"Tag...?"
Fool asked, confused—he'd been expecting something more entertaining.
"That's right. Though with a few… adjustments to the rules, of course."
Bringing a hand to his chin, the vampire seemed to consider it.
"I don't know… sounds boring. You guys can't even—well, no, you really can't keep up with me."
"Hold on—"
Kris cut him off with a thin, crooked smile.
"That's where the rules come in."
At the mention of rules, the madman twisted his face—literally.
"I promise they're short… and fun."
"Hmmm—"
He began to hum as his face twisted into a spiral, his body slowly spinning around its own axis.
Kris simply waited, expression unreadable, while Marceline watched in confusion, sweat trailing down the back of her neck.
"Alright. Whatever. Let's do it."
With that confirmation, Kris raised his fist—then lifted a single finger.
"First: just like you said, you're much faster than we are. So we'll take a three-minute head start."
Fool let out a laugh, eyes narrowing.
"Yeah, that's true."
But then, suddenly, his expression tightened as he crossed his arms.
"And what's stopping you two from just running away, huh?"
"For the same reason you're still here. We want to kill you."
The half-demon stared at him so intensely it was almost enough to bore a hole through his head.
Are you insane?
The vampire just looked at him for a few seconds, no reaction at all—
until he suddenly burst into manic laughter.
The laughter made Marceline narrow her eyes, giving the vampire a strange look.
He liked that?
The humanoid's smile widened—he had already gotten inside the madman's head.
After a moment of laughing, Fool finally stopped, wiping a tear from his eye.
"Good answer, nephew!" He exclaimed, clapping his hands.
"Yeah, yeah… unc."
He waved it off, then raised a second finger.
"Now, the second rule."
Finally calming his laughter, the vampire turned his eyes back to him.
"Alright, fine. Go on."
"We won't be limited to any terrain. Wherever we go, you'll have to chase us."
The vampire crossed his arms, tilting his head.
"Huh? I thought that was obvious."
At that, Kris gave a closed-eye smile.
"Just making sure."
Then, he placed his hands on his hips.
"And that's it. See? Didn't take long."
The vampire's eyes lit up, an excited grin cutting across his face.
"Oh? That's it? So when do we start?"
Marceline glanced at Kris, wondering the same.
But then her hand was suddenly grabbed—and she was yanked forward, her eyes widening.
"Right now!"
he shouted, already sprinting toward the center of the city.
Watching the two of them run off, Fool stood there for a few seconds, confused.
Then his eyes widened slightly, a hint of panic setting in.
"Oh! Oh! Uh… how much time was it again? Ah! Right. One… two… three…"
By now, Kris had let go of the half-demon's hand, and she ran beside him.
"So, what's the plan to win the game?"
"There isn't one. After all, we're not going to play."
She raised an eyebrow, shooting him a confused look.
"We're not?"
He gave her a sideways smile.
"Nah. And he'll probably cheat."
"How do you know that?"
"Because he acts like a child."
|Fool|
"Thirteen… fourteen… fifteen… huuh, what comes next? Thirty-one… forty-two…"
|Kris and Marceline|
"So, what did you plan?"
she asked as they reached an elevated highway. Kris scanned the city in search of something.
When he spotted it, he smiled—and vaulted over the guardrail.
Marceline paused for a moment, confused, before jumping after him.
Landing on top of a car—crushing it—the metallic impact echoed through the city's silence.
Ignoring the vibration rippling through the ground, they simply kept running.
"Are you going to keep the suspense, or are you going to tell me?"
"Relax."
Only then did they stop.
"We're here."
In front of them, a stairway enclosed by metal railings led down into the underground.
The deeper the steps descended, the more darkness swallowed the space.
The void below held an almost absolute silence, broken only by faint, recurring, unidentifiable sounds.
"A subway?"
"Exactly."
he said, turning to her.
"I'm going to set up the perfect terrain for you to kill him."
Sweating slightly, she lowered her gaze to the ground.
"I'm not very confident about that part yet."
"It's fine. I know you can do it. Now—"
He snapped his fingers, pulling her attention back to him.
"I'm going to walk you through the plan."
When she raised her head, he gave her a faint smile.
Then he rested a hand against his chest.
"First of all, his heart is only a weakness if you're using a stake."
Furrowing her brows, she lifted her bass slightly.
"And what about decapitation?"
He moved a hand to his chin, considering.
"It's a gamble—but he might still have that weakness too."
Then something seemed to click in his mind.
"After all, even if it was just instinct, he tried to stop you from cutting his head off."
Marceline considered it, a hand resting over her mouth.
But as she remembered something, her eyes lifted toward the humanoid.
"Or maybe the axe itself is an exception?"
Raising a brow, he looked at her in silence, waiting for her to elaborate.
"After all, it's my family's axe—forged in the flames of the Nightosphere."
At the mention of the Nightosphere, Kris raised both eyebrows in interest.
Resisting the urge to ask more questions, he considered the information she had given him.
"That makes sense—though I'm not sure that's the reason."
"Alright, moving on—"
He lifted an arm, gripping his bicep.
"His strengths."
And he began to list them.
"First, you shouldn't try to face him head-on. You're still mortal compared to a being that regenerates endlessly. Targeted attacks will be the most effective."
Remembering the hits she had taken, she narrowed her eyes, her lips pressed into a thin line.
"Yeah. That part I already know."
Smiling in response, he continued.
"Good. Next—his pain tolerance. It's unnatural. He'll take hits and come right back at you like it was nothing, so never drop your guard after landing a strike."
Nodding, she placed one hand on her hip while rubbing the back of her neck with the other.
"Got it, I noticed that too. What about his flight?"
The humanoid snapped his fingers, raising a finger toward her.
"That's the key point. He doesn't need to build up speed—he can unleash it in a single burst—instantly. But the terrain I'm going to set up for you will limit him."
"I see. Anything else?"
He nodded to her, his expression turning serious.
"That's everything. If I give you too many details, it'll lose effectiveness. The rest is up to you—just do what you always do."
"Go into the subway and get ready. When it's your turn… you'll know."
She looked at him, still unsure.
"…Alright."
He simply placed a hand on his hip and turned back toward where they had come from, waiting for the vampire.
As she began to descend the stairs, she looked into the darkness—and hesitated.
"Kris…"
At the call, he turned to her.
After a few moments, she turned to face him as well, her eyes lowered toward her feet.
Her trembling hands gripped the axe.
"I… don't know if I can do this… not alone."
"Of course you can."
"But— you saw it yourself! Even with one hand, he overpowered me so easily! I won't—"
"Marcy."
Her eyes widened—he had never called her that before.
When she lifted her head to look at him, she saw his eyes.
Conviction burned within his catlike pupils.
"I trust you."
For a moment, her breathing stopped.
Her chest felt heavy, her lips pressed into a thin line.
A faint haze crossed her eyes as her brow furrowed.
Without giving him an answer, she turned and continued down the steps.
The darkness no longer felt so empty.
Kris lingered for a moment, watching her, before turning away again. He let out a quiet sigh, closing his eyes.
I know I gave you too much to carry… especially after seeing just how strong the high-class ones really are.
I'm sorry.
When he opened them again, his gaze seemed to waver.
"…Guess now it's my turn, huh?"
|Fool|
"One fifty… one seventy-two… one thir—wait? Did I loop back? You know what? Screw it."
Giving up on the count, he shot forward along the path the two had taken.
He moved so fast the air burst around him, a shockwave ripping through the air.
The sound echoed across the entire city.
As he passed, glass shattered and vegetation was ripped along in his wake.
His eyes rapidly mapped every inch—until, after a few seconds, until both he and his gaze came to an abrupt stop.
The sudden halt sent the wind crashing back into him all at once, though it had no effect.
"Hm?"
On the ground, Kris waved at him, smiling, one hand resting on his hip.
The vampire grinned widely.
"How convenient."
With another explosive burst, he dove straight toward him.
The moment Kris saw him vanish, he jumped into the subway without a second thought.
As soon as he hit the ground, he absorbed the impact into a roll and sprinted deeper inside.
A moment later, Fool landed in the subway, shattering the floor beneath him.
The impact echoed through the underground walls.
Lifting his head, he quickly scanned the area through the fractured ground.
His eyes locked onto the humanoid as he launched himself forward.
The force of it sent debris flying, a cloud of dust rising in his wake.
Glancing back only briefly, Kris grabbed a nearby trash can with his right hand and hurled it at the vampire.
The madman reacted with a hook, smashing it apart.
The can burst open, scattering its contents all around him.
In that same instant, using his left hand, Kris stretched it into a blade and lashed it toward Fool.
Even with his vision obstructed, the vampire could still hear the whip slicing through the air.
As the blade cut through the debris, he ducked his head, narrowly avoiding the strike aimed at his neck.
The blade tore through everything in its path in a shower of sparks, carving into walls and screens before snapping back to Kris—who immediately resumed running.
"That's new."
The vampire laughed before bursting after him once more.
After a short run, the humanoid reached the escalators leading to the lower level.
He jumped into the gap and let gravity do the rest.
But the vampire was already right behind him.
Halfway down, with Fool right on his heels, he raised both hands and drove them into the ceiling.
A moment later, they expanded.
The sudden increase in size caused the ceiling to crack and collapse.
Caught off guard, the madman was buried beneath the debris.
A moment later, he pulled his hands free and landed calmly on the lower level, his momentum reduced.
Farther ahead, spotting the tunnels, he sprinted toward them.
"Haha!"
He laughed from beneath the rubble, his arm bursting out as it shattered through the debris.
"Bastard."
Using that arm, he began forcing himself out from under the wreckage.
His body was drenched in dust and blood.
But the smile on his face—as always—never faded.
When he finally emerged, his body was completely mangled.
His skull had a hole in it, exposing his brain as a stream of blood poured freely.
One of his eyes had been crushed, along with several of his limbs.
With his remaining eye, he spotted Kris jumping onto the tracks and heading into one of the tunnels.
"Ah… I'm going to enjoy killing you."
Inside the tunnel, consumed by darkness, the constant groaning of the walls revealed just how unstable the underground was.
Kris simply kept running, following the tracks.
Until he stopped.
Ahead of him, a wall of debris blocked his path.
"This should be enough."
"That enough, is it?"
Looking back, the vampire stared at him, his grin smeared with blood.
The hole in his skull was still there, his crushed eye twitching faintly.
His arms and one of his legs had already recovered—the other still twisted at an unnatural angle.
Then—with a grotesque snap—it jerked back into place.
"Looks like you've reached the end of the line."
he said, his grin widening.
"So what now? Gonna throw a rock at me?"
Kris smiled at that.
"Maybe."
The madman laughed.
…
Then, with one last burst, he threw a hook at him.
Perfect.
The humanoid shifted back into his original form, moving toward the tunnel entrance.
"Damn, I forgot he can do that."
The vampire muttered, frowning as his punch slammed into the rock wall—shattering his own hand in the process.
"Hm?"
When he looked back, one of his brows arched.
At the tunnel entrance, Kris stood waiting in his humanoid form, head lowered.
"You're not going to run?"
"Nah. After all—"
Lifting his head, he revealed a tired smile.
"This is exactly where I wanted you."
As soon as he said it, his body began to swell.
"Oh?"
With each passing second, his body expanded further—
growing in both height and mass.
"Haha!"
The vampire laughed at the sight.
"It's funny 'cause he's fat."
Kris kept growing.
The cracks across his body spread further and further—
until they nearly covered him completely.
"Hmmm."
The vampire hummed as he watched.
Growing bored, he raised a finger.
One of his nails sharpened and extended.
Then he brought his hand toward him and slowly pierced—
POP.
The sound echoed through the tunnel.
In a sudden burst, his body ruptured like a water balloon, spraying his inner fluid and air throughout the space.
The liquid completely coated Fool's body, and steam began to rise as it slowly burned him.
"Ew."
This hurts.
When he opened his eyes—burning from the liquid—his mouth fell open in surprise as a green web spread across his vision.
"Wow!"
All throughout the tunnel, dozens of neon-green tendrils stretched and connected.
Every few seconds, they pulsed with a greenish glow.
The walls, once drowned in darkness, were now lit by a shifting, restless green light.
When he touched one of the tendrils, noticing how sticky and hot they were, his hand began to burn and cling to it—forcing him to tear his hand away.
He shifted his gaze to it—the spot still steaming from the brief contact—and saw that the tendril had eaten away a portion of his skin.
"But why would he do this?"
After a few seconds of thought, something clicked.
The girl?
|Kris POV|
Good.
He won't be able to use his flight freely in here.
My body is already adhesive—and by accelerating cellular movement to raise the temperature, I can turn this into the perfect trap.
However, to make it truly effective, I'll need to focus entirely on redirecting heat away from the areas she touches.
That won't leave me with many openings to help her.
But… I don't think she'll need much help.
Now it's up to you.
Marcy.