Perhaps the murmurs of the crowd had been carried over by the wind. Phaga's brow twitched slightly as he turned his head, his gaze slowly drifting away from the northern sky and toward the side. At a glance, he spotted the Cunning Hares and Section 6 standing nearby.
"Oh. You're here?"
Phaga's eyelids drooped. Even in the pitch-black night, the bitterness on his face was plain for all to see.
Harumasa chuckled, shaking his head as he stepped forward. "Come on, Phaga. We were fighting for our lives out there, and you're just sitting here—ugh! What the hell?!"
Midway through his stride, a sharp pain shot up from the sole of Harumasa's foot. In the next instant, it felt as though the blood in his veins had ignited—his skin burned, his breathing turned scalding.
A wave of blistering heat rushed straight at him. Instinctively lifting his head, Harumasa's entire field of vision was swallowed by a dark-red fireball.
"Asaba, get back."
At the critical moment, a pair of fox ears flashed past the corner of Harumasa's eye. He was kicked aside just as the demon blade collided head-on with the crimson flames.
Boom!
The dark-red fireball was split apart by Miyabi's slash, while Black remained frozen in the same posture he'd held when throwing it.
"Ugh—my stomach… Section Chief, that was brutal."
Harumasa clutched his abdomen as he struggled upright, pain forcing him into a half-bent posture. His eyelids twitched as he sucked in sharp breaths. "And you, buddy—why are you so obedient in front of Phaga, but the moment we say a word, you go straight for the kill?"
It wasn't just "a word." Harumasa's opening remark had been blatant teasing, mocking Phaga for sitting around so long without accomplishing anything.
What he didn't realize was that he'd hit Black right on a raw nerve.
Black let out a cold snort and slowly drew back his hand, sparks still flickering across it. His gaze toward Harumasa was openly hostile.
[Hmph. I merely wanted you to understand this: the one whom the Creator went to such lengths to hold back has only shown you the tip of his power.]
[If it weren't for the Creator, I would have charged into Blazewood with Misha long ago. How many of you do you think would still be alive then?]
"Tch, this guy really knows how to piss people off, meow. Is he actually that strong?"
Black's contempt made Nekomata bristle, her fur nearly standing on end as her sharp little teeth ground together. She turned her head to ask the others.
Only then did she notice that it wasn't just Miyabi with her blade drawn—Yanagi and Soukaku had their weapons out as well.
Harumasa, having just caught his breath, merged his twin blades in one smooth motion, drawing them back like a full moon.
Even Billy—who Nekomata had always thought was unreliable—snapped into combat stance. His Gatling arms locked in place as mechanisms burst open across his back. At least ten barrels extended outward, their pitch-black muzzles trained squarely on Black, reflecting a dull, ominous sheen under the moonlight.
That sight stunned even Nicole.
So… was it really just me and Nekomata who didn't understand how strong this thing is?
She hurriedly whispered, "Billy… is it really that strong?"
For once, Billy's expression was deadly serious. He nodded without hesitation.
"Very strong, boss."
As soon as Billy spoke, Yanagi tightened her grip on her naginata, eyes locked firmly on Black.
"In a sense, he isn't wrong," she said calmly. "He is a powerful opponent, and a troublesome one. Whatever method Phaga used to keep him tied up, it counts as a major contribution."
Nekomata went pale, shrinking behind Billy. "So… trading looks was actually—meow! Phaga, why'd you throw me?!"
Several dozen meters away, Phaga casually tossed a small stone in his hand. Seeing Nekomata glare at him only made the irritation boil up inside. He raked his fingers through his hair in frustration and snapped,
"Don't make it sound like I volunteered for this! I'm sick of it too, alright? You think I wanted to sit here freezing my ass off?"
"Exactly!"
Ellen nodded furiously like a startled quail, shooting Black an openly hostile glare.
"Some people are wrong the moment they show up. They should be buried in the sand and reincarnate as sardines next life. Maybe then I'd actually feel happy."
Black shrugged helplessly and turned to look at Ellen, crimson eyes full of provocation and disdain.
[I don't need to make you happy. And honestly, if you got so mad you died because of me, I'd probably still end up laughing—even in front of the Creator while he's crying.]
[You just had the advantage of meeting the Creator before I did. If it were me—]
"Enough. Stop."
Phaga finally couldn't take it anymore. Bracing himself under the stares of Nicole, Nekomata, and the others, he stepped forward and forcibly cut Black off.
Locking eyes with him, Phaga spoke with rigid seriousness.
"First. I'm male, and I like women."
[That's easy. This body I'm using right now is robotic, you see… Hmm. How about I transform into Misha? She's very cute.]
"Second. I'm not interested in robots."
[Huh? Is it because robotic bodies are cold and don't feel good? That won't be an issue, Creator. I am the perfect creation forged by the vampire clan at any cost—even my tactile sensation is flawless.]
[Or is it that the Creator likes children, and robots can't provide that? That's fine. I can clone a child using the Creator's genes.]
Boom!
Those words landed like a thunderbolt.
Nicole and Nekomata froze on the spot. When they finally came back to their senses, their mouths felt inexplicably dry.
Nekomata blinked and licked her lips. "Meow… they're already talking about kids without even holding back?"
Nicole stared blankly. "Anyone bring soda and popcorn? I'll pay."
Like hell you will.
Phaga's hearing was far too good. In that moment, he deeply regretted it. Gritting his teeth, he snapped,
"That's enough! I hate creations named 'Phaga'!"
Black looked genuinely unhappy. His face—identical to Phaga's—puffed up, as though truly wounded by the words. He even deliberately adopted a flirtatious tone.
[Mm. So I really am the core of this whole XP system.]
But his mood quickly recovered. He closed one eye and added cheerfully,
[It's fine. For the Creator's sake, I can change my name!]
"…That's really asking a lot of you."
Phaga fell silent for a long while before finally forcing out that single sentence.
Then, in the next instant, he moved.
His wings spread wide in a flash. Clenching his palm, purplish-red Erosion Flame instantly took shape, condensing into a blade in his hand.
"I'll just help you change species instead!"
Phaga roared, bringing the blade down toward Black.
Black raised his hand, forming a fire blade to block, then swayed backward and drifted away.
Phaga pressed the attack, shouting, "Everyone—together!"
"Yeah, this really feels like someone got their embarrassing past exposed and is rushing to erase the evidence."
Harumasa grinned as he loosed an arrow.
Phaga's body stiffened for a split second, teeth grinding.
Only Black tilted his head. He casually sliced Harumasa's arrow in half, then let out a faint sigh.
[Ah, whatever. At least I got to talk with the Creator. This trip wasn't a loss.]
Clang!
A sharp rush of wind cut through the air. Black instinctively raised his blade, perfectly blocking Miyabi's full-force strike. The residual impact erupted into a howling gale, blowing his black hair straight back.
[Save it, Ice Fox. I'm the second strongest among the vampires. Sneak attacks don't work on me.]
Grinning, Black knocked Miyabi aside, then suddenly seemed to sense something and looked up at the sky.
[Hm. Judging by the sky, that damned sun should be rising soon. Misha has probably already withdrawn.]
[Creator, I'm leaving now. I look forward to our next meeting—I hope you'll like my new appearance then.]