Misha shot a sideways glance at the red-jacketed robot. Seeing that it had turned its back and didn't dare sneak a look, she promptly ignored it.
In the next instant, power surged through her spine as she swung her wings forward. Her pale hand tightened around the hilt of the demon blade still embedded within them.
Hiss—crack—
With a light pull, Misha drew the demon blade free. It dropped neatly into her hand, while behind her, her pair of wings glimmered with a milky-white glow. The gash left by the blade's removal visibly healed at a speed discernible to the naked eye.
Miyabi's pupils widened slightly.
Under her gaze, Misha used the demon blade to draw a long, bloody cut across her own palm.
Slash!
She released the blade, letting it plunge straight into the ground.
Vivid, eerie blood immediately poured from her palm. As Misha slowly raised her arm higher and higher, the blood flowed downward under gravity, spreading along her arm and dividing into several winding streams.
Wherever those streams passed, a thin veil of crimson mist drifted into being—light, hazy, like a translucent blood-red gauze. Focusing closely, Miyabi could faintly make out the fair skin beneath that blood-formed garment.
"Miss Void Hunter, have you decided whether you want to become my retainer?" Misha asked softly. "Pureblood vampires live a very long time. If you follow me, you'll share in immortality as well."
She gradually lowered her slender, graceful arm, crimson lips brushing lightly against the glistening drop of blood at her fingertip.
In an instant, the blood mist wrapped itself around her, transforming into a flowing crimson gown. The hem reached her ankles, while the top was secured firmly at her chest, leaving her delicate collarbones and shoulders exposed.
Perhaps because of the surrounding heat, a faint blush tinged her shoulders and cheeks. At a glance, she looked almost like a shy young girl.
"Really, won't you reconsider?" Misha leaned in slightly, her gaze level with Miyabi's. "Miyabi, just blink once. If you do, I'll take that as your answer."
Her face—so strikingly similar to Phaga's—was filled with eager anticipation.
What Misha hadn't expected was that the moment she bent forward, veins suddenly bulged on Miyabi's forehead.
To her surprise, Misha realized Miyabi's teeth were clenched so tightly they were audibly grinding.
…Huh? What's going on?
Misha tilted her head, the drifting blood mist above it practically forming a question mark.
But then, a sudden chill ran down her back. She leapt backward without hesitation.
Bang!
Foxfire erupted from the demon blade, transforming into a terrifying whip that lashed down at the spot where Misha had just been standing. In an instant, it carved a long trench into the ground, ghostly foxfire burning within it.
Misha looked a little aggrieved. "Miss Void Hunter, I was having a perfectly friendly conversation with you. Was it really necessary to ambush me without even saying no?"
Miyabi didn't answer. She simply stared at Misha with icy eyes.
Judging from the rare firmness blazing within them, she was clearly furious.
Damn it!
We're both about 1.7 meters tall—what gives you the right to bend down and talk to me?!
Die!
In the blink of an eye, the foxfire surrounding the demon blade surged violently, dancing and reshaping itself in midair.
Suddenly, a slender arm emerged from within the flames and seized the blade's hilt.
Misha's pupils shrank. Before her eyes, the foxfire rapidly expanded, forming a humanoid doll nearly identical to Miyabi—at least ninety percent so.
As for the missing ten percent… excluding the ears, the foxfire doll stood exactly 1.7 meters tall.
The next moment, the foxfire doll lifted its gaze. A small flame flickered within its pupils, burning with calm intensity.
Scorching winds behold the moon—how could they know the fire burns at the heart?
In the span of a single blink, the foxfire doll crossed dozens of meters and flashed directly in front of Misha.
Its arms seemed to lengthen unnaturally as the demon blade slashed down with ferocious force.
Misha twisted aside to evade, then spun and stamped downward with her foot. Her blood-red skirt billowed in the wind, revealing thighs whiter than a crescent moon.
Clang!
The foxfire doll raised its blade and knocked the attack aside, then stepped forward and thrust.
The blade hadn't yet arrived, but its savage killing intent was already bearing down.
Misha's gaze darkened. She didn't dare take it head-on. Instead, she crossed her wings in defense, intending to use the recoil to propel herself into the air.
However—
"Huh? What's with all the fighting noise… oh! So, Miss Phaga, you've already put your clothes back on? Trying to run? That won't do!"
Boom!
Boom!
Misha heard two thunderous blasts, but there was no time to react. The laser cannons were absurdly fast, punching clean through both of her wings.
"Tch!"
Her wings shattered, and a sudden sense of weightlessness overtook her.
Clicking her tongue, Misha kicked off the air itself, drifting lightly back down toward the ground.
Unfortunately for her, the foxfire doll had already been waiting there. The instant Misha landed and before she could steady herself, it surged forward, gripping the demon blade with both hands and bringing it down in a devastating slash.
Foxfire roared like an enraged beast, while the ground beneath turned icy as frost.
A colossal arc of blade light shot skyward, as though the heavens themselves had been cleaved apart. The foxfire raining down from above looked like the tears of night.
In that moment, Misha felt as if she were standing at the edge of a cliff, the aura of annihilation shoving her toward an endless abyss.
And yet, her lips curled slightly as she let out a soft laugh.
"Trying to kill me?"
"Fine. I'll take a walk past the gates of hell…"
"…Crimson Overdrive!"
Her murmur suddenly rose at the end, her entire body flushing red as if ignited. She hurled herself straight into the descending blade light.
Boom!
The blade flashed past as if unimpeded, streaking onward toward the distant dunes.
Even No. 11 and Lucy, far beyond Blazewood, stared in utter shock.
They knew the Void Hunter was powerful, but they never imagined her strength could reach such a level. A towering sand dune several kilometers away from Blazewood had been cleaved by that single strike, left with nothing but its base.
What they didn't know was that this had only been achieved through Miyabi manipulating the demon blade with foxfire—not even close to her full power.
Only Miyabi herself knew that the dune should have been completely pulverized. Its remaining base meant the blade's power had been deliberately neutralized partway through.
And the one who had erased that power was standing right in front of the foxfire doll.
At this moment, even Miyabi was stunned.
She never expected Misha to still be able to stagger back to her feet after taking that strike head-on.
The price she'd paid was merely losing half her body.
For an ordinary person, that would be a catastrophic injury—lifelong disability at best.
But for a vampire, especially one who wasn't starving and still had blood in her system, as long as death wasn't confirmed on the spot, it barely counted as a serious wound.
Sure enough, Misha brushed at her blood-stained gown and stood up. Her injuries regenerated at a frightening speed—bare bone rapidly clothed itself in flesh, newly grown skin tender and smooth like that of an infant.
She lifted her gaze to examine the foxfire doll in front of her, then suddenly chuckled.
"Miss Void Hunter, it looks like your foxfire doll is about to dissipate. See? It's flickering."
Miyabi glanced sideways and found it was exactly as Misha said.
The foxfire doll had expended too much power. Its body was already nearly transparent. Continuing the fight was impossible—at this point, even moving might cause it to vanish completely.
"But I'm still here, you know! Hey, you two, don't just ignore me!" Billy's voice suddenly cut in. "And you especially, Miss Phaga—don't think I won't recognize you just because you turned into a woman!"
Misha ground her teeth in irritation and was just about to curse Billy out, but when she turned her head, the two Gatling guns in his hands looked overwhelmingly… righteous.
So righteous they practically blinded her. After staring for a moment, she had to admit those barrels were as thick as artillery cannons—righteous beyond all doubt.
"Damn it," Misha muttered, rubbing her forehead. "Why do I have to run into a walking pile of scrap metal while I'm trying to enjoy being a cute girl?"
She turned to leave.
Billy immediately called after her. "Hey, don't run! I worked hard upgrading this gear—at least fight me once. I guarantee you won't leave a bad review!"
"Get lost!"
Misha snapped. Too annoyed to waste words, she flicked her hand and sent a blood-red arrow shooting straight toward Miyabi.
Billy's heart jumped. Forget arguing—he instantly raised his Gatling guns and aimed at the blood arrow.
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Three grenade-like rounds fired in succession, detonating with deafening explosions. Three columns of bluish smoke rose into the air.
By the time Billy finished dealing with it and turned back around, Misha was already gone.
He raised an arm, but thanks to the Gatling guns, he couldn't scratch his head like he used to. Instead, he accidentally pressed the scorching-hot barrel straight against his forehead.
"Aaagh!"
He yelped in pain.
"Seriously… why did she run off… Aaaah! My handsome, dashing head!"