The silence that reigned over the circular platform of the tower was heavy, broken only by the viscous lapping of the sea of blood that covered the floor. Klein stood upright, his gaze fixed on the silhouette facing him. It was Dyana Donoghan, or at least the fleshly envelope that had once belonged to her.

The duchess was magnificent in a terrifying way. Her black hair, usually so well styled, floated around her like strips of shadow with four large horns while her jet-red dress highlighted the provocative curve of her wide hips and the firmness of her generous chest. However, the aura emanating from her no longer had anything noble or maternal about it. It was a psychotic pressure, a mixture of sulfur and corruption that made the air vibrate.

Looking at the person in front of him, Dyana, or rather the being that had taken her appearance, smiled in a carnivorous manner. Her eyes, once a warm amber, were now two pits of absolute black, devoid of pupils. Without a word, she disappeared from where she stood. Her speed exceeded ordinary sensory perception.

Klein felt a violent displacement of air behind his back. The entity was already behind him, her torso leaning forward to give more momentum to her assault. She threw a punch charged with energy that Klein managed to block at the last moment by crossing his arms in front of his face.

The shock was brutal. A shockwave spread, sweeping the blood on the ground in a perfect circle. The impact was such that it sent Klein flying into the distance. He slid across the scarlet surface, his boots slicing through the liquid.

As his feet were about to touch the ground beneath the layer of blood, he noticed that the liquid was moving strangely, wrapping around his ankles like tentacles trying to pin him in place. He did not give in to panic. He stabilized quickly, then used an impulse of his mana to break the inertia.

< Dash >

In a flash, he teleported to a stone slab emerging from the bloody pool. Calming his breathing, he looked at the being in front of him with coldness.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice echoing coldly in the room.

The being tilted its head to the side, a sinister cracking of bones audible in the silence of the heights. She performed an exaggerated curtsy, her hands brushing the surface of the blood with a macabre elegance.

"I am the demon princess of madness, Mammon" replied the being in a sign of ironic politeness.

Her voice was a distorted echo of Dyana’s.

"Where is she?" Klein questioned, his fingers tightening on the handle of his weapon.

Mammon let out a melodious and disturbed laugh, her shoulders shaken by spasms of unhealthy joy. She placed a hand on her chest, where the duchess’s heart was still beating.

"I am her and she is me" she replied with a smile that stretched her lips to the absurd. "We are now one. Her hatred, her regrets, her desire... all of that served as fertile ground for my manifestation."

Klein closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, absorbing the information. He remembered the moments spent with Dyana, her vulnerability and the way he had manipulated her. A hint of regret crossed his mind.

"I see" he acknowledged, opening his eyes again which now shone with a murderous gleam. "You will have to disappear."

He finished saying as he rushed toward her. He covered the distance in a second then struck with his katana with all his strength. The blade described a perfect descending trajectory, aiming to separate the demon’s shoulder from her torso. But Mammon did not try to dodge. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

She simply raised her hand. Immediately, the sea of blood rose in a massive wave and solidified instantly. The demon made a wall of hardened blood appear, blackened by corruption, which collided with the attack.

The impact produced a sonic bang that made the tower’s pillars vibrate. Shards of crystallized blood flew in all directions like glass fragments. Not wasting time, Klein used his spatial mobility again. He disappeared before Mammon could even counterattack and teleported behind her, in her blind spot.

< Art Sundering Eclipse >

< second movement: second moon >

Klein pivoted his body, using centrifugal force to amplify his blow. Quickly, a white and cutting energy projected toward her, leaving in its wake suspended aura remnants in the air, ready to close in on the target. Once again, a wall of blood rose to protect the demon’s back, but this time the explosion was total. The debris of solidified blood was pulverized, falling back in a scarlet rain on the platform.

"Tsss..."

Klein clicked his tongue against his palate. He did not expect approaching her to be so difficult. He therefore had no choice, he had to give everything he had if he wanted to stay alive and free what remained of Dyana.

Quickly, he formed mudras with his left hand, his fingers moving with dexterity. He felt the arcane mana condensing around him.

As his feet were about to touch the blood-flooded ground, he used an elemental manipulation spell. Against all expectations, it did not reach the ground but instead stabilized on a small platform formed with the wind, an invisible but solid surface that kept him above the corruption.

Seeing this, the demon seemed annoyed. Her features hardened, and the illusion of Dyana’s beauty cracked to reveal the underlying monstrosity. She raised her hand abruptly. Immediately, a massive iron block emerged from the ground and struck Klein with force.

He did not retreat, blocking the object by shifting slightly to the right, using the flat of his katana to deflect the trajectory. The metal grated against the steel of his weapon, sending out bluish sparks that illuminated the artificial night at the summit.

< Dash >

Taking advantage of the smoke and debris screen, Klein had already teleported behind Mammon. He delivered a katana strike coming downward. Immediately, the wall of blood formed to intercept the blade, but it was a feint. Klein did not follow through with the movement. He canceled the inertia of his blow and teleported once more, appearing this time on the demon’s left side.

Catching Mammon off guard, he then delivered a powerful circular kick, charged with a concentration of raw aura at the heel. The impact was dull and devastating. The blow sent her flying into the distance. The demon’s body crossed the space before violently hitting the black stone wall bordering the platform. The marble cracked under the shock, and Mammon let out a cry of pain that resembled a hiss of steam.

Klein did not give her time to stabilize. He brought his katana in front of his face, the blade shining with a new intensity.

< Art Sundering Eclipse >

< third movement: New Moon >

Klein felt his heart beat as the energy condensed in his katana, the air around him began to twist under the pressure. Klein lowered his arm in a fluid gesture. A light blue crescent moon burst from the blade.

The aura projectile split the sea of blood, creating a deep furrow that revealed the bare slabs. The attack struck Mammon directly as she tried to get up. The explosion of power was such that it shook the entire tower. A blinding light enveloped the summit, erasing the darkness and the red of the blood for a suspended moment, while the cry of the Princess of Madness was lost in the roar of destruction.