The impact of their first true clash sent shockwaves through the cathedral square, ancient stones cracking beneath their feet. Renar moved like a shadow, his sword blurring in wide arcs meant to cleave Tsukasa in half. But Tsukasa ducked low, sidestepping with ease, his armored hand catching the blade's edge and forcing it aside in a spray of crimson sparks.
"You're fast," Renar growled, eyes narrowing. "But not fast enough."
He lunged again — this time, fangs bared, aiming to tear through Tsukasa's armor and flesh alike. But Tsukasa was already there, magenta energy flaring as he drove a sharp kick into Renar's gut, sending the half-vampire skidding backward.
Renar's boots tore trenches into the ground as he came to a stop. A trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth, but he smiled wider.
"Oh, this is good. You'll make a fine feast."
Around them, the city's people cowered behind doorways, peeking from alleys, the priests too terrified to intervene. Elara and Lumi watched tensely from the sidelines, daggers in hand, but even they could feel it — this was beyond them.
"Stay out of it," Tsukasa called without looking. "This one's mine."
Renar licked his lips, eyes gleaming. "Brave words for a creature so far from home."
With a flick of his wrist, crimson energy crackled around him, the mist of stolen life-force thickening in the air. The ground beneath his feet blackened, stone melting like wax.
Tsukasa's grip tightened on a card.
"I don't need to be from here to break monsters like you."
He raised it, slotting it into the Decade Driver.
"Attack Ride: SLASH."
A blade of magenta energy formed in his hand — not one of his borrowed Rider Forms, but pure, raw power shaped into a weapon.
Renar's grin sharpened. "Let's see if that glow can save you."
And then they were at each other again — a blur of strikes and counterstrikes, Renar's savage, unrestrained ferocity meeting Tsukasa's precise, brutal technique. Each blow shook the air, each spark a promise of death.
Tsukasa ducked a wild swing, his blade arcing up, slicing a shallow cut across Renar's cheek.
The half-vampire froze.
He touched the blood, stared at it.
Then his face twisted into something monstrous.
"You'll bleed for that."
His body rippled, muscles bulging, veins dark as ink. His voice dropped to a bestial snarl.
"I'm going to tear your throat out and drink you dry, magenta bastard!"
Tsukasa smirked, spinning his blade once in his palm.
"Yeah? Get in line."
And the battle raged on.
Elara's heart pounded in her chest as the shockwaves from the clash rocked the city square. She gritted her teeth, daggers clenched tightly in both hands, her knuckles pale. Lumi stood beside her, eyes wide with a mixture of awe and dread as the magenta and crimson flashes lit up the air like a lightning storm.
"That… thing," Lumi muttered, swallowing hard as she watched Renar's monstrous form surge forward. "He's not just a hero. He's a monster."
"We knew something was off about him," Elara growled, her gaze locked on Tsukasa's figure. "But this… this is worse than I imagined."
The High Priest stood behind them, his face pale, fingers clenching the edge of his prayer staff. "He's not merely a half-vampire. That bloodlust… he's been feeding, taking lives under the guise of protection."
"And the people here still worship him," Lumi whispered bitterly.
Elara's eyes didn't leave the fight. "That's what monsters like him do. They wear a hero's face so no one questions the blood on their hands."
A sudden blast of magenta light sent Renar flying into a stone wall, shattering it into dust. Tsukasa stood tall amidst the rubble, steam rising from his shoulders, eyes sharp and unrelenting.
Lumi took a step forward, but Elara stopped her.
"No," Elara said quietly. "Tsukasa's got this. He came here alone for a reason. This fight… this one's his."
The High Priest's voice was grave. "Let us pray he survives it."
But Elara didn't pray.
She just tightened her grip on her daggers and watched, because she knew — whatever happened next, it would decide more than just their fates.
It would decide the future of the Isles.
Renar staggered to his feet, the impact with the stone wall leaving cracks that ran like veins through his silvery cloak. His breathing was heavy, more ragged than before. The bloodlust in his eyes had intensified, the faint red glow under his skin a clear sign that his vampiric nature was asserting itself, feeding on the chaos of the battle.
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his fangs glinting in the dim light of the square. His smile returned, sharper, crueler.
"You're stronger than I expected," Renar taunted, his voice carrying the weight of arrogance. "But in the end, you're nothing but a stranger in a world that's not yours. A weakling who thinks he can challenge me."
Tsukasa didn't flinch. He stood tall, a slight smirk on his face, though his eyes remained focused and cold. His hand remained in his coat pocket, the aura around him crackling like an untamed storm.
"I didn't come here to challenge you," Tsukasa's voice was calm, almost detached. "I came here to stop you. And I'll do it whether you like it or not."
Renar's laugh was mocking, though a hint of fury flashed in his eyes. "You think you can stop me? I am the hero of this city, the protector of Havenmere! You're just a ghost with nowhere to belong."
Tsukasa's smirk deepened. "Funny. I was just thinking the same thing about you."
The wind howled as Tsukasa moved, his coat fluttering behind him, and the air thickened with pressure. Renar's eyes widened slightly, but his cocky stance didn't waver. He lunged forward with supernatural speed, his fangs flashing as he aimed for Tsukasa's throat.
But Tsukasa was already there.
With a swift motion, Tsukasa caught Renar's wrist mid-air, twisting it with inhuman strength. The elf's eyes flashed with anger, but Tsukasa remained unfazed. He pulled Renar forward, their faces inches apart, Tsukasa's eyes glowing with an eerie light.
"Your time's up, Renar," Tsukasa whispered.
A burst of energy exploded from Tsukasa's fist, throwing Renar back once more. The force of it cracked the cobblestones beneath his feet, sending up a spray of shattered stone. Renar landed on his knees, but his vicious grin never faltered.
"You think you can defeat me?" Renar growled, his voice now tinged with hunger. "You're just like the rest of them… weak, trying to stop what they cannot understand. I am the power of the human race, the hero they've prayed for!"
Tsukasa's expression hardened, his body crackling with energy. "You've killed so many. Pretending to be a savior, but all along, you've been feeding off them. You're no hero."
Renar's expression twisted in fury, his vampiric nature fully taking control. "I am what this world needs! The weak must be culled for the strong to survive!"
But before he could launch another attack, the High Priest's voice rang out from the sidelines.
"Renar!" The High Priest shouted. "You've crossed the line. The people will see you for what you truly are!"
Renar's gaze shifted, momentarily distracted, and Tsukasa seized the opportunity. With a fluid motion, he unsheathed his sword, the blade gleaming with a sharp, ethereal light. In a blur of movement, Tsukasa was upon him, sword raised high.
Renar's eyes widened, realizing the danger only too late.
But as the blade descended, a flash of crimson light enveloped Renar, and his vampiric form seemed to distort and twist. The air hummed with unnatural power as his body shifted in mid-air, avoiding the lethal strike by mere inches.
"I told you," Renar hissed, now fully consumed by his monstrous side, his body contorting unnaturally. "I am more powerful than you can ever comprehend."
Tsukasa's eyes narrowed, determination fueling his next move. "Let's see how long that lasts."
The air between them crackled, an inevitable clash of wills, power, and blood that would decide not just their fates, but the fate of Havenmere itself.