Mana lunged forward the instant her eyes caught the EdelGear.
A memory flared in her mind: an old friend, a mentor, a father.
"Naxes." The name echoed inside her.
> "I WON'T SCREW THIS UP AGAIN, DAMMIT!"
Her scream ripped through the air as she ran.
Then, before her, the head of research emerged, wrapped in a crimson glow.
> "I am Camelius Lothin… the chief researcher of this project,"
he said with icy disdain.
"I cannot allow vermin like you to interfere with my work."
> "HAH! Chief researcher? Don't screw with me!
I'M THE ONE WHO BUILT THIS DAMN THING, YOU BASTARD!"
Mana's voice thundered, deafening.
Camelius sneered.
> "Don't shout, monkey… hohoh…
You wouldn't grasp the concept or complexity of this weapon.
Claiming that you created something so magnificent is blasphemy.
I will erase you—and laugh alone at your face when I'm done. Hohohoh."
> "Ah, screw you."
Mana raised her automatic weapon and unleashed a hail of explosive rounds.
But the man vanished in a flash of red, reappeared behind her, and hurled her meters away with a single Arcane pulse.
> "RED JUDGMENT!"
Dozens of tentacles marked with infernal pentagrams pulsed around him.
> "I consider myself a man of science, you know?"
His tone was almost like a prayer.
"Each and every day, I prove my faith through science.
But it's been a while since I last used my… SanctBlood."
Mana's heart pounded.
> "SanctBlood? No… it can't be.
This guy… he wields a blood technique.
This isn't ordinary Arcane—
it's something unique to him…
A THOUSAND TIMES MORE DANGEROUS!"
Blood particles scattered through the air as the tentacles lashed violently.
Before Mana could react, a deep, searing cut tore across her abdomen.
Heat flared. She spun midair, her blood splattering like paint across a grotesque canvas.
> "Is it… painting?…"
she whispered, just before crashing to the ground.
Her blood hissed and burned. She could feel it—
the SanctBlood was inside her.
> "Oh, what a pity,"
Camelius said, floating above.
"To hear such words from an inferior monkey makes me wonder—
what drives such a brilliant mind to fall into evil?"
With a single gesture, Mana was hurled against the ceiling.
From the wound in her abdomen, a burning ember spread,
devouring her skin with unbearable pain.
It was hell itself.
Moments later she was slammed back to the ground.
Camelius stepped on her like crushing an insect.
> "Ahgr… you bastard… I'll kill you…"
Mana gasped, choking on her own blood.
> "You truly have no idea what you're saying… monkey, hohoho…"
PLIM. PLIM.
> "Explode… bastard…"
she breathed.
A small explosion erupted, smoke swallowing them both.
But when the haze cleared—
> "Oh, really?
Dispel my SanctBlood with something that pathetic?
Ridiculous."
Mana's eyes widened.
He had protected her—from her own explosion.
UNACCEPTABLE.
That terror.
That feeling of uselessness.
Again.
> "Why… why can't I do anything?
I thought… this time… no… not yet…
I'm letting it slip away…"
She felt herself cracking.
> "Hah… but I still hurt you, you bastard…"
> "MANA!!!"
From his duel with Khaelis, Igyris hurled a capsule—
an entire arsenal packed within.
The battle was far from over.
> "Not very smart to invade a base without your full arsenal, you know?"
he shouted, just before Khaelis smashed him into the rubble.
"I know you're a badass, but you could've taken a few lessons
from my old partners!"
Mana spat blood and rage.
> "Don't talk crap… I'm way better than a bunch of amateurs.
This just… takes a bit of style. And mobility."
The Crimson researcher stepped back, laughing.
> "So… you still have something to offer, little monkey?
Hah… beautiful."
> "I'll kill you. With everything I have."
Mana's voice burned with determination.
No Arcane.
Just sticks and stones.
She would destroy the SanctBlood.
And that man.
With everything she had.
Camelius raised his hands, summoning chains that coiled around her,
squeezing and crushing her body.
With her last breath, Mana whispered:
> "For Naxes… this isn't over…"