Nosferatu roared, his form twisting as black mist surged around him. He lunged toward them with monstrous speed, his clawed hand aimed directly at their throats.
But Mike and Heidi moved in perfect harmony in their new form.
Heidi:
"Commitment Forks!"
A wave erupted from her forks. The crackling bolts illuminated the darkness as the forks struck like a meteor, forcing him to recoil.
Before he could recover, Mike followed up with his wand.
Mike:
"Illusion Wave!"
A distortion in space bent reality around Nosferatu. Countless reflections of Mike appeared(amplified by commitment), confusing the vampire lord. Nosferatu snarled, clawing wildly, but his attacks passed through the illusions.
Nosferatu:
"Tricks? You think mere illusions can fool me?!"
But just then, the real Mike emerged from the shadows, his wand glowing with water energy.
Mike:
"Aqua Surge!"
A torrential blast of water engulfed Nosferatu, the force sending him crashing into the stone walls. Heidi was already waiting.
Heidi:
"Thunder Cleaver!"
Manifesting a massive lightning in her Meat Cleaver, she hurled it with incredible force. The Cleaver pierced through the wall of mist surrounding Nosferatu, sending crackling energy surging through him.
Nosferatu (grinning through the pain):
"Fools. You cannot kill me!"
True to his words, his form twisted unnaturally. Despite the searing pain and the destruction of his body, he regenerated instantly. Dark mist swirled, reshaping his skeletal figure.
Nosferatu:
"I am eternal. As long as the night exists, I will return."
Mike gritted his teeth. Even with their heightened form, Nosferatu’s immortality rendered every attack meaningless. No matter how much damage they inflicted, the vampire lord simply revived.
Mike:
"We need to find a way to kill him! I believe there has to be a way."
Heidi:
"But how? If he can’t die, what can we do?"
Nosferatu cackled, his voice echoing through the chamber.
Nosferatu:
"Give in to despair. You cannot win."
But even as doubt tried to creep in, Mike and Heidi held onto each other. They remembered why they fought — not for glory or vengeance, but for each other.
Nosferatu then launched Dracula Beam at them annhilating everything in its path but Heidi managed to grab Mike in time and jumped far away from the beam using all her strength.
Heidi (determined):
"No. We’re not giving up. There’s always a way! We will give it our all."
Meanwhile...
The tank rumbled forward, the sound of its powerful engines echoing through the dark, twisted landscape.
Naomi's eyes fluttered open, realizing her head had been resting on Jim’s lap. She blinked, still groggy from exhaustion.
Jim noticed her stirring and instinctively ran his fingers through her red hair, his touch gentle and reassuring.
Jim: “Feeling better?”
Naomi nodded weakly, her body still weary from their relentless escape. But then, as if a jolt of memory struck her, her eyes widened in sudden realization.
She quickly sat up, her breath shaky.
Naomi: “Jim! I remember something important!”
Jim’s expression hardened, sensing the urgency in her voice.
Jim: “What is it?”
Naomi hesitated, gathering her thoughts. The memory had been buried beneath the stress of their ordeal, but now it surfaced crystal clear.
Naomi: “When we were trapped in Nosferatu’s castle, I overheard something. I was trying to find a way out when I accidentally eavesdropped on a conversation between him and Lilith.”
Jim’s muscles tensed.
Jim: “Nosferatu and Lilith?”
Naomi nodded, her face pale.
Naomi: “They were discussing… his immortality.”
Jim’s stomach dropped.
Jim: “Immortality?”
Naomi bit her lip.
Naomi: “Nosferatu can’t be killed by conventional means. No matter how strong we are, fighting him directly won’t work.”
Jim’s eyes darkened as frustration surged through him.
Jim: “Then how the hell do we kill him?”
Naomi’s voice trembled.
Naomi: “The only way to end him… is the same way Dracula was meant to perish.”
Jim stared at her, his pulse quickening.
Jim: “Which is?”
Naomi clenched her fists tightly.
Naomi: “A crucifix.”
The word lingered in the air, but instead of relief, Jim felt his stomach twist.
Jim: “A crucifix?”
Naomi nodded.
Naomi: “Yes. If a crucifix is placed against him while he’s exposed to daylight, it will destroy him completely.”
Jim’s heart flickered with the tiniest spark of hope — but it was short-lived.
He shook his head.
Jim: “We don’t have a crucifix, Naomi.”
Naomi quickly glanced around, her mind racing.
Naomi: “I can make one.”
Jim blinked.
Jim: “Make one?”
Naomi pointed toward the back of the tank.
Naomi: “The lab equipment. I brought various materials for fieldwork. It won't be perfect, but it will resemble a crucifix.”
Jim hesitated, uncertain.
Jim: “But will that even work?”
Naomi's gaze darkened.
Naomi: “Not alone. A crucifix without light is useless. He has to be exposed to daylight for it to have any effect.”
Jim’s blood ran cold.
He looked out the window at the endless dark sky — a sky without a sun.
Jim: “…But that’s impossible. This entire dimension is stuck in eternal night.”
Naomi's voice trembled.
Naomi: “I know. Nosferatu created this nightmare realm to ensure the sun never rises. But somehow…”
She swallowed hard.
Naomi: “Somehow, we have to make it work.”
Her fists clenched tightly, her nails digging into her palms. The frustration in her eyes was evident — she was fighting the hopelessness creeping over her.
Jim watched her in silence, feeling the weight of her determination.
Despite how impossible it all seemed, she refused to give up.
He reached out, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
Jim: “We’ll figure it out. I promise.”
Naomi’s eyes shimmered with uncertainty, but she nodded weakly.
Naomi: “But there’s more.”
Jim’s brows furrowed.
Jim: “More?”
Naomi’s gaze locked onto his.
Naomi: “A normal crucifix isn’t enough. To actually weaken Nosferatu, it has to be poured with positive energy.”
Jim's confusion deepened.
Jim: “Positive energy?”
Naomi nodded.
Naomi: “Think of it like the energy that comes from pure emotions — love, hope, courage. That’s the only thing that can counteract the darkness keeping him immortal.”
Jim ran a hand through his green hair, frustration mounting.
Jim: “So we need to power it up. And I’m guessing we can’t do that alone.”
Naomi’s expression hardened.
Naomi: “No. We’ll need Mike and Heidi.”
Jim: “And even then, that’s not enough, is it?”
Naomi bit her lip.
Naomi: “No. The crucifix will weaken him, but for the final blow… I don’t know. There’s something else we’re missing.”
Jim's heart pounded.
Jim: “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Right now, we focus on what we can do.”
He stood up, determination glowing in his eyes.
Jim: “You work on making the crucifix. I’ll drive.”
Naomi wiped her eyes and nodded.
Naomi: “Okay.”
She quickly gathered the materials from her lab section. Metal fragments, wires, energy crystals — everything she could find to forge a makeshift crucifix.
The tank rumbled on, pushing through the endless night.
Jim’s thoughts raced.
Somehow, they had to bring Mike and Heidi back.
Somehow, they had to summon the light in a world that had none.
And somehow…
They had to kill an immortal monster.
The countdown had begun.