Reyn dashed beside her, threads binding to her shoulder to pull her out of the reach of a sudden claw swipe.
"We need to stop underestimating them," Reyn hissed.
Elara grinned. "Wasn't planning to die today anyway."
Reyn struck with renewed focus.
He slid his foot across the soil and activated dozens of previously laid threads.
The area lit up.
"Dark String Magic: Black Burial Net!"
Hundreds of threads erupted from underground like fangs, piercing the legs of the obsidian beast.
It howled.
But then—it did something unexpected.
The blue cracks across its body began pulsing—and then exploded.
A concussive pulse of cursed energy shredded the threads.
Reyn flew back, blood spilling from his mouth.
The red-furred guardian charged Elara. She raised a wall of blood—
"Dark Blood Magic: Iron Vein Shield!"
It cracked on impact, but she held it.
Then—BOOM.
The obsidian beast charged through the forest directly at them—both Guardians now rushing in at once.
The forest collapsed around them as the Guardians unleashed chaos.
Elara stood, barely upright, blood pouring from a gash on her thigh.
Reyn's fingers bled, his threads damaged.
They stood back-to-back.
The beasts closed in.
Elara surged forward, using all remaining strength.
"Dark Blood Magic: Crimson Flood Surge!"
A tidal wave of boiling blood rushed forward and struck both beasts at once, melting fur and searing their skin.
It gave Reyn time.
He threw ten anchor threads into nearby boulders and launched himself into the sky.
"Dark String Magic: Phantom Guillotine!"
A massive, invisible string-axe dropped from above—aimed at the red beast's skull.
It connected. CRACK!
Blood sprayed. The beast roared in agony.
But it still stood.
The obsidian beast responded instantly. Its fists glowed—then both slammed down into the ground.
The terrain cracked—then exploded upward.
Elara was thrown into a tree, her back colliding with a snap.
Reyn was swatted mid-air by a flying stone—his ribs shattered.
They both landed hard. Barely conscious. Breathing heavily.
And the beasts weren't slowing down.
Elara crawled to her knees, blood dripping from every joint.
She coughed once—then again—then stood.
With everything she had, she carved a symbol into the ground with her own blood.
"Dark Blood Magic: Crimson Pledge."
Her blood burned bright, turning black-red.
She sacrificed her own life force. Her magic surged tenfold.
She screamed.
"Dark Blood Magic: Execution Scythe!"
A massive spectral scythe formed behind her—dark red, glowing, humming with magic.
She hurled it.
The scythe spun at the red-furred beast.
It carved through half of its body—leaving it crippled.
It still didn't die.
It screamed in pain, cursed mist leaking from the wound. It stumbled. But it wasn't down.
Reyn stood now too.
His hands were broken. Threads hung limp.
He bit his lip and wrapped the final thread around his chest.
"Dark String Magic: Soul Stitch."
He pulled.
The string fused into his spine. His eyes turned completely black.
He vanished.
Then reappeared mid-air.
Above the obsidian beast.
"Cataclysm Pierce."
A single thread—so thin it could cut atoms—stabbed through the beast's eye.
BOOM!
It reeled backward, shrieking.
The beasts staggered.
But they didn't fall.
They looked at Elara and Reyn—bleeding, trembling, but still standing.
And they charged one final time.
Elara screamed one last spell:
"Dark Blood Magic: Crimson Final Lock!"
Chains of blood wrapped the red beast.
It broke them.
Reyn whispered, "Thread Decapitation…"
He threw the last of his threads.
They wrapped the obsidian beast's throat.
And as they tried to pull—
The beasts both struck together.
Fists like falling moons.
The ground shattered.
Elara's body folded inwards.
Reyn's threads scattered to the wind.
Their bodies fell.
Lifeless.
The forest was silent.
Only the sound of the blood river in the distance remained.
The Twin Guardians—bleeding, wounded, enraged—stood tall.
They roared to the sky, victorious.
Then, together, they turned.
Toward Imperial.
Their heavy steps shook the land as they left behind the corpses of Reyn and Elara.
________________________________________
Meanwhile, the time this battle is happening.
Imperial and others are moving towards the end of this forest closer and closer.
Asher is think just about imperial that what he really is and what are his current and future planned.
Coming to a place like this which everyone avoids coming and now he is so clam in a place like this.
Then as they move closer and closer they hear sound of a river.
Then after few step they are Face to face with a river.
But this was no ordinary river.
The water was red—thick and dark like blood.
Asher (in awe): "The Blood River… I've only heard rumors. Some say it marks the end of the forest. And beyond it… lies the Gate."
The group now consisted of only four: Imperial, Asher, Soren, and Caleb.
Without hesitation, Imperial stepped into the river.
The moment his foot touched the surface—
He vanished.
A lightning flash—
He reappeared on the opposite bank, using Lightning Walk.
Soren then used his paper magic to create a bridge across. The others followed.
And then… they saw it.
A massive gate stood before them. Towering. Ancient. Pure black stone, etched with glowing red runes pulsing faintly.
Caleb (whispers): "It's real… We actually found it…"