Fate To Fake: Loved by the Fallen; Fated to Kill the Divine

Essa, the cloaked figure, and Leo were together searching for 'Her' ever since that fateful day.

Essa had been against him from the very beginning. She warned him that staring directly at the danger would bring nothing but ruin.

But Leo didn't care. He had to face it, had to look at the threat with his own eyes and see… if it truly was danger, or if it was only a shadow wearing that mask.

It's not like he didn't want her help—more than Valra's, more than Ophis's—rather… he had promised he would never be reckless again.

Didn't he say those very words himself?

He couldn't put Valra in danger. And Ophis… she deserved to be happy, away from fight, away from blood.

Killing others was not the kind of life she should be trapped in anymore.

So Leo decided to do it on his own, hiding his intent so it wouldn't be obvious. As for Essa… well, she objected, fought against the idea, even tried to stop him one night. Yet, for some reason, whenever he pushed her even a little, she gave in and accepted him.

Was she really that much of a pushover?

Or was there something else... something unspoken behind her silence?

That was also the night he learned her true name. Honestly, he had been expecting an explosion, some sudden interruption, or even a miracle. But instead… he had simply learned her name.

And that alone lingered in his mind longer than he cared to admit... sigh!

Anyway,

Ever since then, Leo had roamed through the city, and Essa had been following him all night. At first, he told her not to. He warned her that tailing him would alert 'Her,' and that could spark the very confrontation they weren't ready for.

Essa finally, reluctantly, agreed. Only after he pressed a walkie-talkie into her palm—"Talk to me if something happens, don't be reckless"—did she move away, giving him space, though her eyes still tracked him from the rooftops.

Always far, but never gone.

That's what had been going on all this time…

Essa suddenly dived from the building with a movement as slender and sharp as a falling blade.

Her eyes narrowed as she saw Camazotz tearing into the shopkeeper's leg, ripping it apart while dangling him like a helpless fish in the bat's hand.

"N-No! Please… I-I have family!!" the man cried. His voice cracked in terror as blood poured from his shredded leg, dripping, "P-Please… I… I will be good. Please forgive me!" His words broke into sobs, desperate!

Camazotz only smirked. The begging, the despair, it stirred something in him.... something primal, something twisted. The scent of fear clung to his tongue like honey, and the sound of pleading only made his hunger coil tighter.

Didn't it?

His mouth parted, stretching wide, teeth gleaming, and the man cried even harder, his voice breaking into pure horror. But then… Camazotz stiffened. His green eyes shot upward,

Thud!

Chucckk!!!

Camazotz's body jolted violently, flung back through the air as one of his hands was severed clean from his arm. The shopkeeper fell from his grasp, crashing to the ground with a scream.

Camazotz landed heavily, his eyes narrowing in fury. He looked up… and saw the cloaked figure standing before him.

He snarled, veins bulging as his mangled hand began to regenerate, flesh knitting with grotesque speed.

He sniffed the air, "Who are you?"

Essa raised her twin curved rusted blades, and without hesitation, they whistled through the air, arcing toward Camazotz with a speed that sliced the air apart.

Raphael, on the other hand, could only sit frozen.

Her body… her mind… everything inside her short-circuited. As if her thoughts couldn't even process what her eyes were seeing.

The world around her blurred!

Just a few seconds ago, she had watched a woman being eaten alive… and now, another figure had appeared out of nowhere, saving them.

This was too much for her small heart to take!

"P-Please help me!" the shopkeeper cried as he crawled across the ground with one leg, leaving a smear of blood behind him.

Raphael flinched, snapping as she moved forward. Her legs trembled as if they might collapse beneath her, yet she forced herself to kneel beside him.

Her eyes widened in horror at the sight... his entire leg was bitten clean off, blood spilling out in thick streams that flowed down the street.

"W… We need to go to the hospital," she said in a cracking tone.

With shaking hands, she tore the end of her skirt and quickly wrapped the cloth around his thigh, pulling it tight until the flow slowed, though the fabric turned scarlet almost instantly.

The man panted heavily, his chest rising and falling like a drowning man gasping for air. His eyes fluttered as his mind grew faint. "P-Please… help me… I…" His words broke apart before his eyes rolled back, and his body slumped unconscious.

Raphael's heart nearly stopped. She pressed her trembling fingers against his throat, searching..... His pulse was still there, but weak, fading with each second.

The faster they got him to a hospital, the more chance he had of surviving.

However—

Tang!

Ting!

"ARRHH!!"

The metallic clash and a scream tore through the silence of the empty street.

Slowly, she turned her head.

The monster clashed against the cloaked figure, steel and claw colliding with a force that shook the air itself.

She swallowed hard.

Should she run away? This might be her only chance…

But then... She was a doctor.

That man's life was important. And yet, her mind was a mess, every instinct screaming at her to flee before she was torn apart too.

"Wait!" Her own voice startled her as she flinched. In the storm of chaos, she suddenly remembered... her friend. Her friend was still stuck below in the manhole!

Raphael rushed to it, her breath ragged. She dropped to her knees and gripped the cold, rusted iron cover. "Come on!" she muttered, teeth clenched. With all her strength she pulled, arms straining, muscles screaming.

The manhole was so damn heavy, but she refused to stop.

She had to free her friend before the monster noticed her.

Meanwhile, under the ground—

Raphael's friend had a front-row view of a nightmare battle.

She watched as Leo, katana in hand, sliced through Dracula's body with blinding speed. His movements were sharp, precise, almost inhuman—like a samurai pulled from the glowing screen of a television and thrown into reality.

Her eyes darted wildly, barely able to follow the magnificent fight. Dracula crouched low, snarling, attempting to escape, but Leo pressed forward. He stepped in, knocking the vampire off balance before plunging his blade straight toward Dracula's forehead.

Yet even with the katana stabbing through his skull, the monster still moved.

No sign of death... No end!!

"Arrhh!! MONGREL!!" Dracula roared, his voice shaking the tunnels. He raised his hand, crimson blood surging along his veins, flickering with the glow.. But… the magic sputtered. It died instantly, like a candle crushed by the wind.

Leo's eyes widened. He had been preparing for the spell, bracing himself for its impact, but when it fizzled out, his lips curled with a hint of surprise. "Oh? Don't tell me…" he muttered, voice edged with both mockery and curiosity.

Before he could fully smirk at Dracula's failure, the monster's body snapped forward, impossibly fast.

His claws stretched like scythes, raking for Leo's chest.

Leo reacted instantly, katana rising in a perfect block. The clash shook his arms, metal ringing against claw. His boots slid across the wet stone floor, scraping as he fought to anchor himself.

"No, P… come on!" Raphael's friend muttered, her fist clenched tight as she watched Leo suddenly pushed back.

Her other hand gripped the gun so hard her knuckles turned white, finger trembling near the trigger as if she was ready to fire the very next second to support him.

Leo, on the other hand, was forcing his body to its limit, channelling his breathing technique as fast as possible, driving mana into the parts of his body that demanded it most.

His veins burned with the energy, his muscles screaming with energy.

This wasn't like before. He wasn't recklessly going rogue.

This time, every strike, every flow of energy was calculated, each channelling placed where he needed the most power. But the problem was… his lungs. They couldn't hold out forever.

Each breath felt heavier, each inhale like knives cutting through his chest.

He knew it. Even a single pause, even one slip of rest—Dracula would slice him apart.

Leo slashed through the air, his blade whistling with speed, but Dracula twisted, wings snapping wide as he darted back, narrowly escaping the cut.

Leo exhaled sharply. His breath came out searing hot, so hot that even the air around him shimmered with faint heat.

Tiny, nearly invisible flames flickered out, burning in the darkness before vanishing.

Dracula noticed. His crimson eyes gleamed with hunger as he grinned, lips peeling back over sharp teeth. He lunged forward with a savage leap, claws poised to tear Leo apart.

But then—

Leo flicked his wrist... A card flew from his hand, spinning through the air.

Flap!

Dracula recoiled instantly, wings flaring as he was forced back. His eyes darted downward at the card.

It was blank... Nothing on the front, nothing on the back.

A low growl rumbled in his chest. He was being tricked. Again and again. His fury twisted his face as he glared at Leo, who stood firm, smirking with that faint confidence.