The crossed swords on the door seemed to vibrate under Lucy's touch.
She pushed, dug her shoulder in, but the metal didn't budge.
"Great… another magic lock," she muttered with a sigh.
She stepped back, thought for a moment, then lifted Nosferion.
The bluish blade crackled like bottled lightning, and she drove it right between the two crossed swords.
A deep metallic sound echoed — almost like an ancient groan.
Suddenly, blue torches lit up one by one in the darkness until the whole corridor glowed with an eerie light.
Then, out of nowhere, a translucent boat made of cyan energy materialized, floating down in front of the door. Spectral chains snapped apart, and the doors opened on their own with a thunderous boom, revealing a passage wrapped in bluish mist.
Lucy raised an eyebrow, impressed.
"Okay… that's new."
She took a breath and stepped onto the boat. The floor vibrated under her feet like it was alive. The moment she was fully on board, the boat moved by itself, gliding through the mist and crossing the portal.
On the other side, everything changed.
The sky had a frozen sunset glow, tinted orange. Golden forests stretched far into the horizon, and small chunks of land floated in the air, tied together by threads of blue energy. It felt like she'd stepped into another plane — a place stuck between the underworld and the world of the living.
"What is this…?" she whispered, seeing her reflection rippling on the ethereal river below.
But the silence didn't last.
Shadows began forming above, dancing in the air like specters.
Lucy instantly drew her pistols, Raven and Seraph.
"If this is a welcome party, I hope they brought champagne."
She fired — the bullets cut through the shadows, but something began taking shape in the air in front of her.
A laugh echoed.
"You're still beautiful when you try to kill me, Lucy…"
Lucy's expression darkened.
"You've gotta be kidding me…"
From the fog above, Kalina descended spinning, still wearing her torn school uniform— but now surrounded by a fierce violet aura. Her metal claws gleamed, dripping green venom.
"Kalina…" Lucy growled, cocking her guns. "Didn't I already beat you?"
The vampire giggled, tilting her head.
"And I already told you… I'm not stopping until I have you all to myself."
The air warped.
The blue river below surged wildly and the ground trembled — everything around them began melting into a liquid mirage, waves crawling up the walls like living curtains.
Lucy realized it — it was another one of Kalina's illusions, but way stronger than before.
The boat rocked violently and began filling with water.
"Oh, come on! The drama again?!" Lucy yelled as she tried to keep her balance.
She sprinted across the deck and down a narrow stairway. Below, she found the boat's core — a pulsating sphere of blue energy that seemed to hold it all together.
"So this is your heartbeat…" she muttered.
She gripped Lycanos and plunged it into the core.
A blinding flash burst outward, flooding the whole world in blue light.
Lucy felt the ground vanish beneath her — an overwhelming sensation of falling, short but intense.
When she opened her eyes again, she was lying on the sanctuary's garden floor.
The air was cold, the wind still, and a glowing blue circle pulsed under her, like the ground itself was breathing.
Lucy got up slowly, looking around, confused.
"What the hell just happened…?"
A soft laugh echoed behind her.
She turned — and there was Kalina, but changed.
The vampire hovered inches above the ground, her silver hair floating around her like a halo, her purple eyes glowing fiercely. Her claws had turned into pure energy.
"You can't run from me, Lucy…" Kalina said as she touched down lightly.
"You and I are the same. We're meant to stay together… forever."
Lucy spun Lycanos and took her stance.
"I told you — I'm not the clingy type."
Kalina smiled, showing her fangs.
"Then I'll just have to convince you…"
A strong wind swept through the garden, scattering black petals around them.
The blue circle glowed brighter —
and the final battle between Lucy and Kalina was about to begin.