“Well, well. What do we have here?” The man said, giving his prey a predatory smile. He towered like a skyscraper over his victim, his muscles bulging under his makeshift armor made from the leathered flesh of his victims. Death followed him like a bad perfume, choking the air.

“Got lost, I figure. Wandered into a dangerous part of town. You might wander into somewhere filled with bad people, young lady.” The other said. He was scrawnier than his partner, appearing more like a dilapidated corpse than a person. His gaunt eyes hid black sclera around malevolent red pupils. Each opened their mouth, revealing pointed teeth.

Under their cloak, the figure smiled. These fools had wandered into their doom. They just haven’t realized it yet.

“You smell good from over here.” The first licked a two-pronged tongue along his fangs, saliva dripping from its edge. “Too long since I’ve had anything but rats to drink!”

The cloaked figure stepped back, giving the illusion of fear. The two vampires ate it up with relish, terror an appetizer to their blood meal.

“But Seina’s gone! She can’t save you!” The smaller said, his tone mocking. “No one can save you!”

“Let’s see your pretty face, little bird. I love them young!” The first laughed and pulled the cloak away to reveal the identity beneath.

“What?!” Both vampires recoiled back, baffled by their victim’s true identity.

“Shame you picked the wrong person to prey upon!” Masato threw aside his cloak. It flapped in the wind before fluttering away, a wig flopping to the ground from its folds.

“You’re a man?” The large vampire said, momentarily stunned.

Masato crossed his arms and smirked, amused he’d befuddled these fools. “I knew if I disguised myself as a helpless girl, I’d draw you morons out!”

“I you she was too muscular!” The first said, glaring at his partner. “You dumbass! I can’t believe you let a cloak and a simple blond wig fool you!”

“Hey! From a distance, she looked like a perfectly valid target!” The gaunt vampire said, rushing to his own defense. His friend seemed less than amused by this excuse. “A little muscular, yeah, but what’s wrong with that? I thought she looked positively cute!”

“Dumbass.” The first shook his enormous head. “That’s the last time I allow you to pick our meal! What a waste of time.”

The two continued to argue and throw increasingly violent insults at each other. Masato stood and watched, annoyed they’d forgotten about him. The biggest of the pair grabbed his friend by the head, throwing him into a headlock. The other responded by pulling at the first’s cheeks, hard enough to stretch the folds past his face.

“Ahem!” Masato said, trying to get the vampires’ attention. Their childish bickering was ruining his badass moment! When he told this story later to Seina, he’d leave this particular detail out.

“What do you want?” The first said, annoyed.

“Forget him. I know this cool underground bar nearby. Vamps only!” The second said, dragging his friend away. “It has darts!”

“Fine, but you’re paying the first round as the cost of your stupidity.”

“Hello?! What about me?” Masato said, scowling.

“What about you?!” The giant vampire said. “Go away before we kill you for wasting our time!”

“You’re not biting me?” Masato said, incredulous.

“We have a very delicate pallet.” The second puffed out his chest in pride. “I’m a distinguished gentleman. I don’t feed on just anyone!”

Cocky, good. Vampires were notorious for their arrogance, believing themselves kings. Masato intended on correcting that assumption. He bellowed a high-pitch shriek, making his target flinch back in surprise. Masato struck three successive blows to the giant monster’s chest with lightning precision. His martial arts lessons with the bodyguard had paid off, making these bloodsuckers easy prey.

You see that, uncle. I’ll show you how much I’ve grown into a great and noble warrior! I’ll prove I’m finally worthy of the Kobashigawa name!

“What the.” The vampire staggered back, stunned.

Masato gave a devilish smile, knowing he’d given this monster his death sentence. “I pressed the pressure points around your heart. In twelve seconds, it will burst to pieces.” Even vampires couldn’t survive without a heart. A magical girl, sure, but he wasn’t facing one of those.

“What?” The vampire said, his perplexity rising to fear. He stood stock-still, frozen in terror at this dire pronouncement. His fellow could only stare on the sidelines, unable to help his friend.

Several tense seconds passed as they awaited the vampire’s fate. Behind them, two children screamed at the top of their lungs as they played with a ball. Masato’s eye twitched, annoyed they were ruining his triumphant moment. But he hid his annoyance well, holding his confident smirk.

Not that his foes seemed aware of this mood breaker. The vampire hyperventilated, his knees wobbling in fear. Seeing his friend in such a plight, the other vampire clasped his friend’s hand with his emaciated one and gave a comforting squeeze. It was a surprisingly touching gesture for two monsters, showing the man he wasn’t alone.

Several moments passed, and Masato flinched as a ball struck behind his head. It rolled towards a gutter, landing amongst some dead leaves.

“Hey, sir.” A child said. “Can you throw us back our ball?”

I don’t believe this. This was why Masato hated children. The brats gave a grateful nod when he kicked back their ball and returned to their game.

Several more moments passed in silence, the vampire grim-faced as they awaited the worst. The gaunt vampire blinked and checked his watch, which hung so loose it threatened to slip off.

“How long did you say he had?” He asked.

Masato smirked. “Twelve seconds.”

The giant finally broke down, sobbing into his hands. He wailed how he didn’t want to die. A comforting hand drove his head up.

“This guy’s an idiot!” His friend, showing his watch’s face. “It’s been over thirty seconds, and nothing’s happened.”

“What?!” They stared in stunned silence as twelve more seconds passed and Masato ‘s target remained conspicuously alive. A chill traveled down Masato’s spine as both vampires directed their wrathful gazes at him.

“Twelve seconds, huh?” The giant’s voice boomed, his tone beyond livid.

That should have worked! He’d spent almost two weeks flawlessly mastering that technique in secret! He’d stuck the wooden training dummy so many times, his hand had gone dumb!

In desperation, he struck another pressure point on the neck. It was the same one he’d used against Seina months ago. Terror formed a pit in his stomach as the vampire only smirked in response.

“Nice try.” The vampire said. “But it seems your pressure points don’t work on the dead.”

Oh, ****. From their expressions, the vampires seemed less than impressed with his impudence.

Masato’s bones rattled as a simple push from one of the vampires smacked him back into a brick wall. He collapsed to the alley’s floor, back protesting in pain. Despite Masato’s massive bulk, the vampire had tossed him aside like a small child.

“You made me cry!” The monstrous giant said, indignant. “The suffering I plan on inflicting on you will…” He petered out, too fraught with fury to complete his sentence.

“Don’t worry.” The other said. “We won’t make it quick. That’s what he deserves, messing with a vampire.”

“Right! Who does he think he is, Seina?” Both broke into amused laughter. “You’re out of luck, trash! She’s long gone. Nobody can save you now!”

“Maybe we could talk about this?” Masato said, voice cracking. He gave his best encouraging smile.

Run! I need to run! No ordinary human could stand against a vampire and live. If he reached for a phone, perhaps he could contact Takako. She was his only possible chance of salvation.

A jab to the chest drove all breath from his lungs. Masato struggled to breathe as an enormous hand pinned him against the alley wall.

“What now, insect?” The giant vampire’s rancid breath washed over him, fangs displayed in their terrible glory. “Pluck your limbs off one by one?”

“Tear out his eyes first!” The other said, bouncing in eager anticipation.

“That isn’t a bad idea.” While Masato struggled in vain to free himself, the big vampire stroked his chin in thought. His blows might as well be striking a steel wall. “And it gives me a splendid idea!”

The vampire released him, watching with amusement as Masato struggled to crawl away from his tormentors.

He only made a couple of steps before the smaller vampire’s boot knocked him aside, cracking several ribs. “We tear out his eyes, then chain a rock to his leg before throwing him into the ocean. He’ll die in agony as the salt burns his open, bloody sockets. And he’ll die in darkness, helpless and alone.”

“I love your thinking!” The giant beamed, nodding in eager anticipation. “His bloated corps can feed the fishes.”

Oh, crap! Oh, crap! But the vampire’s foot was immovable, like trying to push aside a mountain.

His bones rattled as the emaciated vampire grabbed him by the collar, meeting his tormentor eye to eye. Taloned fingers greeted him, eager to pluck his eye out in a most gruesome and painful manner. Masato whimpered, flinching as the finger stroked across his forehead. The monster delighted in dragging out his helpless, bowl-clenching terror. His eyes instinctively clenched shut, preparing for the worst.

“Huh?” The vampire paused, confused. Masato frowned, also hearing the sound which had interrupted his tormentor. It came from everywhere, yet nowhere. Was that the fluttering of wings?

He yelped in surprise as his body was jerked as strong hands gripped him and pulled him along. It made Masato hissed in pain as it stung his sensitive ribs. As violently as it had begun, it came to a halt. With bated breath, Masato opened a tentative eye. He gasped, finding a stranger holding him.

Serene eyes promised to protect Masato to his last breath, hidden by a hawk shaped mask. Hair, whiter than snow, flowed down the back of his neck, bound by a ponytail. His golden cape bellowed behind him, revealing armor of the purest white Masato had ever seen. Gold trim ran across its surface until it pooled into the crest emblazoned across the newcomer’s heart. The golden standard depicted a stylized rose, its petal reaching toward sunlight.

“Who the hell are you?” The giant said, glaring at the newcomer.

“A protector. I’m here to watch things while Seina attends other business.” The newcomer’s voice was melodious, higher-pitched than Masato had expected. “Forgive me. It appears you’ve dropped this.”

“Huh?” The huge vampire gapped in befuddlement as a muscled arm collided with his chest. He screamed bloody murder when he recognized it, his bloody stump squirting blood everywhere.

“What the hell are you?!” The giant’s voice cracked, becoming hysterical.

“Call me, Paliah.” The newcomer said.

“Are we meant to be impressed?” The gaunt vampire said, pulling a knife from the sheath along his back. “Another righteous fool rushing towards his demise. Nice trick, but you’ll die in agony like all your ilk. The inevitable fate of all you hopeless fools!”

“So, Seina hasn’t been terrorizing your kind as I’ve heard?” Paliah asked, a sarcastic tint to his tone.

The vampire only snorted. “The idiot got herself killed, as I’ve heard it. Gone to fight a futile battle against the true evil masters of the cosmos. Should it be any surprise?”

“Seina is dead! S-she can’t be!” Masato said in protest. But no one paid him any mind, continuing their conversation.

“Too right!” The huge vampire said. “You got lucky when you took my arm. You’re about to face the twin terror, the greatest assassins in the universe! I’m Aka!”

“And I’m Suki!” The other added. “Prepare to die in the gutter like all heroes!”

“Uh, huh,” Paliah said, neither amused nor impressed. The accusation of Seina’s death didn’t even make him flinch.

“Laugh now. Behold my ability and your death!” Suki said, the more showman of the pair.

“Yeah, show them!” They performed intricate poses, including one that stuck Aka through Suki’s legs.

“We are the ultimate deadly assassins! The terror twins!” They spoke in unison. “Prepare for death. Death which awaits all that face our ultimate technique!”

Paliah watched this with a bland expression before rolling his eyes. “Vampires.”

Twins? They look nothing alike! In a figurative sense? But Masato couldn’t bite back a wave of apprehension, getting a bad feeling.

“Now, watch the technique that has sparked terror in everyone who’s seen it! Blue!” To Masato’s astonishment, the alley walls became a vibrant blue. The color didn’t appear like any blue that appeared in nature, disconcerting the eye. More disorienting of all, everything about the wall was blue. It was singular, containing no discoloration or blemishes anywhere.

“My ability can turn anything into any color I want!” Suki said, speaking like he was pronouncing the direist truth.

“Sorry. Changing colors?” Paliah said, dumbfounded. “Really?”

“No, look out! He could…” Masato faltered, unable to complete his thought, as a deadly purpose for this ability eluded him. “Make your armor an unfashionable color?”

“This is dumb. Why am I even bothering to listen to this?” Paliah said, losing his patience. With a squeal of metal, he withdrew a sword from his side sheath. It was a beautiful blade with a decorative guard matching the symbol on his armor’s plate.

“Fool!” Aki thrust his hand forward, and Paliah’s body jerked before falling to one knee. “Die!”

“What the?” Paliah staggered back, shaking his head in consternation.

“What?” Aki’s pale, vampiric complexion went several shades of white. “Impossible. I inflicted the very concept of death onto you!”

“I’m made of sterner stuff,” Paliah said, his expression turned smug. “My powers rival a magical girl’s.”

“No matter!” Suki said, his confidence unbroken despite this setback. “Face the terror of eternal blue!”

Masato jerked back, nothing but bright blue filling his vision. It was like someone had spilled paint onto the universe. It was like he’d fallen into a sea of blue, drowning in this singular color. He stumbled about, befuddled, losing all perspective of reality. Masato cursed as his foot struck a nearby wall, invisible amongst the ocean of blue. Only Paliah remained visible, a shining beacon in the blue void.

“Stop!” Aka extended a hand, unleashing whatever strange power he’d used before.

The overwhelming force drove the knight to one knee, suffocating him. He stood frozen, unable to even twitch a muscle.

“Weakness!” Aka extended the other hand, Paliah’s body sagging like his bones had crumbled to dust. His breathing was shallow, only a wheezing gasp as every breath pained him.

“Fool! Now you see the true terror of our perfect assassination technique!” Suki said from everywhere, yet nowhere. “You…”

“Shut up and just kill him already!” Aka said, voice sounding strained from considerable effort. “I can’t hold this for much longer! This man is Impossibly strong!”

“This is the best bit! We’ve been practicing this for…” Suki fought back his annoyance and nodded. “Whatever. I’ll finish this. A single strike will shatter his fragile body to dust!”

No! Masato had to do something! He refused to allow this stranger to die for his sake! But the blue confounded the senses, making it impossible to tell distance anymore. He suspected the knight faced the same predicament, the disorientation making fighting back almost impossible.

“Nice trick,” Paliah said, forcing himself to stand. His limbs wobbled like jelly, but he stood straight in the utmost defiance. He closed his eyes and steadied his breath, gripping his blade in a combat stance. What he expected to hear, Masato couldn’t tell. Even his hearing heard blue, if that made any sense. The vampire assassin was invisible, impossible to discern amongst the ever-prevalent blue.

“What?” Then Suki reappeared, eyes widened in sheer disbelief. Blood trickled from his dried lips, staring at the blade protruding from his chest.

What? What had just happened? Masato hadn’t even seen Paliah move, or even twitch. Had he simply broken free of the vampire’s ability? But that answer didn’t satisfy Masato. It didn’t track with what his eyes had witnessed. It was like the knight suddenly shifted his location to somewhere else. The overpowering blue vanished, melting away like water washing away paint.

“No. Not like this!” Suki gasped before collapsing to the alley street, dead.

“How?!” Panic filled Aka’s features, just as confused about the knight’s inexplicable trick. His panic intensified as he turned to flee, only to find Paliah already waiting for him.

What? But? Masato turned, still finding Paliah standing where he’d last seen him. What the? Two Paliah?! No. He gapped as the Paliah who’d slain Suki vanished, leaving only the one still confronting Aka.

“Impossible! How did ..?” Aka said, terror filling his features. He never got his answer, the monster’s enormous head flying from his shoulders a moment later. Another movement Masato hadn’t even glimpsed.

With one swift motion, Paliah returned his blade to its sheath. He nodded, satisfied with the battle’s results.

“How did you do that?”

Paliah gave Masato a bemused look. “Why should I explain how my power works? It only gives the enemy knowledge they can use against me.”

“Because it’s polite,” Masato said, annoyed the masked knight refused to explain his strange power.

“Watch yourself. Don’t pull stupid stunts like this again. I can’t always save you.”

“Thanks.” Masato said, scowling.

“Still. Why did I need to ruin my heroic entrance, saving you, of all people? And Seina wasn’t here to see it either.” Paliah said, muttering under his breath. “Victory’s a victory, I suppose.”

“Thanks?” Masato said, unsure if he should take the remark as an insult. But his rescuer had disappeared, ignoring Masato’s thanks. Okay, now he was insulted.

“This is so humiliating! How is Seina meant to take me seriously if I can’t get myself out of a jam?!” Masato hung his head. Dejected, he headed back towards the gym Seina enjoyed using as a headquarters. Vampires were threatening people again. Without Seina around, they were becoming bolder. Takako needed to know about this. And the mysterious masked knight, he supposed. But Masato would avoid mentioning the rescue part.

“No!” Masato cried, a brilliant idea popping into his head. “We valiantly worked together to defeat the bad guys!” In fact, Paliah almost lost without his valiant aid! This would surely impress Seina! And the others! It, at least, promised to stop Colten’s snarky remarks about his apparent uselessness!

---

“Finally!” Jin hovered over the streets of Osaka, eyes peeled for her target. Signs of a magical battle were obvious, magic still tingling in the air. It must have been a tremendous battle against two mighty forces. So, this city was Emiyo’s graveyard?

She closed her eyes, sensing if Haruko Ayaji and Kion had entered this world yet. Jin sighed in relief, not detecting anything.

Cosmic orbiting made time erratic. A day in one universe might be an entire week in another. Or the opposite. Jin might have arrived first before Haruko. Thankfully, that hadn’t been the case.

Jin frowned, sensing something odd. Before she could move to investigate, it vanished. What was that? It wasn’t a magical girl.

“Great, that’s all we need. Another new threat.” Jin said, kicking a nearby cloud and dispersing it. “Ignore it. Takako needs my help. We need to abandon this worthless rock before the worst happens!” The planet stunk of evil, and society seemed a more vague suggestion than reality. With Seina dead, this entire universe held no value to anyone.

“But where is she?” Besides that odd flicker, Jin sensed nothing. Had Takako left the universe? No, Nier was still on Starlight Dream.

She’s masking her presence. A prudent precaution, but an irritating one. That meant Jin needed to scan the entire city by sight. It would take forever! Miko would be beyond livid if she reappeared on Starlight Dream months later.

We can’t linger! It won’t take Haruko long to search through Sector 8.

Their rebellion couldn’t afford to lose a valuable assist like Takako. Jin smiled as an idea struck her. This world’s evil presence gave her an excellent plan to lure out Takako.