Hitory, now with the sword in hand and distorted figures growing on his body, looks at the vampire with an expression that mixes pure fury and something else — an insatiable desire to destroy.

  The vampire, seeing that Hitory was about to strike with all his power, lets out a maniacal laugh. "Since you’re going to use your final form... then I’ll use mine as well."

  With those words, he begins to transform. His skin tears, his human form contorts, and his true nature begins to emerge. The bones crack, the body swells, and the vampire transforms into a colossal monster, with distorted and terrifying proportions. His skin turns black and scaly, while his sharp teeth lengthen, becoming monstrous fangs. His claws extend into sharp blades like swords, and enormous membranous wings sprout from his back, flapping with such force that the surrounding environment trembles.

  The vampire is now a creature of darkness, an abomination of pure malice, ready to face Hitory in his final form.

  The vampire, now in his monstrous form, watches Hitory with an expression of pure horror. He feels the pressure of the dark aura around him, something far beyond anything he had faced before. Hitory, with his new form, no longer seemed human but something infinitely more dangerous. The two dark figures behind him emitted a crushing force that seemed to oppress space itself.

  The vampire, once confident in his transformation, takes a step back, his eyes wide with disbelief. He had prepared for this confrontation, but he never imagined he’d face something so incomprehensible. He had seen powerful creatures over the centuries, but nothing like this. Hitory, or what he had become, was far beyond a mere threat. He was a monster in his own right, and he was just getting started.

  A wave of energy pulses through the air, and a reddish glow begins to emanate from Hitory’s body, making him even more imposing. The vampire watches closely, trying to detect any weakness in his final form. Then, he uses his ability, the same one Anon had used earlier, but his was in the advanced form. Information appears before his eyes, revealing something lethal.

  Race: Unknown (Nihil)

  Age: Unknown

  Total Strength: 5%

  Ability: XXXXXXXXXXXX

  The vampire freezes, his expression turning into a mixture of awe and terror. He watches the numbers, one by one, trying to process them in his mind. "Impossible... This can’t be real..." he mutters to himself, his voice heavy with panic. He feels the magnitude of the force before him, but the reading of this information is incomprehensible. He’s seeing only 5% of Hitory’s true power.

  "It’s impossible... with all this aura... he’s using only 5% of his power." The vampire takes another step back, trying to analyze the situation, but the uncertainty in his eyes is evident. Hitory was no simple creature, he was not something that could be easily defeated. For the first time in centuries, the vampire feels fear rooted deep in his immortal heart.

  Even overcome with fear, the vampire decides to challenge the impossible. The fury and arrogance of his final transformation drive him forward. He knows he can’t retreat now, that he’s crossed the point of no return. The monstrosity he’s become is no longer something he fears, but something he feels he must dominate, control, and crush. He clenches his fists, and a dark energy begins to concentrate in his claws, his sharp nails more like blades, ready to tear into Hitory’s flesh.

  With a horrendous roar that reverberates throughout the room, the vampire takes a staggering step forward, his monstrous form expanding in a cloak of darkness. His red eyes, now almost completely blinded by the transformation, fixate on Hitory’s figure, who walks slowly and relentlessly in his direction. The distance between them shortens with each step.

  And then, with a quick and fierce movement, the vampire attacks again, his claws shooting toward Hitory like sharp blades, each one carrying the same lethal intent as before. But this time, the attack is much stronger, more violent, the energy of his final form overflowing in every movement. The force of his attack sends shockwaves through the air, making the room shake as if the very structure was about to collapse.

  The vampire charges at Hitory with impressive speed, his claws cutting through the air like knives slicing through flesh. The monster’s roar reverberates, his presence becoming a direct and crushing threat.

  When the vampire finally believes he has cut Hitory in half, he looks on, satisfied, thinking that he has finally defeated the young man. But in the blink of an eye, something strange happens. Hitory disappears, disintegrating like dust, a phenomenon that defies logic, as if his form were erased by the air itself.

  The vampire, eyes wide, takes a step back, his breathing heavy and filled with disbelief. "What... what happened?" he murmurs, unable to comprehend.

  He looks ahead, still absorbing the transformation, and his vision is filled with the figure of Hitory once again, standing firm at the entrance of the room. The presence of the young man, now even more distorted and monstrous, is palpable, like a living shadow stretching across the entire room. His eyes, an intense crimson red, reflect an insatiable fury, and the aura around him pulses with a dark and heavy energy.

  The scene seems like a nightmare come to life.

  The vampire, despite his immense strength and power, feels something far greater than the mere threat before him. He had cut Hitory, or at least believed he had, but there he was, as if nothing had happened, darker, more terrifying than before. The vampire feels a chill run down his spine, his arrogance being replaced by an increasing sense of despair.

  With each movement, Hitory seems further removed from his humanity, more immersed in the darkness consuming him. He raises the strange dagger, its blade gleaming with a black and golden aura, a reflection of the transformation now overtaking his being. And, looking at the vampire, his eyes exude an immense fury, a hunger the monster could never comprehend.

  The vampire, with a growl of anger, prepares to attack again, but something deep inside him already tells him that this fight is different. Hitory was no longer a simple young man. He was something far more dangerous, something that defied the laws of nature, of life and death.

  The vampire, sensing the intensity of the battle and the pressure, begins to channel his blood magic, concentrating dense mana around him. He summons beams of blood-red energy, projecting them toward Hitory with a growl of rage. The blood magic was powerful and deadly, capable of crushing even the most resistant defenses, but Hitory, once again, disappears before his eyes, turning into nothing more than a shadow that dissipates in the air.

  The vampire spins frantically, feeling the change in the environment, and as he does so, a sharp pain strikes him. Something pierces his back, penetrating his flesh with deadly precision. He lets out a scream of pain, and his vision narrows as the feeling of dread invades him.

  When he turns his head, his heart nearly stops. Hitory is there, standing, with a sinister smile on his face, as if the darkness surrounding him was an extension of his own will, his aura now a pulsating mass, a vortex of malicious energy that seemed to swallow everything around him.

  With each breath, Hitory’s aura grows stronger, more oppressive, with an insatiable hunger, as if every movement was driven by a primal need for destruction. The vampire feels his own essence being sucked into the darkness, as if his very life were draining away, his strength being drained. He tries to move, but the pressure is immense. Hitory no longer sees him as a simple threat to be eliminated; he looks at him as prey to be consumed.

  And Hitory’s smile widens, as if he were completely given over to it, to the power emanating from his own being, a power the vampire could never comprehend. The aura, saturated with a bloodthirsty will, begins to take the shape of a black shadow that stretches, swallowing every bit of light, every bit of hope, leaving only the overwhelming presence of Hitory, an irresistible and terrifying force.

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  The vampire, now completely consumed by his power, prepares the final blow. He concentrates all his energy into an attack that defies logic, a burst of blood magic so intense that even the fastest being wouldn't have time to dodge. With a deafening roar, he unleashes the attack toward Hitory, hoping that his fury will finally end the young man, destroying him once and for all.

  But Hitory, in his monstrous form, moves as if he had already anticipated the move. He raises his dagger, the black blade reflecting the light of the battle, and blocks the attack with unsettling precision. The impact of the blood magic makes the room tremble, an explosion of power that reverberates through the entire structure. However, Hitory stands firm, as though the attack was nothing more than a simple disruption in his journey.

  However, the vampire does not give up. With a quick and treacherous move, he fires an arrow made of pure blood energy, which pierces Hitory's chest with brutal violence. The arrow tears through the flesh, hitting Hitory's heart, but before he can react, a second arrow is shot, cutting through the air with deadly precision. It strikes his shoulder, grotesquely amputating his right arm, which falls to the ground with a dull thud.

  The pain that should have brought him down does not affect Hitory. He remains standing, his eyes burning, the black aura surrounding him pulsing stronger with each passing second. Blood pours from his wound, but his expression is unshakable, as if he were beyond any physical suffering. His presence, even more terrifying, grows with every injury, becoming a primal force that defies death itself.

  The vampire, looking at what should have been his victory, feels a wave of fear invade his chest. Even with Hitory mutilated, blood gushing from his body, the sensation that the young man is unbeatable, indestructible, becomes more real with each passing second. The dark aura surrounding him is no longer just a skill. It is a reflection of something much deeper, something malevolent and immeasurable.

  Hitory, with the pain physically evident, still holds his dagger firmly. Even without his right arm, his determination does not waver. He looks at the vampire, his gaze burning with an insatiable hunger.

  The battle between Hitory and the vampire, both torn apart, seemed to be reaching its climax. Hitory's body, with a deep hole in his chest and his right arm completely severed, trembled with pain and fury. The vampire, on the other hand, bore a large cut on his back, his monstrous body still immersed in the blood magic surrounding him, his breath heavy and eyes radiating hatred. Both, mutilated, stared intensely at each other, as if the world around them was collapsing, the dust of battle covering them like a cloak of silence.

  In the midst of the suffocating tension that hung in the air, an unexpected melody was born. Soft, melancholic, and yet still charged with something dark and enchanting. The sound of a magical harmonica echoed through the room, floating like a wave of ethereal energy that sent chills down the spine and froze the blood.

  It was an unmistakable sound — and even in his debilitated state, Hitory felt a brutal shiver run down his spine.

  The vampire, equally surprised, stopped. His eyes, wide with disbelief, fixed on the direction of the sound. The music came from a corner where the dust still danced in the air, like aimless ghosts.

  Confused, stunned, the two realized the impossible. It was Anon.

  The vampire, with his expression still twisted by shock, stared at the scene as if facing a nightmare. There, lying on the ground, his chest open and his heart torn out, Anon was still holding his harmonica. And he played it.

  With disturbing calmness. As if death had no meaning.

  The sound emanating from it was not just music — it was an extension of his soul. A raw, pure expression of that which transcended life itself. Each note seemed to pierce the air, vibrate against the walls, and echo straight into the very core of those who listened.

  It was as if Anon was pouring his last breaths into melody — his final song.

  Hitory, staggering and wounded, looked at his friend, feeling his throat tighten. He wanted to scream. He wanted to run. He wanted to deny what he saw. But he just stood there, trapped in the moment, consumed by a silent pain.

  The vampire, once so arrogant, now trembled. A biting cold ran through his body, and he realized — too late — that he had released something beyond comprehension.

  He clenched his fists. But it was futile.

  There was no escaping Anon’s last song.

  The creature tried to cover its ears with its hands, desperate. It tried to resist. But the music — that damn music — was like invisible blades tearing at its soul.

  Blood poured from its eyes, ears, and nose, as if its mind were being shattered from the inside out.

  Its screams were inaudible beneath the sound of the harmonica, as if the entire world could hear only that final, tragic melody.

  Hitory, with his lungs burning and his heart on the verge of collapse, understood.

  It was now or never.

  With an effort that seemed to rip his very soul from his body, he rose.

  Gripping the dagger with his left hand, he advanced like a specter in agony.

  Each step was a victory against the imminent death.

  The vampire, consumed by the torture of the music, didn’t even react.

  His eyes were empty. His soul, shattered.

  With a scream of pure pain and determination, Hitory raised the dagger and, in a brutal and precise strike, decapitated the creature.

  The sound of the blade cutting through flesh and bone echoed through the room, a grotesque snap that rivaled the song itself.

  Blood erupted in a crimson explosion, painting the world in red.

  The head rolled, and the vampire's body collapsed like a puppet with no strings.

  Hitory fell to his knees, the dagger still trembling in his bloodied hand.

  There was no glory in the victory.

  Only blood, pain... and loss.

  The harmonica's music continued, weaker now, like an echo of a soul slowly fading away.

  Gradually, the decapitated head of the monster began to dissolve into black dust, sucked into the very darkness that had spawned it.

  Three items remained on the ground, like cursed relics: a ring of uncertain glow, a cloak of shadows, and claws black as crystal.

  In a primal impulse, Hitory grabbed the items, putting them on without hesitation.

  It was as if they accepted him, molding themselves to his body with a strange familiarity.

  But victory had a price.

  His stomach churned.

  He vomited blood, each breath a torture.

  The pain, once muffled by adrenaline, now roared like an uncontrollable fire inside him.

  His knees gave way.

  His body fell.

  And the darkness consumed him.

  When he opened his eyes again, everything was silent.

  He was lying on the ground, cut all over, the dried blood sticking to his skin.

  The memory of the battle was a distant blur, fragmented.

  It was then that he saw.

  And his heart shattered.

  Anon and Tekime.

  Their bodies lying still, lifeless.

  Their blood staining the room red.

  Hitory tried to move, but his body was nothing but pain.

  Each breath was a fight against his own despair.

  He crawled.

  By the force of despair, by the last insane hope that he could save them.

  His trembling hand reached out for Tekime...

  But it was then that the ground trembled.

  A distortion in the air tore reality before him.

  A portal — black, pulsating, hungry.

  The energy of the monster, now free, condensed in the vortex.

  The environment was unraveling.

  The air bent.

  Gravity failed.

  Hitory tried to protect Tekime, shouting her name in silence, but the power of the portal was absolute.

  Everything was sucked in.

  Everything disappeared.

  The world they knew was swallowed by the darkness.

  And in the end, all that remained was emptiness.

  Their fate?

  Still uncertain.

  Like a story that refuses to end.

  End of EP 27: “Echoes in the Silence of the Abyss"

  Echos of Silence. Hitory's journey continues, full of challenges, mysteries, and... much more.