Chapter 37: Power to Protect
"Let's see. There are 9 of them and 4 of us. Each of us should take on 2 to make it even, so who wants the third?" Shinatsu analyzes the field and asks which one of them should go for the extra vampire, knowing full well that they won't lose.
Ariel responds to her, "You can get the extra one, plus two more if you want. I'm sure Iris with her 50-kill count doesn't mind."
"Wait, how many?" Shinatsu wasn't unaware Iris killed that many vampires.
"N-no, I'll get my two," Iris attempts to say confidently while unsheathing her blade.
"Well, let's not keep Chifuyu waiting." Kagura stands in the front, initiating the battle. Following Iris, the rest take out the blades and push the enemy.
'These guys must not be associated with the Slayers since they're attacking with so few in number, especially knowing I'm here. They look like small fry trying to make a name for themselves by killing a has-been Vampire Lord along with a half-vampire. I'm sure there'll be many more of these types to come, all we have to do is deal with them. Eventually, the Slayers will make their move, and we'll take them out.' Ariel thinks to herself as she and the others are fighting. As soon as her last thought finishes, Shinatsu kills the last vamp.
"Guess that barrier wasn't a curse from any of these vamps."
"So it could be from an artifact somewhere in the area, from the vampire Chifuyu's fighting inside, or from one that hasn't shown themself."
"Let's search the area."
"Yeah!"
Back to inside the barrier, the two stuck inside are putting pressure on the vampire with surprising teamwork.
'Is it just me, or is Diego skilled with that knife?'
It has been a while since these two have seen each other, but neither had any type of skill with the blade that anyone was aware of. Chifuyu became a half-vampire and chose to become a Hunter so as to not be executed. So what could Diego's story be?
Not wanting his jacket to get messed up, the person in question takes it off leaving his tank top. Diego is extremely focused right now, sweating the most he has in years.
"Ha! Not bad, Diego. Not bad at all!"
Chifuyu slices off an arm, causing the vampire to back away. The second he does, Diego follows up with several pierces to the chest. He regenerates his limb and reaches for Diego's throat, only for the same arm to be cut off again by Chifuyu. They continue to deal damage one after the other with the vampire being unable to defend himself. It looks like they can finish him, so Diego goes for the throat.
"No, wait!"
Chifuyu yells out to stop. The vampire is luring Diego in, and he can't stop himself. Realizing he made a mistake, Diego tries to back away but is too late. The vampire slashes him across the side of his torso.
"Ah.. Damn it!"
The cuts are deep, Diego has no choice but to tie his wound up with his jacket to temporarily stop the bleeding. The vampire goes for him to finish the job, but is stopped by Chifuyu.
"I'll end this now."
Chifuyu kicks the vampire away to gain some space and immediately dashes back to him to finish this. Diego watches as his old friend takes on a vampire solo, pushing him back with fiercer slashes than before. He couldn't help but feel some nostalgia from seeing Chifuyu fight, for this was the swordsmanship he used to strive for. No one knows he pursued the path of a Hunter when he was younger. He thought he had given up on that, Diego thought he was able to move on. But at this moment, Chifuyu looks dazzling to him. His technique with the blade is a clear result of the hard work he put in. Back then, Diego forced himself to push his friends away. He doesn't regret that. But now, he's glad he met an old friend. Today, he might've been inspired to become what he used to want to be. Chifuyu lands the killing blow, slicing the vampire diagonally apart, thus severing the heart. As the barrier fades away, Chifuyu looks back at Diego.
"You were putting up a fight against a vampire, that's impressive Diego. You're strong, you have been since the day we first met. Use that strength for something good. You have the power to protect."
Diego is taken aback, and the barrier is gone. The fight is over.
"Chifuyu!"
"Looks like it was that Vamp's curse."
The rest of Odd Jobs runs up to them as soon as the barrier drops.
"Had no doubt you could handle yourself."
"Heh. Thanks."
Ariel and Chifuyu fist pump.
"I don't know what the hell happened in the past few years, but you've become one hell of a guy, Chifuyu."
"Wish I could say the same," Chifuyu responds with a smirk.
"Shut up."
"Why'd you join a gang anyway man?"
"A rebellion."
"A rebellion?"
"It's nothing, think I'll call it quits anyway."
"Well, that's good to know."
"Ha. I guess…. Say, how's Roxy doing these days?"
Chifuyu stays silent for a few seconds before responding.
"She's gone."
Diego's shocked to hear this at first, but then he realizes that's not really surprising.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there."
"Yeah, that sucked. But we have to move on."
"…."
"So Diego, we run an Odd Jobs cafe."
"Odd Jobs? Is that why you were here today."
"Yep."
"Haha. Hahaha. Guess it was time for somebody to set me straight. Glad it was you."
"So am I. You should come to visit whenever you can."
"I'll think about it."
"Cool. That's enough for me."
"The Trauma team should be here any minute to clean up the scene. They'll also look at your wound and take you to the hospital."
"Yeah. I'll wait here."
"Alright. Take care of yourself.
"Teh. You too."
With that, the two let out one last chuckle. Chifuyu walks away and the others follow.
"Maybe that guy isn't so bad," says Kagura.
"Maybe so."
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone