"Ouch!"
After getting shocked on what he counted as the fifth time, Soma now is fully convinced that whatever this handcuffs emit isn't a form of electricity since Bugbear's soul should give him resistance against all kind of electrical energy.
"Should we take a small rest?" Shanoa, who dressed in a black sweatshirt and a pair of black shorts, asked as she stares at Soma with some concern in her blue eyes.
"That will be great, I am getting thirty anyway" Soma, who dressed in a white top and a pair of blue shorts, replied with a small smile before he starts to remove the handcuffs that bound them together.
Normally Soma will only jog on this park during Sunday's morning but this was a special occasion since he isn't exactly jogging for the sake of exercising, no, he is jogging for the sake of training his physical compatibility with Shanoa. It was more difficult than what he thinks especially when they reach a certain speed. Their breath will become out of synch and their limbs will stop moving in synch.
He probably blames it to their different background. While Soma is a fit young man with a lot more physical power than ordinary human thanks to being the reincarnation of Dracula, he wasn't exactly that interested in doing sports, watching sports he loves it, doing it himself he rarely does it aside from keeping himself fit enough. Shanoa, on the other hand, has been trained physically since she was young and utilized the result of her training almost every day considering she lives in an order that keep people safe from monsters.
The mediation they did yesterday does help them in synching their breath but once they do a more physical activity, it is hard to keep their breath in synch. No wonder only a few members of the church are eager to learn how to utilize Dual Crush.
After putting the handcuffs into his pocket, Soma heads to the nearest drinking fountain with Shanoa follows him from behind. The park has only two drinking fountains so he is grateful that they stop near one.
"How much time left before you need to go to your class?" Shanoa asked as she watches Soma turns out the drinking fountain, first to wash his face and second to drink the water.
"Uh… More than an hour" Soma said after he straightens his pose and glances at the nearby clock. The first class starts at 9:00 AM and he has three classes today… plus whatever that announcement that Josh will make when they reach the Starbuck for a little drink.
"Should we continue this tomorrow?" Shanoa offered as Soma steps back to allow her to use the drinking fountain. Soma watches silently as Shanoa bends down slightly to drink the water from the fountain. Her hair is tied into ponytail at the moment so no loose strands will interrupt her from drinking the water though he needs to avert his eyes slightly when her position ends up giving him… a bewitching look of her cleavage.
"We should, it will take time to prepare breakfast and take a shower" Soma answered once Shanoa has turned off the fountain and straightens her posture.
"Shall I try to make the breakfast today?" Shanoa offered as she tilts her head slightly. He has noticed that she has a habit to tilt her head like that whenever she questions something non-serious or offers something lighthearted in nature.
"Well, depend on what you want to make for today's breakfast" Soma answered with a grin before he gestures for Shanoa to follow him. She does without any hesitation, unlike two months ago.
"Do toasts and fried eggs sound sufficient for you?" Shanoa asked after thinking about what she supposes to cook for a few seconds.
"Add some bacon to it and I am good" Soma answered with a nod. Shanoa simply nods her head to reply him before the two of them continue their walk toward his apartment in silent… at least until they pass a certain familiar path.
"You remember this place?" Soma asked as he stops for a moment to look around his surroundings, noticing that there are only two people here, a couple on the nearby bench.
Upon hearing his question, Shanoa immediately looks around their surroundings before Soma notices her eyes widen a bit in recognition.
"This… This is where we first met" Shanoa said softly as she stares at the empty space where she remembers the portal time supposed to be.
"And when we kicked monsters' ass together, we make a pretty badass team back then" Soma commented with a small smile as he recalls how they first met.
Shanoa remembers how they first met, concerned by the monsters, she has no choice but to leap into the portal by performing a backflip to avoid an axe from the Axe Armor. She has expected the portal to teleport her somewhere else… she didn't expected that the portal would actually send her to the future.
She also didn't expect to meet the reincarnation of the vampire she just slain a few months ago in the process.
"You know, looking back at our first meeting, we have a pretty good synchronization. I mean when we team up, we didn't say anything to each other yet we manage to cover each other back, even launched a simultaneous attack. Maybe Noir's right in calling us a natural match, just like Jonathan Morris and Charlotte Aulin" Soma spoke up while putting one of his hands on his shorts' pocket.
"… Perhaps" Shanoa replied eventually after considering what he said. She also remembered it, how they fought together, not just against those monsters but also against Shards. She remembered how just glancing at Soma back then tells her immediately what his intent is. That was how they defeated the Golem after all, by launching thunderbolts simultaneously.
"Well, that a thought to think about after a good breakfast I suppose. Let's go home" Soma said after several seconds of silence while nodding toward the direction of his apartment.
Shanoa simply gives him a small smile and a nod to show her agreement. Perhaps Soma is right, she can think about whether she and Soma are a natural match after breakfast, perhaps she should now focus on whether she is capable to fry the eggs without turning them into inedible charcoal-like substance… like the last time she tries to make a breakfast for them.
As embarrassed as Shanoa to admit it… she does overcook the eggs and bacon… again. It amazes her that Soma still can eat his breakfast despite that without a single complains…
"What?" Soma admits that when he came home from the Starbuck, while carrying Shanoa's favorite frappe as well as his favorite latte, he didn't expect anything really significant will happen. But he knows that something is immediately wrong the moment he sees the worried look on her face…
And he needs a few seconds to process what she just said.
"There is a vampire on the loose nearby. The church just called me several minutes ago and ordered me to join the search party in finding the vampire before the condition becomes worse. I figured out it would be best to act after you come home" Shanoa said, repeating what she just said a few seconds ago.
Some lets out a frustrated sigh as he puts down his bag as well as the bag that carries his and Shanoa drink on the table before he sits down next to Shanoa while keeping his gaze on her.
"A vampire on the loose nearby, what do you mean?"
"The hunters sent to take care of it… they were killed, their bodies were discovered an hour ago. It closes by the city, and the church afraid that the vampire somehow will find a way to break through the barrier that surrounds this town. You do know that there will be a severe consequence should the vampire actually manages to get into this city" Shanoa explained more clearly to give Soma the scale of the current situation.
"And you agreed to help them, right?" Soma doesn't even need to think to know the answer of his own question.
"I did"
"Well, better wash my face and get Claimh Solais then" Soma said with a nod as he stands back on his feet, an action that Shanoa immediately follows.
"You do know that the church restricts you from using your power for battle except if it is in self-defense, right?" Shanoa asked, well aware of the restriction that the church puts on Soma as part of their agreement to let him live under their full protection.
"I do… but they also happen to charge me with the responsibility of protecting you. So, if you go, I go" Soma replied with an amused smirk before he walks toward the bathroom.
Shanoa simply shakes her head in amusement as she already expects Soma to exploit a loophole like that to have a legal reason for coming with her to this mission and since she is well aware that nothing she says will stop him, she decides not to argue with him. Besides, having him on her side might prove to be vital in killing this vampire.
With that thought, Shanoa heads to her room to change into the clothes from her time since she is most comfortable in fighting while wearing those.
It only takes 5 minutes for Soma and Shanoa to prepare themselves before heading to the location that the church has told Shanoa to head to by using Soma's motorcycle. Once they reached the spot that the church has assigned to Shanoa to investigate, Soma turns off his motorcycle before he and Shanoa dismount his motorcycle. As soon as they take off their helmet, Shanoa immediately summons three owls with her glyph before she orders them to scout the area to see if they can find the vampire through the sky.
"Let's see if we can also track this guy through scent" Soma commented as he summons a Hellhound, causing Shanoa to flinch slightly when the zombie dog's rotten smell reaches her nose but it is nothing she hasn't deal with before. The Hellhound sniffs the air for several seconds before it starts to growl and runs toward a certain direction.
"Looks like it finds something" Shanoa stated before she and Soma immediately run to follow the zombie dog. Thanks to their experience in traveling through the forest to get to Castlevania in their respective journey, Soma and Shanoa have no problem in running through the forest without tripping over roots or branches but Soma needs to admit that Shanoa moves more gracefully than him, easily avoiding all the obstacles with ease.
Suddenly, Shanoa stops moving which forces Soma to try to stop moving himself; though it makes him end up crashing against a tree.
"Ugh, what's wrong?" Soma asked as he pushes himself from the tree and approaches the woman who has a look of concentration.
"Something is killing my familiars… and it moves fast" Shanoa reported before she quickly scans her surroundings.
The information immediately puts Soma on high alert as he quickly turns around and scans his surroundings while mentally calls his Hellhound to return… but when he gets no response, Soma knows that they now aren't alone anymore.
"The vampire is here" Soma whispered as he narrows his eyes and pulls his silver gun from within his coat. Shanoa simply replies Soma's warning by summoning a pair of rapiers on her hands.
"Can you stop time to try to at least slow him down?" Shanoa asked as her blue eyes keep scanning the area in front of her, not wanting to miss anything that might give her a clue or sign about their enemy whereabouts.
"I can but I need to be sure that the vampire is within my range first, the time stop only last for a few minutes max" Soma answered as he closes his eyes briefly to prepare himself to use Zephyr's soul.
Silence starts to surround the atmosphere around them as Soma and Shanoa decide to wait patiently for their enemy to make the first move. A silent night breeze blows past them and makes Soma's coat and Shanoa's hair to flutter slightly on the air… before Shanoa quickly acts by dismissing one of her rapiers and fires a huge icicle through the power of Grando glyph toward the incoming huge fireball.
"Time be still!" Soma exclaimed just before the fireball and the icicle meets, forcing the flow of time to stop moving. After taking a deep breath, Soma touches Shanoa's shoulder and focuses his power on her.
A few moments later, Shanoa blinks her eyes several times when she realizes that the world around has lost almost all of its color. She also notices that the icicle that she fired as well as the fireball has stopped moving.
"You stopped time" Shanoa concluded as she glances at Soma who still holds her shoulder. So, this is how it feels to still able to move while time itself stops moving.
"C'mon, we don't have much time" Soma said after giving Shanoa a nod before he nods his head toward the direction where the fireball came from. Shanoa nods her head before she quickly follows Soma in running toward the direction where the fireball came from.
The path where the fireball came from lead the two of them a clearing but what awaits them are three vampires instead of one like what the report said. Two males and one female.
The first male vampire is dressed in the way one might expect from a classic vampire, in a gentleman manner, expensive suit, slacks, and everything. The second male vampire is dressed in a more modern style, a leather jacket, a pair of jeans, and a pair of leather boots, like he is some sort of biker. The only female vampire, surprisingly, is dressed in the most casual way, a simple blue turtleneck top and a pair of blue jeans while her long blonde hair is being tied in ponytail.
"Just exactly what we need" Soma grumbled as he summons Claimh Solais on his right hand. Of course there would be three vampires instead of one as the report suggested. One vampire alone is more than capable to cause chaos if they manage to get into a city but three… now he can see why the hunters that the church sent were killed. They must think that they were up against one vampire, not three.
"Let us put an end to this before time starts to move again" Shanoa stated as she carefully starts to take a step forward, her rapier ready to be used to stab the vampire's heart.
"Oh, I don't believe it will be that easy dear"
Soma immediately grabs Shanoa's arm and pulls her back to stand on his side the moment a feminine voice reaches his ears. Shanoa, while a little startled by Soma's action, immediately understands Soma intends as she quickly summons a second rapier on her free hand and assumes her battle stance.
Soon, time starts to move again which surprises Soma a little bit since he knows that he still has a firm grip on the flow of time. Though by this point, after encountering two demons that can stop time with ease, the idea of someone capable to release time from his grip doesn't surprise him as much.
"They can control time too?" Shanoa asked when she notices the surprised expression on Soma's face. If that is true then this battle might be more difficult than what she assumed earlier especially since she doesn't has experience in fighting someone with power over time.
"I don't know whether it was time control or just a form of magic negation. In any case, stay on guard" Soma answered without glancing at her as his silver eyes are still focused on the three vampires who start to move again.
"I didn't expect someone will stop time itself, and then again I didn't expect the reincarnation of Dracula himself will show up" the female vampire said as she carefully observes the two humans in front of her although calling one of them human might be incorrect.
"To think that they will even send the reincarnation of the lords of vampire, I do not know whether I should feel honored… or insulted" the gentleman vampire added as he carefully rubs his, admittedly, well-trimmed mustache.
"Doesn't matter, they come after us then they die" the biker vampire, as Soma will refer him from now on until he learns his name, snarled at them yet wisely doesn't make any move against them yet.
Soma and Shanoa simply exchange a quick glance before they focus their attention back to the three vampires in front of them. Their mission, or rather Shanoa's mission, is simple, kills the vampires to prevent them from entering the city. However, Soma still wants to know why those three are here since he thinks it doesn't make any sense.
"What do you three want? Three vampires getting close to the holy ground, are you trying to start an invasion or something?" Soma asked as he can't help but think that unless those three are extremely powerful then going straight to the church's ground is probably the last thing that any sensible vampires will do.
"I am sorry but even if you are the lord of all vampires I am afraid I can't just simply tell you why we are here" the female vampire said in a rather flirty tone before giving Soma a wink that simply makes the man raises his eyebrow.
"They will not give us any information unless we use force" Shanoa whispered as she narrows her blue eyes.
"I guess you are right, let's kick their asses" Soma concluded with a nod before he takes his fighting stance.
As soon as Soma takes a fighting stance, the biker vampire immediately charges forward in high speed, aiming to slam his fist to the white haired man's face. However, Shanoa reacts just as fast by placing herself in front of Soma while summoning a shield through her Scutum glyph on her free hand. Shanoa grits her teeth as the vampire's fist collides with her shield, pushing her back a bit, before she quickly lowers her shield slightly to allow Soma to take aim with his silver gun and shoots the vampire on his forehead.
The vampire falls on his back, howling in pain while holding his forehead. Seeing her chance, Shanoa immediately dismisses her shield before she moves toward the fallen vampire to finish him off... only for the female vampire to suddenly appear in front of Shanoa, forcing the black haired woman to quickly leap back just as the female vampire materializes a pair of bat wings on her back that fire a swarm of bats toward Shanoa. As soon as Shanoa lands back on the ground, Soma immediately puts himself in front of her after storing his silver gun into his coat and fires a cloud of flame from his free hand that burns all the incoming bats.
"It just like you, acting all reckless only to get your ass kicked" the female vampire taunted with a smirk after she grabs the vampire with a hole on his forehead and quickly drags him away from the two people who are distracted by the bats that she fired at them.
"Shut up!" the male vampire shouts in anger after manages to pull out the silver bullet from his skull.
Soma and Shanoa stand next to each other as they assume their fighting stance once again while also leaving one of their hands free to cast any spell that they might need. The gentleman vampire claps his hands with a smirk just as the other two vampires reach his sides before he snaps his fingers, causing dark purple aura to surround him before a creature that neither Soma nor Shanoa ever see before manifests behind the vampire.
"Amusing" the gentleman vampire stated just as the creature behind him, which looks like a demonic bat without eyes that has a single big eye on its torso, lets out a roar before the eye on its torso starts to glow.
Soma and Shanoa immediately leap aside when the familiar of the gentleman vampire fires a destructive beam that disintegrates anything on its path. Once they land, Soma and Shanoa immediately activate Black Panther soul and Rapidus Fio glyph respectively before running toward the three vampires in high speed. In response, the biker vampire lets out a roar as his entire body is suddenly engulfed by purple flame before he quickly charges toward the reincarnation of Dracula while the female vampire simply chuckles before she flies toward the incoming witch of glyphs.
Soma grits his teeth when his left fist collides with the biker vampire's right fist, creating a powerful shockwave in the process, before Soma quickly swings Claimh Solais in attempt to cut off the vampire's arm but the vampire proves to be faster than Soma as he quickly leaps back to avoid Soma's slash before the vampire quickly rushes back in attempt to punch Soma with his left fist. However, Soma manages to block the vampire's fist with his sword which causes the vampire to cry in pain as the holy blade of the Claimh Solais burns his fist when it touches the blade. Some immediately tries to use this chance to cut the vampire's arm again but just like before, the vampire manages to leap away before Soma can cut his arm but he does manage to leave a gash on the vampire's shoulder. Soma then glances at how Shanoa does with her vampire before he pulls out his silver gun and takes an aim.
Shanoa narrows her eyes as she thrusts her rapier toward the female vampire… but both her eyes immediately widen in surprise when the female vampire simply smirks before catching the rapier on her hand and breaks it easily, forcing Shanoa to quickly leaps backward when the vampire about to grab her face with her other hand. The vampire immediately follows Shanoa and when she about to grab the woman's face again, a silver bullet immediately pierces her arm, fired by Soma, causing the female vampire to shriek in pain. Shanoa immediately takes advantage of this by kicking the vampire on the face, her heel manages to pierce the vampire's left cheek, before Shanoa uses her other leg to kick the vampire on the torso some distances between her and the vampire.
As soon as she lands on the ground, Shanoa immediately fires a ball of lightning through the power of Fulgur glyph toward the female vampire. While the ball of lightning manages to hit the vampire, she eventually manages to rip the ball into two with her bare hands before she quickly soars to the sky to avoid a disintegrating beam that comes toward Shanoa's direction.
Shanoa about to summon two shields in attempt to protect herself from the beam but before she could do that, Soma already manages to put himself in front of her before he quickly summons a barrier through the power of Final Guard's soul. While Soma is busy defending them, Shanoa immediately leaps into the air and summons four orbs of light by using her Vol Luminato glyph before she launches the four orbs toward the three vampires as soon as she spots them. Predictably, each vampire is capable to dodge the orbs of light despite the orb homing nature but at least the orbs have served its purpose in stopping the beam so Soma can dismisses his barrier to save his energy.
"The female vampire seems to possess an ability to negate magic, it manages to break apart two of my glyphs" Shanoa informed Soma once she lands next to him.
"So, she is the one who forced time to move again earlier. The one I faced is too fast for me. Let's change target and see if we can deal with them before we deal with the third one" Soma suggested as he twirls Claimh Solais on his hand before he assumes his battle stance again. If that female vampire does can negate magic then he needs to deal with her first.
"Understood" Shanoa replied before she summons a pair of blades through her Secare glyph.
Soma and Shanoa activate the Black Panther's soul and the Rapidus Fio glyph again to charge toward the vampires in high speed. The flaming biker vampire immediately runs toward Soma again with the desire for a rematch but before he even can come close to Soma, Shanoa manages to knee him on the face and knock him onto the ground. However, the vampire manages to recover before Shanoa can do anything else, prompting the witch the click her tongue in annoyance.
"Get out of my way woman!" the flaming vampire shouted in irritation as the purple flame that surrounds his body seems to glow brighter for a moment.
"I am afraid I cannot do that… because for now, I am your opponent!" Shanoa exclaimed before she immediately dashes forward to engage the flaming vampire.
Soma narrows his eyes when the female vampire manages to block his swing by using the bat wings on her back.
"To think you will choose to dance with me Lord Dracula, I am really honored!" the female vampire exclaimed, still with that flirtatious tone of hers, before she manages to push Soma back… or rather he allows her to push him back.
"Too bad, I don't return the sentiment" Soma said before he quickly throws the small doll on his free hand so it will be on the air and right behind the vampire. Before the female vampire can understand what Soma tries to do, the white haired man already teleports behind her and immediately swings Claimh Solais downward.
The female vampire lets out a shriek filled with pain after Soma manages to sever one of the bat wings on her back. The vampire lets out a hiss before she immediately tries to attack Soma with her remaining wing, prompting Soma to quickly hold his sword with his left hand in reverse grip to block the vampire's wing before he quickly channels the power of Slaughterer's and Hell Boar's soul into his fist and thrusts his fist forward.
Unfortunately, the vampire manages to avoid his super punch by splitting herself into numerous small bats… but Soma won't let her escape. Soma lets out a roar as he calls forth the power Spin Devil's soul and creates a tornado that sucks in all the bats, forcing the female vampire to materialize inside the tornado he creates, making her scream in pain as the wind starts to leave various cuts on her body.
Before the vampire can regain her composure and break free from his tornado, Soma immediately activates Malacoda's soul, causing a long tail to appear on his rear, and sends his tail toward the struggling vampire to choke her by wrapping his tail around her neck. Once he is sure she won't be able to escape his grip, Soma immediately pulls her downward before she can break free… and pierce her torso by raising Claimh Solais to the sky.
Shanoa narrows her eyes as she continues to dance through the flaming vampire's kicks and punches, mostly blocking and redirecting his punches and kicks. The vampire is indeed fast but not fast enough to cause Shanoa any big trouble. Shanoa leaps back when the vampire about to smash her from above and end up smashing the spot where she stood a few moments ago.
Shanoa takes a deep breath as she dismisses both blades on her hands while her mind starts to form a plan to defeat this vampire. Her swords proven to be not as effective as she would like against the vampire as every cut she manages to inflict will heal in matter of seconds while the vampire is a little bit too fast for her to be able to give any meaningful damage which means she needs something more powerful than her blades.
The flaming vampire wastes no time in charging toward her again, but this time instead of dashing toward him in return, Shanoa simply stands on her spot and waits for the right moment to execute her plan. As soon as the vampire is within the right distance, Shanoa immediately acts by summoning a hammer on her right hand through the power of Macir glyph to immediately smack away the fist that aims to hit her face before she stretches her left hand forward. Predictably, the vampire immediately leaps back but Shanoa has prepared a weapon that not only fast enough to catch him but also to restrain him…
Sinestro Custos glyph…
A large white wolf's head immediately manifests in front of Shanoa's left hand before the wolf bites the vampire's left shoulder, preventing him from putting a distance between himself and Shanoa as well as starting to freeze him as the area around where the wolf sinks its fang starts to be encased in ice.
Before the vampire can recover and break from the white wolf's grip, Shanoa immediately throws a boomerang blade, the manifestation of Redire glyph, that manages to embed itself on the vampire's right shoulder. Shanoa then quickly activates her Magnes glyph to magnetically pull the boomerang blade from the vampire's shoulder through a pulling motion of her hand before she launches the boomerang again in much higher speed by thrusting her hand forward, resulting in the vampire losing its right arm entirely.
"You bitch!" the vampire roared in pain as his right arm falls limply on the ground. However, Shanoa isn't finished yet as she mentally gives a mental command to the white wolf, causing the beast to growl before it tears off the vampire's other shoulder. While the vampire is busy roaring in pain, Shanoa quickly activates the Torpor glyph and drops several yellow crystal shards around the vampire's feet.
"You… You will pay for these!" the vampire roared in anger once he manages to recover from the pain but before he even can take a step toward the black haired witch, the crystal shards around his feet immediately grow and encase him in yellow crystal, preventing him from moving. However, Shanoa is well aware that the crystal won't hold the vampire for long… which is why she intends to finish it now.
"Uranus!" Shanoa exclaimed as she combines the power of Vol Luminato glyph and Secare glyph through Glyphs Union, causing a huge sword made of pure light to form on her raised hands. Before the vampire, whose only eyes aren't encased by yellow crystal, can do anything to break free of his restraint, Shanoa immediately swings down the huge sword of light. The intense light that forms the sword immediately vaporize not only the vampire but also the crystal that encases him and the ground in front of her.
Shanoa immediately straightens her posture to see the result of her attack. There is nothing of the vampire remains, even the crystal that she used to restrain him also disappeared completely. Shanoa quickly glances on Soma's direction to see how he is doing, only to see the man has managed to cleave the female vampire in half and now is burning her corpse with a stream of fire that comes out from his left hand.
"Well done"
Soma and Shanoa immediately shift their attention to the last vampire who strangely hasn't made any attempt to help his comrades… if they are comrades to begin with.
"Have you finally grown a desire to tell us what you are up to now?" Soma asked as he pulls out his silver gun from his coat and aims it toward the vampire while Shanoa immediately summons her rapiers on both her hands.
"Fortunately, no. But I cannot remain silent after witnessing such entertaining entertainment which is why I offer my commendation" the vampire answered easily while clapping his hands slowly.
"You are a confident one, aren't you?" Soma replied as he narrows his silver eyes at the same time as when Shanoa narrows her blue eyes.
"I am and I have a good reason for it" the vampire said as he closes his eyes and gives them a soft smile. Soma and Shanoa immediately charge toward the vampire after activating the power of Black Panther's soul and Rapidus Fio glyph respectively. However, before Soma or Shanoa can reach the vampire, the vampire suddenly emits a powerful shockwave that catches them off of guard and blows them away just as the vampire's familiar reappears behind him.
Shanoa manages to right herself on the air and ends up landing on her feet while Soma lands rather roughly on his back but he immediately stands back on his feet. When the two of them focus their attention back the vampire, their eyes widen in surprise at the sight that greets them. The vampire's familiar's body is transforming into what best described as thick purple liquid that flows toward the vampire mouth, nose, and eyes, entering from those point into the vampire's body.
"Gross" Soma commented with a cringe once the familiar's body has completely entered the vampire's body.
"Is he consuming his familiar?" Shanoa questioned, not entirely familiar with the sight that she just witnessed.
"I don't know, it's the first time I see something like this" Soma answered, not even sure what just happened with the vampire's familiar.
The vampire body starts to glow dimly in purple… before demonic hide that looks more like armor starts to grow on the vampire's skin, replacing it. Soon, the vampire has transformed into a black demonic creature with jagged crystals on his arms, calves, back, and the back of his head. The creature has no eyes but his mouth is full of sharp needle-like teeth. There glowing purple veins across his body.
"Now this feels better" the vampire stated as he looks over his new form.
"What kind of power is this?" Shanoa muttered to herself when she senses an extraordinary power that comes from the vampire… it almost similar to the power that she senses at that time…
"No wonder he is so confident with his chance" Soma muttered, also sensing the power that Shanoa senses. And just like Shanoa, this power also reminds him of hat day…
The day where the two of them fought Shards for the first time…
"Well then, shall we begin?" before either Soma or Shanoa even can react; the demonic vampire suddenly appears on the empty space between them before he quickly slam his right foot on Soma's chest, causing the white haired man to spit out a few drops of blood before the force behind the kick sends him flying through several trees, away from the clearing.
Shanoa immediately materializes a shield in front of her through her Scutum glyph and tries to leap backward but the vampire has disappeared first… before the vampire reappears directly next to her and kicks her on the back with enough force to send her flying like Soma. However, when Shanoa flies through her fifth tree, the demonic vampire suddenly appears from above and slams his fist onto her breastplate, shattering it in the process.
A few drops of blood escape Shanoa's mouth once the force of the demonic vampire's fist shatters her breastplate and creates a crater behind her. Before she even can regain her breathing, the vampire immediately grabs her neck and lifts her up. As the demonic vampire starts to choke her, Shanoa immediately summons a blade through her Secare glyph on her right hand before she stabs the vampire's arm… or tries to… because, to her surprise, the blade simply bounce off the vampire's hide harmlessly.
"It will take more than that to harm me dear" the vampire chuckles as he brings Shanoa closer to him while keeps applying pressure to her neck, making her letting out a choking noise as she tries to remove the hand on her neck with both her hands. To her disgust, the demonic vampire opens his mouth and licks her cheek with his unnaturally long tongue, leaving sticky liquid behind.
"You are lucky that they need you, or else I will have that blood of yours for myself. It reeks with both dark magic and holy magic… you are unique dear, very unique" the vampire stated as he licks the black haired woman again on a different spot… and Shanoa wastes no time in grabbing the vampire's tongue and activates Vol Fulgur glyph, sending a powerful lightning power through the vampire's tongue.
To her relief, the vampire drops her as he lets out a pained scream. Despite the headache that she feels, Shanoa immediately draws the power of Acerbatus glyph and fires a destructive orb that manages to push the vampire a few meters away. Unfortunately, the orb doesn't manage to push the vampire very far as a few moments later; the demonic vampire manages to tear apart the orb into two.
Seeing this, Shanoa forces herself to stand back on her feet, even though her breathing is still heavy, before she materializes a pair of scythes through her Falcis glyph and prepares herself for another battle.
"Perhaps I should teach you some manners before handing you to them!" the vampire exclaimed before he immediately charges forward but before the demonic vampire can reach, a white blur instantly appears and block his path.
Both Shanoa's blue eyes widen slightly in surprise when Soma appears in front of her and blocks the vampire's fist with the Claimh Solais that he holds in reverse-grip before Soma lets out a roar and thrust his fist, that is surrounded by red energy, to the vampire's face, creating a powerful shockwave that shatters the ground beneath them, sends the vampire flies through the forest in front of them, and blows Shanoa away as she doesn't expect Soma to release such force with his fist alone. However, when Shanoa expects her back to hit a hard trunk, she instead feels something softer… and it makes her realizes that Soma has managed to put himself behind her to catch her before she can crash through a tree… again.
"Are you okay?" Soma asked as he gently sets her down so she will sit down. Shanoa takes this chance to control her breathing as she raises her hand to tell Soma to give her time.
"I-I will be fine" Shanoa answered between her coughs as she tries to control her breathing.
"Heal yourself first then be my support once you are ready, I will try to weaken him. You think you will be fine on your own for a while?" Soma asked in a firm tone before he stands back on his feet. Shanoa gives him a determined nod when Soma looks her over his shoulder, prompting him to give her a smile and a nod before he focuses his attention back to where he sends the demonic vampire flying before Soma disappears as he activates Black Panther's soul and charges forward in full speed.
Shanoa closes her eyes as she puts most of her remaining energy in using Refectio glyph to heal her wounds. A few seconds later, Shanoa opens her eyes when she hears a sound that is similar to an explosion to see a thick cloud of dust rises to the sky. Soon another explosive sound reaches her ears followed by another thick cloud of dust that rises to the sky before a bright pillar of energy rises to the sky not too long after.
Soma must have started fighting the vampire…
Shanoa knows that if she joins now, she will only get in his way. For now, she better focuses on recovering her stamina and healing her wounds before supporting him. However, now that Shanoa has time to think what just happened, something immediately feels off about the demonic vampire. He clearly said he was intending to hand her over someone otherwise he probably already tried to drink her blood. Does this mean… this vampire attack… it is an attempt to lure
Before Shanoa can ponder more in regards to that thought, her senses immediately alert of presences behind her… but her body doesn't manage to follow her command fast enough which results in the large black werewolf manages to grab her body with both its arms and lifts her off the ground.
"Got you finally, you witch" the werewolf growled as it brings Shanoa closer to its face as it starts to squeeze her body, prompting Shanoa to scream in pain. However, Shanoa doesn't simply scream in pain loudly in response to the werewolf squeezing her body but also to attract Soma's attention.
"Must you try to make her scream? He will come for her once he hears her scream" the woman, Shards, stated as she steps out of the shadow behind the werewolf, well aware that the reincarnation of the lord of darkness will come in response to the witch's scream. The werewolf growls in annoyance at the hooded woman but notably stops squeezing Shanoa.
That is all she needs…
"W-What?" the werewolf, Howl, is surprised when Shanoa's body start to be surrounded by crimson aura before the aura transforms into what described as a large head of a crimson wolf.
Arma Custos glyph, a glyph that grants her the mighty power of Cerberus, the guardian of Hell, and unlike her other glyph that enhances her strength, she prefers to Arma Custos when her body has received some damage. Because with Arma Custos glyph, the more physically damaged she is…
The stronger she becomes.
With a loud defiant cry, Shanoa manages to forcefully free herself from the werewolf's grip before she immediately summons a large head of white wolf and a large head of black wolf through Sinestro Custos glyph and Dextro Custos glyph respectively. The black wolf bites the werewolf on its right shoulder, with flame seeps through its mouth, while the white wolf bits the werewolf's left waist, with icy mist seeps through its mouth.
From the corner of her vision, she can see Shards tries to attack her… only for an object to slam onto her. With the hooded woman out of the way, Shanoa can focus her full attention to the werewolf who is struggling to free itself from the wolves' grip. Similar to the Dominus glyphs, the Custos glyphs come in set, and if she uses the three glyphs simultaneously… her power is drastically enhanced especially if she also happens to has received some damage to her body.
"Go to hell" Shanoa muttered darkly before she rips the werewolf into two by spreading her arms wide, killing it. Shanoa doesn't show any reaction as the werewolf's blood splashed over her face and dress before she throws the corpses of the werewolf away.
Shanoa then shifts her attention to the hooded woman and the demonic vampire, whom she notices has received many wounds across his body, just as Soma lands next to her, Claimh Solais still shines dimly on his hand.
"I see, so this is a trap… to lure Shanoa away from the church's domain. Sending vampires with one strong enough to distract me so you can separate me from her" Soma concluded when he notices Shards, causing him to narrow his eyes and grip his sword a little tighter. Shanoa simply glares at the two as the three heads of wolf around her growl menacingly to the vampire and the hooded woman.
"Howl is death, I see no other reason for being here" Shards declared before she opens a portal behind her as well as summoning some armor-type monsters around Soma and Shanoa.
"I do hope we meet again, Lord Dracula" the vampire stated with a chuckle, despite his condition, as the portal consumes the two of them.
"Damn it! Shanoa, duck!" Soma commanded after cursing the fact that those two manage to get away before they can learn anything more. Shanoa immediately follows Soma's order without question just in time to see Soma's arms encased by holy gauntlets resulted in Soma puts his magic into Claimh Solais to enhance its capability.
Soma narrows his eyes in irritation and anger as the blade of Claimh Solais starts to glow brightly before it starts to grow in size and length as the light that radiates from the blade illuminates the surrounding area. With a roar, Soma spins his body and manages to cleave all the monsters in one spinning motion.
"What was that?" Shanoa asked in curiosity once she is sure that all the monsters have been slain before she stands back on her feet while dismissing the Custos glyphs.
"Critical Art, a technique to enhance your weapon by putting some of your magic into it" Soma answered as he releases the magic he puts into Claimh Solais, causing the sword to return to normal and the gauntlets on his arms to dissipate. When Shanoa about to reply Soma's statement, she finds herself stumble forward slightly due to exhaustion, prompting Soma to immediately step forward to catch her by grabbing her shoulder.
"Careful, let your body rest first" Soma said gently as he watches the black haired woman breathes rather heavily.
"I-I will be fine" Shanoa eventually replied after a few seconds of silence before she places a hand on Soma's chest to help stabilizing her balance.
"You'll be fine in time, for now allow me to help you" Soma assured before his body glitches momentarily as he dismisses Claimh Solais. Without waiting the woman's replies, Soma immediately lifts her into his arms to carry her in bridal style, surprising her a little bit.
"Are you not tired?" Shanoa asked as Soma starts to walk away from the clearing. She knows it isn't the first time Soma has carried her this way but the first time he did it, she was fully distracted by the constant pain that surges through her body. Now that she is conscious and not distracted by anything, she can't help but recall that she has never been carried like this before, not even by him.
She is confused about the fact that she actually finds this situation to be weird… yet pleasant.
"Don't worry; I have a lot of stamina. That vampire bastard puts up quite a fight but not enough to completely drain me… and he even ruined my coat" Soma explained to her as he narrows his eyes for the umpteenth time tonight. That bastard is lucky that he has eleven more coats similar to this in case the one he wears get a stain or something.
Shanoa can't help but roll her eyes at his concern but decide to not make any remark in regards to him worrying about his coat while her breastplate just got shattered. She wonders if the church can help in finding a replacement for it, preferably made from a stronger material that still won't hinder her mobility and agility too much.
Once they reach the spot where Soma parks his motorcycle, he puts Shanoa down gently and hands her phone back to her as well as telling her to call the church to inform them of what happened and to ask them to send the cleanup team. After telling the church regarding the situation as well as requesting the cleanup team, Shanoa ends the call with a sigh… before she looks up at Soma in surprise when he offers her what looks like to be Starbuck's frappe.
"I bring this along with me since leaving it back at home might be a waste; why not drink it to celebrate our victory and survival?" Soma explained with a small grin. Shanoa simply shakes her head little in amusement before she accepts the frappe, noticing that it is no longer cold though a quick use of her Grando glyph will fix that.
Soma and Shanoa lean back against Soma's motorcycle as they heat up and cold down their drink respectively with their respective power while staring up at the night sky above them.
"They are getting more direct" Shanoa said after taking a sip from her frappe, eventually breaking the silence between them.
"Agreed" Soma replied simply before he takes a sip from his latte,
"And I believe they will continue to do so in their attempt to kidnap me from here on" Shanoa continued as she stares down at her frappe.
"They will" Soma said simply, showing his agreement once again.
"But will they involve more people again? Tonight, two hunters die because, presumably, they want to lure me away from the city" Shanoa lamented in guilt.
"I don't know about whether more deaths will be involved as the cult continues their attempt… but those hunters' death weren't your responsibility. Curtis told me, when someone becomes a hunter, they know that each mission could be their last. Those hunters know that and decide to continue their mission. You should also know about this, right? You are a huntress yourself in your time" Soma explained after pondering about the subject for a little bit.
"… I did, it just…" Shanoa doesn't feel that she is ready to reveal what happened the last time someone died because of her… it still too painful for her to remember directly…
"Hey" Shanoa shifts her attention back to Soma when he places a hand on her shoulder and squeezes it slightly.
"Remember that you told me to never do anything on my own? The same goes to you. We are going to deal with this whole mess together" Soma said in attempt to reassure her. With the way things go, Soma is sure that they will stay together like this until at least this matter resolved. So, when there is a problem, it is better if they deal with it together.
Shanoa simply gives him a nod and a small smile to show that she appreciates his attempt to reassure even if she doesn't feel that reassured… however, it does put her mind at ease somehow to know she has someone she always can count on. This isn't the first time Soma reminds her that she isn't alone, that he is with her all the way.
"I am thinking of taking a break tomorrow" Soma stated after a few seconds of silence in order to lighten up the heavy atmosphere that surrounds them. Thankfully, Shanoa seems to willing to humor his attempt to break the heavy atmosphere between them by scolding him lightly.
"I do not think it is a wise decision to skip a day of your education because of a minor inconvenience like this"
"Minor inconvenience? I was kicked on the ribs earlier"
"I very much doubt a kick like that could leave a lasting damage to someone with your durability"
"Give me a break" Soma can't hide the grin that starts to form on his face as he and Shanoa continue to banter. The night still leaves an uneasy air around them but for now, for this moment, Soma is just glad that both he and Shanoa still can see tomorrow come.