Chapter 48: The Slave Of Noseferatu

Inside the castle...A deadly silence filled the throne room.

Mike and Heidi stood in battle stances transformed, their energy flaring.

Nosferatu merely smiled, his red eyes glowing ominously.

Nosferatu: “A shame… I was hoping you’d make the right choice.”

Without warning—

He vanished.

Mike’s eyes widened.

He barely had time to react before Nosferatu reappeared behind Heidi, moving at inhuman speed.

Before she could turn—

Nosferatu’s cold, clawed hands gripped her tightly.

Heidi (struggling): “LET ME GO!”

But his grip was ironclad.

Mike whirled around, raising his hands.

Mike (furious): “HEIDI!!”

Nosferatu’s lips curled into a smirk.

Nosferatu: “You’re too slow.”

And then—

They vanished.

Nosferatu reappeared on the other side of the massive hall, holding Heidi tightly.

Mike gritted his teeth in pure rage.

Mike: “GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF HER!”

He raised both hands, chanting an advanced fire incantation.

Mike (furious): “HELIOS INFERNO!!”

A massive explosion of golden flames engulfed Nosferatu—

But as the flames settled, Nosferatu stood untouched.

Nosferatu (mocking): “How tragic. You think such simple magic could harm me?”

He tightened his grip on Heidi, pulling her closer.

Mike’s fury grew stronger. His body trembled with emotion.

Mike (growling): “I’m the ONLY one allowed to touch her… NOT some dead corpse like YOU!”

Nosferatu’s eyes glinted mischievously.

Nosferatu: “Oh? Then let me make her mine forever.”

Before Mike could react—

Nosferatu opened his mouth, revealing his razor-sharp fangs—AND SANK THEM INTO HEIDI’S SHOULDER.

Heidi gasped detransforming her as a result.

Her body went limp.

Mike’s heart nearly stopped.

Mike (horrified): “HEIDI!!”

Nosferatu pulled back, licking his lips as Heidi collapsed in his arms.

Her eyes fluttered closed.

Mike’s entire body shook.

Mike (whispering, trembling with rage): “…You…”

Nosferatu smirked.

Nosferatu: “I wonder… will she still call your name when she wakes?”

He released Heidi’s body.

She fell to the ground.

Mike rushed forward, detransforming in concern—

Mike (panicking): "Hey, you alright?"

He shoved her desperately trying to wake her up. When—

Suddenly, Heidi’s eyes snapped open.

And she lunged at him.

Mike stumbled back, barely dodging Heidi's sudden strike. Her nails, now sharp like claws, slashed through the air with alarming speed.

Mike (panicked): "Heidi! What are you doing? It's me!"

But Heidi's eyes were void of warmth. They glowed a deep crimson, the same sinister hue that gleamed within Nosferatu. Her body moved unnaturally — stiff yet swift — like a puppet bound by dark strings.

Nosferatu (smirking): "She no longer answers to you, Magician. Her heart, her will, her very soul… now belong to me."

Mike's heart pounded. Every fiber of his being screamed for him to fight, yet the sight of Heidi under Nosferatu’s control, made his hands tremble.

Mike (desperate): "Come on, Heidi! Wake up!"

But there was no response. Only relentless aggression.

Heidi lunged once again. Mike quickly summoned a barrier of nature energy, but her strength shattered it like glass. The force of the impact sent him skidding across the floor.

Mike (gritting his teeth): "Damn it!"

He struggled to his feet. Every time she attacked, he saw flashes of her true self — the laughter, the determination, the spark of life. But now…

She was like a shadow of her former self.

Nosferatu (mocking): "Pathetic. You can’t even raise your hand against her."

Mike clenched his fists, his magic swirling violently.

Mike (angry): "I’ll save her. No matter what it takes!"

But Nosferatu only chuckled.

Nosferatu: "Save her? When I’ve already claimed her? Foolish boy."

Heidi dashed forward once more, her eyes narrowing with a twisted determination.

Mike dodged, barely escaping her deadly claws. He could feel the dark energy seeping from her — Nosferatu’s influence consuming her.

Mike (thinking): "I can't keep dodging forever. But if I fight back... I could hurt her."

His thoughts were clouded. Every hesitation gave Heidi the upper hand. She unleashed a powerful shockwave, sending Mike crashing into the wall.

Nosferatu: "You are powerless. Now watch as she finishes you."

Heidi’s hands began to glow with a crimson hue — corrupted energy gathering at her fingertips.

Meanwhile....Jim stood at the edge of the ominous Werewolf Territory, the cold mist curling around his feet. Naomi, still weak from the trauma she had endured, clutched his shoulder. Her pale face showed exhaustion, but her determination shone through.

The sound of distant, low growls echoed in the air. The werewolves, vicious and relentless, prowled within the shadows. Their glowing red eyes pierced through the fog.

Jim tightened his grip around Naomi.

Naomi (whispering): "Jim… maybe we should find another way."

But Jim shook his head.

Jim: "There's no time. Mike and Heidi are already battling Nosferatu. We have to atleast go through this."

Naomi's eyes filled with worry.

Naomi: "But... what if we don't make it?"

Jim's gaze softened.

Jim: "As long as I'm with you, nothing will happen to you. I promise."

Naomi’s heart pounded. She gripped his arm tightly, feeling a strange sense of comfort. It wasn’t just because Jim had saved her before — it was something deeper.

But she pushed those thoughts aside.

Naomi (softly): "Okay… I trust you."

Jim nodded, and with a surge of energy, he charged forward, holding Naomi close to him.

The werewolves emerged from the shadows, their snarls echoing through the air. Their dark fur gleamed in the pale moonlight, and their enormous, muscular bodies moved with terrifying speed.

One of them lunged straight for Jim.

Jim (gritting his teeth): "Solun Slash!"

His weapon gleamed with both solar and lunar energy, forming a crescent-shaped arc. He slashed through the werewolf in one swift motion, sending it crashing to the ground.

But the moment it fell, more werewolves appeared.

Naomi tensed, holding onto Jim even tighter.

Naomi (whispering): "Jim… there’s too many!"

Jim: "I know. But I’m not backing down."

He leapt high, avoiding the snapping jaws of two more wolves, before launching his next attack.

Jim: "Solun Explosion!"

It engulfed the charging werewolves, sending them tumbling miles away.

But they kept coming.

Jim's breathing grew heavier, but he refused to stop. Naomi's warmth against him reminded him why he couldn’t give up.

Naomi’s eyes didn’t leave Jim. Despite the overwhelming odds, he pushed forward — not for himself, but for her.

She felt something twist inside her chest.

Was it fear? Relief?

Or… was it something else?

Her thoughts wandered. She had always admired Jim from a distance, knowing the stories her father told of his courage.

But now, seeing him like this — protecting her without hesitation — it stirred something deeper.

Naomi (thinking): "Why… Why do I feel this way? He’s not just Edward’s student. He’s… Jim."

But as her heart fluttered, a painful memory returned.

Her father's words echoed in her mind.

Edward: "Jim is a warrior, Naomi. A hero. Someone destined for greatness."

And in her mind, she heard her own voice.

Naomi (thinking): "But I'm just… me. He deserves someone far better than I could ever be."

She bit her lip, forcing down her feelings.

Naomi (thinking): "No. Stop it. Why am I thinking this right now? He doesn’t deserve the burden of my feelings."

The werewolves grew more ferocious. One of them leapt at Jim with its claws extended, but Jim was faster.

Jim: "Solun Slash!"

He struck the beast down — but in that moment, two more lunged at him from the side.

Naomi’s eyes widened.

Naomi: "JIM!"

But Jim wasn’t afraid.

His heart pounded, not from fear, but from something far stronger.

A protective instinct surged through him.

He held Naomi even closer.

Jim (determined): "I won’t lose you."

His body erupted with a fierce, greyish light — the power of his Celestic Warrior Form.

Jim: "Solun Overdrive!"

The sky darkened as swirling celestial energy surged from his body. The power expanded outward, obliterating the werewolves in a massive shockwave.

The ground cracked beneath the force. The monstrous howls of the beasts were silenced.

Naomi stared at him, breathless.

Naomi (whispering): "Jim… you…"

Jim stumbled slightly detransforming as a result of recoil, but his arms never loosened around her.

Jim: "We’re safe now."

She reached up, gently brushing a stray lock of green hair from his face.

Naomi: "That was… incredible."

Jim smiled faintly, but there was something else flickering in his heart.

An unfamiliar warmth.

A different kind of strength.

He wasn’t fighting just because Naomi was Edward’s daughter. It was something else — something he couldn’t explain.

Naomi gripped him tightly once again, burying her face in his chest.

Naomi (thinking): "I’m so sorry, Jim… I can’t stop these feelings. But I won’t let them get in your way."

She knew that for Jim, the world was still calling him to something greater.

And for now, she was content just being by his side.

_ _ _

Just then, she remembered something.

Naomi: "It's useless... Jim. No matter how much we try, we cannot escape."

Jim(frustrated): “You mean escape is impossible?”

Naomi: "I’m so sorry, Jim… It went out of my mind. But when you were under Nosferatu's control, I had been trying to escape but every time I did, I got caught. Nosferatu said escape was impossible from his dimension. Once anyone is trapped here, there is no escape. I don't think he would have lied about it."

Jim(calmly): “So that means there is only one option. Defeat Nosferatu, right?"

Naomi: “Yeah! If he is defeated,the entire Dimension should collapse as he is the ruler. I found that out 6 months ago using the energy signatures of the dimension.”

Jim: “Then I have to aid Mike and Heidi as there is no other choice. But,I don't want to bring you back to that hell."

Naomi's eyes suddenly widened as her view went to a specific direction.

Naomi: “Wait… look over there!”

Jim followed her gaze.

And then—

His breath caught.

Their spaceship.

It was sitting a few meters away.

Jim turned to Naomi.

Jim: “That’s a solution. That way atleast I wont have to worry about your safety while heading back to the castle.”

Naomi nodded.

Naomi: “We need to get to it.”

Jim holding her tightly made their way towards the ship.

Once inside, Naomi rushed to her lab section.

She grabbed a small remote.

Jim: “What’s that?”

Naomi pressed a button.

Suddenly—

The entire spaceship transformed.

Metal plates shifted. Wheels emerged. Armor expanded.

In mere seconds—

The spaceship had morphed into a massive battle tank.

Jim’s jaw dropped.

Jim: “You turned our spaceship… into a TANK?!”

Naomi smirked weakly.

Naomi: “Modified it by the time of Carmilla battle… just in case. Never expected, it will be useful right now.”

Jim chuckled.

Jim: “You’re a... real genius. That proves even you are an asset for us.”