The entire hall shook beneath the weight of Bastius's wings.
The creature took flight, shattering columns and scattering debris. The torches extinguished under the violent gusts, plunging everything into darkness.
Lucy raised her head, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Bring it on, you overgrown bat!"
Bastius dove toward her, a massive claw aimed straight for her skull. Lucy leaped aside, sliding across the stone floor as she drew one of her pistols.
Gunshots echoed — bang, bang, bang! — but the bullets ricocheted harmlessly off the creature's thick hide.
Bastius landed with a thunderous crash that cracked the ground beneath him.
"Human bullets? Pathetic!" he roared, charging again.
Lucy swung Lycanos, blocking the claw with the flat of the blade. The impact sent her crashing against a pillar, splitting it in two.
The air burst from her lungs, yet she still grinned, spitting blood.
"You kidding me? I expected more from a so-called guardian."
The veins in her arm began to glow faint blue. The Nosferion amulet at her neck pulsed, as if responding to her defiance.
A voice resonated in her mind — deep, ethereal, commanding:
"Do you wish to wield my power once more, child of the moon?"
Lucy gripped the amulet tightly.
The charm dissolved into sparks, and before her materialized the sword — glowing with an electric blue aura. As she grasped it, a surge of energy coursed through her body, raising every hair on her skin.
"Interesting…" Bastius muttered, stepping back.
"That energy… it comes from the underworld."
"That's right. And you're about to feel it up close." Lucy twirled the blade with effortless grace.
She lunged forward, slicing through the air — every strike left trails of blue light and bursts of static. Bastius tried to shield himself with his wings, but the sword tore through the leathery flesh, releasing an electric discharge that made him scream in agony.
Lucy spun, driving the sword into the ground.
"Tempest Slash!"
A wave of cutting energy burst forth like a hurricane, tearing through the hall, shattering columns, and hurling Bastius against the far wall. The creature rose, staggering, half its wings burned, black blood oozing from deep wounds.
"Wretched human! I have guarded this temple for centuries!" he roared, pounding his chest. "No mortal has ever wounded me like this!"
He opened his mouth and unleashed a deafening sonic roar, shaking the stones themselves. Lucy was pushed back, covering her ears as the floor split beneath her boots.
Still, she smirked, her eyes glowing crimson.
"That's it? I've heard worse when Tory sings in the shower."
With a swift leap, she darted forward, slipping between the monster's claws and driving Nosferion deep into his abdomen.
A burst of blue light flooded the temple.
Bastius howled, trying to grab her, but Lucy twisted the blade, unleashing a focused electrical explosion. The monster's body convulsed violently, wings igniting in flame before he fell to his knees.
"Damn… hunter…" he growled, trembling.
Lucy rested the sword on her shoulder, wiping blood from her lip with a smirk.
"It's over, bat-boy. Crawl back to hell before I turn you into a keychain."
But Bastius only laughed, his voice warped and hollow.
"You're strong, human… but foolish. I was only testing your power. The true horror still sleeps beneath these stones."
The floor beneath him began to glow crimson, forming a circle of blood. The runes pulsed, and the air grew thick.
Lucy took a cautious step forward.
"What the hell is this?"
"When I return…" Bastius sneered, "…it will be your end."
Before she could react, his body disintegrated into shadows, sucked into the portal beneath him.
The hall was swallowed by violent winds and a final, echoing roar:
"We'll meet again, child of the moon!"
Lucy shielded her face as the circle sealed shut. Silence returned, broken only by her heavy breathing.
She spun the sword once, then rested it on the ground. The blue light slowly dimmed.
"He ran off…" she muttered, catching her breath. "But at least the new toy works."
The Nosferion amulet reformed at her chest, its voice soft in her mind:
"The first battle is won. But the underworld… is stirring."
Lucy glanced around the ruined hall, shadows shifting between the cracks.
"Then let them come," she murmured, adjusting her coat. "The hunt's just getting started."
Moonlight filtered through the broken ceiling as she walked onward, the echo of her boots mingling with the faint pulse of Bastius's blood still soaking the stone.
The silence after battle was almost comforting.
Lucy wandered through the crumbling corridors of the temple, her footsteps the only sound in that ancient labyrinth. The walls were carved with vampiric symbols and stained with old, dried blood — remnants of forgotten cults.
The Nosferion amulet hung at her neck, pulsing faintly blue.
"Looks like you're still getting used to me."
Lucy smirked and replied under her breath:
"And you talk too much for a sword. But I'll admit — you saved my ass back there."
A faint metallic chuckle echoed in her mind before fading away.
She followed a narrow passageway, torches lighting themselves as she passed. When she turned the last corner, a shadow stretched across the wall — tall, poised, unmistakable.
Drayven stood before a stone altar, her face half-hidden behind her dark glasses.
Lucy raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.
"There you are. Thought you got eaten by one of those dead cultists."
Drayven turned slowly, her expression as composed as ever.
"Took longer than I expected. The sanctuary has paths not even the underworld's map records."
Lucy approached, scanning the chamber.
"And? Find anything about Dracula's gate?"
Drayven nodded slightly.
"Old inscriptions say the Blood of Ulisses was the seal that bound the prince. But now… the seal is cracking."
She looked over her glasses, her golden eyes glinting faintly.
"If it breaks completely, the human world will be his next feast."
Lucy sat on a stone block, pulled a water bottle from her pack, and tossed it to her. Drayven caught it effortlessly.
"You talk like it's not your problem too."
Drayven took a sip, replying softly:
"I've seen many fall trying to change fate. Sometimes… fighting for something just means delaying the inevitable."
Lucy tilted her head, eyes narrowing.
"Then why are you still here?"
Drayven was silent for a few moments, staring at the flickering flames.
"Because someone once believed I could still change. That monsters could choose not to be monsters."
Lucy's teasing faded, her gaze softening.
"That someone… was my father, wasn't it?"
Drayven looked away, slipping her glasses back on.
"Ulisses saved more than just humans. He saved monsters who no longer wanted to be monsters. I… was one of them."
Lucy stood still for a moment.
The cold air that drifted through the tunnels seemed to carry old memories — pain, regret, broken promises.
"So that's why you want to end Dracula," Lucy said quietly.
"Not for revenge… but for redemption."
Drayven gave a faint, knowing smile.
"Maybe."
For a while, neither of them spoke — only the distant sound of dripping water filled the silence.
Exhausted, Lucy leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes.
"You know… sometimes I wonder why I keep doing this. Hunting monsters, risking my life, burying the past."
She smiled faintly.
"But I guess deep down… it's all I know how to do."
Drayven watched her for a moment, then replied softly:
"You fight not because you have to… but because you fear what will happen if you stop."
Lucy opened her eyes, looking up at her.
"And you? Why do you fight?"
Drayven turned away, heading toward the dark corridor that led deeper into the temple.
"Because I still owe a debt to the man who saved me. And maybe… to his daughter as well."
Lucy frowned, about to answer — but when she stood up, Drayven was already gone.
The air shimmered faintly, as if space itself had warped.
"What the hell…" she muttered, glancing around.
She sighed, resting her hands on her hips.
"Perfect. The mysterious lady vanishes and leaves me with the cleanup. Again."
Spinning the amulet around her finger, she started walking toward the shadows.
Each step echoed like a promise.
And in her crimson eyes, the fire of determination burned anew.
The true hell of Big Tartar was only just beginning.