Ace in the Hole
In a Limbus world where neither "net" nor "god" can be trusted, what the hell was I supposed to do...? Charm them...? Fuck, do they think I'm the Red Mist or the Jade Kirin...? It's absolutely pointless.
But apparently, this shit actually works pretty damn well. So that left just one reinforcement option. The one that's put humans at the top of the food chain since time immemorial—our best friend, the bullet.
Valentina eyed the ultimate human-enhancement tool. The badass new "Acceleration Bullet" from the Bonyatelli family workshop—one shot, and she'd zip around with moves that'd make even a color-grade Fixer jump.
Speed is mass. Mass is power.
Valentina loaded the Acceleration Bullet, fired it, and in an instant closed the gap to the sheep-masked Blood Fiend.
The fiend, caught off guard by her speed, scrambled to defend itself.
"Too late, you fucker."
With Valentina's signature filthy curse, the sheep-masked Blood Fiend's body was shredded to pieces. It looked just like livestock butchered in a slaughterhouse—gruesome, the perfect end for a beast.
The other Blood Fiends who witnessed Valentina gutting the sheep hesitated for a moment.
"Next."
Her word sounded like a call for the next animal to hunt—or butcher.
"....."
"Hey, kid. Next. You deaf or something? Or are you actual animal brats who can't understand human speech?"
In response, the dog-masked Blood Fiend narrowed its eyes.
"You're a particularly tough human among your kind. Won't you receive our blood and become family...?"
Valentina grinned and flipped it the middle finger.
"Fuck off, you brain-dead Blood Fiend fuck."
"....."
The moment the sound of Valentina reloading rang out, the dog barked orders to the pig.
The pig drew a halberd and blocked Valentina's strike.
"Whoa! Almost got my guts shredded!!! This thing's insane!!"
The pig-masked Blood Fiend couldn't finish her sentence. Both arms holding the halberd were sliced clean off in a flash, tumbling to the ground. She had no choice but to dodge and fall back.
"That's mean!! How am I supposed to fight without arms!!"
She threw a tantrum, but Valentina ignored her, charging at top speed to finish her off.
Just as she went for the kill, the dog-masked Blood Fiend managed a partial block.
"Receive the ancestor's blessing and become part of our family. It would be better for you and for us."
"I don't compromise with fuckers weaker than me."
Valentina severed one of the blocking fiend's arms.
"Can't dodge? Then die!"
The sharp bastard sword plunged into the Blood Fiend's body. Its frame shuddered violently before shattering into fragments.
"Hoo... fuck, that thing was persistent..."
A spike of congealed blood pierced straight through her foot.
"What the... fuck is this...?"
Valentina glanced down to see the rabbit mask smiling.
"We're pretty good at regeneration compared to other Blood Fiends. And with humans everywhere... how could we not devour this feast?"
Valentina hurriedly raised her sword in a cross guard to block the attack. The impact forced some distance, but with one ankle still intact, she barely held her ground without falling.
"Not dodging 'cause I can't... now I see, I'm total glass cannon material..."
Time to make a call.
As Valentina pondered, the fragmented Blood Fiends began regenerating, turning their gazes on her. One had peeling skin. Another's face flayed back, exposing bone and eyeball in a grotesque mask. Muscles and flesh clung unnaturally, chunks dripping to the ground.
"Become our family!!!"
"We'll party all day, every day!! Haha... hahahaha!"
Shwaaaaa—
"Ah, that's cold. What the—don't tell me it's water...?"
Valentina smirked, splashing something from her pocket all over the Blood Fiends' bodies.
They stared at the liquid soaking them, and Valentina chuckled.
"Our fridge at home's stocked full of vodka. Brought the highest-proof one."
She pulled a match from her cigar case, struck it alight, and said,
"Heard Blood Fiends hate water...?"
The fiends scrambled to flee, but it was too late. One quick one tried to bolt; Valentina nailed it dead-on with the match.
Whoosh!! Flames roared!!!
The Blood Fiend screamed, staring at its burning body.
"Hahaha, looking rough, huh? Want me to douse you with some water...?"
Two charged at her taunt, but they just became rotisserie too. The remaining pair ignited under Valentina's hand, shrieking.
Finally eyeing the rabbit mask that pierced her foot, Valentina smiled and asked,
"How's it feel? Watching your 'family' die screaming like pathetic bitches?"
Wracked by the agony of regenerating flesh amid the high-proof alcohol blaze, the Blood Fiends begged Valentina like they wanted death.
"Kill me... no... save..."
Valentina grabbed the rabbit-masked fiend by the hair.
"You wanna save your family, right...?"
Trembling, the masked fiend nodded.
Valentina grinned, tossing her a dagger.
"Kill them."
"Pardon...?"
"Kill them. I don't repeat myself."
"W-what...?"
"Your burning family over there. Don't they look pitiful? All because of you."
The rabbit mask shed silent tears at Valentina's words.
"Go stab 'em dead. Or I'll kill you."
Valentina hurled the fiend by the hair toward the burning ones.
"Save us... Isabella... please... save us..."
Their bodies melted. Like candles fully consumed, waxen flesh—grotesque globs like frosting sloughing off a cake—dripped from their forms. Barely clinging to life, on death's door.
"Tch... can't even do that? Step aside."
The fiend was shoved away. Valentina impaled or carved out their hearts with her bastard sword.
"Cleanup complete. Ha. Now I feel better."
"Ah... ah..."
The Blood Fiend could only watch her family butchered before her eyes. Even the mightiest Blood Fiend dies without a heart. Fundamentally, their physiology matches humans'.
But family means different things. To humans, family is temporary, destined to part. To Blood Fiends, family is eternal companions.
"Aaaahhh!!"
The fiend snatched the dagger and lunged at Valentina, but she silently pulled the revolver trigger on her sword's hilt.
Bang!
The bullet punched through the fiend's skull, halting her mid-charge.
"Hoo... shit..."
Valentina bit down on the cigar she'd avoided smoking.
....
Allan finally snapped to, hauling himself up. Where the hell am I? He remembered facing Blood Bags in the L Corp vacant lot, then encountering a Blood Fiend... but after that, blank.
As Allan stirred, his men sighed in relief.
"You're awake, sir!!"
"How long... was I out...?"
"About a full day, sir."
"A day...? Where's that lady?"
According to his men, she'd guarded him outside for the whole day.
"Is the lady alright...?"
Valentina wordlessly removed her cigar, approached, and patted Allan's shoulder.
"Wounds all healed?"
"Yes, ma'am! Thanks to your protection, I'm all good!"
"Kid, quit the dramatics..."
Valentina chuckled at him.
"Time to pull out. Already reported to Thumb. They ate it up—me saving your ass after you got gangbeat by Blood Fiends and couldn't do shit. Upper brass is impressed."
Allan's face flushed, but Valentina let it slide.
"I'm an internal inspector too... but come on, passing out from a few broken bones? Not cool. Wanna survive this game long-term? Learn to roll with the punches more flexibly."
"....Must be nice being that strong."
"Hahaha, you're not weak yourself?"
....
Meanwhile, the Capo receiving Valentina's report ran a hand through his hair.
"Ha... Valentina actually pulled it off."
"How the hell do I report this to the higher-ups..."
....
That was close. All thanks to Dad and my sisters pounding vodka constantly. I'd packed the highest-proof bottle just in case shit hit the fan and I was dying—I figured one last drink before the end.
But it fucking won the day.
Gazing at Allan, sprawled wrecked beside her, Valentina reflected: Without grabbing that vodka from the fridge, the one lying there now probably would've been her instead.