As the two spoke through their Sea of Consciousness, the iron maiden shuddered violently, dragging both gazes toward it.

Twisted talons split the blood-red iron maiden. A beastlike roar shattered the “Madonna” veneer. A black figure, riddled with wounds, tore the rest apart and staggered like a mauled animal.

“Faster than I expected,” Violet sneered. A river of crimson surged up beside her. It coalesced into a gigantic, uncanny throne of bone.

The revived creatures fell again. White bones tumbled with the blood-river at her feet. They spun into a whirlpool that seemed to cheer.

“But trash is trash, no matter the era.”

A thicket of Demonic Spears soared. At her bark, they volleyed. The dark figure barely tore free before an endless rain of Demonic Spears poured down. It screamed, a trapped beast at a dead end.

Huge tentacles thrashed, kicking up wave after wave in the river of blood. They tried to shield against the storm of spears. Before Violet now, that struggle was useless.

It forgot her blood ran in its body.

The airborne blood spears turned to liquid before touching the tentacles. They slipped through and stirred the red blood within that black body. Two giant hands woven from blood seized the figure and ripped hard.

The shadow that had once cornered Violet split cleanly in two. In a blink, the sea of blood swallowed the broken remains. Not even a single drop was left.

“Ahh, Fallen Demon meat is downright nasty to chew~”

Her words fell, and a shriek ripped across the whole town. From the bisected torso, a humanoid black mist fled like a soul, racing toward the vast, roiling darkness beyond.

Violet was ready. A blood-shadow flickered from the throne. The mist froze midair. Scarlet eyes swivelled toward Violet beside her throne and screamed a razor-edged screech.

“Stop shrieking. So undignified.”

Violet lounged on the throne, cheek propped on her hand, all lazy grace. To naked eyes, the mist’s surroundings were empty. Yet it moved as if bound, as though something unseen held its throat.

Seeing Violet make no further move, the mist halted. Its scarlet eyes pulsed with killing intent as it glared and spoke in a muffled rasp.

“Fallen Demon? In this age, someone still remembers Fallen Demons?”

Violet only shook her head, unconcerned. Her blood-red armor sloughed away. A thousand threads of blood wove a courtly gown over her curves. The pale skin revealed felt less like temptation and more like threat.

The gruesome wounds had vanished without a trace.

“Just a Fallen Demon. Hardly worth remembering. Back then I lost count. With your level, you weren’t even qualified to trade blows with me.”

She wagged a finger, a touch of scorn meant to sting.

“So you’re a remnant, then?”

At her words, the mist seemed to catch on. Excitement sparked in its scarlet gaze. Its wavering form trembled violently.

“Remnant?”

Violet burst out laughing, as if hearing the greatest joke. She sprang up. Her red heels stamped down. The sea of blood roared in anger and heaved in towering waves.

“Enough talk. Round two.”

Scarlet Demonic Spears rose with thorned brambles and settled into Violet’s hand.

“With pleasure!!!”

The humanoid mist howled with glee. Fog condensed to flesh, turning more grotesque as it sprang forward.

Violet smirked at the foot of her throne. A blood orb bloomed in her left palm. It showed no ripple of Arcane Power, yet a sanctum unfurled around her.

Before either could strike, a blade thrust from the void and punched through the mist’s chest.

“What a pity. No need for you two to keep fighting.”

A soldier in heavy Rune armor tore open the void. His magitech weapon hummed with savage output. He outclassed the mist by far.

The armor wasn’t a deadweight standard. It was hand-built for war, top to bottom. Within Violet’s sight, its integrated weapons easily topped twenty. Every node of Arcane Power was perfectly hidden.

In his hand, the blade was pure techno-arcana. Complex magitech mechanics and alchemical filigree patterned the sword. At the guard sat a huge rotary wheel, studded with uncountable Mana Crystals.

“You are—”

“Shh.”

Before the mist could speak, the Rune soldier stepped in and slapped its face.

Mana Crystals drained from the armor in a flash. The force in that single slap made even Violet click her tongue. The result?

Half the mist-thing’s face was slapped clean off. Elemental damage crackled across it like a lightning dance. Before it could react, the blade drove in again. The big rotary wheel snapped with a crisp mechanical chirp. Steam sheathed the sword.

“Ma’am, please hold a moment. I’ll take you to see Lady Aphelia shortly. First, let me finish this one.”

He was calm as a winter lake. Violet didn’t bother to interfere. She watched his every move. Deep-violet Mana Crystals popped from the wheel one after another. The sword’s power grew heavier, more brutal.

“Damn humans, you dare deceive me?!”

The mist roared. Twisted talons stabbed for the soldier. The heavy blade yanked low. Deep-violet Arcane Power geysered out. Matching light flowed over the heavy Rune armor.

He released the longsword. Two Mana Crystal–inlaid daggers snapped from his waist. He slashed a quick cross before him.

A scream split the air. Black blood splattered, but it evaporated before reaching him. He tossed the spent daggers aside and surged into the dark figure’s guard. He tapped the embedded sword.

A magitech firearm split clean from the blade. He pressed its muzzle under the mist-thing’s jaw.

“We never told you the truth to begin with~”

A crisp gunshot rang. The mist’s head burst to powder. Deep-violet Arcane Power flooded its body and detonated from within.

Watching the fight overhead, Violet’s eyes sharpened. Surprise pressed hard beneath her cool. It lasted until the soldier’s final strike.

She clenched the blood orb. As he processed the corpse, her wariness deepened.

The Rune soldier drew a black magitech device from the void. In minutes, he collected every scrap of remains. Seeing Violet below, coiled and ready, he sighed, a touch helpless.

“Please, ma’am, could you stow these blood threads? I mean no harm.”

Violet blinked, then stared at him like he was the monster.

“Blood threads? What are you even talking about…”

“I can see Aether too, ma’am. Don’t do this. I really mean no harm. If you don’t trust me, link your blood threads to my veins. That should work, right?”

He sighed and unlocked the armor at his forearm. He extended a scar-scored arm into the air beside them.

Violet hesitated, then nodded. In her Sea of Consciousness, she’d already argued several rounds with the real Violet. But once Aphelia was involved, she allowed no compromise.

Fine blood filaments appeared and wound around the Rune soldier’s arm. A light, tingling numbness kissed his skin. The near-invisible threads pierced in and linked to his veins.

The instant the link completed, shock flooded Violet’s face. She lunged in, reaching for his faceplate—only for the Rune soldier to slip aside.

“Hey, what are you doing? Being a guest doesn’t mean you get to cross boundaries…”