The griffin flapped its wings, rooted to the spot. It refused to go a step further. It let out a shrill, piercing shriek of pure terror.
Satoro squinted into the distance. His breath caught. Ahead, the horizon was being swallowed by a humongous surge of magical energy. At the center of the distortion stood a figure wreathed in roaring black fire—a dark, flickering heat that seemed to eat the very light around it. Beside it, a white flame blazed, though it was pale and flickering compared to the overwhelming black inferno.
"LILY!" Satoro screamed, his voice cracking.
One of the Defenders pulled up beside him, his face pale. "What's wrong, Master Raika?"
"My granddaughter is in there!" Satoro's eyes were wild. "We have to hurry!" He turned back to his mount, pressing a trembling hand against its feathers. "Take us there, Angel... Don't worry, I'll protect you."
The griffin let out one last shuddering cry before plunging forward, driven by its master's desperation.
Miles away, the wave of bloodlust hit the village of Tokino like a physical blow. The air grew heavy, thick with a malice that made the villagers drop to their knees in instinctive fear.
"Don't worry!" the local Defenders shouted over the rising wind, though their own hands shook on their sword hilts. "You are safe! Stay calm!"
As if in answer to their prayers, a shadow swept over the village square. A massive griffin, wreathed in blue flames, soared overhead. Behind it, twenty more followed in a V-formation, their wings beating like thunder.
"LOOK!" a child pointed upward. "It's Sir Von Flamington!"
The fear broke into a sudden, frantic cheer. The villagers clapped and hollered as the flaming squadron disappeared over the treeline, racing toward the darkness of Shibawa.
Meanwhile, amidst the charred remains of the clearing, the Vampire stood tall. He clenched his fists, feeling the raw, stolen power coursing through his veins.
"Namizo had quite a lot of magical energy," the Vampire murmured, a dark smile playing on his lips. "But unfortunately, it is still not enough to increase my class to S."
She thought, "There are S-class monsters."
The realization hit Lily like a physical blow, sending a violent chill racing down her spine. These weren't just monsters; they were calamities.
"So, I'm going to need yours, Princess," the Vampire said, his voice as smooth and sharp as a glass shard. He took a predatory step forward, his eyes falling on Kiego, who lay shivering and broken on the dirt. The Vampire paused, looking down with profound boredom. He leaned over the fallen boy, a sneer curling his lip. "Killing you would be a waste of my time. You offer nothing to my power, and even less to my pride. I will simply pretend I never saw you... weakling." He spat the word like poison. "You're no hero."
Ignoring the boy, he turned his full attention back to Lily. With every step he took, the weight of his bloodlust grew heavier, pressing against her chest until it was hard to breathe. Sweat slicked her palms and rolled down her cheeks. I have to move, she screamed at herself internally. I have to reach TEMPEST.
Her hand trembled as she reached for the sword. She fought through the paralyzing fog of terror, her fingers inching toward the hilt. But the moment her skin brushed the steel, a vision flashed behind her eyes—a horrific glimpse into a possible future. She saw his arm punching through her torso, her life spilling out onto the grass in a mess of gore.
She froze.
Before she could recover, a heavy boot slammed down onto the blade of her sword, pinning it to the earth. Her heart leapt into her throat. Slowly, agonizingly, she tilted her head back to look up at him. The Vampire was smiling. It wasn't a human expression; it was a jagged, evil grin that seemed to drain the hope from the air. His eyes were twin voids of endless black, radiating a single, pulsing intent: TO KILL.
Lily stared into that darkness, realizing with a sinking gut that if she moved even an inch, that vision of her death would become her reality.
"And here I thought you were strong, Princess..." the Vampire whispered.
"The weak don't deserve power," the Vampire sneered, his eyes fixed on the flickering energy Lily still clung to. "I'll be taking it. With this, I'll finally become an S-Class. I'll finally be able to defeat Koketsu."
He licked his lips, a predatory hunger crossing his features as he watched the light blaze one last time. "I think I'll kill you first... just so I can savor every drop of your blood."
The Vampire raised a single hand. The air suddenly turned leaden. Gravity itself seemed to warp, spiraling into his clenched fist with a sickening pressure. Lily trembled at the weight of his hand. Nearby, Kiego felt it too—the familiar, suffocating sensation of being pinned down by someone stronger. Through the haze of pain, he turned his head. His heart hammered against his ribs. Lily was going to die. He had to do something. Anything. His fingers clawed at the earth, slowly inching toward the handle of his longsword lying just out of reach.
"GOODBYE... PRINCESS!"
As the pressure intensified, Kiego's mind fractured, falling back through the years...
Six years old. The Imperial City.
The wooden sword had felt heavy in his small, trembling hands. Around him, the other children laughed. Their training swords glowed with vibrant hues of magic—blues, reds, and yellows. Kiego's blade remained dull, grey, and lifeless.
"Come on! Fight back!" the leader of the group shouted. He was older, his face twisted in a mocking grin. His own wooden sword didn't just glow; it was engulfed in brilliant green flames—a Stage 2 weapon manifestation.
The boy lunged. Kiego raised his dull sword to block, but the green flames shattered his defense instantly. The impact sent him sprawling into the dirt, a sharp pain blooming in his head.
"You're such a weakling," the boy spat, standing over him as Kiego wailed in pain. "A disgrace.
"You can't even awaken your own sword, and you want to be a Defender? Stop dreaming and wake up!"
The bully lunged again, his wooden blade whistling through the air toward Kiego's head. But before the blow could land, a girl about their age stepped into the fray. With a sharp snap, she threw open a small umbrella, blocking the strike.
"STOP IT!" she cried, her voice ringing with a power that belied her size.
As she pushed the boy back, the fabric of the umbrella began to glow with a brilliant, pearlescent white light. A sudden gale whipped up from nowhere, circling around her in a protective cyclone. Her blue hair swayed wildly in the magical draft. Ignoring the bullies, she knelt down beside Kiego, who sat on the cobblestones with his head buried in his hands.
"Are you okay?" she whispered, her eyes full of concern. "Does your head hurt?"
The leader of the boys recoiled, his face twisting in a scowl. "Hey! Leave now and you won't get hurt. This is for boys only!"
"Yeah," one of the others snickered, hiding behind the leader. "It's not some tea party!"
Lily stood her ground, her umbrella still hummed with wind energy. "I don't even want a part in it!" she snapped, defiantly sticking her tongue out at them. The boy snarled and started toward her, but he froze when a sharp voice cut through the courtyard. An elderly woman—at least in her late twenties—glared down at them from a nearby balcony.
"Enough! Stop this at once and get back to school!"
"YES MA'AM!" the boys shouted in unison, their bravado vanishing instantly. They turned to leave, grumbling under their breath about the fight they'd been denied. Before disappearing around the corner, the leader turned back one last time, pointing a finger at Kiego and Lily.
"Next time we meet, you're both dead!"