A vampire and A Assassin

The desert wind howled as all six skeletons charged at once, weapons raised, glowing red eyes locked on their prey.




"Here they come!!" Chiyo shouted.




Olorun rushed forward, grinning. "Alright, time for something sharp!"




He lunged into the crowd and yelled:

"FINGER KNIFE!!"




His fingers stiffened into stabbing points, and he thrust his pinkies at the first skeleton.




The attack bounced off harmlessly. The skeleton didn't even flinch.




"…Huh?"




Olorun stared at his fingers. "What the hell? That usually works!"




From behind, Chiyo groaned.

"Olorun… you idiot. They're skeletons. No flesh. No vital points. And they're wearing armor."




"Right! Right! That makes sense now! That's on me!"




Suddenly a volley of needles zipped past Chiyo, narrowly missing her shoulder. She turned sharply.




"Behind us!"




A small group of cactus monsters stood at a distance, their mouths puckered and glowing, firing needle-spines with rapid precision.




"LOOK OUT—!"




Olorun caught a shot to the leg, stumbling.




"AHH! My leg!!"




At that exact moment, all six skeletons slashed their swords at once.




Olorun threw his arms up and blocked just in time, but the impact sent him flying backward, blood spraying from shallow cuts across his arms and chest.




"GAH—!"




He was flung through the air toward Chiyo.




Chiyo caught him midair with one arm and skidded back in the sand, grit flying everywhere.




Olorun wheezed. "My arms… my body got slashed… my left side's numb…"




Chiyo set him down carefully. "Yeah, I saw it. Relax."




She turned, eyes glowing. "I'll handle the skeletons."




Olorun grunted, holding his leg. "Fine… I'll take the cactus… uh… people. Yeah. I got them…"




Meanwhile Timmy and Kawai watched the whole battle unfold from the shadow of the cave.




Timmy squinted. "Man… Chiyo and Olorun look like they're losing out there."




Kawai meeped: "Meep meep."




Timmy nodded. "Yeah… I didn't understand what you said."




"Interesting".




Timmy paused.




"…Wait."




He turned slowly.

"Kawai… did you just talk?"




Kawai puffed up and screamed:

"MEEP!!"




He pointed behind Timmy.




Timmy turned around—




Standing in the shadows was a hooded skeleton.




Draped in a tattered trench coat, his body was wrapped in black and red bandages, with his glowing eye sockets barely visible beneath the shadow of his hood.








Timmy froze. Kawai dropped into a defensive stance, wobbling slightly.








"Stay back!" Timmy shouted.








The skeleton raised a gloved hand.








"Do not fear me, young ones," he said calmly, his voice soft and dry like wind through old pages. "I do not wish to fight… only to test thou fate."








Timmy blinked. "Wait… you did this? You're the one who turned us into kids?"








The skeleton nodded. "Yes. I did."








Kawai snarled, puffing out his chest and sticking his tongue out.








"Meep!"








Timmy grabbed him. "Kawai—shh! Don't provoke him! What if he de-ages us again?!"








The skeleton chuckled lightly. "No, no. I would not do that… unless you were unworthy."








Timmy narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean 'unworthy'?"








The skeleton stepped forward, slow and graceful.








"You see… I have been in this cave for over 300 years. Once, I had a very very very small village. A family. Now, I dwell in this cursed land… and I test those who enter this cave."








He gestured toward the battlefield.








"Any traveler who enters my domain is reduced to youth. They must then fight the Monsters of Noya… creatures born from the sands, bones, and fury of forgotten war."








Timmy's voice was cautious. "Why, though? What's the point of all this?"








The skeleton looked up at the stars.








"I have collected over 333,222 souls... an odd number, yes, but it is what it is."








Timmy flinched. "Wait—you collect their souls?!"








The skeleton nodded solemnly.








"Yes. If they die here, I claim them. If they survive… and defeat the final creature… the soul vault is opened. All trapped spirits are released."








Kawai shivered. "Meep…"








Timmy took a deep breath.








"So… if Chiyo and Olorun lose out there—"








"They will join the others," the skeleton finished quietly. "And your numbers… will shrink again."








He smiled beneath the hood.








"But if they win… then your path will open."








Meanwhile Olorun and Chiyo stood back-to-back, panting, surrounded on all sides by hostile monsters. The desert night crackled with tension, only lit by moonlight and glowing red eyes.








"You good?" Olorun asked, flexing his fingers despite the sting in his arms.








Chiyo grinned, cracking her knuckles. "Tired, full of juicy red blood—And still hotter than ever. Let's go."








"Bet."








They charged in opposite directions, kicking up clouds of sand behind them.








Chiyo darted forward and slammed her fist into the nearest skeleton's chest.








The force of the punch launched the skeleton into the air, its ribcage splintering and armor shattering mid-flight.








Another lunged at her, sword gleaming in the moonlight. Chiyo spun and ducked, sliding across the sand.








As she rose, she smirked and threw her hand in the air.








"Mini Cute Bat Bombs!!"








With a pop and sparkle, dozens of tiny, round bats appeared around her. Each one had shiny button eyes, fluffy little wings, and mischievous grins.








"Go get 'em, my babies!"








The bats flew forward in a playful swarm, clingy and chirping as they latched onto the skeletons like happy plushies.








One of the skeletons slashed wildly at a bat.








The bat exploded in a burst of pink fire.








The others followed, their eyes flashing into heart-shaped explosives, detonating with vibrant flashes. Smoke and shrapnel filled the air.








"YEAH!!" Chiyo cheered, arms raised. "Yes, yes, YES! I did it! I wiped them out EASY!!"








She spun around, fangs gleaming with pride—only to freeze mid-celebration.








The sand was rumbling again.








More skeletons rose from the ground. A wave of new ones.








Behind them, globs of shifting, bubbling slime oozed from underground holes—Desert Slimes, their bodies lumpy and full of bones, eyes glowing a sickly yellow.








Chiyo's eyes widened.








"...Oh you have GOT to be kidding me."








One of the slimes burped and spat out a skull.








Meanwhile Olorun limped across the sand, one leg dragging behind him, bruised and bloody but grinning like a madman.








In front of him stood ten cactus monsters, spines twitching, mouths split open and glowing green with heat. They were ready to kill.








"Alright, you salad demons…" Olorun muttered, cracking his neck. "Let's dance."








He vanished in a flash.








Instant Movement — the deadliest mobility technique in Shichishini. Olorun surged forward in a straight line so fast he appeared behind a cactus like a blink of light.








"FINGER KNIFE!"








He drove both pinkies into the cactus's back repeatedly in a rapid barrage, stabbing holes through its body like a sewing machine on crack.








The cactus twitched, convulsed—then collapsed in a heap of oozing green pulp.








The others screeched, enraged.








One opened its mouth and fired a seed pod. It zipped through the air like a bullet—








Olorun grinned. "Ha! You missed!"








The seed exploded midair, sending him flying into the dunes with a shriek.








"—THEY CAN EXPLODE?!"








Before he could recover, more needle shots rained down on him. He tried to block with his arms—but the impact slammed through.








His arms dropped limp, stinging and unresponsive.








He lay in the sand, breathing hard, staring at his hands. "Shit… shit. My arms—I… I can't feel 'em."








More cacti rose from the sand, forming a new line of enemies, all targeting him.








Olorun's eyes narrowed.


"…Alright. Bet."








He pushed himself up using his head and knees.








"Two can play the army game."








He took a breath, and then—








Afterimage Step.








He began hopping around with unnatural speed, his movements blurring, leaving behind multiple images of himself—five, seven, then ten Oloruns darting in circles.








"Which one's the real me?" they all said in unison.








The cactus monsters hesitated—then fired everything at once, pelting needles and bombs at every image.








But the real Olorun wasn't standing still.








He slid behind the group, breathing hard, and charged his body with lightning, the energy crackling around him like a storm.








"Alright you prickly freaks…"








He twirled, lightning exploding outward in arcs.








"I call this—LIGHTNING CUTTER!!"








Electric whips spiraled from his body, spinning outward like bladed tendrils. They slashed through all the cacti, slicing them clean in half.








One by one, the cactus monsters dropped, smoking and twitching.








"HELL YEAH, BABY!!" Olorun yelled, arms still hanging at his sides. "No way I'm losing to a bunch of spiky vegetables!"








The afterimages all turned toward him with big grins.








"Also—Kenji's trash, right guys?!"








They all raised their hands.








"YEAH, HE'S SUPER TRASH!"








Then each clone fizzled out,fading away into the air.








"…Ah, man," Olorun muttered. "I miss them already."








A short distance away, Chiyo spun midair, blood energy sparking off her fingers. She landed hard and crushed a slime beneath her heel.








Then she turned—and saw three Desert Slimes lining up together.








Their mouths bulged, then—








SAND-SKULL BLAST!








The slimes shot sand-molded skulls, each one packed with pressure—








They exploded around her, forcing her to roll through the blasts, sand and fire searing across her clothes.








She gritted her teeth, sliding back with smoke rising from her shoulders.








And if that wasn't enough—two skeletons were rushing her with blades drawn.








"Shit," Chiyo growled, bracing herself.








"Yo, Olorun!!" she screamed. "I could use some help, buddy!!"








She dodged one skull shot—but the second clipped her hip, and she winced, blood running down her side.








Still, she stood tall, planting her feet.








"Come on, then," she muttered through gritted teeth.








Olorun staggered forward, panting, arms trembling. His lightning aura flickered like a dying spark.








"HEY, CHIYO!" he shouted. "How about we combine our attacks and end this nightmare already?!"








Chiyo, still swiping at slimes and dodging sand-skull blasts, jumped back a few paces. Her eyes flicked across the battlefield—more cactus monsters, more desert skeletons, more chaos.








"Fine by me!" she called out. "Let's do it BIG."








She reached into her energy reserves, crimson light flickering from her fingertips.








"MINI CUTE BAT BOMBS!!"








With a playful POP, thirty tiny bats spun into the air, fluffy and round with glittering eyes and twitching wings. They hovered in formation like adorable little war machines.








Chiyo glanced over. "Okay, lightning boy! Zap 'em!"








Olorun gritted his teeth, lifting both arms with effort. "Here goes nothing…"








"LIGHTNING SPEAR!!"








Blue lightning crackled from his palms, zig-zagging across the air and charging each bat—their bodies glowing electric blue, energy pulsing like heartbeat bombs.








The bats' eyes turned into heart-shaped sparking glyphs.








Chiyo smirked. "Now go!"








She sent the bats flying like homing missiles, scattering across the battlefield and planting themselves around the enemies like cackling, flapping land mines.








Olorun blinked. "Uh… is it time to run now?"








Chiyo grabbed him by the shirt collar. "YES."








She bolted back toward the cave, dragging Olorun with her as the bats exploded behind them in synchronized bursts.








BOOOOOOOM!!!








The sky lit up blue and red as lightning and blood energy fused into a chain reaction of destruction. When the dust cleared—








All the cactus monsters… all the skeletons… all the slimes…


Gone.








Timmy and Kawai stood at the cave's edge, eyes wide.








"THEY DID IT!!" Timmy cheered. "You guys actually saved us!"








"MEEP MEEP!!" Kawai squeaked, jumping excitedly and immediately falling sideways.








Chiyo set Olorun down gently.








"Well," she said, brushing her long red hair out of her face, "couldn't have done it without Lightning Boy."








Olorun chuckled, flopping onto his back with a sigh. "And I couldn't have done it without you, Blood Sucker."








A slow clap echoed through the cave.








The mysterious skeleton in the trench coat floated toward them, eyes soft.








"Mmm… finally. After all these years, someone has survived the Monster Trial of Noya."








Olorun squinted. "Wait—release? Souls? Dude, what are you talking about?"








The skeleton floated closer, his voice like wind through the pages of an old book.








"I once lived here. This was a village… my home. Then one day, I returned to find a woman in my house, eating all my food."








Chiyo blinked. "…Seriously?"








"She asked me to beg her to stay," the skeleton continued. "I refused. And she… erased my family from existence. My house disappeared. And I was cursed to remain in this cave… turning all intruders into children. If they failed the trial… I collected their souls."








Timmy tilted his head. "Wait… do you remember what she looked like?"








The skeleton shook his head slowly. "No… it's been over 300 years. Her face is lost to time."








But in Timmy's mind, a thought sparked.


That story… it sounds familiar. This happened to Amai too… She said she could never leave the ship…








I need to tell her about this.








The skeleton's voice broke the thought. "But now… I can finally rest. You passed the trial."








He snapped his fingers.








A soft glow wrapped around them.








Chiyo blinked—and felt her body grow taller, her voice deeper. Olorun shot up an inch, his afro puffing with pride.








Timmy glanced at his hands. "I'm… eight again?"








Kawai blinked at his stubby flippers.








"…Still meep."








Olorun laughed. "YAHOO!! BACK TO NORMAL, BABY!"








Chiyo smiled. "Ugh. Finally."








Then the skeleton reached into his chest and pulled out a glowing amulet, cracking it in half.








From the ceiling of the cave, a portal of green light opened up. Thousands of spirits—faint, glowing wisps—rose through the air.








They passed silently through the walls, whispering "thank you" as they floated toward the stars.








The skeleton's body slowly lifted from the ground.








"…Thank you. All of you."








"WAIT!" Olorun called, eyes brimming. "I'll miss you, Skeleton Man… even if we only just met."








"Meep," said Kawai, solemnly.








Timmy nodded with misty eyes. "You were a good soul… even if you were cursed."








Chiyo wiped a tear, voice cracking. "Goodbye, Mr. Skeleton…"








The last thing they saw was his faint smile as he faded into the light.








And then—he was gone.








The cave was silent again