Liveman, The Fang's Next Prey!

The Liveman team grows desperate to find their missing comrade, but they come across something more terrifying than they ever imagined in their search. The enemy has changed. It no longer strikes with brute force alone—it whispers, tempts, and corrupts. Green Sai and Yellow Lion are next to face the creeping horror, but their strength, their resolve, even their bonds as warriors may not be enough to save them from what awaits. Their transformation is not just in battle—it is something darker, something irreversible, something hungry.

When the fangs sink in, is it still a choice?

Special thanks to my loyal and royal patron friends:

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The fangs throb!

LivemanBlue’s entire body locked in place, her breathing suddenly sharp, erratic, her lips parting in a shuddering inhale.

Then, Megumi’s helmeted head snapped toward Junichi with unnatural speed.

A shriek ripped from her throat, a sound so inhuman, so twisted, that it sent a violent chill down his spine.

"THAT! THAT—THAT’S IT! I WANT IT! GIVE IT TO ME!"

Before he could even react, she lunged.

Her entire body launched off the bed with terrifying speed, her arms clawing toward him, her hands grabbing at the air, trying to reach him, to grasp his wrist.

Junichi’s breath caught in his throat, his mind frozen in sheer terror as the realization dawned. She didn’t want food.

She didn’t want help.

She wanted him.

She wanted his blood.

Tetsuya moved first, his instincts taking over as he wrapped his massive arms around her from behind, pinning her before she could get any closer. "MEGUMI, SNAP OUT OF IT!" His tone trembled with both anger and desperation, his grip tight but careful, trying to keep her from hurting herself—or them.

Jou grabbed one of her arms, trying to steel himself as she thrashed wildly. "She’s too strong! She’s gonna break loose!" His tone was strained as he struggled against her violent jerks, his heart racing as he felt the sheer, unnatural strength behind her movements.

Yuusuke gripped her other arm, planting his feet as he forced her back down. "Hold her! HOLD HER!"

Megumi’s breath came in frantic, ragged gasps, her helmet splitting open just enough for them to see her twisted expression.

Her teeth bared, her lips curled, her tongue trembling with hunger.

Her voice came in a broken, guttural plea, her body shuddering in their grip.

"I need it. I need it. I NEED IT!"

Megumi thrashed in their grasp, her body convulsing violently as she fought against the hands restraining her. Her suit clung to her like a second skin, her helmet still partially open, allowing them to see the sheer desperation twisting her expression.

Tetsuya held onto her from behind, his powerful arms wrapped around her struggling form, but even he was struggling to keep her still. Jou had one of her arms locked in his grip, his biceps straining as she flailed, her strength unnatural, frenzied, inhuman. Yuusuke gritted his teeth as he wrestled to keep her other arm pinned, his knuckles turning white beneath his gloves.

Her screams never stopped, her words a mess of frantic, overlapping phrases, as though her mind was caught between two realities.

"It’s inside me! It’s calling! It’s whispering! I CAN’T—MAKE IT—STOP—!"

"Let me go! Let me GO! I NEED IT! I NEED IT NOW!"

"It hurts—it BURNS—it’s in my BONES! Get it out, get it out, GET IT OUT!"

Tetsuya was the first to notice it.

His breath caught. His arms stiffened. His entire body locked.

And then, his delivery, low and tight, barely more than a whisper—

"Her neck."

Jou and Yuusuke barely registered the words at first, too focused on keeping Megumi down, but the urgency in Tetsuya’s tone made their heads snap toward him.

"Her what?" Jou bit out, sweat trickling down his temple from exertion.

Tetsuya swallowed hard, his stomach twisting as his eyes locked onto the small, dark stain beneath her suit’s neckline. His hands trembled slightly as he reached forward, brushing against the exposed skin just above her collarbone.

And there—just barely visible beneath the tight, high collar of her Blue Dolphin suit—

Were two small puncture marks.

Tetsuya’s pulse thundered in his ears.

A wound.

No, not just a wound.

A bite.

A bite with dried blood still crusted around the edges, its shape unmistakable.

The moment they saw the two puncture wounds at the base of Megumi’s neck, the air seemed to freeze.

Tetsuya’s arms stiffened around her struggling body, his breathing shallow, tight, heavy, as his brain struggled to process what he was seeing. The bite marks weren’t old. They were fresh. Deep. The dried blood that had seeped from them had stained the edges of her suit’s collar, barely visible unless they had looked for it.

"Her neck," Tetsuya muttered hoarsely, his chest tightening. His fingers twitched slightly, wanting to reach out, wanting to press against the wound to see if it was real. But he already knew.

Jou’s gaze snapped down at where Tetsuya was staring, his grip tightening on Megumi’s wrist. His breath hitched, his face twisted behind his helmet, his mind rejecting what his eyes told him.

"Wait—what the hell? What is that?" His tone wasn’t angry, not yet. It was uncertain. Panicked. Shaken.

Yuusuke barely turned his head, his muscles still locked from the sheer force it took to keep Megumi restrained. But the moment he saw the wound, his entire body went still. His grip on her arm loosened ever so slightly, his heartbeat pounding in his skull.

"That’s—" He hesitated, his mind trying to find another explanation. Any other explanation. Something, anything, that wasn’t the first thing that came crashing into their heads.

Vampires.

It sounded ridiculous. Unbelievable.

But Megumi was still thrashing. Still moaning. Still trembling with hunger, with agony, with something wrong clawing inside her.

Junichi, still standing back, his fingers trembling as he clutched his bleeding finger, felt the weight of realization crash over him.

"I—" He swallowed, his delivery weak, unsteady. "How? How did that—how did this happen?"

Tetsuya’s grip on Megumi tightened instinctively, his muscles tensing. "She was alone," he muttered, his words low, dangerous, self-loathing. "We let her go alone. I let her go alone." He shook his head, his breath coming faster. "Damn it, Megumi, what the hell happened to you out there?"

Megumi didn’t answer.

Not in words, not in full sentences.

But she screamed.

A long, garbled, agonized wail, her tone devastated, her helmeted head thrashing violently, her body twisting as though she were trying to escape something they couldn’t see.

"IT’S IN ME! IT’S INSIDE! I CAN’T—I CAN’T—I CAN’T STOP IT!"

"IT'S IN MY BONES—IN MY BLOOD—IT'S EVERYWHERE—!"

"I’M—BURNING—I’M—DROWNING—!"

Yuusuke gritted his teeth, anger burning through his confusion. "Megumi, we can’t help you if you don’t tell us what the hell is happening! Talk to us!"

Megumi’s helmeted head suddenly snapped forward, her visor fogging over as she let out a shuddering, choking noise, somewhere between a sob and a plea.

"Press it. Press it. Press it—press the locator button—PRESS THE LOCATOR BUTTON—"

Jou’s breath hitched at the sheer desperation in her tone. "What? Why? What does that do? Megumi, what does it do?!"

"PRESS IT! PRESS IT—PLEASE—PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!"

Junichi flinched. Something inside him twisted.

Her voice wasn’t normal. It wasn’t just a plea. It was begging, but not in the way she ever had before. This wasn’t Megumi trying to be logical. This wasn’t her asking for strategy or reason.

This was pure, unfiltered fear.

Tetsuya’s howl came out sharp, rough. "Megumi, you need to slow down! Tell us why! We don’t know what it does—what if it makes things worse?!"

"IT’S THE ONLY WAY—IT’S THE ONLY WAY—IT’S THE ONLY WAY TO FIND THEM—TO FIND THEM—TO FIND—"

Megumi jerked forward, so violently it nearly broke her free from their grip.

"FIND THEM—FIND THEM—THEY’RE ALREADY COMING—!"

Yuusuke cursed loudly, his patience snapping. "Damn it, this better not make things worse!"

Then, without another moment of hesitation, he slammed his palm against the locator button on Megumi’s morpher. A sharp beep filled the room as the signal was activated.

The air in the room changed when Yuusuke's palm slammed down on the locator button.

The signal's beep was deafening. The locator flared to life, flashing an unnatural blue pulse, sending out a call that none of them understood; none of them should have answered.

Megumi’s morpher glitched violently, its display warping, twisting with jumbled symbols, unreadable script, static crawling across its screen. The oppressive weight in the room thickened, the temperature plummeting as if something unseen had coiled its hands around all of their throats, tightening, pressing, suffocating.

Then, Megumi laughed.

Not a relieved laugh. Not exhaustion. Not joy.

It started as a whisper, a choked, shaking giggle deep in her throat, and then it grew. It twisted, warped, rising into a full-bodied, howling cackle, her words devastated with hysteria, manic with something unhinged, monstrous, uncontainable.

The sound ripped through the medical bay like a knife.

Tetsuya’s grip instinctively tightened around her, his breath caught in his chest as his gut screamed that this wasn’t right. He leaned in slightly, trying to shake and get her to stop. "Megumi?" His tone, usually steady, had an edge of something sharp, something almost pleading. "What’s so damn funny?"

But Megumi didn’t answer.

Her laughter sharpened and warped, her helmeted head tilting too far to the side in an unnatural twitch, her hands flexing and trembling.

Then—the shadows moved.

A grotesque black mist curled into the room, gathering, condensing, forming into a solid figure behind Junichi.

Jou’s stomach dropped, his body instinctively locking up as he stared at the monstrous form twisting into reality. "No. No. What the hell is that?"

Yuusuke stepped back once, eyes locked on the towering figure emerging from the darkness. "You’ve gotta be kidding me," he muttered.

The Vampire Baron had arrived.

His presence drenched the room in pure malice. A towering figure wrapped in crimson and midnight, his high-collared robes moved like liquid shadow. His piercing, sunken eyes burned with an unnatural glow, and his thin lips curled into a knowing, smug grin.

The Baron’s delivery was smooth, crawling, insidious. "Ahhh… how delicious." His head tilted slightly, his long, pale fingers twitching as if already savoring his feast. "The taste of fear… the scent of fresh warriors struggling against fate…"

Junichi barely had time to turn his head before the Baron’s hands lashed out, gripping his arms unbreakably.

"JUNI—!" Jou’s shout barely reached him before Junichi jerked violently, his entire body struggling against the grip, twisting, pulling, kicking, every ounce of his muscle trying to break free.

"LET ME GO, YOU SON OF A—!" Junichi’s tone boomed with pure fury, his body thrashing like a wild animal, his breath ragged as he fought to tear himself away.

The Baron only chuckled, tightening his grasp, claws digging into the fabric of Junichi’s suit, keeping him utterly pinned.

"You’re wasting energy, boy," the Baron purred, his delivery like silk wrapped around razors. "But do keep struggling—your agony only makes the feast richer."

Junichi gritted his teeth, snarling, his hands jerking against the iron-like grip. "You think—I’m gonna let you—!?" His tone cut off in a strangled gasp as the Baron’s head dipped lower, his breath ghosting over Junichi’s exposed neck.

"Shhh… you won’t have to let me."

The fangs sank deep.

Junichi’s scream wasn’t human.

It tore through the room, raw, ragged, a howl of pure suffering, his back arching violently, his body jerking, seizing as the Baron drank deep.

Tetsuya, Jou, and Yuusuke snapped toward him, frozen for half a second in sheer horror.

"JUNICHI!"

But the second their focus shifted—Megumi struck.

A snarl—feral, twisted, rabid—erupted from her throat as she threw her body forward, ripping out of Tetsuya’s grip like he weighed nothing.

Before he could react, she slammed into the unprepared trio, her entire body hitting them like a force of nature.

Tetsuya felt air leave his lungs violently as he was launched backward, his broad frame smashing against the steel wall with a brutal, shattering impact. Equipment behind him exploded into sparks, metal denting beneath the sheer force.

Jou barely had time to blink before Megumi’s boot hit his chest, sending him flying into the nearest console. His back collided hard against the machinery, his body momentarily locking up from the impact as red warning alarms flickered to life.

Yuusuke was the last to react, but not fast enough. Her elbow caught him square in the ribs, flipping him over the medical bed, sending him crashing onto the floor in a painful sprawl.

She stood over them. The figure before them was still clad in her Blue Dolphin armor, but nothing about her stance, her breathing, her presence was human anymore. Her body twitched, her fingers spasmed, her head jerked, her muscles adjusting to something unnatural, something monstrous.

The laughter returned, but now it was louder, more brutal, more unhinged.

"Ahhhh—HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Megumi’s howl rose into hysteria, her chest heaving with euphoric madness, her helmet tilting down toward her fallen teammates.

"You feel it, don’t you?" she gasped through her manic giggles, her hands flexing as if she could already feel their blood between her fingers. "The fear? The despair? Ahh—it’s delicious! IT’S BEAUTIFUL!"

Her head snapped toward the Baron, her entire body shivering as if overwhelmed by a deep, gnawing hunger. "TAKE ME NEXT! BLEED ME DRY! I WANT TO KNOW HOW IT FEELS!"

Jou’s stomach twisted violently. "Megumi, what the hell are you saying?!"

She didn’t even seem to hear him. She pounced. Her entire body launched forward, arms grasping, reaching, clawing, ready to tear into them.

And at that moment, the Baron released Junichi.

Junichi barely hit the floor before his entire body convulsed violently, his breath a series of ragged gasps, his limbs trembling as if his skeleton had turned against him. His fingers, slick with sweat and blood, clawed at his neck, grasping at the two fresh puncture wounds that still wept crimson, staining his uniform’s high collar. The sting pulsed, but it wasn’t just pain but something far worse. A deep, unnatural heat burrowed into his bloodstream, like tiny, writhing tendrils sinking into his veins, spreading outward with every struggling heartbeat. His mind thrashed against the sensation, instincts screaming at him to fight back, to push the sickness away before it could pull him under completely.

Reflex took over. His muscles moved on sheer survival instinct, reaching for the one thing he could still rely on—his morpher. His fingers smashed the transformation switch, and before the others could react, his body erupted in a blinding green light, energy wrapping around his convulsing form, his suit snapping into place, his helmet sealing over his head in an instant. He wasn’t thinking anymore. He was acting.

"LIVEMAN—TRANSFORM!"

As the transformation completed, Junichi’s movements stiffened. He didn’t stand with the same confidence as before. He didn’t exhale sharply and ready his stance like he always had. The moment the power settled into him, his spandex-clad body locked awkwardly, his shoulders rising in strange, uneven jerks. His legs shifted involuntarily, as if he couldn’t quite control them.

The others moved instantly, their morphers flashing to life, and a cascade of color lit up the medical bay as their transformations locked in sequence.

"Black Bison!"
"Yellow Lion!"
"Red Falcon!"

And standing there, shuddering, his fingers twitching at his sides— "Green Sai!"

For a brief second, the four stood shoulder to shoulder, helmets shining under the cold artificial lights, suits tight with power. They had fought together like this for countless battles, faced Volt’s worst creations, pushed themselves to the brink of death and beyond. But something was off as they steadied themselves, bracing for what came next.

Junichi wobbled slightly, his helmeted head jerking, twitching unnaturally as if his body was still trying to adjust to standing upright. His fingers curled, spasmed, twitched in odd, uncontrollable bursts. His breathing was uneven, a harsh, rattling inhale followed by a strained exhale, like something was pressing against his lungs.

And then he spoke. "I—I a—am a Liveman!" His tone stuttered, jumbled, fractured into staccato bursts that didn’t sound like him. His words dragged unnaturally, skipping, warping, the syllables twisting in his throat like his own tongue was working against him. "A—Liveman f-f-fights for… for… f-for…"

His head spasmed, twisting sharply as though something inside his skull had just snapped. His fingers twitched violently at his sides, curling into trembling fists before spasming open again.

Tetsuya’s stomach turned at the sight of him, his hands instinctively clenching. "Jun!" His tone boomed with raw urgency. His best friend, his closest brother in arms, stood before them like a malfunctioning machine, caught between two opposing forces twisting his body apart.

Jou felt his heartbeat slam against his ribs as he stared at the glistening blood dripping from the puncture wounds beneath Jun’s green collar, the dark red pooling and soaking into the fabric, spreading. "Oh, shit," he whispered under his breath, a rare moment of terror breaking through. "He’s not—he’s not okay. He’s—"

A deep laugh broke through the air, dripping with cruel amusement. The Vampire Baron watched, delighted, pleased. His skeletal fingers twitched with satisfaction as he stepped forward slightly, the shadows around him shifting, slithering with unnatural grace. His smile was mocking, knowing, and filled with the arrogant pleasure of a predator watching its prey succumb to his design.

"Ahhh… exquisite," the Baron mused, his voice oozing with satisfaction, the hunger in his tone undeniable. His gaze locked onto Junichi’s struggling form, his eyes glimmering with dark glee. "The poison sets in well, doesn’t it, boy? You feel it now, don’t you? The pull? The weight? The hunger."

Junichi’s body shuddered violently, his back arching as his fingers flew up to his helmet, gripping it tightly, his head jerking forward. "S-s-s-sTOP—IT—" His words warped, distorted, echoing inside his helmet as if his own voice didn’t belong to him anymore.

The Baron simply chuckled.

"You can feel me inside you, can’t you? Crawling through your blood, filling your bones, whispering to your soul." His smile widened, sickly sweet, dripping with venom. "Do you know what happens next, little Green?" His tone lowered, thick with a dangerous, horrifying promise. "You won’t just be drained, no, no… I will drink your soul whole. Your mind will disappear, your past will fade, and all that will remain is a shell—an empty thing to serve me forever."

Junichi’s helmeted head twisted sharply to the side, his fingers gripping his skull so tight it looked like he was trying to tear it off. Then—he screamed. "IT’S INSIDE ME! IT’S INSIDE ME! GET IT OUT—GET IT OUT! GET IT OOOOOOUT!"

The scream ripped through the air, raw, visceral, the sound of someone being torn apart from the inside. His entire body lurched forward, knees slamming to the floor as he convulsed, as his arms shook, his fingers scraping desperately at his own visor, as if trying to claw the infection out of his very brain.

Tetsuya felt something snap in him as he lunged forward, instinct overriding everything else. "JUN!" his delivery thundered, but Junichi didn’t respond, couldn’t respond, his mind locked in a war he was losing.

Jou took an unsteady step back, his hands trembling despite himself. "He’s going down," he muttered under his breath. "We’re losing him."

Then, Megumi moved.

She stepped forward, her body jerking and twitching unnaturally, her movements inhuman. Her fingers flexed with anticipation. Her helmeted head tilted toward Junichi, and her shoulders shook as if suppressing something too wild, too uncontrollable.

She laughed crazily. "He's already gone," Megumi giggled, her voice dripping with sick delight, her breath heavy, hungry, trembling with excitement. "He’s going to fall, just like I did… and ohhh, how sweet it will be."

Her body lurched forward, her fingers reaching, claws stretching, her tone trembling with manic anticipation. "TAKE ME TOO! BLEED ME DRY! I WANT TO KNOW HOW IT FEELS!"

Jou took a sharp step forward, his stance dropping. "Shut up, Megumi!"

But she didn’t stop laughing. With a feral snarl, she launched herself forward, her body slamming toward them like a rabid animal, hands reaching to tear them apart.

The battle erupted into chaos, a storm of violence and shadow as the Vampire Baron moved like a wraith, dissolving into black mist, twisting through the air before reforming in brutal, solid strikes. His talons slashed through the air, his attacks coming in relentless, unpredictable waves. Yuusuke barely twisted in time, his Falcon Saber flashing in defense, but the Baron’s claws still raked across his chestplate, sparks erupting on impact, sending him staggering back. The force of the strike sent pain jolting through his ribs, but before he could counter, the Baron was already gone, his body breaking apart into a swirling darkness that slipped beyond his reach.

Jou barely had time to react before the Baron reformed behind him, his long, bony fingers slashing with monstrous precision. The impact ripped into Jou’s side, his suit burning with the force of the strike, pain lancing through his ribs as he barely managed to stay on his feet. trying to steel himself, he retaliated instantly, his LionPunch Gauntlet surging forward, a full-force, bone-shattering blow aimed at the Baron’s center mass. The attack should have landed—it was perfect, precise, aimed to obliterate.

But it hit nothing.

The Baron dissolved again, slipping into mist before the punch could connect, reforming on the opposite side of the battlefield with a cruel chuckle. Jou cursed under his breath, adjusting his stance, breathing heavy. "He’s not just fast—he’s cheating! He’s hitting us and disappearing before we can even counter!" His tone was sharp, frustration seeping through as his fingers flexed against his weapon.

"Then we don’t let him disappear," Yuusuke growled, steadying himself, his Saber raised, trying to predict where the Baron would strike next. But before either of them could regroup, a piercing scream cut through the battlefield.

Junichi was convulsing violently, his Sai Cutters spinning through the air in desperate succession, his boomerangs slicing at shadows, trying to fight against an enemy he couldn’t fully see. His helmeted head jerked back, his body arching as though something inside him was ripping him apart piece by piece. His breathing was shattered, erratic, gasping between violent spasms. He was fighting—but it was clear.

He was losing. Tetsuya saw it instantly, instincts overriding hesitation. "Jun’s not gonna last much longer!" His delivery boomed across the battlefield, every muscle in his body coiled with urgency. "I’m going in—keep them busy!"

Without waiting for a response, he surged forward, his powerful frame barreling toward Junichi with the full force of a charging bull. His focus was locked on his fallen teammate, his mind screaming to get him out, to pull him away before it was too late.

But he never reached him. Junichi’s Sai Cutters changed direction mid-flight.

The twin boomerangs, which had been slicing through the air in rapid, desperate attacks, suddenly twisted back, curving toward Tetsuya instead. Before he could react, both weapons struck his chest with brutal, slashing force, the impact tearing into his armor, sparks erupting as the sheer momentum knocked him off balance. He skidded back, boots dragging against the ground, his breath knocked from his lungs.

Shock rippled through him. His tone, raw and demanding, tore from his throat. "Jun—what the hell are you doing?!"

Junichi stood there, trembling, his entire body vibrating like a machine on the verge of breaking apart. His hands twitched at his sides, his shoulders shaking. And then he spoke.

"I am meat."

The words came broken, garbled, choked, a twisted mockery of the tone they had once known. His breathing was erratic, heavy, almost reverent, like he had finally realized something horrifying and was embracing it. "Meat. Meat for the Baron. Meat to be butchered. Meat to be drained." His words gained intensity, his breath hitching in excitement, his howl devastated with madness. "MEAT TO BE SUCKED DRY! SUCKED DRY! SUCKED DRYYYYYYYY!"

Tetsuya felt a sinking weight in his chest. The howl coming from his best friend’s helmet wasn’t his anymore. It was something else, something twisted, something lost.

Jou’s hands tightened into fists, his delivery laced with disbelief. "Jun, stop—you’re not thinking straight! Snap out of it!"

Yuusuke took a sharp step forward, his knuckles white against the hilt of his Falcon Saber. "Whatever they did to you, we’re going to fix it! You’re still one of us—"

Junichi let out a fractured, shrieking giggle, his entire body convulsing in manic delight. His boomerangs spun in his fingers, his breathing heavy, excited, shaking. And then he spoke again, his tone trembling with eager, maddened reverence.

"Drain me, Baron! Drink me dry! Make me nothing! Make me hollow! Make me ONE WITH YOU!"

The Vampire Baron, watching the chaos unfold, finally let out a rich, deep, indulgent laugh, his amusement dripping like venom. He stepped forward, his presence suffocating, his eyes gleaming with pure, endless hunger. "Oh, this is beautiful," he cooed, his delivery slithering through the air like silk. "Such a willing little sacrifice. Look how sweetly he sings for me. Look how eagerly he offers his soul."

Megumi’s body shuddered, her breath coming in delighted gasps, her helmet tilting toward Junichi as if she were reveling in his fall. "You’re so—so lucky, Jun!" she cried out, her giggle twisting into a full-body tremor of excitement. "You get to go first! You get to be hollowed out first!" Her howl broke with jealous euphoria, her fingers flexing, trembling. "I want to feel it, I want to feel it, I WANT TO FEEEEEEEL IT!"

Jou forced his body to move, every fiber of his being rejecting what he was seeing. "Shut up, Megumi!" His words shook with frustration, fear, rage all mixed into one. "Jun, listen to me, you’re NOT gonna—"

But Junichi wasn’t listening. With a feral snarl, he threw his boomerangs forward, not at the Baron, but at them.

Yuusuke barely dodged in time, the blades slicing through the air just inches from his visor. Jou sidestepped as fast as he could, but the sheer force of the attack sent him skidding back. Tetsuya didn’t move fast enough—the attack hit hard, sending him reeling.

As he stepped forward, the Baron’s eyes glowed with hunger, shadows curling around him like living tendrils. "Ahhh, yes… the boy is ready." His tone was drenched in dark pleasure, in the promise of something unholy. "And now, my dear Livemen… he is no longer yours."