My stepsisters are sexy demons, and I must protect them-Chapter 78: Show me how strong you’ve become

Hakuto stares at the sky, terrified. His body trembles as he watches the fuchsia petals drift down slowly.

He grips his long diamond blade, bracing for the inevitable.

He’s seen those petals before—during the battle against Drakhul Volkom’s reanimated corpse—and the memory is far too vivid.

~What... the hell is he doing here?!~

The glowing petals begin to cluster together—first forming a mound, then...

A flash of light bursts out.

Akashi Chihane materializes right where the petals gathered, only a few meters from Hakuto.

The vampire, dressed in his usual nineteenth-century dandy outfit, radiates a crushing aura of flaming fuchsia energy.

His right eye, marked by a white cross-shaped pupil, glows with the same violet light—the Eye of the Fallen-One.

Hakuto’s body trembles harder in Akashi’s presence.

A chill runs down his spine.

Only now does he notice the vampire’s right index finger is missing a segment—severed cleanly at the middle.

«Hakuto Tendo, it’s been a while,» Akashi says with a voice that drips menace.

Hakuto raises his sword, aiming it at him. He tries to hide his fear, but his trembling arms give him away.

«What do you want from me?! How did you find me?!» he snaps, his voice strained and teeth clenched.

Akashi shrugs.

«And here I thought you’d welcome me a bit more kindly. After all, I saved your lives by sending Drakhul Volkom back to the dead, and I spared you when I could’ve wiped you all out. I expected a warmer greeting,» he says with exaggerated disappointment, arms spread wide.

Then his gaze sharpens, locking onto Hakuto’s unsettled eyes.

He raises his severed index finger, pointing it straight at him.

—COFF! COFF!

Hakuto coughs violently.

A single fuchsia petal bursts from his mouth, dissolving into a thin stream of light.

It floats toward Akashi’s severed finger—instantly restoring the missing piece.

«What the hell... what the hell is going on?!» Hakuto shouts, eyes shaking.

«Just a precaution I took after our fight with Drakhul. I planted a fragment of my energy inside you,» Akashi murmurs.

«It let me track you down whenever I needed to.»

«Y-You... need me...?» Hakuto stammers.

But Itsu’s words echo in his mind—how Akashi slaughtered his family and only used him to steal the Fallen-One’s Eye.

«After what you did to Itsu, I won’t help you with anything!» Hakuto growls, furious and afraid.

Akashi tilts his head, flashing a sinister smile.

«Not even... to protect those dear hybrids of yours?»

Hakuto’s eyes widen at the mention. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel-com

That was the last thing he expected to hear.

«Protect Rika and Yuzu...? Don’t be ridiculous!» Hakuto snaps. «Why would someone from the Cult of the Primordial Shadow care about their safety? Let me guess, you want their location. Not happening! Even if it costs me my life!»

He lowers into a guarded stance, bracing for a strike.

Akashi gently shakes his head.

«Didn’t I just tell you that I could’ve killed all of you that day? Wouldn’t it be stupid to let you go, only to play hide-and-seek now?»

~He’s right, but...~

«Then what do you want from me?!» Hakuto snaps.

But Akashi’s answer isn’t what he expects.

The vampire extends his hand.

A wound opens on his palm, releasing blood that hardens into a dagger.

Its floral-shaped hilt gleams, and the blade is wrapped in Corrupted Flame—the power granted by the Eye of the Fallen-One, able to nullify the Sacred Flame.

«You seem much stronger than before, Hakuto...»

Akashi lowers his stance, fuchsia flames bursting violently around him.

«...Show me how much!»

He dashes forward with insane speed—faster than anything Hakuto had seen during the Drakhul fight.

Back then, he could barely follow Akashi’s movements.

But now... it’s different.

In proportion, Hakuto’s strength has grown more in these past three months than Akashi’s.

Now, even if it takes effort, he can track him.

The diamond armor now covers his whole body, even his face.

But not a spark of Sacred Flame—he knows it’d be wasted against someone wielding such powerful Corrupted Flame.

Akashi’s dagger shoots toward his shoulder with surgical precision.

But Hakuto blocks it with the flat of his thick diamond blade.

The sheer force of the strike pushes Hakuto back—he’s forced to leap backward to avoid being overwhelmed.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glances at his blade.

A crack runs through the spot where the dagger struck.

Akashi watches him with a satisfied gaze.

«Impressive, Hakuto Tendo. You actually blocked my strike. After just three months, your mastery over the crystal has grown that much...»

Then, the dagger vanishes from Akashi’s hand.

«Then I guess it’s time to raise the level again!»

At those words, Hakuto steps back—massive diamond spikes shoot out from his blade.

Until not long ago, the only way he knew how to fight was by charging into reckless frontal assaults.

But thanks to the intense training with Chris and Alexia, now he no longer has to expose himself like that.

He can analyze his opponent’s moves and strike while staying at a safe distance.

Akashi extends his arm—his open hand aimed at Hakuto.

«Blood Word lv.4: Deathorns!»

Instinctively, Hakuto leaps into the air.

He’s already seen Akashi use this spell before, and exactly what he expected happens.

The ground beneath his feet shatters—huge, sharp fuchsia thorns burst upward.

But because of his preemptive jump, Hakuto narrowly avoids being impaled.

While suspended mid-air, he slashes his sword—diamond shards shoot off and fly toward Akashi like bullets.

At the same time, as he falls, he plants his feet on the curved surface of a large spike—launching himself toward Akashi, following the same path as the flying shards.

But Akashi doesn’t move.

He stays put, watching Hakuto’s reaction to his Blood Word with clear satisfaction, and how he immediately counterattacks the next moment.

He doesn’t flinch even when dozens of diamond shards pierce through his body from head to toe, followed right after by Hakuto’s slash—cutting through diagonally from left shoulder to right side.

But Hakuto knows it’s not nearly enough.

Against someone like Akashi, whose abilities surpass even most powerful vampires, that level of damage is meaningless.

Instead of blood, a burst of petals sprays out in every direction, whirling menacingly around Hakuto.

Those same petals, now solid with razor-sharp edges, dart toward him from all sides.

He tries to block them with his sword, but they’re too many—and too fast.

The diamond armor holds just long enough to get him out of that floral storm unharmed,

but it’s visibly chipped and cracked all over—

it looks like it’s about to shatter any second now.

Finally, the petals come back together,

reforming Akashi’s body in an instant.

Hakuto knows the only way to neutralize that seemingly invincible ability is to interrupt the reconstruction before it’s complete.

He remembers clearly how Drakhul was almost able to overpower Akashi by doing exactly that—but this time, he simply didn’t have the chance.

Thanks to the immense power granted by the Eye of the Fallen-One, Akashi can now complete his regeneration much faster than before.

Far faster than Hakuto’s current reflexes.

His breathing is heavy, worn out—maintaining full armor for so long is rapidly draining his energy.

But it’s the only way he can keep up with the vampire—or at least try.

After training at HESPARC U.S., Hakuto had convinced himself he’d become strong enough to defeat anyone.

But the gap in power between him and Akashi shatters that belief.

He’s improved greatly, but he’s still far from being able to take on deadly members of the Cult of the Primordial Shadow alone.

Even so, giving up isn’t an option.

His sword grows longer and thicker—he now has to hold it with both hands.

He’s about to launch into yet another desperate charge when...

...the flames around Akashi’s body suddenly vanish a second before Hakuto can move.

~What... what’s going on?~

That single gesture from Akashi is clear enough—he has no intention of continuing the fight.

Hakuto exhales in relief as both his armor and diamond sword shatter into tiny crystal dust.

«If that’s all you’ve got, you might want to say your last goodbyes to those two hybrids. You won’t be together much longer,» Akashi says coldly.

«You came all the way here just to say that...?» Hakuto replies, breathless and worn out from their intense fight.

Akashi shakes his head.

Then, a small red orb forms in his hand—transparent like glass, about five centimeters wide.

He tosses it to Hakuto, who catches it mid-air, then stares at it for a few seconds with suspicion.

«What is this?» Hakuto asks, unable to spot anything unusual.

It really just looks like an ordinary glass marble.

«If you came all the way here, I assume you’re also here to visit my dear little brother,» Akashi murmurs.

«Give that orb to him. Tell him it’s from me. I would’ve handed it over personally, but as you can imagine, he’s more likely to listen to you than to me. He won’t understand right away, but he’ll figure it out soon. The lives of your precious hybrids depend on it,» Akashi adds as his body begins to fade.

«What does that mean?! What does this orb have to do with them?! And what is Itsu supposed to do with it?!» Hakuto shouts, completely lost.

But before he can finish the sentence, Akashi has already vanished.

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