On the main training ground, crimson rivers stained the earth, flowing between shattered weapons and fallen bodies. The air was thick with iron and death. Chio, the Blood Demon, stood at the center of the carnage, arms spread wide as if embracing the slaughter. Streams of blood lifted from the corpses around him like marionette strings, twisting and writhing at his command.
The blood hardened midair, reshaping itself into blades, spears, and whips-living weapons forged from stolen lives.
Chio inhaled deeply, a shudder of pleasure running through his body. "Ahhh... fear, pain, despair," he murmured. "Such rich ingredients."
A sharp gust of wind cut through the field.
Yui, Yuka, and Fumika burst onto the ground together, boots splashing through blood-soaked earth. Their eyes hardened instantly at the sight before them.
"There he is," Yui whispered, tightening her grip on her war fan. Her jaw clenched as she took in the fallen Lampmen. "The monster who slaughtered them."
Chio turned slowly, crimson eyes gleaming with delight. "More blood approaches," he said, smiling wide. "How thoughtful of you to deliver yourselves."
Yui snapped her fan open in a single smooth motion. "Shut up."
She swung.
Razor-sharp wind blades tore across the field, ripping through Chio's blood constructs and shredding them into crimson mist. The force slammed into his torso, forcing him back a step.
"Tch... annoying woman," Chio hissed, reforming his body as blood flowed back into place.
Fumika moved without hesitation. Her feet glided across the ground as her spiritual dance began-each step graceful, each movement deadly. Her aura flared like a living flame as she closed the distance.
"You won't harm anyone else," she said softly.
Her glowing fists slammed into Chio's chest in rapid succession. Each strike sent shockwaves rippling through his body, driving him backward across the blood-slick ground. Cracks formed along his torso, blood spraying with every impact.
Yuka raised her hands, glowing runes spinning around her palms. Her eyes narrowed. "Burn."
A blast of searing magic erupted forward, detonating against Chio's chest. Flames and light engulfed him, scorching flesh and boiling blood.
For a moment, it looked like he might fall.
Then Chio laughed.
His body pulsed violently, blood surging back into place, wounds sealing with sickening speed. "More... more!" he cried, ecstatic. "Your attacks are beautiful!"
He lifted his hand. Blood from the ground surged upward, forming dozens of crimson bullets that hovered, trembling with lethal intent.
"Move!" Yui shouted.
The bullets fired.
Yui spun, her fan slicing the air again and again, whipping up a violent gale that deflected most of the barrage. But one shot slipped through the storm.
It pierced Fumika's chest.
Her body jerked violently. Blood bloomed across her dancer's robes as she staggered backward, collapsing to her knees.
"F-Fumika!" Yuka screamed, rushing toward her.
Before more bullets could strike, Yui stepped forward, planting herself between Chio and her teammates. "Stay alive!" she barked. "We finish this together!"
They attacked in unison.
Wind blades and explosive magic slammed into Chio relentlessly, forcing him to retreat step by step. His grin twisted into a snarl as cracks formed along his arms and shoulders.
Growling, Chio reached into the rivers of blood beneath his feet. The liquid surged upward, shaping itself into a long, molten-bright spear that hummed with violent energy.
"Let's see you dodge this!" Chio roared.
He hurled it.
"YUI!" Yuka screamed.
Too fast.
Too precise.
The spear impaled Yui through the stomach, lifting her off the ground. Her breath left her lungs in a silent gasp. The fan slipped from her trembling fingers as she collapsed, blood soaking into the earth beneath her.
"YUI!!" Yuka screamed, her voice breaking.
Something inside her snapped.
Her scream tore across the battlefield.
"You-" Her voice shook as she stood, magic surging wildly. "You took them."
Chio turned toward her, amused. "And you're next."
He attacked first.
Blood chains lashed out, wrapping around Yuka's arms and legs, slamming her into the ground. Pain exploded through her body as blood spikes burst from beneath her, ripping through her side.
She screamed-but didn't stop chanting.
Fire erupted from her palms, blasting the chains apart. She rolled to her feet and hurled wave after wave of unstable magic. Explosions rocked the field, tearing chunks out of Chio's body.
But every wound healed.
Chio lunged again, his arm transforming into a massive blood blade. It sliced across Yuka's shoulder, nearly tearing it apart. She staggered, blood pouring down her arm.
"You're weak," Chio taunted. "Your power breaks itself."
Yuka fell to one knee, gasping. Her vision blurred-but then she looked behind her.
At Fumika.
At Yui.
"No," she whispered. "I'm not weak."
The air around her dropped instantly in temperature.
Frost crept across the blood-soaked ground, spreading outward in cracking waves. Chio froze mid-step as his blood weapons began to slow, thickening unnaturally.
"What-?" He snarled, trying to move.
Yuka stood, trembling, frost crawling up her arms like living veins. "You control blood," she said through tears. "Then I'll take it from you."
Chio roared and forced his power outward, blood surging violently-but it crystallized mid-motion. Red ice formed around his limbs, locking them in place.
"No!" he shouted, struggling as his own power betrayed him.
"W-What-?!" he snarled, struggling.
Yuka advanced, tears streaming down her face, veins glowing bright with unstable power. "This ends now."
She raised her trembling hands, every ounce of her remaining strength burning through her. "This... ends with me!"
She slammed her palms together.
The crystallized blood shattered.
A violent shockwave erupted outward, drowning Chio's scream as his frozen body exploded into shards of blood-ice. Fragments scattered across the training ground, dissolving into lifeless sludge.
Silence fell.
Yuka collapsed to her knees, panting, vision blurring. She crawled toward Fumika, wrapping her arms around her trembling body.
"Come on... stay with me... we have to go," she whispered desperately, tears dripping onto blood-soaked ground.
Behind them, Yui lay motionless.
The crimson rivers flowed on.