The West Gate had become a slaughterhouse. Screams echoed off crumbling stone as the ground turned red beneath broken bodies. What was once a coordinated attack by cathedral guards and hunter troops had devolved into chaos. Only eight soldiers remained, all bloodied and exhausted.
The Daemirans no longer heeded Susuri's orders. Something had changed, killing was the only choice. They moved like beasts unleashed, bound only by the thrill of death. Of the five Daemiran attackers, three now lay still, torn, burned and broken. But only two remained.
Tomoe, a vision of cold beauty with her long black ponytail whipping in the wind, crouched beside the corpse of a fallen foe. Water shimmered along her hands like silk, she possessed water manipulation ability. Beside her stood Thora, tall and slender with sharp Norse features, her body emanating a divine glowing light bent to her will, she possessed light manipulation ability.
"Hey, Toma… let's finish this," Thora said, her voice laced with a thick Norse accent.
Tomoe nodded once. Without another word, the two women rushed, crashing into the remaining guards with fury.
SADE VS OMAR AND LUKA
Sade fought like a demon, she was holding and countering different attacks from the two elite hunters. Blood streaked her face. Her clothes were torn, but her stance was unbroken. She faced both elite hunters Omar and Luka without a hint of fear.
Omar charged, dropping low at the last second. Luka leapt, using Omar's back as a springboard. He twisted midair, twin circle swords glinting as he hurled them toward Sade.
But at the last moment, the blades changed course, aiming not for Sade, but Helga.
Sade's eyes snapped toward her. The distraction was all Omar needed.
He was in front of her in a flash. His fist slammed into her gut. The force was monstrous. Time slowed. Sade's eyes widened, blood burst from her lips as the shockwave sent her flying.
The ring blades screamed toward their target.
Too late, Helga's eyes began to glow, faintly grey.
The blades struck.
Smoke engulfed Helga.
Still not clear what happened, Omar and Luka held their breath.
When it cleared, Helga was gone.
Sade was gone.
Then,
"Shadow stitches!" Sade's voice ripped through the air, low, murderous and unrecognizable.
Immediately, Black threads erupted from the shadows beneath her, thick and sharp as obsidian spears. They whipped toward the two men with unholy speed.
Omar reacted first. His whip cracked like lightning, intercepting most of the threads with terrifying precision. But one slipped through his defense, directly for the head.
Silence.
The black thread punched through his skull.
The whip, the sickles, everything hit the ground.
"Omar!!" Luka screamed.
Omar stood like a statue, his body held up only by the stitches. Then, they vanished and returned to Sade's as her shadow. Omar's lifeless body crumpled, blood pouring like a waterfall.
Luka's rage exploded.
"OMA!!" he cried, then lunged at Sade.
He turned to Sade, she stood still, filled with murderous intent. She looked at the man with a cold stare.
Her hand rose. She stretched it towards him, fingers spread.
"EAT!"
The shadows under Luka turned, twisting into a dark, glowing ring. He knew it was over for him, her shadow had extended to his own the moment he got closer to her. He felt something weird underneath him.
Suddenly,
A shadow slithered into form, dragging itself from the darkness like ink bleeding through silk. It extended four limbs, twisted in unnatural contortions and grabbed Luka tightly, then dragged him down into the portal.
He vanished.
His scream did not.
BEATRIX GROUP
The air shifted. From the smoke, a woman stepped forward.
She wore a gown of blood-red velvet, rich in hue and heavy with the weight of old-world elegance. Its long, cascading sleeves fluttered like shadows in motion, whispering secrets with every step. The bodice was drawn tight with criss-crossed scarlet cords, cinching the waist in a manner both regal and severe, suggesting power concealed behind grace. The hem flowed down in gentle layers, pooling slightly at the feet like a spill of wine across dark stone. It was not a dress of innocence,no, this was a dress for one who ruled, for one who could command people with silence alone.
Her face was unreal. Too beautiful. Too perfect. Her white hair flowed like moonlight.
Beatrix stood paralyzed.
" None of you is getting out of here alive," she said with a softly, amused smile
Beatrix clenched her fists, brow furrowing.
The woman vanished.
No, she moved.
In a blink, she stood in front of Beatrix, fist glowing with blue flames.
In Beatrix's wide, grey eyes, the reflection of death loomed, she was going to punch Beatrix.
Flame Strike.
"Repel!,"
Beatrix countered, unleashing a burst of force. The two attacks clashed.
Boom!
A large explosion of blue fire burst into the sky.
Far away, Sade froze at the sight of the flames. As if she had seen the end of the world.
Tomoe and Thora skidded to a halt beside her. All four Daemirans stared at the sky.
"It can't be," Thora whispered.
"We need to go there," Tomoe said.
"Go there? Are you insane?" Thora snapped.
Sade's bloodied back ached. She had shielded Helga earlier. She turned to the girl, motherly sorrow in her eyes.
"What's going on?" Helga asked.
Tomoe spoke, "There was once a Daemiran strong enough to wipe out this city alone. She lost her humanity in the Forest of Shadows… and was killed."
"By your mother," Thora added coldly.
Helga's eyes widened.
"Thora!" Tomoe scolded.
"If you're telling her, tell the truth."
Sade inhaled sharply, struggling through pain and shock.
"Let's go."
The Battlefield, where he blue fire erupted to the sky, the smoke cleared.
The mysterious woman, Sigrid, stood unscathed. Her gaze locked on Beatrix. No one else dared move.
Then, from the sky behind Sigrid. Rhola appeared midair
"Blood Surge!"
Blood from her hands, solidified into large spikes. She clapped, sending them flying at Sigrid. They flew at an intense speed.
But the moment they touched her aura, they melted like wax.
Sigrid turned.
She punched Rhola midair.
Crack!
Bone-shattering force sent Rhola away.
Susuri, observing everything, didn't move. Her eyes narrowed. She wasn't watching Sigrid, but the man that appeared with her earlier.
The man stood quietly, his hands calmly folded behind his back. The dark huge man with a rough face, muscled and bearded.
General Ivor Balman.
He turned slightly, meeting Susuri's gaze. It was like staring into a void.
"You're not Sigrid," Beatrix whispered.
"Oh… but I am." Sigrid smiled, raising her hand.
"How?"
"You've no idea, my dear friend."
She opened her eyes fully.
Grey. Glowing, but it was different. Her eyes slit down the center by a sharp, predatory pupil. It was an unusual type.
She dashed forward.
Susuri finally moved. She had enough, she took a squatting stance. Lifted both hands up, and brought them down with hard force.
She slammed both hands down.
"Rumble!"
The earth trembled, cracks split the land.
But Ivor was not going to let her, he knew her attack so well.
Ivor vanished.
Steel flashed, blood sprayed.
Susuri's arm flew into the air, decapitated completely from the shoulder.
She screamed, staggering—then froze.
Ivor's blade slid clean through her neck.
Silence.
"SUSURI!" a voice screamed.
Arora and Eliana moved too late. They never saw him coming.
Beatrix turned, shocked. She got distracted. Before she could react, she felt a sharp pain in her heart.
A dagger pierced her chest.
Blue flame.
Sigrid smiled.
Helga saw everything.
"Mother!!" she screamed.
She fell on her knees, the air around her warped.
Wind howled. Pressure mounted.
A blast of ghostly grey exploded from her body, flinging guards and hunters like leaves in a storm.
Her eyes changed, glowing. Slit, inhuman just like Sigrid.
She collapsed.
Before she hit the ground, Ivor appeared. Sword drawn, swinging.
"NO!"
Sade moved.
Too slow.
Clang!
Another blade intercepted Ivor's.
A man appeared, hunter-like, with a scarfed face. His blade clashed with Ivor's in equal force.
Then—
Explosions in different parts of the battlefield.
Smoke everywhere.
When it cleared, every Daemiran, living or dead, was gone.
Vanished.
Sigrid walked to Ivor, the battlefield lay silent behind her. Bodies cooling, fire flickering, and the wind carrying the scent of death.
She stopped a few feet from him, her arms folded, a smile curling at the corner of her lips.
"So… Absalom is alive as well," she said with an amused smirk. "Looks like the dead just keep coming back."
Ivor didn't respond at first. He stood still, unmoving, his eyes fixed on the horizon. Only the subtle twitch of his jaw betrayed the slow grind of thoughts behind his silence.
" I wouldn't say the same if I were you." His voice, deep and low as thunder.
Sigrid tilted her head, gaze lingering on him with mild interest. Then she rolled her eyes and turned away, clearly unimpressed.
—————————
Somewhere Else – The Cave of the Forgotten.
Far away, in a place untouched by sunlight, black portals tore through the air like wounds in space. The cave that housed them was vast, ancient, its stone walls carved by time and sealed in shadow.
From the portals, women emerged. Daemirans, some breathing, some hollow-eyed and lifeless, returned from death's embrace. Their feet touched the cold stone in silence.
Then, from the final portal, came Sade. She stepped through, cradling the unconscious body of Helga in her arms. Her face was a mask of resolve, smeared with blood and ash. She moved quickly, laying Helga gently on a flat, elevated stone slab at the heart of the cavern.
The portals snapped shut behind her, plunging the chamber into stillness.
Sade turned without a word and made her way to the cave's mouth, where pale light bled through the entrance.
A man stood at the edge, back to her, his presence unmistakable.
Absalom.
Her voice cracked the silence like a whip. "Why are you here… Absalom?"
There was venom in her tone. Pain. Betrayal.
Absalom didn't turn around. He didn't speak. He simply stepped forward and dropped down from the cave's opening, vanishing into the mist beyond.
Sade stared after him, her fists clenched at her sides. She didn't follow.
Instead, she exhaled sharply, turned, and walked back into the shadows.