A few hours earlier, just minutes before lunch.
The Rochefort estate was colossal. For anyone attempting to slip through the shadows along the outer perimeter, navigating the territory without alerting the elite security force was a meticulous game of patience.
They did not wear their official attire—they were ghosts blending into the background, deployed in strategic pairs across the vast hectares to verify a dark rumor.
Near the eastern gardens, two scouts halted. Beneath his breath, one of them whispered into a concealed communication device, his eyes locked on a strange, metallic compass-like artifact hidden in his palm. The crystal embedded in its center had just pulsed with a sharp, sickening violet light before fading back into dormancy.
"Sir, localized spike detected near the main wing. Duration: three seconds. Signature matches archive records. The beast is inside. How should we proceed?"
On the other end of the line, a senior officer paused, weighing the options.
"Stand down and maintain your positions. If the rumors are true, she must be a progenitor vampire, and we are severely outmatched. Do not engage. We will observe the layout further and gather intelligence. If things escalate, we will have no choice but to request reinforcements from the Vanguard."
- - -
Present time. Private Gymnasium.
"Step back!"
Without a word, Kaido grabbed Asuka by the waist and dragged her backward to get some distance between them and the vampire. His bare feet gripped the surface firmly, worried about Eliza's change in tone.
Meanwhile, Lili didn't seem bothered at all raising her hand to inspect her nails with absolute indifference, waiting for Eliza's answer.
"So... are we going to fight?"
Lili looked down, casually rubbing her nail against her chest to polish it. After giving it one final look, she finally glanced back up at Eliza. She opened her mouth to make another sarcastic remark, but the words never came out.
"Uh..."
Oops.
Eliza's eyes had changed. She was staring back with a deadly, predatory gaze. Her pupils had constricted into sharp, pinpoint miosis, locking onto Lili like a beast about to tear her apart. Lili froze, she swallowed hard, pressing her hand against her chest as she felt her heart racing.
Savoring the shift in Lili's face, a satisfied smile slowly spread across Eliza's face, and the temperature in the room plummeted drastically. The cold breeze from before intensified, turning into a freezing gust that bit at their skin.
"Hehehe..."
A deep, crystalline laugh burst from her throat, spreading throughout the gym. The sound reverberated off the walls—vibrant and almost deafening—as if it were coming from every direction at once.
Suddenly, a dark purple aura surged from her frame, enveloping her completely—rippling through the air.
Fwoooosh.
The energy swirled around her body like a living, writhing smoke. From the dark aura, small, ethereal shadow bats emerged, flying in circles around the ceiling.
Screee.
This made Megumi jump and cling to Anne even tighter, who was also startled.
The tension in the air was suffocating. Kaido pulled Asuka closer, his heart racing. Lili, though used to the vampire's presence, kept her eyes wide open—she had never seen her unleash such power before.
Across the entire estate perimeter, crystals shattered one after another.
Crack.
Crack.
Crack.
The senior officer suddenly stood up. The crystal artifact in his pocket didn't just glow—it shattered under the sudden, overwhelming spiritual pressure radiating from the estate. His chest tightened as he stared toward the gym.
"This is madness..."
The officer gasped, his voice trembling as he pulled out a secure, encrypted satellite phone. His hands shook violently as he dialed a single, private number.
"Sir! We have a critical situation! The target just fully unleashed her energy. The scouts cannot handle this—she is a calamity. We need you here immediately."
A calm, authoritative, yet terrifyingly sharp voice came through the speaker from the other side.
"Maintain a secure perimeter and do not let her leave the grounds. I am already on my way."
- - -
Eliza's chilling laughter continued for what felt like minutes, and the suffocating pressure remained—and it seemed increasingly oppressive by the second.
Then, just as abruptly as it began, it stopped. The vortex of darkness collapsed inward. The freezing wind vanished without trace. The shadow bats dissolved into nothing, as though they had never existed at all.
She closed her eyes and exhaled a quiet, delicate breath. Silence returned to the gymnasium.
When she opened her eyes again, her expression had already shifted back to its usual serene, slightly bored calm, like nothing had happened at all.
Lili stood frozen for another second, her palm still pressed tightly against her racing heart. Her pride was screaming, but her survival instincts were louder. She cleared her throat quickly.
Calm down, you can handle this.
"Well... it seems you are not in the proper mental state for a refined duel, soeurette," Lili stammered, her voice lacking its usual confidence. "I shall not waste my precious time with someone so... volatile and uncooperative."
She stepped away from the ropes of the ring. Eliza simply watched her leave, squinting, while Lili smiled slightly to hide her embarrassment.
"Elizabeth!" Anne's voice rang out.
Everyone turned to look at her, and even Lili stopped in her tracks. Anne walked toward the ring, looking angrier than ever, though she was still holding onto a visibly shaken Megumi. She marched right up to the edge of the canvas, glaring at the vampire.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Anne demanded, her tone strict and uncompromising. "I already asked you, more than once, not to do this sort of thing!"
Eliza waved her hand dismissively, completely unbothered by the scolding. "It was nothing special. I was merely putting those girls in their proper places."
"You were what?" Anne asked, incredulous. She pressed her palm against her forehead, taking a brief moment to process the sheer absurdity of the excuse, before looking back up at Eliza.
"Eliza. You are not a child anymore to be comparing egos like this! You are supposed to be an example. Besides, this little stunt of yours scared poor Megumi half to death."
"I... I am okay, really," Megumi stammered softly from behind her, trying to de-escalate the tension.
Anne pulled Megumi even closer to comfort her, her grip tight and protective.
"No, you are not. You are still freezing cold." She turned her gaze back to the ring, her irritation flaring up again.
"I only gave them a tiny scare," Eliza replied, resting a hand on her hip.
"Elizabeth," Anne shot her a furious, warning look.
"Butmaman—" Eliza started, pouting slightly.
"Pas de 'mais'[1]," Anne cut her off firmly, leaving no room for argument. "Comporte-toi, ma chérie."[2]
"Pfft—haha!"
Lili suddenly burst out laughing, unable to control herself. Kaido couldn't help but chuckle along, his tense shoulders dropping as a grin spread across his face.
"Man... that really was quite a scare."
"Kaido..." Asuka called out, her voice dangerously quiet.
He just kept chuckling, still riding the wave of amusement. Without even looking back at her, he smiled.
"Yeah? Are you okay?"
"Get your hands off me."
Kaido finally turned his head to look at Asuka, and his smile died. Her face was completely flushed, her cheeks burning crimson. Somehow, the look she was giving him was even more terrifying than Anne's earlier outburst.
"Take your hands..."
Kaido blinked, his gaze tracing down to where his hand was resting. His eyes widened. In the frantic rush to shield her from Eliza's dark energy, his palm hadn't just landed near her waist—it was firmly pressed right against her chest.
His face instantly turned just as red as hers. He immediately threw his hands up.
"A-Asu, wait! I can expla—"
"—OFF ME!"
THWACK!
Asuka's fist buried itself straight into Kaido's stomach.
"Guh—!"
The air exploded from his lungs as his eyes widened in shock. The force of the blow sent him stumbling backward across the gym floor before he crashed into the ropes.
Asuka aggressively yanked her top back into place before pointing an accusing finger at him.
"Tsukebe!"
[1] No 'buts'
[2] Behave yourself, my dear.