Nara's POVThe moment I stepped outside the library's threshold, the wind shifted. The blood domain wasn't complete yet—but the scent of darkness already tainted the air. They're here.
Three figures emerged from the mist. Shadow Knights.
Their presence alone was enough to suffocate the light. The first wore blackened armor lined with cursed runes, a giant blade strapped to his back. The second floated slightly above the ground, her form flickering like a flame, a scythe spinning in her grasp. The third—tall, cloaked, face hidden—held twin daggers dripping with void mana.
I took a deep breath and tightened my grip on my sword."For the Dragon Lord… I won't let you pass."
They didn't speak—just charged.
I sliced through the skin of my left wrist with the edge of my blade, gritting my teeth as crimson blood began to spill. I didn't flinch. Instead, I raised my hand and began chanting—each ancient word vibrating in the air like a pulse of thunder.
In one swift motion, I leapt, landing atop the highest point of the library castle. From here, I could see everything—the winding mountain paths, the dying light over the horizon, and the faint shimmer of the cursed realm beyond.
Still chanting, I stretched out my bleeding wrist toward the sky. My blood flowed, yet instead of dripping down, it shot outward—seven glowing threads branching into the air like veins of a great beast. They didn't fall. They danced, alive with mana, weaving into a spiderweb of shimmering red energy.
The threads thickened, darkening into a lattice of protection—our Blood Dragon Shield. One-fourth of it was already formed when—
A chill gripped my spine.
I felt it.
A surge of mana. Not wild, but calculated. Not chaotic, but cold.
Someone—or something—was coming.
And it wasn't alone.
The sky seemed to breathe heavier, and the air around me tightened like a clenched fist.
"The priest must have sensed it too," I muttered under my breath.
This wasn't going to be just a shield-building night anymore.
I didn't flinch as the blood shield continued to thread itself across the sky. The chant was still rolling off my tongue, steady and unwavering, even as my wrist bled freely. My focus split, half on the spell—half on the world below.
That's when I felt it.
A shadow tore through the air—fast, merciless.
I spun, instincts flaring just in time to catch the gleam of a massive, obsidian sword slicing through the wind.
It came down like a meteor.
CLANG!
My right hand flew up, bare against the hilt of the incoming blade. Sparks erupted as steel met flesh and mana. I stood firm—my body twisted to absorb the force, my feet sliding back on the stone, but I didn't fall.
The blood shield behind me still pulsed, still grew.
"You're too late," I hissed.
The shadow knight let out a growl—if it could be called that. It was more like a thousand screams locked in one body. His form was humanoid, yet monstrous. Ink-black armor covered his limbs like living tar, and violet runes pulsed on his shoulders. His face was hidden beneath a jagged helm, but I could feel his hatred.
Without a word, he pulled back and launched another strike, faster this time.
I ducked under the arc, releasing my left hand from the spell only for a heartbeat—just long enough to draw my second blade from my waist.
In one motion, I twisted and slashed at his ribs.
CRACK!
My blade met his armor, carving a shallow mark across the black plating. He staggered but didn't stop.
He swung again.
This time I jumped back, kicked off the spire, and somersaulted midair before landing a few meters away. I thrust my bloody left wrist back into the air—the chant resuming seamlessly. The shield thread continued.
The knight followed with a roar, charging like a bull possessed.
I smirked. "You really think I can't fight with one hand?"
He lunged.
I met him with my blade, deflecting his swing and twisting to catch him off-balance. My foot slammed into his chest, knocking him back. I rushed forward, dragging my blade along the stone and swinging upward.
He blocked.
We clashed again—blade to blade, blow to blow. The roof shook beneath us.
My movements were sharp but graceful, weaving through his heavier strikes. I used his weight against him, ducking under his wild swings and slashing at exposed joints.
Still chanting. Still bleeding. Still fighting.
His armor began to crack. My footwork became faster. My blade danced like a red comet under the moonlight.
With a final clash, I parried his sword high, spun low, and drove my blade upward through his abdomen.
The knight screamed.
Black mist hissed from the wound as his body convulsed. With a twist of my wrist, I ripped the blade free and kicked him off the rooftop, sending him plummeting into the darkness below.
I exhaled sharply.
"One down."
But I didn't relax.
Another shadow loomed just beyond the edge of the tower.
The second knight had arrived.
And this one was stronger.
The first knight's body vanished into the trees below, leaving behind trails of black mist. I didn't have time to rest. The blood threads still poured from my wrist, the shield web expanding across the seven cardinal points.
The wind shifted again.
A new presence.
I turned my gaze downward—the second shadow knight stepped into the clearing below, just outside the library's base. He was leaner, taller, wrapped in a cloak that swayed unnaturally with no breeze. His mana crackled like static across the grass.
I narrowed my eyes. "Priest… he's heading to you."
My grip tightened on my sword. My blood continued to spin skyward.