CHAPTER 110: THE DEATH OF HAKUTO

-ZAP!

A bolt of lightning bursts from Raelos’s wings, flashing straight toward Hakuto and Chantal.

They dodge sideways and immediately charge—Hakuto heads for Raelos, while Chantal takes on Ana.

Hakuto’s diamond sword, wrapped in roaring white flames, swings down on Raelos, but the incubus evades it and soars upward, keeping his distance.

A situation like this would’ve overwhelmed Hakuto not long ago, but now, he can fight even from afar.

With a jump, Hakuto lands on the flat rooftop of the abandoned building where Raelos had just been.

He slashes, releasing a storm of flaming shards from his sword.

Raelos counters by casting an electric field that vaporizes the diamond projectiles before they reach him.

Then, another electric discharge bursts from his wings—Hakuto dodges again, but the bolts crash into the roof, which collapses over Chantal and Ana, who were fighting inside.

Hakuto lands safely on the ground, but his gaze stays fixed on Raelos’s previous move.

~That bastard... Chantal’s not the only one down there—his own daughter is too! What kind of father launches an attack like that without thinking?! I can’t believe Ana would stay loyal to someone like him... He’s clearly manipulating her!~

Ana and Chantal manage to avoid being crushed by moving away just before the building collapses, resuming their fight near Hakuto.

But something feels wrong.

Hakuto, now closer, finally notices it.

When Chantal and Ana clashed at Ashiya Rock Garden, they were nearly evenly matched—Chantal had won, but barely.

Since then, Chantal’s power has skyrocketed.

She became a vampire and trained relentlessly with Itsu to master her abilities.

Ana, on the other hand, had spent her time living the peaceful life she always wanted with her mother Esmeralda.

That’s why Hakuto is stunned—despite everything, Chantal and Ana are still fighting evenly.

Chantal is pushing her limits, igniting her brilliant pink flame.

Hakuto expected Chantal to win in a flash, so she could come help him against Raelos.

But things aren’t going that way.

[This doesn’t make any sense... Not even a year ago, Ana was way weaker than Frank—the ogre who served Velshekar that night. Chantal and I could wipe him out now without breaking a sweat... How the hell did she get so strong?!]

Chantal is thinking the same thing—it’s clear from her tense, unsettled expression.

-ZAP!

Another lightning bolt crashes down, landing just a breath away from Hakuto.

~No time to worry about Chantal... I’ve got bigger problems to deal with!~

«You look distracted, Hakuto Tendo. Surprised by how powerful my beloved daughter has become?» Raelos’s voice echoes from above, proud and smug.

«Only a father knows what’s best for his daughter! Ana always had huge potential as a succubus. That bastard Velshekar convinced me to let him train her. Said he’d help her grow! Pff... A pile of bullshit. I realized it too late. But at least that bastard already paid with his life for the insult!»

~Raelos... killed someone like Velshekar? Not even my father could pull that off... Shit, this is worse than I thought!~

«Now, under my careful and loving guidance, Ana is finally blooming. Both in power... and as a woman. And her growth will reach its peak only when you’re erased from existence!»

With those words, Raelos dives toward Hakuto at lightning speed.

The incubus’s fist slams down on him—Hakuto barely manages to raise his guard.

But it’s pointless.

Raelos’s punch breaks through Hakuto’s defense and slams into his left shoulder.

The diamond armor there shatters, and Hakuto is sent flying across the battlefield, crashing into a nearby building.

The impact is so powerful, it demolishes the wall he hits—then the whole structure collapses on top of him, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.

Ana’s usual cold, detached expression breaks for just a moment.

Her eyes, normally void of emotion, flash with something else.

«Hakuto...» she whispers, barely audible.

A tear runs down her cheek.

Chantal’s massive blood-forged sword stops just a breath from Ana’s neck.

She’s noticed the sudden shift—Ana froze mid-battle, letting her guard down.

That tear, that raw expression of suffering... it stops Chantal from delivering the killing blow.

She knows exactly what incubus and succubi are capable of—more than Hakuto, thanks to her training at the HESPARC Academy.

That moment of clarity in Ana, triggered by Hakuto’s brutal injury and Raelos’s twisted words, makes it obvious to Chantal: she isn’t Ana.

Or at least, her body isn’t acting on its own will.

She’s being controlled—by Raelos.

But the spark of her will fades just as quickly.

«Ana, why did you stop?! Finish her already! We’ve wasted enough time!» Raelos roars.

His violet eyes gleam—and Ana’s eyes mirror that same glow.

«Y-Yes, father...» Ana murmurs.

An intense electric wave erupts from her body.

Chantal narrowly avoids the blast, but her focus is shaken.

Not even a single piece of rubble covering Hakuto has moved, and fear creeps in.

Still, she has to push those thoughts aside—Ana isn’t giving her a break.

From the membranes of Ana’s wings, massive tentacles emerge, each with five finger-like appendages, reaching toward Chantal.

She recognizes them—it’s the same technique Ana nearly killed her with eight months ago.

She knows full well that if those things grab her, it’s over.

But this time, she doesn’t run.

With her pink flames flaring, she charges head-on.

–SWISH!

Chantal slices the appendages clean off.

She follows up with a strike using the flat of her blade—she doesn’t want to kill Ana, only knock her out.

But for someone like Chantal, trained to kill, holding back is harder than it seems.

Then, her plan changes.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spots Raelos preparing to cast a spell at the debris pile covering Hakuto—intending to finish him off.

Chantal aborts her strike on Ana, leaps backward, and aims her hand at Raelos.

«Blood Word lv.1: Burst!»

A crimson beam bursts from Chantal’s palm.

Raelos redirects his spell to intercept it, and the collision causes a violent explosion.

A thick cloud of smoke spreads across the battlefield, blinding everyone.

But a second later, Raelos disperses the fog with a strong flap of his wings—and then...

–SLASH!

Hakuto’s flaming diamond sword pierces Raelos’s chest.

A guttural scream of pain and rage bursts from the incubus’s mouth.

Hakuto aimed for the heart, but Raelos shifted just enough to avoid a fatal hit.

Unfortunately, even if the blow had landed perfectly, it wouldn’t have been enough.

The sword barely sank a few centimeters into Raelos’s skin.

His body is incredibly tough—but above all, Hakuto is in terrible shape.

He’s battered, bleeding, exhausted.

Most of his diamond armor is gone.

Only part of his upper right side is still protected, and it’s drenched in blood.

Raelos’s face twists in a mix of pain and disbelief.

When the smoke cleared, he had focused only on Chantal’s potential ambush.

After all, Hakuto was buried under a mountain of debris.

He hadn’t heard a single sound of rubble shifting.

It had never even crossed his mind that Hakuto could be the one to attack.

He finally understands.

~That brat... I was sure he was buried under the debris, but I was wrong. He must’ve used the dust cloud from the collapse to move and hide, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. But it’s too late for him now!~

Hakuto tries to take advantage of his momentum, aiming to push the blade even deeper into Raelos’s side.

But Raelos is faster.

He stretches his hand forward and grabs Hakuto by the head, his fingers clenching around his skull.

Hakuto tries to react.

He yanks the blade out of Raelos’s chest and swings it toward his neck.

But with his free hand, Raelos lands a violent blow on Hakuto’s arm, disarming him.

The diamond sword hits the ground and shatters—just like the last scraps of armor left clinging to Hakuto’s body.

Purple sparks shoot from Raelos’s wings, surging toward the hand gripping Hakuto’s skull, lifting him meters above the ground.

Then, a sadistic grin spreads across Raelos’s face.

«Farewell, Hakuto Tendo!»

Chantal desperately tries to dash toward him, to save him, but Ana jumps in her way, blocking her.

And then...

Screams.

Atrocious screams fill the air.

Cries that make bones rattle and skin crawl.

But they last only a few seconds.

Then they stop, and silence falls over the graveyard of abandoned factories.

That silence is shattered by Chantal’s scream.

Raw, broken, and filled with anguish.

Raelos releases the limp body he was holding midair and, with a cruel flick of his leg, kicks Hakuto away.

His body crashes to the ground, rolling violently before slamming to a halt not far from where they are.

Chantal’s breath catches.

Her chest feels like it’s about to explode.

She feels all her strength leave her in an instant.

Her knees give way.

Her arms collapse.

And the clinking sound of her massive solid-blood sword dropping to the ground echoes across the battlefield.

«Hakuto...» she whispers.

Her voice is barely a thread, choked by the flood of tears pouring down her cheeks.

Her vision trembles, clouded by a river of tears. Her eyes widen as they fix on Hakuto’s charred, smoking corpse.