The battle was on the brink of breaking out. Aside from Lucy, Corin, and No. 11, every Agent had been deployed, clashing with the vampires amid a sea of flames.
They'd been singing all night, and even now—whether Blazewood's original residents or refugees from the city—everyone was still riding the high, spirits running hot as they moved at a brisk pace.
But there were simply too few Agents. Two fists couldn't stand against four hands, let alone worse odds.
Even in one-on-one fights, the vampires possessed a clear aerial advantage. For the time being, Nicole and the others had no good way to deal with them, and could only do their best to hold them back.
"Nekomata, cover me for a bit."
At last, the team's sturdiest backline couldn't hold it in anymore. Nicole slammed a hand against her earpiece, roaring as she hurriedly swapped ammo in her briefcase:
[No. 11, are you done on your end yet?!]
No. 11's calm voice—tinged with faint urgency—soon came through the channel:
[Evacuation and containment are complete. You'll be able to withdraw shortly. Oh, and once this is over, I'll personally give you three million Dennies.]
Nicole was overjoyed. Her eyebrows shot up in delight, and even her voluptuous figure trembled with excitement.
"Nicole, watch out!"
Nekomata suddenly whipped her head around and shouted.
High above, a sharp-clawed vampire noticed Nicole's momentary distraction. Letting out an excited whistle, it dove straight down, claws gleaming coldly in the moonlight as they reached for her shoulders.
But no one expected that in her euphoric state, Nicole would be frighteningly strong. She hoisted her briefcase and cheered at the top of her lungs.
[I love you, No. 11—huh? What did I just hit? Ow! That hurts!]
She glanced at her slightly swollen, reddened hand in confusion. She'd celebrated too hard and clearly hit something.
And she'd hit it through the briefcase.
Looking to the side, she immediately saw Nekomata staring at her in admiration, thighs rubbing together as she shrieked excitedly, "Wow, Boss Nicole is amazing! You knocked out a vampire in one hit!"
…A vampire?
Nicole froze, then quickly looked around.
Sure enough, a vampire lay unconscious on the ground. A massive hole had been punched through its forehead, blood pouring out in a steady stream.
Faintly, Nicole could even see a silvery sheen glinting inside its head.
"Of course! Your boss is super strong! Awooo—hahaha!"
Faced with the evidence of her own "heroics," Nicole burst into an arrogant laugh. Her hand throbbed like it was about to split open, but she ignored the cold sweat on her brow, planting her hands on her hips and striking a powerful pose.
After a moment, Nekomata spoke again. "Uh, Nicole… your briefcase is broken. Is that okay?"
"It's fine, it's just a little—what? Huh?! My briefcase!"
The instant she processed what Nekomata had said, Nicole snapped her head down. She blinked, then let out a piercing scream.
"Ahhh! My briefcase! That thing was expensive!"
Only then did she realize the bottom of the case had been completely smashed, Dennies spilling all over the ground.
At last, she understood what that silvery glint in the sharp-clawed vampire's forehead had been.
It wasn't that she'd knocked the vampire out with sheer brute force.
She'd smashed straight through its skull with the briefcase. When the case broke apart, the Dennies inside had poured out and rolled right into the vampire's head.
Dennies had weight.
Brains turned into paste.
The power of wealth!
It's fine, it's fine. I still have the three million Dennies from No. 11!
Nicole hastily comforted herself, then pressed her earpiece again.
[No. 11, about those three million Dennies you mentioned earlier… that was real, right?]
[False.]
[Huh?]
Nicole blinked, her sanity teetering on the edge.
Moments later, No. 11's voice sounded again—still calm, but now carrying a faint note of smug satisfaction. Nicole could practically picture her unconsciously pushing up her goggles as she spoke.
[Earlier, through the earpiece, I heard something moving at high speed. Based on the sound, it was very likely a vampire.]
[And from my observations over the past few days, Nicole, you're a very emotional person with particularly high standards for certain daily necessities. Just a casual mention is enough to draw out strength far beyond your usual limits.]
Nicole roared back:
[Who wants that kind of strength?! I want shiny, glittering Dennies!]
[No shiny Dennies. But plenty of living targets. Prepare to order a full retreat. The army is about to conduct an artillery sweep.]
[Wait—wait a second. Artillery sweep?!]
Nicole went pale, scrambling to ask what was going on.
Wasn't the army supposed to move in for urban combat?
[Countdown. Fifteen. Fourteen. Thirteen…]
[Damn it, slow that count down!]
Cursing, Nicole shouted at the top of her lungs, "Everyone! Prepare to withdraw!"
...
[Four. Three. Two. One.]
No. 11 lowered her earpiece and closed her eyes.
Lucy shot her a glance and snorted unhappily. "What, too scared to press it? Dragging your feet like this. Forget it—this lady will do it herself."
Lucy stepped forward, her slender fingers resting on the red button. A trace of hesitation flickered in her eyes.
But it vanished just as quickly, replaced by firm resolve.
"Goodbye, Blazewood. My second home. Today's farewell is for a better reconstruction tomorrow…"
Click.
The button was pressed.
In an instant, firelight flared all around Lucy as hundreds of armored vehicles unleashed their rockets simultaneously.
The blinding light lit up the entire night sky. Amid the thunderous roar, Blazewood was reduced to drifting ash—
Along with countless vampires.
Lucy fell silent, head lowered, saying nothing.
Corin didn't know what to do. She could only step forward and quietly take Lucy's hand, then turn to ask, "By the way… did anyone notify Miss Void Hunter about the retreat?"
"No," No. 11 replied casually as she stood up and headed for the door. "But she won't die. A robot's already on its way."
She waved a hand dismissively. "You go comfort Miss Overlord. I need to head out for a bit… damn it, why did we lose contact with Phaga? I can't get through to Ellen either!"
...
Meanwhile, after the artillery sweep, Blazewood was nothing but ruins.
A faint scent of sulfur lingered in the air. Fragile wooden beams hung from eaves, creaking as they sang their painful, dying songs.
Their fallen kin lay scattered across the ground, reduced to black ash. Only when the wind passed over them would they briefly glow a fiery red before sinking back into silence.
And yet, even in this environment steeped in destruction, a single block of ice stood tall.
Flawless and exquisitely formed, it showed no sign of melting despite temperatures soaring well past a hundred degrees Celsius. It sealed away and protected its occupant with perfect precision—
Miyabi.
Encased within the ice, the only part of her body she could move was her eyes.
But now, even they were motionless, locked onto a spot on the ground.
That spot was buried beneath scorched bricks and rubble.
Suddenly, the debris exploded upward. A hand thrust out from beneath the ground, slamming down onto the surface, which was still hundreds of degrees hot.
With a sharp push of slender, jade-like fingers, a pale-skinned woman with a striking, voluptuous figure burst from the earth like a lotus emerging from water, slowly rising to her feet.
Miyabi's expression froze.
Not because the woman's appearance so closely matched the gender-swapped image of Phaga she'd imagined—
But because this vampire, Misha, had returned to the surface so brazenly.
The artillery barrage had ended only moments ago. The ground was still searing hot.
Even Miyabi, a Void Hunter, couldn't endure such temperatures and had been forced to hide within ice.
"Well, well. Looks like your plan actually worked out in my favor."
Misha smiled with clear satisfaction and casually tore away the tattered cloth clinging to her body.
Her true form could withstand the heat, but her clothes certainly couldn't. Buried underground earlier, they'd been shredded by the combined effects of extreme temperature and crushing pressure.
Besides, her opponent was also a girl, so being naked didn't bother her in the slightest.
Misha soon walked up to the ice block containing Miyabi and placed a hand against it. The chill seeped into her fingers, refreshingly cool.
"It's hundreds of degrees out here. No one's coming to save you. But you're so beautiful—I really like you. How about we make a deal, Miss Void Hunter?"
She leaned in closer, pressing her entire body against the ice, arms spread wide as if to embrace Miyabi.
"Pureblood vampires are born with a special ability: we can transform intelligent non-vampiric beings into our own retainers."
"So how about you—"
Bang!
The building behind the ice was smashed open by brute force. A robot bristling with equipment and wielding twin Gatling guns made a dazzling entrance.
"Heh heh, the Starlight Knight always arrives at the most critical moment. Starlight, reporting—eh? Hey! Why aren't you wearing any clothes?! Put some clothes on already!!!"
"It's over, it's over… So Mr. Phaga is actually Miss Phaga?! Am I going to get silenced for this?!"
Misha lowered her head.
The armed robot that had barged into her view and interrupted her speech suddenly dropped to its knees and burst into tears.
…Huh? What the hell?