Xavier tried to step away, but the newly arrived Vampire wouldn’t let go of the sword.

The pink haired Vampire twitched his ears. While clenching his fist, he exposed his fangs.

‘Assist me? A Vampire? Against a human?’

“Go away… You and the ghouls were ordered not to interrupt me regardless of the situation.”

The Vampires looked at the pink haired Vampire with a confused look.

“That was the case, but just now-”

“I SAID GO AWAY!!!” The Vampire suddenly roared, as his entire arm and face erupted in flames.

[Flame Manipulation: Ignition.]

A scorching fist print appeared in the middle of Xavier’s chest, causing his eyes to widen.

In the next instant, he was blasted away, only to crash into the wall beside the group of female students behind the barrier.

They were still hidden away in a corner of the gym and had been watching the entire fight.

Fear struck their hearts when they saw Xavier suddenly crash into the wall. Since they had watched him fight previously, they felt hope, but the outcome was the same.

With his back implanted into the wall, Xavier’s arm trembled as it grasped onto the sword’s cross-guard.

“H-Hey!!”

“D-Did anyone here awaken a healing ability, he needs help!”

“T-Take down the barrier, we need to help him!!”

“W-We can’t take down the barrier! I don’t even know how I put it up in the first place…! And if I take it down, we could die!!”

“Even still, we need to help him somehow!”

“If you want to help him, go out and help him yourself!!”

Watching the flaming Vampire approach Xavier with an infuriated expression, the girls argued among themselves.

As the flames were being emitted from him, it was clear just how angry he was, and how if they tried to help Xavier, it would only make their situation worse.

All of them were looking out for their own survival. Their natural instinct was to do so.

With each second that passed, the number of students willing to help Xavier diminished until, eventually, there was no one left.

Xavier didn’t seem to care about this, he hadn’t even noticed. He could only see or think of the Vampire approaching him, and the sharp, painful, burning sensation in his chest.

The angry Vampire scorched the floor with every step he took, leaving behind a burnt trail.

‘Ah… That’s not good… I can’t move…’

‘My body feels broken… It looks like I’ll have to die and start over…’

‘Die and try again… How many times does that make it…? I think it was thirteen times…”’ He repeated in his thoughts

*Pssssss*

His ears echoed with the sound of steam being slowly let out from his chest. Suddenly, memories of what he had seen began to flash through his mind.

-Memory

Throughout his home, blood was smeared across the walls.

Just in front of his parents’ torn bed was a severed arm lying on the floor on top of a pool of blood.

-Memory end.

His fondest memories of them.

-Memory

Xavier’s most recent, eighteenth birthday.

“Happy birthday!!!” The three of them cheered.

Xavier blew out the candles on his cake and his mother quickly and excitedly pulled out a wrapped present from beneath the table.

“Me and your father saved up to get you a little gift.” Said his mother with a joyful smile on her face.

“M-Mum…” His sister, Viera called out as she tugged her shirt. “I helped too…” She muttered shyly.

“Haha! That’s right, your sister used all the money from her savings to help! Make sure you thank her, Xavier.” Said his father, Eric as he patted and rubbed her hair.

She stared at Xavier with blushing red cheeks, waiting for his reaction.

After Xavier unwrapped the present, he was left with nothing but surprise.

It was the latest model of the Z phone. He had mentioned it to his sister, but he never expected them to get it for him.

“So, do you like it?” His father asked with a bright smile.

*Drip* *Drip*

As Xavier smiled back and responded, tears started to fall down his cheeks and his nose turned bright red. “Yeah, I love it..”

-Memory End

*Drip*

Again, tears streamed down Xavier’s shadowy face as he struggled to move.

‘It hurts… It fucking hurts..!!!’

The pain from the burn, or the ache of his bones cracking every time he attempted to move, was not what Xavier was referring to.

It was the pain in his heart.

His pain increased as more memories flooded through his mind.

“My… Family…” Xavier muttered with blood gushing from his mouth. “That was my fucking… Family…” He mumbled as he wiped away the tears.

[HP: 4/10]

[Energy: 20/100] (-80% Rewind)

Even though it was only –80, Xavier had definitely died more than twice since the last time. After hiding in a corner, he waited for the energy cap to disappear so that his energy could return.

Then from one hundred, he challenged the Vampire, over and over and over again. He repeated this thirteen times. In truth he couldn’t see the Vampire’s movements, nor could he react to them.

Until now, his success was solely due to memorizing the pattern.

Without those thirteen times, he would have died within the first three seconds. He knew this because it had actually happened to him.

Now even after dying thirteen times, he was going to have to die again and try again.

‘I’ll have to die again…? When the fucker is roaming free…?’ Xavier questioned.

“Bullshit.” Xavier cursed bloodshot eyes as he struggled even more to move.

[The sword desires blood in exchange for power.]

[Will you let the sword consume your blood?]

A red glint flashed within Xavier’s eyes. As the Pattern on his neck glowed brighter and brighter once more, it burned even more intensely than the scorch marks on his chest.

“Consume it…” Xavier whispered. “Drink as much as you’d like… In exchange… Give me the power to kill that fucker.” He added as he glared at the pink haired Vampire who was now only a few meters away.

As he walked menacingly towards Xavier, flames gathered around his single arm. He didn’t even bother to attach his severed arm that Xavier had let go of because of his pride.

He planned to kill Xavier by scorching him to death with the most painful means possible.

*Pierce*

Xavier’s hand was punctured by metallic fangs as they appeared from the cross-guard of the sword. The blood from his hand flowed down the sword’s white blade.

The jewel in the pommel of the sword began to glow a bright red as Xavier’s blood could be seen filling up the inside.

[The sword consumes your blood.]

Xavier’s arm bulged with veins that went up to his shoulder and ended at his neck.

Xavier could feel the power pulsating through his veins.

[Temporarily received a 50% Boost in Agility.]

[Temporarily received a 50% Boost in Strength.]

[Temporarily received a 50% Boost in Sense.]

“It’s not enough… You want more don’t you?” Xavier asked as he placed the sword right before his chest.

In his many deaths, he discovered one spot around his torso that wasn’t immediately fatal.

‘That fucker… Don’t tell me he’s…!’

*Pierce*

Blood gushed out of Xavier’s chest as he thrust the sword through it.

Suddenly, the Vampire leapt towards Xavier, thrusting his arm with the flames he had gathered right at him.

*Pierce!*

*Flash*

Roaring flames crashed through the wall and out to the outside. Flames so hot that they burned raindrops and watery puddles.

There was no way Xavier could have survived it.

*Pant* *Pant*

‘It’s much stronger than before… Just like the prophecy had predicted… Humans aren’t the only ones becoming stronger…’ The Vampire thought to himself. ‘So are my abilities.’

“See? What did I tell you? There’s no way in hell I’d need help dealing with a hu-”

Within a split second of turning around, the Vampire’s eyes widened. He could see the blade’s edge descending vertically toward his neck.

*SWOOSH!*

At the last second, he just barely avoided the sword swing by stepping backwards.

In a counterattack, he thrust his flaming arm forward into the air, launching a burst of flames towards Xavier. As Xavier landed on the ground, he kicked off of it to the sides.

*BOOM!*

The burst of flames missed Xavier, who stepped in from the sides, delivering a clean kick to the vampire’s stomach.

*WHAM!*

‘He’s fast..!’

The Vampire blasted out of the gym through the hole it had created himself.

*Slide*

After landing on mud, he almost lost his footing as he slid even further away from the gym.

Xavier leapt right out of the Gym onto the muddied terrain just ahead of the school’s main building.

Countless raindrops crashed against him as the storm continued to brew.

Flames on the pink haired Vampire were slowly fading, steam was escaping from him as the rain greatly counteracted his ability.

‘This fucker… He purposely brought me out here…! What the hell is wrong with this human!? Don’t tell me…’

‘He’s one of those Opposition fuckers who’ve been hunting the Vampires…!’

‘But he didn’t even have a weapon of his own… And I’ve never heard of one being this crazy!’

[The sword continues to consume your blood.]

[Temporarily received a 100% Boost in certain stats.]

The sword pommel’s gem shone with a deep crimson red, a colour similar to that of Xavier’s blood.

[Litres of blood remaining: 3.6/5]

[Danger Level: Blood 3 Litres.]

[HP: 3/10]

[State: Risk]

[Strength: 6] (+3)

[Agility: 12] (+6)

[Stamina: 5]

[Sense: 5] (+5)

Xavier kicked off the ground, leaping in the direction of the pink-haired Vampire as raindrops smashed against his eyes and washed away his tears.