“Kuhuhu! Is this how strong the Dark Reunion is?! Too weak!” Lucas cackled, punching straight at the Enforcer.
His armored suit clashed against Barca Glaucia’s claws, their strikes sending rippling shockwaves across the battlefield. Sparks flew as claws raked against the metallic surface of Lucas’s armor, but no matter how much strength Barca poured into his attacks, the armor showed no signs of damage.
Barca scowled as his claws screeched harmlessly off the surface. “What is this cursed plate?!” he growled, retreating several steps back. “Your petty tricks won’t save you forever, inferior being!”
Lucas smirked beneath his helmet. “Kuhuhu! Cursed plate? I prefer the term ‘fortress of justice.’” He spread his arms theatrically. “But please, by all means, keep scratching. It’s like watching a stray cat try to topple a castle. How amusing!”
Barca’s crimson eyes narrowed. He hissed, “You dare mock me?! Very well. Allow me to show you the true power of the Enforcer of the Dark Reunion!”
Viscous blood began seeping from Barca’s body, dripping onto the ground before levitating into the air. The blood writhed and coiled like living serpents before taking shape.
Hundreds, no, thousands of crimson needles formed an ominous halo around Barca.
“Perish, Jet-Black Wings!” Barca roared as he unleashed the torrent of blood needles, sending them darting at Lucas.
Facing the rain of blood needles, the particles of Lucas’s armor shifted, morphing into a massive tower shield in his hand. He planted the shield firmly before him and braced himself for the impact. The blood needles rained down like a storm, striking the shield with deafening clanks and clinks.
Some of the needles ricocheted harmlessly into the ground, while others disintegrated upon impact with the shield’s surface. Lucas peeked over the edge of the shield, a grin curling his lips.
“Kuhuhu! Really? Blood needles? That’s it? I expected something more... refined from a so-called noble vampire,” he mocked.
Barca’s fury flared as he snapped, “Watch your tongue, inferior being! You won’t be laughing for long.”
“Oh? Kuhuhu! But I can’t help myself,” Lucas replied. “After all, even I’m embarrassed by what the mighty Dark Reunion teaches its members. Hurling glorified toothpicks? Pathetic!”
“Enough!” Barca snarled, raising his clawed hand high. The blood of the fallen vampires nearby began to stir. Streams of crimson flowed from their lifeless bodies, coalescing into a massive, menacing spear that hovered above Barca.
Looking at the spear, Lucas tilted his head, feigning amusement. “Kuhuhu! Using the blood of your own kind to fight me? How noble of you. Truly the pinnacle of vampiric ethics!”
“Silence! You know nothing of our ways! This is the will of the Dark Reunion!” Barca’s face contorted with rage.
An intense murderous aura erupted from Barca’s body, shaking the air as he hurled the massive blood spear with all his might. It tore through the air with a shrill whistle, aimed directly at Lucas. The sheer force of the spear displaced the air around it, creating a shockwave that rippled through the battlefield and kicked up a massive cloud of dust and debris.
For a moment, all was silent save for the faint rustle of disturbed air. Barca smirked triumphantly, certain of his victory.
But as the dust began to settle, his smirk faltered, replaced by wide-eyed astonishment. A shimmering blue dome stood unscathed where Lucas and the containers had been. Not a single scratch marred its surface.
Lucas stood within the dome, unfazed. Slowly, he raised his hand and pointed his index finger at Barca, curling it. “Is that it?” he taunted, his voice dripping with mockery. “This is your ultimate move? Truly disappointing. I expected more from the Dark Reunion’s Enforcer.”
“Impossible!” Barca bellowed, his voice trembling with rage and disbelief. “You!”
Without hesitation, he began to conjure another spear, pouring every ounce of his remaining energy into its creation. Blood from the battlefield once again surged toward him, forming another massive spear.
However, Lucas wasn’t about to let him finish. “Kuhuhu! You had your chance to shine, Dark Reunion,” he declared. “And you squandered it. Now it’s my turn to show you what the Jet-Black Wings can do!”
Flicking his arms, his gauntlets sprouted thick, silver appendages that snapped forward like whips. The metallic tendrils lashed out, wrapping tightly around Barca’s torso and wings. Lucas yanked Barca down from the air, slamming the vampire into the dirt.
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The massive blood spear dissolved into droplets midair, splattering harmlessly to the ground.
“Witness, Dark Reunion!” Lucas’s voice boomed as the whips crackled with arcs of blue electricity.
“Judgement Knight of Thunder!”
The electricity surged down the silver tendrils, gathering into a blinding bolt of raw energy. The bolt struck Barca’s body, unleashing a blinding and deafening explosion of light and sound. The battlefield was illuminated in flashes of brilliant blue, and the air was thick with the acrid smell of scorched earth.
Barca’s screams echoed through the night as the sheer momentum of the attack left a deep crater beneath him.
When the light finally dimmed, Barca lay motionless in the center of the crater. Smoke rose from his body, which twitched faintly as the residual electricity continued to arc across his charred corpse.
Glancing at Barca's corpse, or what remained of it, then at the messages, Lucas sighed mentally, ‘Fake thunder? Is that even a thing? And swordsmanship? Dude, I cast fake thunder, shields, and laser beams. Which part of that is a sword?’
He then turned to the last two vampires, only to see them cowering behind a tree, terrified beyond reason. They couldn’t have imagined that what was supposed to be an easy hunt would turn into a complete disaster.
All the members of their squad had died, even their leader, Enforcer Barca Glaudia. All of them, under the hand of Jet-Black Wings. When they saw the Jet-Black Wings walking toward them, they instinctively wanted to flee, but an unseen force pressed against their bodies.
Lucas approached the cowering vampires. Glaring at them, he demanded, “Which one of you will talk?”
“Hiik!” one of the vampires shrieked before collapsing, utterly unconscious.
“Looks like you will,” Lucas said, looking at the dreadful vampire, who was bordering on devastated.
The vampire immediately kowtowed, prostrating himself. “Y-yes! Lord Jet-Black Wings! I will talk!”
Seeing this, Lucas signaled Jager to come over. Patting Jager's shoulder, he whispered, “Pry out every bit of information he knows. I want to know about this Dark Reunion as much as possible.”
Jager tilted its head, its red lens flickering, showing its clear confusion. Just a moment ago, its master had been clearly exhibiting actions as though the Dark Reunion was his greatest nemesis. Yet now, he was ordering it to extract information about the Dark Reunion.
“Very well, Master Jet-Black Wings.” Jager hesitated but still nodded before turning to the remaining two vampires.
Lucas sighed as his armor retracted back into a windbreaker. He stretched his creaky body and groaned, “That was a good workout.”
Chloe and Samantha came out from the containers too. The girls had watched everything from start to finish, shocked yet somehow expecting it.
“Hey! Where's my nanosuit?” Samantha grunted, crossing her arms. Although her current suit was great, it was clear the one Lucas wore was better.
Lucas shrugged and said, “This thing is still a prototype, a work in progress. Some parts are still rather inefficient. Just this fight alone almost emptied the suit's battery.”
“Maybe it’s because you shocked that dude too hard or used the giant shield you called out,” Samantha retorted, crossing her arms. “What’s the deal, anyway?”
Similarly, Chloe asked, “Yeah, man! What’s the deal, anyway?”
“What’s ‘what’s the deal’?” Lucas shrugged his shoulders, feigning ignorance.
Pinching Lucas's cheeks, Chloe growled, “Dark Reunion! Jet-Black Wings!”
“Oh,” Lucas struggled out of the pinch. He shook his head with a smile. “I mean, it’s their fault for coming up with such a ‘unique’ name. They might as well name themselves the Supreme Overlords or Evil Elmo Fan Club. A name is very important, you know?”
“Since they called themselves the Dark Reunion, I might as well call myself the Jet-Black Wings to fit the theme,” he continued with a chuckle.
Covering his mouth, he snickered, “Kuhuhuh! I am Lucas Kun, a third-year university student. At least that’s my cover story. In reality, a force called Black Beat dwells in my right arm, but they are trying to steal this power from me and create a new world order. The Dark Reunion! But with my power, I, the Jet-Black Wings, will protect the world!”
Scrunching at Lucas's words, Samantha jabbed, “Whatever you’re snorting is doing you no good, man.”
“Lucas. Get help,” even Chloe was weirded out by Lucas’s long-winded words.
Then, out of nowhere, Manuel arrived with a heap of crystal and said, “Oh, Boss Man, I’m done with the freaky tree. Now, fill my tank with Black Beats.”
Simultaneously, Jager walked over too. “Master Jet-Black Wings, I’ve finished interrogating the damn Dark Reunion’s minion,” it reported with a slight bow.
“Look!” Lucas exclaimed, patting the mechanical soldier. “They get it! Good work! We won’t let the Dark Reunion destroy this world!”
“Yeah! Crush the Dark Reunion!” Manuel shouted, pumping its fist into the air.
Meanwhile, Jager shook its head, feeling extremely ashamed by its master’s and colleague’s weird antics. However, being a mechanical soldier programmed to support his master, it had no choice but to support his master’s weird antics.
“Yeah. Jet-Black Wings…” it whispered, almost sighing.