Loud, hurried footsteps echoed in Mikel's ears. Behind him came the noise of concrete breaking, like a wrecking ball smashing everything in its path, accompanied by a piercing shriek. But nothing beat the music playing in his head.
With every step, the rising crescendo of the organ rang louder.
Phantom of the Opera, huh?
If he survived this, he would strangle Doom with a damn violin string. He didn't know how, but he would.
BOOGSH!
Skidding to a halt in the middle of the hallway, Mikel instinctively raised his arms to shield himself.
Something massive smashed through the wall, meters ahead. Dust and debris quickly scattered in the air like polluted mist.
Slowly, Mikel peeked through one eye, trying to make out the monstrous silhouette inside the thick cloud of smoke.
[Threat Detected: Nightbound — Weaver of Grief]
[Cursed Type: Curse of Grief]
[Strength: Its hair is now a thread of fate. Getting struck by it will drain your energy, lifespan, and devour your soul, eventually making you part of it.]
Doom continued displaying data, which Mikel barely glanced at. His eyes stayed locked on the thinning smoke until he saw the ghastly creature before him.
The creepy nurse with the floating hair was gone. What stood now was a true monster, twice his size. Its limbs had become needle-like, with multi-jointed arms that moved like marionettes. But instead of strings, her hair held everything together.
Her tattered dress had fused into her flesh, now mere patches clinging to its slimy, poreless skin. Black veins crawled beneath her skin like internal cobwebs. Her hair had grown tenfold, not just floating but crawling, actively weaving and writhing. Her face was split in half—one side grinning in a twisted smirk, the other weeping silently.
Despite its hideous form, Mikel knew—this thing had leveled up. He felt it in his bones… and smelled it in the air.
"Ahhh!!!"
The monster let out a deafening scream that vibrated through the air.
Mikel covered his ears as a powerful gust knocked him back.
"Damn…" he hissed, one eye shut, hands pressed over his ears.
Doom flashed more messages, but only one mattered now: Kill it.
The monster's next attack came fast. Locks of hair slammed into the floor, walls, and anything in their path. Every whip was stronger, faster, wilder.
For a moment, doubt flickered in Mikel's chest.
He had barely survived the first form. Now this?
"Screw it!" he growled, gripping his dented, nearly broken pole like a sword.
But before the next clash, the pole shattered—disintegrated before it could even meet the enemy.
"Tehehe~!" The monster cackled, and another lock slithered toward him from behind, like a snake slithering through tall grass.
In a heartbeat, it shot toward his neck.
Mikel twisted just in time, catching the lock mid-air. Its tip reached his elbow. He gripped it tight, the Blood Chain burning it into ash.
But the monster didn't scream. Instead, it launched another wave of vicious attacks.
Mikel dodged, leaping to the wall and springing from it, again and again. Every place he'd stood a second before was now a crater, the black hair leaving violent impact zones everywhere.
The whole place groaned, hairline fractures racing like lightning through every wall.
The attacks were relentless. Mikel barely had time to think. Deflect, dodge, burn. Again. And again.
Yet, it more felt like it was just toying with me, he realized grimly. I'm giving it everything, and it's still holding back.
BOOGSH!
Another lock slammed into the wall near him. Mikel skidded and dropped to one knee for balance. As his foot pressed hard on the tile, glass crunched under him. Then, in a heartbeat, he bolted toward the breach like a streak of lightning to create distance.
"Ahhh!!!"
Another scream echoed behind before the monster smashed through everything to follow.
---
"Say…" Mikel panted, sprinting at full speed. "Is there another way to use this Blood Chain?!"
[Yes. Multiple.]
[Blood Chain: Curse Suppression]
[Abilities:
Spiritual Bind: Can wrap around cursed entities or spectral forms, weakening or sealing them.
Burning Prayer: Emits searing energy when in contact with cursed energy, dealing damage over time, and unraveling spiritual constructs.
Sentient Reflex: In critical moments, the chain may act independently to protect the host or strike, at an energy cost.
Hidden Potential (Locked): ???]
"Too long!" Mikel yelled, crashing through a glass wall, arms crossed to brace for impact. He rolled on the floor of what seemed to be a laboratory, but quickly got back on his feet to continue this marathon.
CLANG!
"Just a few words! No one's got time to read an essay mid-battle!"
[Bind it. Blood Chain will do the work.]
"Got it!"
He rolled on the floor, shards and everything piercing through his skin. However, the adrenaline surging through every nerve of his being made him numb to any of it. As he turned the next corner, he skidded and reached for the wall to stop his momentum. His eyes scanned the area, searching for the perfect place to execute the plan forming in his head.
But the ground abruptly cracked beneath his next step.
Time slowed for Mikel. The glitching texts blinked in his vision as he held his breath. A thick lock of hair shot up from below and coiled tightly around his ankle.
"Shit."
With a violent yank, the floor shattered, and Mikel was dragged down to the next level below. The floor broke down with such violent force, its debris falling at the same time as his body.
SMASH!
"Ugh!" He groaned as the lock tightened around his ankle, dragging him upward like a puppet.
Before he knew it, he was hanging upside down, spinning slowly mid-air until he was facing it. The monster loomed before him. Now it was bigger and even more grotesque.
"Tehehe…" Its giggle felt like a cold, jagged knife slicing through Mikel's gut.
Mikel gritted his teeth. He reached for the lock to try to burn it to free himself.
But the monster moved first.
It whipped him around like a rag doll, repeatedly smashing him against walls, floors, and ceilings. Then, with one final blow, it hurled him down several more floors.
THUD!
The crash echoed. Debris rained around him. But the loudest sound was his own body slamming into concrete far below, followed by a flatline ring in his ears.
Normally, this should've killed him. But somehow, it didn't. It just hurt him… like a literal hell.
Mikel coughed, blood spraying from his throat. He shook his head as if that would shake off the dizziness and turned on his side, debris landing on top of him, still hacking painfully.
"Ugh!" His ribs felt shattered, stabbing into his lungs, constricting his breathing. "Damn —"
[Master, are you alright?]
He didn't answer. His hand twitched. The beads on his wrist glowed, heavy with… something. Panic. Worry. Rage. Blood Chain seemed to have shared Mikel's growing emotions.
"Teheee~"
SMASH!
Again, the monster appeared as it crashed through the ceiling. Behind it was the small altar of the chapel.
It landed just several meters behind him, giggling, watching him crawl like prey.
Its laughter grew louder. Its three mouths opened — tongues whipping wildly, eager to devour what looked like a small feast.
"Thank you for the meal," it whispered, its voice sending a sense of dread in the air, while the cross behind it slowly spun upside down. Then the locks shot toward him.
Mikel froze.
Not in fear.
But in a decision.
His eyes fell on the beaded chain around his wrist, laughing within as a wicked smile twisted on his face. "You better… damn work—" Otherwise, the three of them — Mikel, the Blood Chain, and Doom — would find themselves dissolving into that thing's belly. Neither of the three wanted that.
In a flash, he ripped the beaded bracelet from his wrist, the blood in his hand smearing on it. The Blood Chain pulsed once in his grip, like a heartbeat full of rage, before Mikel threw it toward the monster.
"Do it!"
Mikel had no idea what would happen — or how a small bracelet that barely fit his wrist could bind such a monstrous being.
All he knew was if he missed, there'd be no second chance. The three of them — him, Doom, and the Blood Chain — would be next on the menu.
For a breathless second, time slowed. His lungs locked, heart suspended, his eyes wide.
Then, the Blood Chain snapped to life.
Mid-air, it glowed a bright red and black before it suddenly elongated, unnaturally stretching to fill the entire space of the little chapel. In seconds, the chain wrapped around the monster, binding — squeezing it.
The monster howled as smoke poured from its body, bound by chains of burning blood.
"Ahhh!!!"