The battlefield did not recover.
It tightened.
Two Allures hovered above—
Watching.
Smiling.
Waiting.
Then—
They descended.
"—!"
Kiraya moved first.
Instinct.
Duty.
Survival.
Her shield rose—
Her blade followed—
CLANG
The first strike came fast—
Too fast—
Even for her.
She blocked.
Barely.
The impact drove her back—
Boots carving into shattered stone—
The second Allure followed immediately.
No pause.
No delay.
A sweeping strike from the side—
CRACK
Kiraya twisted—
Shield taking the hit—
But the force still broke through—
"…Tch—!"
She slid.
Not falling—
But losing ground.
Behind her—
Elias stood still.
Not by choice.
His body—
Refused.
His mana—
Gone.
His legs—
Barely holding.
And Fayzan—
Kneeling.
Flames gone.
Breathing uneven.
"…Damn it…"
They were there.
But not in the fight.
Not anymore.
Kiraya—
Was alone.
The two Allures noticed.
And they smiled wider.
"Oh?"
One tilted her head.
"…You're the only one left?"
The other laughed.
"…How unfortunate."
They moved again.
Faster.
Stronger.
Relentless.
Kiraya blocked.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Steel rang endlessly—
Echoing across the broken chamber.
But this time—
It was different.
Not a clash.
A test.
They weren't trying to kill her.
They were—
Playing.
Each strike came with a delay.
Each opening—
Too obvious.
Each movement—
Too deliberate.
"…You're slow."
"Is this really all you've got?"
Kiraya grit her teeth.
"…Shut up."
She swung—
Flames reigniting faintly—
But they stepped back.
Dodged.
Smiling.
"…Pathetic."
One disappeared—
Then reappeared behind her—
SLASH
Blood.
A shallow cut—
But intentional.
Measured.
They weren't ending her.
They were breaking her.
Bit by bit.
Meanwhile—
On the ground—
Rio didn't move.
Her breath—
Faint.
Her HP—
Falling.
1%...
…0.8%...
…0.6%...
Her vision dimmed.
The world—
Fading.
Sound—
Distant.
"…So this is…"
Darkness crept in—
Slow.
Unavoidable.
Her fingers twitched.
But her body—
Wouldn't respond.
"…Not yet…"
Then—
A voice.
Faint.
Distant.
But clear.
"…You're not going to end it all here… are you…?"
Rio's fading consciousness stirred.
"…Who…"
"…The journey hasn't even started yet…"
Another voice.
"…You're the last hope at stopping my past mistakes…"
A pause.
"…We can't let her win again…"
A whisper—
Sharp.
Resolute.
"…Not this time."
Rio's eyes trembled.
"…Saros…?"
Silence.
Then—
Another voice.
Different.
Rougher.
Colder.
"…Tch."
A faint—
Echoing—
Howl.
Low.
Ancient.
Familiar.
Rio's breath caught.
"…That sound…"
She knew it.
She felt it.
"…You've got to be kidding me…"
The voice returned.
"…I hate this."
A pause.
"…That white-haired boy who's an idiot and her killed me."
Another.
"…Then you stupid goddess turned me into her weapon."
"You think I will cooperate with you and her?"
A low growl then suddenly the voice from earlier returned with a slight laugh.
"Yes, you not gonna let Allure defeat the person that defeated you?"
A low deeper growl then returned
"…Fine... Only because I hate losing even more."
The air shifted.
"…To that annoying angel…"
A sharp snarl.
"…with the stupidest laugh."
Rio's eyes widened.
The Silver Werewolf.
"…So listen carefully."
The voice dropped.
"…I'll cooperate."
A pause.
"…Just this once."
The world—
Stopped.
"…And I'll lend your champion my power."
Silence.
Then—
BOOM
A pulse erupted from Rio's body.
Black energy—
Violent—
Wild—
Uncontrolled—
Burst outward.
The battlefield froze.
Kiraya staggered—
Turning.
Elias' eyes widened.
Fayzan lifted his head.
Even the Allures—
Paused.
"…What…"
The black aura surged—
Spiraling—
Devouring light—
Then—
It changed.
Shifted.
Refined.
Crimson.
Deep.
Darker than before.
Darker than when Allure first appeared.
The entire chamber was swallowed—
By that color.
Pressure descended.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Hungry.
Rio's body lifted—
Slowly—
From the ground.
Her eyes—
Opened.
Glowing.
Not fully red.
Not fully human.
Something else.
Something—
More.
The aura stabilized.
Sharp.
Controlled.
Dominant.
The ground beneath her cracked.
Stone shattered—
Without contact.
Just from presence.
Above—
The two Allures—
Stopped smiling.
For the first time—
Since the fight began.
They stared.
Not amused.
Not entertained.
But—
Alert.
"…Oh…?"
A whisper.
"…Now that's new."
Rio didn't respond.
Didn't speak.
Didn't move.
But the air around her—
Shifted.
Because now—
The hunt—
Had begun.
The air no longer trembled.
It obeyed.
Rio stood—
No—
She rose.
Crimson light pulsed through her body like a second heartbeat.
Veins—no, streams of energy—spread across her skin.
From her neck—
Down her arms—
Across her fingers—
Even tracing faintly along her cheek.
They glowed.
Alive.
Burning.
Her right eye remained its calm, piercing blue.
But the other—
Had turned.
A deep—
Violent—
Crimson red.
An aura surged around her.
Not wild.
Not chaotic.
Controlled.
Dense.
Predatory.
Like a beast that had finally opened its eyes.
[SYSTEM ANNOUNCEMENT]
A faint chime echoed only within her mind.
Cold.
Mechanical.
Absolute.
Mythic Weapon: Crimson Bloodmoon has leveled up.
Current Level: 5
Another notification followed immediately.
New Skill Unlocked: Bloodmoon's Resonance
Rio's gaze flickered.
The world slowed.
Not because of her skill—
But because of her awareness.
The description unfolded before her.
A state awakened upon receiving a fatal strike.
A resonance between wielder and weapon.
Enter Bloodmoon Resonance State.
All physical attributes increased by 500%.
Skill usage: Disabled.
Duration: 300 seconds.
Cooldown: 170 hours.
Silence.
"…Heh."
She closed it.
Without hesitation.
Without fear.
Without doubt.
Because she already understood.
This wasn't a buff.
It was a decision.
And she had already made it.
The battlefield resumed.
The Allure pinning Ryota turned—
Too late.
Rio was already there.
No sound.
No wind-up.
No warning.
Just—
Presence.
"…Wha—"
She couldn't finish.
Not even a thought.
Because in the next instant—
She was gone.
A blur.
A streak.
A cut.
And then—
Silence.
Ryota dropped.
Freed.
The Allure remained standing for half a second longer.
Then—
Her arms fell.
Cleanly severed.
Her head followed.
Her body collapsed.
Dead.
Ryota blinked.
"…What…?"
Before he could even process it—
Rio was already somewhere else.
She stood beside Elias and Fayzan.
Holding Ryota—
As if she had always been there.
"…You're alive."
Her voice was calm.
Flat.
She let him go.
Pressed something into his hand.
A potion.
His last one.
"…Drink."
No time for protest.
No time for thanks.
Because she had already moved.
Again.
The pinned Allure beneath Elias and Fayzan—
Still impaled—
Still burning—
Still smiling—
Looked up.
And for the first time—
There was fear.
"—!"
Too late.
Rio's blade fell.
One strike.
Clean.
Final.
The head separated from the body.
The smile—
Gone.
Above—
The remaining two Allures froze.
"…Impossible…"
Their voices overlapped.
For the first time—
Uncertain.
Then—
Rio appeared behind them.
No build-up.
No motion.
Just—
There.
Her leg moved.
CRASH
One Allure was kicked downward—
Like a falling meteor—
Slamming into the ground—
Shattering stone beneath her.
At the same time—
BANG
Rio's musket fired.
The second Allure—
Still mid-air—
Took the shot directly to the torso.
Her body jerked—
Thrown off balance—
"…You—?!"
Gone.
Rio vanished again.
Appearing beside the fallen Allure.
Before she could stand—
Before she could react—
SLASH
Dead.
Instant.
Absolute.
The final Allure—
Still airborne—
Hovered.
Frozen.
Watching.
Not smiling anymore.
Not laughing.
Just staring.
"…What… are you…?"
Below—
Rio slowly lowered her blade.
Crimson energy still flowing through her veins.
Her red eye locked onto the last enemy.
Cold.
Silent.
Predatory.
She didn't answer.
Didn't need to.
Because for the first time—
Allure—
Was afraid.