Rafaela's pupils shrank as she saw the incoming strikes—fast and dense. She didn't dare take them head-on. With a sudden burst of yōki, she kicked off the ground and leapt high into the air.
The Dragon Descendants looked up. One flicked his wrist, swinging his sword in a slanted arc. Rafaela had nowhere to dodge.
Seven swords merged into one. Gritting her teeth, Rafaela dropped with her Claymore to counter the blow.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks burst from the clash of blades. But one against seven—there was no way she could win. She was falling lower and lower, about to be run through by the seven giant swords.
Just then, someone rushed in from the side. "Don't touch my sister!"
Clang!
To avoid Rafaela, Luciela had actually been secretly following her this whole time. That way, she could always keep track of Rafaela and stay one step ahead. She hadn't expected weirdos like this to show up and suddenly attack her sister. So now, she had no choice but to act.
The seven-man formation cracked. Rafaela twisted her body, shifted her position, and slipped through the opening to land safely.
"Big sis!" Rafaela was both shocked and overjoyed.
"Rafaela, let's fight together."
Now it was seven versus two.
"Another familiar scent," the Dragon Descendants said as they stared at Luciela in confusion. She had the scent of their kind. In truth, it was because she had fully absorbed the flesh chunk.
The Dragon Descendants didn't understand how a human could carry that scent. Unlike the Claymores, whose bodies were more like prisons locking in Dragon Descendant energy, Luciela's yōki was stable and natural.
"What do we do? Kill her too?" one asked the leader.
"Kill! She must be another weapon made from our kin's flesh. No need to hesitate. Kill them!"
The seven of them raised their swords and surrounded the two sisters.
Sparks flew as Claymores and longswords clashed with a sharp ring.
Luciela was fast, but the Dragon Descendants weren't slow. They were no weaker than Awakened Beings, and on top of that, they fought with weapons and were masters of martial skill.
Luciela held her own, but Rafaela was already struggling. Her yōki kept surging higher and higher.
At 10%, her silver eyes turned golden. At 30%, her facial features distorted, and her teeth sharpened. At 50%, her limbs began to transform.
"Rafaela, that's enough! Stop! You're going to cross the limit!" Every Claymore had a different yōki threshold, but Luciela had been with her sister long enough to know exactly where that line was.
But there was no time to hold back now. Those seven giant slab-like swords were basically death flags. Even worse, their formation was precise and coordinated. Their strikes were impossible to block cleanly.
'Run. If this keeps going, we'll both die,' Luciela thought. Even if she could survive, Rafaela was done for—either she'd awaken or die.
"Rafaela, get out of here. I'll hold them off."
That was all Luciela could do now.
"Don't let them escape!" the Dragon Descendants roared. Their massive blades moved like a deadly storm, surrounding Rafaela again. They weren't here to play—they came to kill.
"Speed up the sword formation!" With that command, the seven swords blurred, transforming into a rainbow-colored blur of light that engulfed the sisters.
"Damn it!" Both sisters moved faster. Their Claymores were swept up in the storm.
Slice! Slice!
Blood splattered as wounds opened on both of them.
It was over. Rafaela's yōki rose again.
Was awakening her only option? Rafaela didn't want to awaken. She didn't want to die. She still had so many days ahead with her sister.
'No, no, no! What do I do?!'
But Luciela suddenly kicked Rafaela out of the sword formation. "Go find Kid. I'll be fine." Luciela didn't like Kid, but even she had to admit—on this continent, maybe only Kid could handle these seven freaks. They weren't just as strong as Awakened Beings, they were synchronized to a terrifying degree. Seven acting as one—more dangerous than the Abyss itself.
Slash! The moment she shouted, two more deep gashes split open across Luciela's shoulder and back, the wounds slicing to the bone.
"Go!" Blood stained her face as Luciela screamed.
But Rafaela couldn't abandon her sister. If someone was going to die, they'd die together. If she left now to find Kid, Luciela would surely be killed before she got back. Gritting her teeth, Rafaela charged back into the formation. She didn't even make it to Luciela's side before more wounds opened across her body, blood gushing out like a river.
"Ahhh—!" Rafaela forced her yōki to heal her injuries as she pushed herself to keep fighting. But her yōki kept climbing—closer and closer to the limit. Once a Claymore's yōki exceeded 80%, there was usually no coming back.
"Rafaela?!" Luciela called out, trying to shake her sister back to her senses. But it was too late. Rafaela's yōki broke the threshold.
Boom—! A shockwave of demonic energy burst out, forcing the Dragon Descendants back.
They weren't unfamiliar with Awakening. The continent had plenty of unstable special warriors.
"She's awakened? Prepare to execute Sword Slaughter Formation!"
"Understood!" The seven Dragon Descendants lined up and surged toward the awakened Rafaela.
Rafaela's awakened form was more feline than Luciela's. Her body grew massive—7 to 8 meters tall, limbs hitting the ground like a panther. A long, flexible tail whipped through the air, cutting trees clean in half wherever it passed.
But the Dragon Descendants didn't hesitate. Seven giant swords aligned like a tidal wave and slashed forward. One sword, then two—Rafaela, still adjusting to her new form, was seriously wounded before she could even react.
"Big… sis…" Rafaela still wanted to protect Luciela. But the truth was, neither could protect the other now.
Seeing Rafaela still calling for her even after awakening, Luciela burst into tears. 'We can't die. Neither of us can die.' She leapt onto Rafaela's massive body.
"Rafaela! It's me! I'm your sister! We can't beat them. We have to run!"
"Run?! Run!!" Rafaela still listened to her sister. In an instant, she turned and bolted, her huge form smashing through the forest at over 100 mph.
The Dragon Descendants sheathed their swords. They had no intention of chasing. Instead, they continued their mission.
"If someone can escape our formation, maybe the Organization's weapons aren't total failures." Any other special warrior on the War Continent would've been killed already.
"Then all the more reason to wipe out the Organization. We can clear out the other weapons later, but the Organization must be destroyed now."
"Agreed."
So the seven Dragon Descendants resumed their march toward the Organization. Their stamina was better than even the Claymores.
Meanwhile, Rafaela carried her sister and fled as fast as she could—heading straight for the Earthlings' base.
"So hungry!"
Luciela was stunned hearing Rafaela's voice. That was the signal. She was craving organs. Luciela had been through this too—once, she begged her sister to awaken. But now that Rafaela had, Luciela didn't know if she should let her eat flesh.
Honestly, Luciela could still remember that hot, wet, slimy sensation. It made her want to vomit. Without that hunger, she now resisted remembering that dark time when she survived on raw organs.
"Rafaela, hold on. I'll have Kid cure you," Luciela said quietly.
Earlier, Rafaela saved her. Now it was her turn to save Rafaela.