The weight of my sword pressed him down until the ground beneath him cracked and dented.

"Ughhh…" he groaned, his teeth rattling as he clenched them too hard.

But the crimson flare wrapping around my blade didn't fade. It only burned brighter.

The Bloodraven, on the other hand, trembled under the pressure until it slipped closer and closer to his shoulder.

"Kuek…" he choked, his eyes bulging as pain shot through his body when the blade's edge kissed his flesh.

His aura wavered, thinning like smoke about to vanish, while mine held strong and steady.

A smile stretched across my face, wide and dark. "You and I may have the same aura output… but my control is way higher than yours."

"Brughhh…" He coughed blood, the warm splash hitting my legs, painting them in red.

His lips quivered as he bit down on his lower one, and then, I saw it in his eyes, the moment he made his choice.

He twisted his body to the left, tearing himself free. The Bloodraven slipped from his hand as he rolled away, skidding across the ground.

My blade slammed the weapon into the ground, sparks bursting out.

He rolled to his knees, then pushed himself up with shaky arms.

Blood dripped from his mouth, leaving a thin trail down his chin, staining his shirt. His breathing was ragged, each inhale loud and wheezy, his chest heaving like it might give out any second.

Still, with trembling hands, he clenched both fists. His stance lowered, his feet spread apart. He raised his arms, knuckles up, guarding his face and chest.

A boxer's stance.

Even half-dead, he was refusing to go down.

I exhaled slowly, forcing myself not to grin again. No… if he was willing to fight to his last breath, then I would respect that.

My hand reached down. I pulled the Bloodraven from the cracked ground, its black frame humming faintly in my grip.

The heavy sword I had been using slipped from my other hand and clattered to the floor.

For the first time in this fight, the weapon that truly belonged to me was in my hand.

And this battle was about to end.

At least, that's what I thought.

I blurred into motion, my body flashing forward, and in the blink of an eye, I appeared behind him.

His body tensed, his instincts still alive despite his half-dead state.

He swung his fist blindly, twisting his waist, aiming straight for my head.

Shrrreeek!

I raised the Bloodraven in time, sliding the blade between his ramming arm and my face.

His own force carried him into the strike. The katana sliced through his forearm like it was paper. The limb flew off sideways, spinning through the air.

Hot blood sprayed, splattering across my face.

His momentum dragged his body forward, and he stumbled, swaying on unsteady feet. His eyes widened in shock as the realization hit him. His arm was gone.

Blood poured down from the severed stump, dripping in heavy streams.

I tilted my head, my lips curling lazily. "We had some great time but... this is the difference the experience of over a century can create." I said, as I raised the Bloodraven vertically.

My grip tightened, ready to bring it down and split him from head to toe.

But then, my instincts flared.

I twisted sideways, spinning the katana in my grip until it was horizontal just in time.

Clang!

A water shuriken slammed against the blade, sparks and droplets bursting out.

The impact rattled up my arms, kicking my feet off the ground. I slid backward when I landed, boots scraping against the dirt.

Steam hissed as tiny drops scattered across my shirt and sword, smoke rising where they touched.

"Shit.. shit!" I cursed under my breath and tore the shirt off before the acid could eat through to my skin.

My bare torso stung a little, but the burns hadn't reached me yet.

When I lifted my gaze, I froze.

It was Lydia-B. She stood there, panting hard but firm, her breasts heaved with ragged breaths, her dagger raised. Behind her, barely clinging to life, Rune-B leaned on her shoulder.

What?

My eyes darted across the room. And then I saw her. Commander Lydia.

She was lying on the ground in a pool of blood. Her body was torn by dagger cuts, deep red streaks staining her clothes.

She tried to push herself up, her arm trembling as she fought to rise. But she had lost too much blood, too much strength.

Her body collapsed back down, her breath faint, shallow, against the blood-soaked floor.

"Commander Lydia!" I roared. My chest burned, my focus snapping to her fallen form. I moved to sprint toward her...

....but in a flash, Lydia-B was there.

Her figure blurred and appeared right in front of me, her dagger already slashing sideways in a clean, deadly arc.

I jolted backward, barely escaping a direct hit. Still..

Shrrk!

A sharp sting cut across my bare torso, a thin line of blood opening up where her blade grazed me. I hissed and skidded back, my heels digging into the ground to stop my momentum.

"Commander Lydia!" I shouted again, voice cracking, my eyes locked on Lydia-B's cold stare.

Just then the sound of arms clapping echoed off the jagged stone walls.

I whipped my head toward the adjacent chamber's entrance. The direction of the sound.

Two figures stepped into the room, thier hands meeting in loud, rhythmic delight.

Drane and Rack.

Damn, I thought, watching Lydia-B slowly guide the half-dead Rune-B forward, supporting him on his feet.

"Good, very good!" Rack flashed a wide, toothy smile, walking toward Lydia, blood slicking the commander's barely living body.

"It was a good idea giving the Lydia's copy those Mystic Water Orbs," Drane rumbled, his trained, large green frame resembling a walking wall.

"I was on edge the whole battle! Thought this bitch would win the fight." Rack tapped Drane's shoulder.

"Good job, copies." The copies offered no response; their eyes remained locked on me.

Drane crouched by Lydia, seizing a handful of her hair.

He yanked upward. Lydia's head lifted from the ground, her neck straining.

"Look, human!" Drane laughed, the sound thick and wet. "This is the fate of the commander you followed."

Rack licked his lips. His eyes tracked the way Lydia's breasts strained against the tattered fabric of her uniform, suspended by the tension in her hair.

"Hey, Drane, she is almost dead. Why not enjoy her before we kill her?" He walked closer.

"Stay away from her!" I shouted, pushing my feet off the floor.

Twakk..

A water bomb exploded directly in front of me. The concussion slammed me sideways, sending me skidding across the grit.

Bruises instantly bloomed across my bare torso, but my mind registered no pain.

Rack grinned, watching me fail to act.

"I got a better idea. Why not do her before her human friend?" He crouched beside the commander.

"You... scum," Lydia forced the words out, her voice a cracked whisper, defiance clinging to the ragged edges.

"I like the defiance." Rack reached out. Drane caught Rack's hand just as it neared Lydia's chest.

"We need his permission," Drane said, pointing toward the entrance they had just used. "After all, this bitch is now his test subject."

I tracked the figure walking lazily from the entrance. An oversized t-shirt and pants hung on him, not worn. His short black hair looked perpetually uncombed.

[Elowen.]

Before I could ask what he meant, the black-haired human spoke, his tone dripping with sloth.

"Do whatever you want with her. I just want her body, dead or alive. Elowen says it boosts my profits by a huge margin in the later part of my conquest if I can secure her body. Seems like it is something special."

"You heard him!" Rack's voice pitched high with excitement.

Drane's smile widened into something demonic.

He hauled Lydia off the ground and onto her feet. She swayed, her head hanging downward, barely conscious.

I clutched the Bloodraven and watched the scene unfold. I didn't rage. I didn't scream. Instead, I simply watched.

The chaos in my chest stilled, every wild emotion snapping into focus until all that remained was a blade-edge calm. Cold clarity replaced all emotions.

[Have I asked you for anything in our century together?]

Rack tore the already shredded piece of cloth covering Lydia's chest. Her breasts spilled free as the fabric fluttered from his hands.

"Yes, you have. Many times"

[Damn! At least pretend I didn't. For the moment's sake.]

"Just tell me what you want."

Rack pressed his palm against Lydia's exposed breast.

Lydia whipped her head toward Rack, teeth bared, trying to bite his ear off. Rack jolted back, but Drane's hold on her arms, clasped together and held above her head, kept her body rigid.

"Damn this girl!" Rack mocked. Drane laughed.

"This bitch gatekept the commander post for so long. Always ruining my plans." His hand slid down into her skirt.

"Ahhhnn," Lydia moaned, her thighs clenching together.

"Rune.. run away.. leave." she gasped despite her situation.

"No way. He should watch this," Rack said, pressing harder on her breast.

"You scum!" Lydia strained against Drane's unbreakable grip.

"I like a little resistance," Rack smirked, pinching the sensitive tip of her breast.

"Ahhnn... ahhnn..."

My expression remained neutral, my gaze fixed on the scene.

Lydia's eyes, weak and full of shame, found mine.

[I want the black-haired guy dead.]

A slow smirk crept onto my face. "Oh, Nexar!"

The Bloodraven's chain twirled around my forearm, holding the weapon fast.

It vibrated with a silent hum, the base frequency snapping the attention of the two orcs holding Lydia.

"I will kill everyone here except Lydia. And that includes that human."

Rack, still gripping Lydia's breast and sniffing her hair, demanded, "What's with the human acting up?" Drane, his hand still inside Lydia's skirt, turned to the black-haired guy.

"Kuro, can you ask the copies to hold him still? I don't want the audience disturbing us."

Kuro, the black-haired man, turned to Lydia's copy, yawning. "Heal the guy and kill the target."

I looked at Lydia. Her body bore cuts, but the real damage was internal: tendons and muscles torn in critical places, blood oozing despite the small length of the wounds.

She was shaking, exerting exhausted strength against Drane's firm grip, but it was all in vain.

Lydia-B produced a small blue orb from her belt and pressed it onto Rune-B. His body instantly began to regenerate. His vitality returned, tissues mending, a new arm slowly forming as cells rapidly knitted together.

[Mystic water orbs... a.k.a concentrated holy water.]

I exhaled and stepped forward. Imposter Lydia drew daggers, taking a stance. Imposter Rune pushed his fist forward.

"Arrogant of you to save someone cut by Bloodraven," I said, my eyes turning crimson as the weapon hummed louder.

I lifted my free arm. middle finger met thumb.

Lydia-B instantly understood. Her eyes widend, body springing into action.

Snap.

Rune-B's face bulged. Bubbles of swelling formed all over his body and limbs.

Lydia-B rammed herself into Kuro, pushing him further away from the detonation zone.

Boomm!

The sound swallowed the chamber. Crimson splashed, painting the walls. The imposter Rune's body exploded, the impact sending Rack, Drane, and Lydia-A flying backward.

They smashed into the far wall.

"Ackkk," Rack choked, blood spilling from his throat as Lydia's weak body slammed into his chest.

Drane slid down the stone, slowly raising himself to his feet. His eyes were wide with shock, then narrowed into pure, furious hatred.

"You didn't even care about the blast hurting your half-dead friend, did you?"

Rack panted, slowly rising, shoving Lydia's body off him.

She rolled, stopping on her side, unconscious.

Imposter Lydia lay nearby, her back bruised and bloodied where she had shielded Kuro from the blast.

"Now then!" I stepped forward, the Bloodraven vibrating in my hand, sucking in my dark mana, lacing it with my crimson aura.

"Who likes to go first?"

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