillingly. It took him a long while before he finally forced his eyes open.
His vision was blurred, but even if Kovei were suffering from dementia, even if his brain had been dunked into a toilet and stirred around, he would never forget that cold, machine-like voice.
After a long pause, Kovei stubbornly pushed himself up from the ethereal's embrace. With what little strength he'd regained, he bit down hard on the tip of his tongue.
A jolt of sharp pain snapped his mind awake. He shook his head and spoke weakly:
"I ran into a bit of trouble on my side… What about you? Did you deal with that Wolf Thiren?"
"No."
Bern shook his head and took out his phone.
Now that everyone was here, they could call over the backup vehicle.
"And you've got the nerve to complain about me? Two-on-one with the Sacrifice, and you still couldn't beat Lycaon."
Kovei curled his lips, his words laced with mockery.
"Hey, did you get the data? If the Black Sacrifice can't be recovered, then all our work these past few days will have been for nothing."
"Relax. I don't need you lecturing me." Bern replied calmly. "There's a spatial rift at the bottom of the Cinder Lake. Phaga finished it off, but because of the Hollow, the Black Sacrifice can still be salvaged."
As he spoke, the roar of an engine shattered the stillness of the night. Lights appeared at the far end of the road.
Before long, a stretch Lincoln came racing over without a driver, then slowed and came to a smooth stop in front of Bern.
"Besides, the reason I lost was because I never expected Khors to jump into the fight halfway through. I didn't think that letting him escape back then would actually let him amount to something."
"But that level of 'achievement'… we don't care—tsk!"
Bern suddenly clicked his tongue. Beneath the hood, pain flickered across his face.
Hearing this, Kovei turned his head and saw Bern's left hand, hanging on the car's door handle, trembling uncontrollably. His brows knit together at once.
"And you still say you don't care?"
You're in this state and you're still belittling Khors?
"…I just overused my power a bit. I'm tired, that's all."
Bern stubbornly held to his stance, lowering his head. "If I could just take a bite out of you, the pain would go away."
With that, Bern swung his long leg into the driver's seat, dragged the Black Sacrifice in after him and shoved it into the passenger seat, then slammed the door shut with a heavy bang.
Beep—beep—
The horn sounded. Bern suddenly switched the headlights from low beam to high beam, making Kovei squint in pain.
"Get in. Stop dragging your feet. Once we're back in the city, we still have work to do."
Sigh…
Kovei sighed and slapped his forehead, then suddenly sensed something and turned back to look.
On the far side of the Cinder Lake, the blazing sun was already peeking over the horizon, its rim edged in gold. It wouldn't be long before it fully revealed its imposing presence.
Look at it.
Doesn't it look just like the boss who's going to make you work overtime tomorrow?
...
Ring—ring—
Ring—ring—
The noise echoed by her ears. Ellen shifted uncomfortably, curling her knees and pulling her cute little feet—so soft they seemed to bite at the air—under the covers. She tugged the blanket over her head.
But even that couldn't stop the alarm clock. Like a fly that would squeeze into any crack it could find, it buzzed relentlessly, tormenting Ellen until her entire little face scrunched up.
Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She leaned over and gently bit Phaga's shoulder. Still half-asleep, her voice was groggy. Though it was meant to be an order, it sounded more like she was acting cute.
"Hurry up… go turn off your alarm…"
"I deleted my alarm ages ago. This one's yours, isn't it?"
Phaga suddenly felt something damp on his shoulder and turned his head, realizing Ellen had bitten him.
Without thinking, he pulled his arm out from her embrace, tapped her forehead lightly, then yanked the blanket and turned his back to her.
"Hey! You can steal me, but don't steal my blanket!"
Ellen squeezed her eyes shut. The cold air rushing in behind her made her shiver, instantly clearing her head. She puffed out her cheeks, lips pursed, and glared resentfully at Phaga with her big eyes.
Then she realized he'd already turned away.
He couldn't even see her.
That just made her angrier. A shark's ferocity couldn't tolerate such injustice.
So she dove back under the blanket, then with a sudden thump forced Phaga onto his back. She sat on his thigh and leaned down, her head landing perfectly against his chest.
Not too hard from being thin, and not loose from lack of training either.
The working-emperor vampire kept himself in excellent shape—like a tireless steed galloping across the plains. Endless training, all for that solid, well-kept muscle.
The little shark was very satisfied.
She clung to his side and refused to let go, her sharp teeth lightly touching his chest, occasionally rubbing as she muttered under her breath.
Both the little shark and the vampire felt a strange sensation in their chests—tingly, itchy, and hard to describe.
"When did I ever set an alarm? That was clearly yours, Phaga! You're not being honest—punishment!"
Ellen kept her eyes closed and hugged him even tighter.
Phaga looked down at her, utterly helpless.
"Miss Ellen, could you please not talk while biting my chest? It's really itchy… And besides, you're the one who set the alarm last night. You said that if I didn't bite you, you'd definitely wake up before me. Did you forget?"
Was that so?
…It kind of sounds familiar.
But whatever. As long as I'm holding him like this, Phaga won't be able to get up either.
So Ellen puffed out her cheeks and turned her head away.
"I don't care. You go turn off the alarm."
"That's your phone. You go."
"I don't want to. It's cold outside the covers."