The last time the two of them fought, Uche had not been able to produce that crimson glow around his fist, making it as strong as steel. This meant he had undergone some kind of training. But Snowflake wasn't surprised; he hadn't just been hiding and sleeping for the past month.
Snowflake's sword moved again in a thrusting motion, aiming to pierce Uche's chest and fish out his organs. Uche, of course, didn't wait for the sword to reach him. He sidestepped, avoiding it completely, and moved forward with a punch heading toward Snowflake. But the bastard was too swift and cunning. He suddenly pulled his sword back and attacked again before Uche's fist could reach him.
The sword was aimed at his neck, forcing Uche to stop abruptly, fearing a fatal slash. The fight continued with Snowflake having the upper hand. His movements were swift, and his attacks were cruel, giving Uche no chance to breathe as he attacked from all sides. If it were anyone else, they would have been dead by now. But Uche was no ordinary person—he was a vampire, and a strange one at that.
Although the wounds he received from Snowflake's sword weren't healing, Uche had learned to harden his body with his blood. It was the only vampire skill he had successfully mastered during his training with Mira: Blood Hardening. He could make any part of his body as strong and resilient as rock. Before, he mainly used this skill on his fists, wielding them as weapons of sorts. But in a situation like this, where he couldn't land an attack of his own nor block every strike from his enemy, he quickly learned to harden other parts of his body.
Still, he received some injuries.
"I must admit, your swordsmanship is unmatched,"
Uche said, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
A few cuts could be seen on his body, blood slowly dripping from them. He threw a quick glance at Mira, who had already knocked out more than half of her enemies. Surprisingly, she was unharmed. Uche knew he was no match for Snowflake. The crazy serial killer was too strong for him, so he was only hoping to buy time until Mira finished off her enemies.
But Snowflake wasn't about to let that happen. He charged forward again, saying,
"I was expecting more from you. Don't tell me that's all you have to offer."
Snowflake's sword rained down on Uche like thunderbolts. Instead of trying to avoid the blade, Uche simply raised his left hand to block it while his right hand prepared to launch an attack. But as if Snowflake knew exactly what Uche was planning, he moved his sword at the last second, twisting his body in a strange way that made Uche hit nothing but air. The tip of Snowflake's sword then slightly cut Uche's cheek, blood dripping from it.
They engaged again. This time, Uche decided not to block or avoid his opponent's attacks anymore. Everything else had been futile before, so he resolved to go on the offensive, disregarding any form of defense. After all, his body would heal later, even if he got hurt badly.
Snowflake continued his brutal assault, swinging his sword dangerously at Uche. Each swing left terrible cuts on Uche's body, but he didn't mind. He relentlessly threw punches, although none of them had landed yet. Snowflake avoided every single one, deflecting a few with his sword. And that was exactly what Uche wanted. If he could keep his opponent engaged with his attacks instead of staying on the defensive, he could find the perfect timing to land a blow.
And so he did.
Just as Snowflake avoided another of Uche's punches by stepping back slightly, he thrust his sword deeply into Uche's chest, the blade emerging from the other side. Snowflake drew the sword back and prepared for another attack, but Uche's left fist hit him unexpectedly. The punch shifted Snowflake's jaw, sending blood and a few useless teeth flying as he was thrown backward.
Uche also staggered but stopped himself from falling. Blood pumped out of his chest like a running stream, and his vision blurred. Still, he forced himself to move forward. This was his only chance to retrieve his eye. He knew Snowflake wouldn't be able to withstand his full-strength punches, so he had deliberately endured all the attacks just to land a critical hit and reclaim his eye.
"Arghhh,"
Snowflake growled roughly, rolling on the ground and trying to prop himself up with his sword. But Uche was already standing over him. He threw another punch to Snowflake's stomach, sending him flying again. Snowflake landed flat on the junk-filled street of the outskirts, unconscious bodies lying beside him.
Uche pushed himself forward, his strength fading slowly. He glanced at Mira, who stood at the edge of the street, arms crossed as she stared at him. It seemed she had finished off her enemies.
'She didn't kill them all,'
Uche thought with a smile.
"Will you just keep smiling there? Retrieve your eye and finish him already. This place reeks of filth," Mira said.
As if on cue, several figures emerged from the alleyway in front of them, moving in an organized manner. Mira turned to look and immediately recognized who they were.
"They're the cops. Just retrieve your eye fast, and let's go. They're here for him,"
Dhe said, pressing a few buttons on her wristwatch. A bike appeared in front of her.
Uche didn't hesitate. Lowering himself to Snowflake's level, he grabbed the man by his clothing and stared directly into his eyes. The crazy killer tried to resist but was too weakened by the two punches. Blood flowed from his mouth.
As their eyes met, Uche, who had removed his eyepatch earlier, felt something crawling in his empty socket, like countless tendrils emerging. And they did.
Bloody red tendrils shot out of his socket, crawling with lightning speed until they latched onto Snowflake's left eye and forcefully dragged it out. The serial killer screamed in agony.
Mira looked away in disgust, focusing on the approaching cops, who were just a few meters away.
"How is that possible?"
She thought. She had expected Uche to use a knife and undergo surgery to retrieve his eye, but instead, he'd done it by staring. That ability was eerily incredible.
"He never ceases to amaze me,"
She thought.
Mira knew Uche would become a wanted man in the vampire world if anyone learned about his abilities. Like the human world, there would be those who wanted to exploit him and those who wanted him dead. But she didn't need to think about that now. That was a problem for the future.
The cops started shooting after hearing Snowflake's painful scream. Mira glanced briefly at Uche.
"Are you done?"
She asked.
Uche didn't reply. He turned to Mira, making her look away in disgust again.
"Damn, just get on the bike and let's go,"
She said, turning the bike around.
Uche got on, and they sped off.
His eye had been retrieved, but it wasn't yet fixed in place. The tendrils were busy stitching it into his socket—a sight Mira found neither entertaining nor pleasant, which is why she kept her eyes averted.