The air hung thick with the coppery stench of blood, nearly choking to breathe. A crimson glow swirled around them, like hellfire dancing in the shadows.

Monsters roared, fangs bared, claws glinting coldly. The members of "First Symphony" barely held their ground—if a stronger monster appeared, slaughter was inevitable.

Night Frost took it all in. She spread her palm. A rain of fire descended. Each fiery drop fell like a meteor, surging toward the monsters with devastating force.

The monsters howled in terror, scrambling to evade—but the fire fell too fast, too dense. Nowhere to run.

Where flame met flesh, a sharp sizzle erupted. Within the inferno, monsters shrieked in agony, writhing until reduced to ash.

"Go. Now."

Night Frost turned to the "First Symphony" members—including Hao Wenqian—then drew a spear from the flames. Her gaze locked onto Blood, icy with killing intent.

This Blood looked different, yet familiar. Night Frost had seen her on screen: the Magic Maiden who slew the Black Dragon and saved the Twelfth District. A statue stood in the city center in their honor.

Now, for reasons unknown, that very protector stood against the Twelfth District—slaughtering the people she once guarded, hunting down its Magic Maidens.

To Night Frost, she no longer deserved the title. She was a monster.

No—worse than a monster.

"I used to admire you," Night Frost said, voice tight. "That scene where you and Order took down the Black Dragon… it stayed with me. But what I see now is seared into my mind. Unforgettable."

She gripped her spear. Her eyes, clear as a child’s, burned with cold resolve—and grief.

"Not bad eyes," Blood sneered, laughter laced with mockery. Madness and cruelty gleamed in her gaze. She found Night Frost… intriguing. Those pure eyes now brimming with hatred for her.

How long had it been? Eleven years?

"You remind me," Blood mused, lips curling. "Eleven years ago, I saw a child survive the Black Dragon’s aftermath. Clutching his dying mother’s hand, his eyes held the same fire I see in yours."

She recalled him—legs lost to a Magic Cannon blast. She’d loved that look. Never forgotten.

"I redirected the Dragon’s residual energy toward him. Watched that fragile life writhe in Black Flame… until he died."

"Pity a meddler intervened. But he couldn’t have lived—bled out, beyond magic’s reach. Such a shame…"

Night Frost froze. *Mother dying… soul transferred into an artificial body via Magic Tool…*

And the savior? Her father.

In seconds, Blood transformed—from fallen hero to the murderer who shattered her world.

"Analysis complete."

The Eye Orb connected through her nerves.

"Not human. Blood Clan. Likely an experiment. Be cautious."

"Cautious?"

Tears welled in Night Frost’s eyes—tinged crimson and black, twisting into wisps of Black Flame.

"Today… she dies."

Spear in hand, Black Flame coiling around her like a vengeful spirit, unleashed Night Frost vanished—reappearing before Blood. She thrust. Flames surged, forming a dragon with jaws wide.

Blood sensed the killing intent. Her form exploded into mist—but Night Frost gave no quarter. Palm spread, Black Flame incinerated the space.

*This flame…* Blood realized with dread. *The Black Dragon’s Black Flame!*

Every blood droplet evaporated. Forced to reform early, she slashed the air. Blood on the floor sharpened into thorns; blood-formed monsters lunged. She stepped lightly on the crimson pool, Crimson Scythe tearing through space toward Night Frost’s head.

*Clang!*

No dodge. Black scales shielded Night Frost’s neck. The scythe shattered against them.

Blood knew—unleash now or perish. She began her chant…

—but scale-covered fists slammed into her face.

Night Frost seized her throat, hurled her against the Obsidian Stone wall. Cracks spiderwebbed outward.

Dazed, Blood watched Night Frost approach. A crimson haze clouded her vision. She met those dark golden eyes—words choked back—

—and the Black Flame-wreathed fist descended.

Gritting her teeth, Blood dispersed again, tore the void, and reformed.

"Divine mercy, Magic Armor Ritual!"

Clutching her face, she enunciated clearly. She hated hiding here to unleash—but Night Frost’s assault left no opening.

"O great deity, grant your decree, forge the starry river—"

Space ripped open. Black-scaled hands seized her, yanking her from the channel. The spell shattered.

"Enjoy chanting release spells?" Night Frost’s voice was ice. "Enjoy killing? Treat murder as fun?"

She flung Blood’s blood aside. Flames wove an Array Pattern, sealing them in. She wrenched Blood’s arms free.

A punch surged—Mana and Abyssal Aura roaring—slamming the ground. Blood exploded into mist before impact, trapped by the seal.

She tried to tear space again. Resistance. Absolute stillness.

"Long time no see, Night Frost."

A figure landed steadily. Wounded, Magic Armor dimmed, yet gaze unwavering. One hand clutched a spent Magic Stone; the other channeled Mana from every cell, reinforcing space.

Moon Owl.

"Don’t mind me. Finish her. We’ll talk after."

*Naturally,* Night Frost realized. *Moon Owl tore that space.* Alone, she could never have caught Blood fleeing the void.

Now—Moon Owl’s spatial lock plus her Array Pattern—no escape.

"If you don’t want to die fast… reform!"

Black Flame roared. An invisible force yanked the blood mist back. Night Frost clenched her fist, fury erupting.

"This punch… is for me."

*Thud.* Fist cratered Blood’s abdomen. Obsidian cracked beneath her. Blood’s eyes glazed.

"This punch… is for my parents."

Flames fused with her knuckles. Blood twisted—too slow. Impact landed.

*Squelch.*

Not voluntary mist—her body shattered to survive.

"And this final punch… is for the Twelfth District. My home."

Black Flame and crimson-gold fire forged a colossal hand from the sky. It crushed the mist—and the consciousness within—until… annihilation.

Cracks raced across the floor. Support pillars collapsed. Moon Owl stared, stunned. *When did Night Frost reach this level?*

The blood mist vanished. Panting, Night Frost spotted a golden chalice rolling nearby. She pocketed it into her Spatial Box—*useful*.

"Sister, watch out! (in Dragon Tongue)"

A living brain and arms shot from the passage, lunging at the fading mist. Night Frost hurled her spear—blocked by the hands.

The mist coalesced weakly into a human shape. *Blood survived.*

She spared Night Frost one glance, then bolted toward a shelter corner. Moon Owl followed instantly. Night Frost close behind.

There—Blood unearthed an item sealed by layered Array Patterns. A Key.

*Illusory Glass had asked my cheap master to add two more seals… hidden here. Still found.*

Blood raised her hands. Effortlessly, she pried open the shelter roof. Sunlight poured through.

"STOP HER! DON’T LET HER TAKE THE KEY!" Moon Owl screamed.

But the Magic Stone in her palm had turned to dust. Weakness surged. Her Magic Armor flickered out. She collapsed, naked, into the blood pool.