The rain seemed to be falling even harder.
Cold raindrops pelted the tombstones, making a pitter-patter sound, as if providing accompaniment to the impending slaughter.
That rapier, glinting with cold light, carried the Horse Fangire's murderous determination and a suffocating wind pressure as it stabbed down ruthlessly.
Megumi Aso closed her eyes in despair, waiting for death to arrive.
However, the expected agonizing pain of a sharp blade piercing her body did not come.
"Clang!!"
An extremely crisp sound of metal clashing suddenly exploded in the curtain of rain.
A powerful shockwave erupted from the center of the clash, blowing back the wet bangs on Megumi Aso's forehead.
Her long eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes.
In the next second, her pupils contracted sharply, and her breathing stalled.
She saw that the man named Su Ye hadn't even put down his black umbrella; he had simply extended two slender, fair fingers and caught the sharp blade effortlessly just one centimeter from her nose, holding it perfectly still.
It was as if that sword had not struck flesh and blood, but an immovable mountain.
"As a hunter,"
Su Ye lowered his head slightly, his eyes as deep as an abyss looking down playfully at the dazed Megumi Aso, "closing your eyes in front of your prey is a major taboo, Miss Aso."
The entire scene was deathly silent, with only the sound of the torrential rain continuing.
The guests in the distance widened their eyes and gaped, as if they had witnessed a miracle.
"This... how is this possible?!"
"He caught the monster's sword with his bare hands?!"
The Horse Fangire's hideous horse-like face was filled with even more shock and disbelief.
Its cloudy beast-like pupils trembled violently, and the muscles on its arms bulged frantically as it desperately tried to pull the sword back or push it down.
But the sword seemed to be rooted between Su Ye's fingers, unable to be moved in the slightest.
"Roar!!"
The Horse Fangire let out an angry and humiliated roar, attempting to break this bizarre situation with brute force.
Su Ye didn't even spare it a glance, directly ignoring the monster's incompetent rage.
He suddenly leaned down, and his hand that had been hanging casually at his side reached out with overwhelming power, grabbing Megumi Aso's waist, which was completely drenched by the rain.
"Ugh!"
Megumi Aso let out a short cry of surprise.
In that instant, through the soaked silk fabric, Su Ye's palm touched her cold, soft, and elastic skin.
That delicate sensation traveled from his palm straight to Su Ye's heart.
Applying a bit of force with his arm, he lifted the limp Megumi Aso from the mud as if picking up an exquisite marionette, then pressed her dominantly into his embrace.
Their bodies were pressed tightly together in the rain.
Megumi Aso's back was flush against Su Ye's broad, warm chest, and the continuous stream of heat made her cold, delicate body tremble uncontrollably.
The man's unique, intoxicating masculine scent, mixed with a faint hint of cologne, dominantly invaded her nostrils, causing her mind to go blank for a moment.
"Raise your hand."
Su Ye's voice was low and magnetic.
He grasped Megumi Aso's right hand, which was still holding the gun; her hand was shaking violently from fear and cold.
Su Ye's large hand enveloped her soft hand, forcibly raising the muzzle and aiming it at the struggling Horse Fangire in front of them.
"Don't shake."
Su Ye lowered his head slightly, his thin lips almost touching Megumi Aso's rain-drenched earlobe, his warm breath fanning across her sensitive skin.
The tips of Megumi Aso's ears instantly turned crimson, and her body became as soft as water, leaving her to lean weakly in the embrace of the man behind her, at his mercy.
"Bang!"
Under Su Ye's guidance, Megumi Aso's stiff finger pulled the trigger.
The special bullet shot out of the chamber, hitting the Horse Fangire's shoulder armor at close range, sending sparks flying.
The monster was knocked back a step, but that was it.
This bit of damage was nothing more than an itch to the thick-skinned Fangire.
The Horse Fangire roared, abandoned the sword held by Su Ye, and brandished its massive shield, charging like an out-of-control tank.
"Run, quickly!"
Seeing the approaching behemoth, Megumi Aso suddenly snapped back to her senses.
Summoning strength from somewhere, she pushed Su Ye away, her eyes full of anxiety and despair.
"You're no match for it! It's a monster! Run!"
Although this man was mysterious and had incredible strength, that was a Fangire! A demon that fed on humans!
Su Ye looked at the woman who had pushed him away and wanted to stand in front of him alone, an elegant curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.
He didn't retreat; instead, he unhurriedly adjusted his suit tie, which wasn't even messy, his movements as composed as if he were attending a dinner party.
"Step back, Miss Aso."
"Next, it is my feeding time."
Su Ye gave a light chuckle and took a step forward, blocking Megumi Aso's path.
With a thought, the dormant True Ancestor factors within his body instantly boiled.
[System prompt: True Ancestor version Kiva armor loading...]
In an instant, a dark red energy storm erupted with Su Ye at the center, and the surrounding rain was instantly evaporated into white mist.
Unlike Wataru Kurenai in the original story, he didn't summon a Kivat Bat; instead, countless dark gold chains emerged from the void, accompanied by the heart-wrenching sound of metal scraping, and wrapped around Su Ye's body.
"Henshin."
Su Ye softly uttered the word.
"Clank!!"
The chains shattered, and heavy dark gold armor was instantly donned amidst the light.
It was a suit of armor filled with Gothic style and royal majesty, its main body a deep dark red, like congealed blood.
The right leg was wrapped in the Hell's Gate Chains symbolizing a seal, and the compound eyes on the face were like two burning rubies, emitting a soul-stirring light in the rainy night.
Even without fully unleashing the Emperor Form, the pressure emitted by this base armor far exceeded the scope of ordinary human understanding.
"That... that is..."
Megumi Aso sat paralyzed on the ground, her beautiful eyes widened to the limit, staring blankly at the figure enveloped in dark red armor, her mind roaring.
"He... he transformed?!"
The guests in the distance were even more terrified and fled in all directions: "Another monster?!"
Looking at this fellow creature emitting a terrifying aura, the Horse Fangire instinctively felt fear from the depths of its bloodline.
It was the innate sense of submission of an inferior toward a superior.
"Who... who are you?!"
The monster retreated, trembling.
Su Ye did not answer.
The moment those red compound eyes flashed, his figure vanished into thin air.
"Boom!!"
A white sonic boom cloud exploded in the air.
In the next second, Su Ye's figure appeared in front of the Horse Fangire.
The armored hand, fast as lightning, directly grabbed the monster's neck.
"Ugh... ah..."
The Horse Fangire's massive body was actually lifted into the air by Su Ye with one hand, its feet off the ground, struggling desperately.
"Too weak."
Su Ye's steady voice came from beneath the armor.
There were no fancy techniques, only the crushing weight of pure, ultimate power.
Su Ye exerted force with his arm, smashing the monster in his hand ruthlessly toward a nearby tombstone like a ragdoll.
"Bang!!"
The hard granite tombstone instantly shattered.
"Bang!!"
Another heavy blow; the monster's body smashed a large crater into the ground, sending rocks flying and mud splashing everywhere.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!!"
Su Ye gripped its neck and swung it around wildly from side to side.
Every impact was accompanied by the monster's shrill, piercing screams and the crisp sound of bones breaking.
This scene was filled with the most primitive and wild violent aesthetics.
Megumi Aso watched all this blankly, looking at the figure venting his power in the rain; she felt her very soul trembling.
It was awe for the strong, and also an inexplicable attraction.
"It's over."
Su Ye casually threw the now limp Horse Fangire into the air.
His right leg bent slightly, and the sealing chains wrapped around it snapped automatically with a "clack."
Hell's Gate opened, the surrounding space instantly darkened, and a blood-red crescent moon eerily emerged in the pitch-black night sky.
[System prompt: Finisher: Dark Moon Break (True Ancestor version) activated!]
Su Ye's figure leapt high into the air, hanging upside down beneath the red moon.
His right foot, enveloped in dark red destructive energy, descended like a falling meteorite and kicked the Horse Fangire hard in the chest.
"Wake Up!!"
"Boom!!!"
Accompanied by a deafening roar, the Horse Fangire didn't even have time to utter its last words before its body instantly exploded, turning into countless brilliant colorful stained glass shards that fell in the torrential rain like a grand and tragic fireworks display.
[System prompt: Successfully killed Horse Fangire (Grunt level)!]
[System prompt: Rewards obtained: Double-Passage Gate access opened (Coordinates 1986 locked), Western Swordsmanship Mastery (Master Level).]
[System prompt: Loot obtained: Life Energy Essence x1 (Automatically absorbed, constitution slightly improved).]
Su Ye landed lightly, the armor on his body dissipating into red light particles to reveal his elegant black suit once more.
Not even a corner of his clothes was ruffled, as if the brutal slaughter just now had merely been a bit of post-meal exercise.
Just then, the rapid sound of a motorcycle engine came from the rain in the distance.
A red motorcycle tore through the curtain of rain, and a young man wearing a helmet and carrying a violin case arrived in a hurry.
It was the protagonist of this world, **Wataru Kurenai**.
A golden mechanical bat circled above his head, shouting anxiously:
"Wataru! Hurry! There's a Fangire's scent here!"
"Such a thick smell of blood!"
However, when they saw the scene, their voices stopped abruptly.
Only the glass shards falling from the sky still spoke of the fierce battle that had just occurred.
Kivat-Bat the 3rd widened its mechanical eyes, looking at Su Ye, who stood in the rain of glass shards exuding a noble aura, and let out a shocked scream:
"Wait... that aura..."
"Who is that?!"