Elna darted from one shadow to another, her figure melting seamlessly into the darkness. But even in the gloom she could feel the hunters on her heels. The werewolves' noses picked up her trail, and the vampires' glowing eyes pierced the murk — they couldn't quite catch her, but they could sense her every move.
Two of the vampires proved faster than the rest. Their bodies dissolved into black, smoke-like shapes and streaked after her, closing the distance with unnatural speed. Elna slipped into a wide chamber connected to the staircase and emerged from the shadows, scanning quickly for her next escape.
That moment of stillness nearly cost her. A dagger pierced into her back — but her body melted into thick black liquid, collapsing into the floor. The vampire's eyes widened just as a second Elna rose above him, bursting out of the ceiling's shadows. Her blade pierced into his heart. He gasped soundlessly, then crumpled like a broken puppet.
The second vampire lunged immediately, claws extended, fangs bared. Elna raised her hand. A glowing circle of illusion spun into being in the air, and she whispered.
"Pain."
The vampire collapsed, writhing on the floor, his screams echoing through the chamber. Elna's dagger struck cleanly through his heart before he could recover. No time to waste. She slipped down the stairwell, shadows curling around her ankles as she moved deeper.
Minutes later, she reached the cells. All empty except for one. Using her Vampire Gaze, she found her target immediately.
Luciana sat slumped in the far corner, her lips cracked, her eyes dry and lifeless. She raised her head slowly. "Who are you?"
"I'm here to save you," Elna said, already breaking the circle etched beneath the cell.
Luciana's mouth twisted faintly. "You're with Victor? Took you long enough."
Elna broke the circle of magic under her. Instantly, Luciana's body dissolved into shadow and reformed outside her chains. She took one staggering step and nearly collapsed, but Elna caught her by the arm.
"We have to move. Now."
Luciana's voice rasped. "Wait. First, the box." She gestured weakly to a container by the door.
Elna dragged her over. Inside were jars of blood — supplies from her own family. Luciana tore into them without hesitation, drinking one after another until her strength returned. With the last jar clutched in her hand, she turned and offered it to Elna with a smirk.
"Want some?"
Elna shook her head. "No. Keep it."
Luciana wiped her mouth, her eyes regaining a cruel sharpness. "Did you make it here easily?"
"A few traps," Elna said. "Nothing too serious."
"That's because my family never imagined anyone would dare attack here." Luciana straightened, her posture regaining its proud, predatory grace.
That was when the pursuers caught up. Vampires and werewolves flooded into the prison, their snarls and footsteps echoing through the stone hall.
Luciana's lips curled into a wicked smile. "Perfect."
The moment the group laid eyes on her, fear overtook them. Their charge broke into a panicked retreat. But it was already too late. They were prey, and Luciana was the predator.
She vanished into the darkness, reappearing among them with merciless swiftness. One fell with his throat torn, another was cleaved in half, blood spraying the walls. Elna followed silently behind, watching in awe as Luciana butchered every single pursuer without slowing her pace.
By the time they emerged into the castle's main hall, only two trembling vampires remained, standing between them and freedom.
…
In front of Arthur loomed a nightmare stronger than ever. His severed arm and wing had not only regrown, but grotesque new limbs had sprouted from his torso, four arms thrashing like serpents and jagged wings stretching wider than before.
Arthur reached into his magic bag with trembling hands and pulled free a steel sword and shield. His body was spent—mana drained to the core, sweat dripping from his chin like rain. The monster lunged. Its colossal fist smashed against Arthur's shield with an impact that sent him skidding dozens of meters back, boots carving trenches in the dirt as his teeth ground together to endure the force.
The monster pressed on relentlessly. Punch after punch rained down, a storm of blows that cracked the air like thunder. Then, with a final strike, Arthur was hurled into the ground. He barely had time to breathe before the monster soared above him, mana spiraling between its claws and horns—an attack nearly identical to Carl's before, but brimming with even darker, heavier power.
Arthur's vision blurred as he scrambled for a plan—then a sound cut through everything.
Ding.
The monster froze mid-attack. Its claws clutched its head as a guttural scream tore from its throat.
Ding.
Arthur's eyes widened. His heart skipped. One name burned in his mind. The Creator.
Ding.
Pain lanced through his skull. It was the same searing agony he had felt the day he signed the contract. His vision burned red as his irises shifted to crimson. His hair paled into silver-white strands, and mana surged like a roaring river through his veins.
Arthur rose. The steel sword and shield slipped from his hands, clattering against the broken stone. In their place, a new radiant blade burst forth from his domain, wrapped in golden light. His armor of divine brilliance reshaped itself around his battered body, gleaming as if reforged anew by unseen hands. His aura was no longer that of a mere paladin—it was the presence of a champion touched directly by the divine.
He lowered his gaze. "This power…" The tolling of distant bells reverberated through the silence, as though the world itself acknowledged the shift. His fingers curled, as if already shaping the unseen. "…with this, I can forge a new spell."
The weapon hummed with divine resonance, equal in power to his most exalted swords of the domain. Yet this one carried something else—the will of the Creator itself. The whispers of unknown creatures that had haunted him were gone. Silence surrounded him, like a shield of divine mercy.
With one step, he was upon the monster. Its three front arms lashed out in panic, but the moment they neared Arthur's blade, they hissed and dissolved into vapor. The knight did not falter. His golden sword pierced deep into the monster's chest, light flaring outward like the birth of a sun.
"Divine Rupture."
The words themselves carried judgment. Radiant veins spread across the monster's body, golden light pulsing like molten fire through its flesh. It shrieked in agony, mouth gaping as beams of brilliance burst from its throat, its eye sockets, and every crack in its body. The lines expanded, overtaking the abomination until—
BOOM.
The monster's body detonated in a colossal wave of light, the shockwave rattling the ruined land for miles.
As the glow faded, Arthur stood amidst the settling dust. His hair and eyes slowly returned to their natural color, exhaustion pulling at his shoulders. He exhaled and muttered, almost to himself.
"Try healing back from that."
…
When Leo summoned his domain, he knew it wasn't complete. The sound of two bells echoed through the battlefield—deep, solemn, resonating like judgment.
His hair lengthened in a sudden surge, turning a stark white, while his eyes blazed crimson. Patches of fur sprouted along his forearms and calves, his muscles thickening, and with a painful crack, sharp claws pushed free from his fingertips. It wasn't as powerful as when Selvanna awakened his power, but it was still powerful.
Across from him, Dorin tilted his head, eyes gleaming not with fear but curiosity. He sniffed the air like a beast savoring a new scent.
"You smelled like a vampire before… but now—" his lips curled back, showing his fangs— "you smell like a wolf. Tell me, what are you?"
Leo gave no answer. Rage still burned inside him,
but unlike before, he could direct it—focus it entirely on the enemy in front of him.
He kicked off the ground. The force tore stone and dirt into the air in a wave of debris. In the blink of an eye, he appeared at Dorin's flank, claws already arcing down.
The werewolf was caught off guard but not paralyzed—he raised his arm to block. The impact cracked the air and hurled Dorin like a cannonball across the battlefield. His body smashed through the thick castle walls, stone collapsing in clouds of dust, before he tumbled into the courtyard beyond.
Dorin rose from the rubble, unfazed, and threw his head back with a booming laugh.
"Now that's what I call a fight!"
Without hesitation he lunged back into the dust cloud, his massive frame a blur. From within it, Leo burst forth as well, and their claws collided mid-air.
The clash unleashed a shockwave that rippled across the courtyard.
Then both of them vanished again, moving with such speed that their strikes were invisible to ordinary eyes. The courtyard became a storm of collisions, claws and swords striking with thunderous echoes, shockwaves tearing down walls. In only a few minutes, the once-grand outer defenses were nothing but shattered ruins. Only the castle itself still stood.
But Leo could already feel the strain gnawing at him. This form's power was immense, yet unstable—he couldn't hold it for long. And worse, Dorin still blocked every attack, every slash, every claw strike—without even breaking a sweat. He wasn't just enduring the fight. He was enjoying it.
Then the air thickened. Pressure surged. From deeper inside the castle, an explosion rocked the ground. Part of the fortress split apart, debris raining down as two figures emerged from the smoke—Elna sprinting across the stones, and Luciana floating above, her hair and dress flowing with mana.
Luciana's blue eyes locked onto Dorin. "Do you want me to kill him for you?" she asked Leo, her voice calm, almost bored.
A new presence followed. Arthur stepped through the ruined wall with Briva at his side, golden armor faintly glimmering in the dust. His gaze swept the battlefield, unimpressed.
"You're still busy here?"
Leo's breathing was rough, his voice thicker, harsher than usual when he answered. "Hey… he's an A2."
For the first time, Dorin's confidence faltered. His arrogant smirk faded as he looked between them. Even he knew what Luciana's presence meant. No matter his strength, no matter his pride—if she fought, he wouldn't stand a chance.
Leo hurled two crimson Blood Slashes forward, their arcs tearing through the air as he charged behind them.
Dorin leapt up, his claws gleaming like molten steel. With two brutal swipes he shredded the slashes apart, blood scattering in sprays of mist. Flames burst around his arms, wrapping them in fire, and with both hands raised he dove toward Leo.
Leo's instincts screamed—this strike was meant to kill him. His sword ignited in crimson light as he met the incoming claws. Just as steel and flame collided, he whispered through clenched teeth.
"Blood Explosion."
A violent surge erupted from his blade. The air detonated in a storm of crimson energy, a wave of blood bursting outward in all directions. Dorin's fire clashed against it, hissing and boiling, but the flames faltered under the sheer pressure of the spell. Slowly, inexorably, the blood consumed the fire, forcing Dorin back.
The werewolf roared as the blast hurled him across the courtyard. He smashed into the ground, leaving a crater, his body streaked with blood and carved with fresh scars.
Leo landed lightly a few meters away, his chest heaving. His hair and eyes shifted back to normal, his power receding as he watched the settling dust. For a moment—just a moment—he thought it was over.
Dorin didn't move for nearly a full minute. Leo's lips was about to twitch upward into a hard-earned smile—until the beast stirred. Slowly, painfully, Dorin rose to his feet. His breathing was ragged, but that same cruel grin split his face.
"That…" he coughed blood, then laughed, "…that was one hell of an attack. But not enough."
A second wave of fire erupted around him, fiercer than before, and in a blur of speed he shot forward—faster than Leo's weary body could react.
But instead of striking flesh, Dorin's claws slammed into something invisible. A barrier of condensed blood flared, and the impact sent him crashing back into the ground as though he had hit stone.
A mocking voice cut through the air. "You already forgot about me, you idiot dog?"
Luciana descended beside Leo, her blue eyes burning with cold fury. Her hand rose gracefully, and the blood barrier dissolved back into her. She smiled darkly.
"I didn't forget your little torture. Let me return the favor."
At her gesture, Dorin's body convulsed. His smile finally cracked as he writhed on the ground, every nerve in his body screaming in pain.