After delivering a Rider Kick that blasted the vampire butler Rona to pieces, Zed slowly straightened up, brushed the dust from his armor, and stared gloomily at the grand hall doors.
Lilith was still inside, and there was nothing he could do but wait. An actor couldn't step on stage before his cue, after all.
"Ahh~ why can't I ever control my damn temper?" Zed sighed, plopping himself down on the stairs and resting his chin on one hand, spacing out.
Inside the spacious and ornate council hall, Lilith walked forward slowly, her fingers slipping into her pocket from time to time, searching for a sense of security.
Only the sound of her heels echoed through the vast chamber—clear and elegant—until a hoarse voice shattered the silence.
"You've come, my poor daughter."
Dracula, clad in his count's finery, emerged from the shadows, moving with unhurried grace.
Lilith drew her rapier and leveled it at him, her brows tightening."I've come to take your life, Dracula."
"You never learn, do you?" Dracula's tone hardened, his red eyes flaring. "Do you really think my affection gives you the right to act with impunity, Lilith?"
Lilith lunged, sword flashing. "Enough talk! Take this!"
Dracula's gaze turned cold. He raised his hand and caught the blade bare-handed—yet the sharp edge failed to leave even a scratch on his palm.
His crimson eyes locked onto Lilith's pink ones as he spoke with stern authority:"Perhaps I've been too gentle. Maybe what you need is a lesson—a deep one—to help you grow, my daughter."
The moment his voice fell, Dracula's left hand whipped across her face.
Smack!
Lilith didn't even have time to react. A bright red handprint appeared across her cheek. Yet her expression remained cold, eyes fixed on him with defiance.
"This is your idea of parenting? What a failure. Tch." Lilith spat a mouthful of blood straight at his face.
Dracula didn't dodge. The blood struck him squarely, and he merely wiped it off with his hand, sighing in disappointment.
"My dear little girl used to be so adorable—so precious. I can still remember the way you held your mother's hand and called me 'Father.'"He exhaled softly.
Then his gentleness vanished. The loving father was gone, replaced entirely by Count Dracula—the progenitor of vampires.
Lilith's instincts screamed danger. She lashed out with a kick aimed at his abdomen—but Dracula caught her ankle in one hand.
Bang!
He lifted her and slammed her brutally into a marble pillar. Lilith crashed through two of them before hitting the ground hard.
Biting back a scream, she braced herself with one trembling hand on the floor, the other clutching her bruised ribs as she struggled to rise.
Dracula's calm, commanding voice echoed across the hall."Still stubborn? You'll never defeat me. The meager power from your diluted bloodline is pathetic."
Lilith coughed up blood, gasping between words."I'm… not done yet. I can still fight."
Her hand slipped into her pocket, reaching for something—but Dracula's voice cut her off."Looking for this?"
He raised his right hand. In it was a blank watch dial. He waved it casually before her eyes."I'm no ignorant relic, Lilith. I've done my homework on all these new players—Daywalkers, Iron Man, Zi-O, and the rest. I know exactly what this little toy is. And I'm not about to give you that chance."
Lilith's face changed drastically. "Give it back! Give it back right now!"
Dracula ignored her desperate cry. Under her horrified gaze, he pressed the button."Face reality, Lilith."
The dial flared with a black-green light, forming a bat-shaped sigil at its center.
When the glow faded, the once-blank dial had turned crimson, its axis pitch-black, faint green light leaking from the seams.
"No! Give it back, damn you!" Tears streamed down Lilith's face, but her glare remained fierce and hateful.
To crush her last bit of hope, Dracula stood and pressed the button again. A black-and-red bat shot out of the dial, circling around him.
Looking down upon Lilith, he finally said,"Let's see what you can do."
Screech!
The bat sank its fangs into Dracula's hand, and a surge of black-green energy burst forth, blanketing the hall like a dark curtain.
Behind him, a massive bat-shaped emblem materialized.
Crack!
The sound of shattering glass echoed as Dracula transformed—into Kamen Rider Dark Kiva.
But the laughter that followed wasn't his.
"Ha~~ ha ha ha ha!"
He frowned. "What are you laughing at?"
Lilith wiped away her tears, a trembling smile on her lips."I won. Why shouldn't I laugh?"
Dracula's expression shifted beneath his mask. He quickly examined his armor, searching for traps or interference—but found nothing.
"Trying to trick me into removing the armor, is that it?" he growled. It was the only explanation he could think of.
Then, a third voice echoed through the hall."She's not tricking you. The moment you pressed that button, she'd already won."
Zed swaggered into view, walking right up to Dracula, completely unconcerned about the danger.
Dracula flicked his armored chestplate with one finger, speaking proudly."I don't know what you two are plotting—but you think you can defeat me? Especially now that I'm wearing this? Win? You're delusional."
Zed chuckled lightly, crouching beside Lilith to lift her into his arms. He brushed the blood and dust from her face, completely ignoring Dracula.
That nonchalance made Dracula laugh in anger."I've seen plenty of arrogant men. None of them ended well."
"I told you," Zed said softly, still caressing Lilith's cheek, "Lilith's already won. Because you've lost your market value. Can't you understand that?"
Dracula frowned, confused. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Zed straightened, extended his hand toward Dracula, and slowly raised his thumb and forefinger."My name's Akane Ya. I specialize in going after other men's wives. Yours is long dead, but I can still take your daughter. Does that make sense to you?"
Huff… Huff…
Ragged breathing came from behind Dark Kiva's mask, growing heavier and heavier.
Furious beyond words, Dracula ground his teeth, snarling one word at a time:"You! Son! Of! A! Bitch!"
He raised his arm to attack, intent on tearing Zed apart—but before he could move, Zed spoke again.
"All the dials are under my control. Yours included. And the one you activated just happens to be… that one." Zed clicked his tongue mockingly. "Well? What are you waiting for? Come here, my Joker Bat."
The instant the words left his mouth, the Joker Bat detached from Dracula's belt, reverted his transformation, and fluttered over to Zed, circling him with sharp, mocking shrieks.
"Sorry, pal," Zed smirked. "All Kiva-type transformations are controlled by the bat. Which means, in plain terms, I control them."
Before Dracula could react, Zed lifted his leg and kicked.
Caught off guard, Dracula was sent flying, smashing through seven or eight marble columns before finally stopping.
"Joker Bat, take Lilith and stay out of the way," Zed ordered as he strode toward Dracula.
Dracula shoved aside the rubble, roaring in rage,"Enough! I'll kill you!"
He dissolved into black smoke—only to reappear behind Zed.
But Zed leapt high into the air and spun, unleashing a ferocious roundhouse kick.
Bang!
Dracula had barely reappeared when the kick slammed into his face, snapping off one of his fangs. He hit the floor hard, clutching his jaw, speechless.
Zed stalked toward him, ready to finish the job—but halfway there, he suddenly reached out into the air and grabbed.
A phantom claw materialized in his hand. Zed clenched it tight, dragging Dracula's invisible form back into view—the illusionary double on the floor shattering into smoke.
Dracula's jaw had already regenerated. He stared in shock."Impossible—ugh!"
Before he could finish, Zed's fist smashed into his face, breaking the newly grown fang again.
"Less talking, more fighting! What good's all that blabbering?!"
Zed seized Dracula's arm, hurled him over his shoulder, then stomped down hard on his shoulder joint—ripping the arm clean off.
But the gory spray he expected never came. The severed limb dissolved into crimson mist and reattached itself instantly.
Dracula sneered."So what if you can predict my attacks? So what if you see through my illusions? You can't kill me. I am truly immortal."
"Immortal, my ass!" Zed roared, charging in again.
They clashed violently once more. Dracula was a master swordsman himself, no weaker than Zed—but against Zed's second-tier time-predicting abilities, he was utterly outmatched, beheaded again and again with no chance to strike back.
Zed couldn't kill him. Dracula couldn't hurt Zed. The battle dragged on, deadlocked.
Both men paused at last, catching their breath—Zed leaning on his sword, Dracula reassembling his scattered limbs.
That gave them time for one more round of verbal sparring.
"It's useless," Dracula rasped. "No matter how strange your powers are, I'll wear you down. I'll rip out your heart and liver while you're still alive—and savor every bite!"
Half of his face was flesh, the other half writhing red mist—a grotesque sight.
Zed's shoulders began to shake, his laughter rising louder and louder.
"What are you laughing at? Have you gone mad?" Dracula sneered.
"When you're reassembling your body," Zed grinned wickedly, "you can't move, can you? Don't bother answering."
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(End of Chapter)