Thea's heart pounded as she watched Ryle struggle.
Emily's blood-forged chains tightened around him, crushing his limbs.
Ryle's black wings flared, his golden eyes burning with fury, but the blood held him like iron.
Enough.
Thea lunged forward, her Dragon Claw flaring with power.
SLASH!
Her claws ripped through the blood chains, severing them instantly.
Ryle dropped to the ground, catching his breath.
She glanced at him, smirking. "Need a hand?"
Ryle rolled his shoulders. "Took you long enough."
Emily's smile didn't fade.
She lifted her hands—blood surged from the ground like spears.
But Thea and Ryle moved as one.
Ryle took the front, his Hemlock Steel sword slashing through the crimson spears.
Thea flashed behind Emily, striking her with a devastating punch.
Emily barely dodged, her blood forming armor around her body.
She retaliated—a torrent of blood erupted, twisting into spikes.
Ryle deflected them, while Thea dashed through the chaos, weaving between attacks with inhuman speed.
Together, they cornered Emily, their attacks relentless.
Yet—she refused to fall.
Her breathing grew ragged.
Her eyes glowed an eerie red.
Then, she whispered:
"Level 4 Blood Manipulation… Dzoavits."
Her body convulsed.
A sickening CRACK filled the air.
Suddenly—
Grotesque arms burst from her back.
Veins pulsed unnaturally. Her skin split open, revealing a blood-covered, nightmarish form.
Her new limbs twisted unnaturally, each finger elongated into razor-sharp claws.
Blood **gushed from her wounds but never fell—**it hovered around her, shifting like a living entity.
Ryle's eyes narrowed. "Tch… Horror battle mode, huh?"
Thea tensed, her instincts screaming. "She's… not a regular being anymore."
Emily let out a chilling giggle, her voice distorted.
Then—she moved.
Ryle barely blocked the first attack.
Emily's monstrous arms struck like whips, smashing the ground where he stood a second ago.
Her speed was insane.
She twisted midair, attacking from impossible angles, her claws slicing through the air like death itself.
Thea countered first.
She darted low, her Dragon Claw tearing through one of the grotesque arms.
But—it regenerated instantly.
Ryle cursed. "We have to cut them all at once."
Thea nodded. "Then let's do it."
Emily lunged, shrieking.
Ryle's Hemlock Steel sword glowed of dragon fire.
Thea's Dual sword surged with draconic power.
They moved in tandem.
Slash. Tear. Rip.
Emily's monstrous limbs were severed one by one.
Her face twisted in agony, blood spraying from her wounds.
For the first time—she screamed.
Emily, her wounded face dripping with blood, gasped:
"Let... The... Hunt—"
Before she could finish—
Ryle decapitated her.
Her severed head hit the ground.
Silence.
Then—a sudden, horrific sound.
Blood gushed from her neck, violently reconnecting her head.
Her body jerked unnaturally, lifted by a black aura.
The mansion darkened.
Emily's face twisted in despair.
With her final breath, she screamed:
"Please come back... My God!!!"
Her body turned completely black.
Then—
A roar shook the entire mansion.
A roar Ryle knew too well.
It was—
IGNILTH'S ROAR.