The sound of shattering crates still echoed in my ears, but the alley had fallen deathly silent. My pulse hammered as I pressed myself against the rough stone wall, trying to make sense of what I was seeing. The man—no, the thing—that had grabbed me lay sprawled amidst broken wood and debris, a faint snarl rumbling in his throat as he struggled to his feet.
Then he stepped forward.
The stranger's energy radiated like a living storm. The Flux that coated his arms pulsed with veins of red and yellow lightning, alive and chaotic but entirely under his control. His every movement was sharp and deliberate, his body loose yet poised, like a coiled spring ready to snap. Even from where I stood, I could feel the heat radiating off him—a stark contrast to the suffocating chill of the vampires.
The man finally rose from the wreckage, his face twisted in rage. "You'll regret that," he growled, his fangs bared.
"I've been hearing that a lot lately," the stranger replied coolly, his stance shifting slightly. His hands were raised, Flux crackling and dancing around his fingers, but his feet told a different story. They weren't planted like a brawler's—they moved in precise, deliberate steps, his balance shifting fluidly. Was that… Taekwondo? No, there was something sharper, more compact. Wing Chun, maybe? My brain tried to piece it together, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that this man wasn't here to lose.
The female vampire darted forward first, her body a blur. One second she was across the alley, and in the next, she was right on top of him, her claws slicing through the air with lethal precision.
But he was faster.
He didn't dodge—he redirected. His right hand snapped out, Flux-coated fingers brushing her wrist and sending her momentum spiraling away from him. Her body twisted midair as if she'd been thrown by an invisible force, crashing into the side of the alley with a snarl. Before she could recover, the male vampire was already on his flank, moving with terrifying speed.
The stranger pivoted on his heel, ducking just under a vicious claw swipe. His Flux-coated arm shot up in an uppercut that connected with the vampire's jaw with a deafening crack. The energy around his fist flared like an explosion, sending the vampire hurtling backward into a metal dumpster.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Their movements were too fast for anyone to follow, yet somehow I could see everything—the way his footwork danced like a rhythm, how he used angles to redirect their speed against them. It wasn't brute force. It was something refined, something… beautiful.
The female vampire recovered, leaping toward him with an inhuman scream. This time, he didn't wait. His Flux surged brighter, and he stepped into her charge with a spinning roundhouse kick that seemed to ignite the air itself. The kick slammed into her ribs with enough force to send shockwaves through the alley, and she crumpled to the ground, coughing up black ichor.
"She's strong, huh?" the stranger muttered, his voice calm but laced with mockery. "You should really coordinate better."
The male vampire appeared behind him in a flash, faster than even I could track. He didn't turn—he didn't need to. His elbow shot backward, Flux sparking like a thunderclap as it collided with the vampire's chest. The force sent him skidding back, but the stranger followed, closing the distance with a burst of speed that made even the vampires look sluggish.
He struck with precision. His fists moved like pistons, each punch a blur of red and yellow light. A straight punch to the sternum. A hook to the temple. A knee driving into the vampire's stomach. Every blow landed with an impact that echoed through the alley, his Flux burning against their flesh like acid.
The female vampire lunged again, claws extended toward his throat. This time, he caught her hand mid-swing. The Flux around his fingers flared brighter, and with a sharp twist, he snapped her wrist like a twig. She howled in pain, but he wasn't done. He spun her around, using her body as a shield just as the male vampire charged in desperation.
The male skidded to a halt, snarling, but it was too late. The stranger's Flux surged as he drove his knee into the small of the female vampire's back, launching her toward her partner like a missile. They collided in midair, a tangled mess of limbs crashing into the far wall.
The battle paused for a moment, the two vampires staggering to their feet. Their predatory grace was gone, replaced by frustration and pain. The stranger, meanwhile, hadn't even broken a sweat. His Flux-coated arms hummed with power, and his stance remained loose, confident.
"You two are fun," he said, rolling his shoulders. "But let's be real. You were outclassed the moment you stepped into this alley."
The vampires exchanged a glance, their faces twisted with anger and… fear? I couldn't believe it. These predators, these monsters who had been toying with me just moments ago, were afraid of him.
"Your move," he said, his smirk widening.
The male vampire roared and launched himself forward in a final, desperate charge. The stranger didn't move. His Flux brightened, his stance shifting subtly, and when the vampire was within striking distance, he unleashed it all.
His punch wasn't just a punch—it was a lightning storm. Red and yellow energy erupted from his fist, consuming the vampire in a blinding flare of light. The force of the blow sent the vampire crashing into the ground with a sound like a thunderclap, the stone beneath him splintering from the impact.
The alley fell silent again, the only sound my ragged breathing. The vampires didn't move. The stranger stood tall, his Flux dimming as he turned to face me.
"You alright, kid?" he asked, his voice as calm as if he hadn't just dismantled two monsters in less than a minute.
I couldn't answer. My legs were shaking, and my chest felt tight, but I couldn't take my eyes off him. Who the hell was this guy?