Silence covered the Citadel.
The place where Tatsuo had stood was now empty. No body. No ashes. No blood. It was as if he had never existed. The only thing left behind was the unbearable silence that weighed on everyone's heart.
Dracula remained motionless.
His head was lowered, his fists clenched so tightly that blood dripped from his palms. His entire body trembled—not from fear, but from grief. Memories flashed through his mind one after another.
"Try to catch me, Dracula!"
"Let's climb that mountain tomorrow!"
"You're my best friend."
"We'll always stay together."
Those words echoed endlessly inside his head.
Then...
Everything became quiet.
Dracula slowly lifted his head.
His crimson eyes no longer held sadness.
Only determination.
"You..."
His voice was calm.
"...took away the only person who accepted me."
A terrifying pressure spread across the battlefield.
Crimson lightning wrapped around his body as black spiritual energy erupted beneath his feet. His heartbeat became louder and louder until it sounded like thunder.
Yoshiro narrowed his eyes.
"So..."
"This is your true power."
Dracula took one step forward.
The ground beneath him exploded.
Then...
He disappeared.
No one saw him move.
Not Reji.
Not Seiyan.
Not even Judas.
For everyone watching, the world suddenly became unbelievably slow.
The dust floating through the air barely moved.
The flames from the destroyed buildings seemed frozen.
Falling pieces of stone hung motionless in the sky.
It wasn't time slowing down.
Dracula had accelerated so far beyond ordinary perception that everything else looked almost completely still.
Yoshiro's pupils shrank.
"...Fast."
A fist wrapped in crimson lightning crashed into his ribs.
BOOOOOOM!!
Yoshiro was launched across several city blocks, smashing through buildings before skidding across the ruined streets.
Before he could stand—
Dracula was already there.
Another punch.
Another explosion.
A spinning kick.
A knee to the chest.
A barrage of attacks rained down so quickly that shockwaves overlapped one another, creating a continuous roar throughout the city.
For the first time since the battle began...
Yoshiro was unable to counter.
Reji stared in disbelief.
"I..."
"I can't even see Dracula anymore."
Seiyan slowly lowered his sword.
"The only thing I can see..."
"...are the explosions."
Judas watched the battlefield carefully.
"He's moving so incredibly fast that our eyes can't follow him."
Yoshiro finally managed to cross his arms.
Dracula's next punch landed anyway.
BOOOM!!
Cracks spread across Yoshiro's forearms.
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
Another strike.
His shoulder shattered.
Another.
His jaw snapped sideways.
Another.
His ribs caved inward.
Yoshiro was driven through the remains of a cathedral before crashing into the city square.
Dracula landed several meters away.
His breathing remained perfectly steady.
"...Stand up."
Yoshiro slowly rose from the crater.
He wiped the blood from his lips.
Then...
He smiled.
"...Excellent."
His broken bones began restoring themselves.
The wounds closed.
His breathing returned to normal.
"I haven't been pushed this far in a very long time."
Dracula didn't answer.
He vanished again.
This time Yoshiro reacted.
Barely.
He turned just enough to block Dracula's punch, but the impact still sent him sliding hundreds of meters backward.
"So you've become even faster..."
Yoshiro laughed quietly.
"...But speed alone..."
"...cannot overcome me."
Meanwhile, Reji and Seiyan exchanged glances.
"We can't fight him up close anymore," Reji muttered.
"He'll erase us before we even reach him."
Seiyan nodded.
"Then we support Dracula."
Without another word, Reji slammed both hands onto the ground. Dozens of enchanted chains burst from beneath the streets, wrapping around nearby buildings before shooting toward Yoshiro from every direction. Instead of trying to bind him directly, Reji aimed to restrict his movement and force him into predictable paths.
At the same time, Seiyan leaped onto the roof of a ruined tower.
He inhaled slowly.
Every ounce of spiritual energy gathered into his blade.
Rather than charging recklessly, he waited...
Watching...
Searching for the perfect moment while Dracula kept Yoshiro occupied.
Yoshiro glanced at the incoming chains before looking back at Dracula.
"So..."
"...you've learned."
"You know you can't reach me anymore."
Another blur.
Another collision.
The city trembled as the two monsters disappeared once more, their battle producing explosions that echoed throughout the entire Citadel.
But despite Dracula's overwhelming speed...
Despite the damage he continued dealing...
Yoshiro remained standing.
And the smile on his face never disappeared.
It was the smile of someone who still hadn't revealed everything.