With red lightning underfoot and blazing flames at their heels, Guinevere and Mordred stepped onto the surface of the lake together.
This time, as they drew near again, Bavanzi—who had been kneeling in place, clutching her head and sobbing quietly—suddenly looked up in terror. Instantly, the blood on the lake surged with a will of its own, crashing toward them in a crimson tidal wave.
Then, with a flash of blazing red swordlight, a single arc cleaved the oncoming wave in half, dissipating its force.
"Hmm... So this is what it feels like to sign a contract? I can definitely feel the surge in magical energy," Mordred remarked, casually spinning her greatsword in several circles. Reinvigorated, her earlier fatigue vanished, and even her wounds appeared to have healed.
"Even so, don't be too extravagant with your mana. If you go firing off multiple Noble Phantasms, I'll be sucked dry like a raisin," Guinevere warned with a shake of his head.
"Noble Phantasms? What Noble Phantasms?" Mordred blinked.
"Oh... Right, you don't know," Guinevere smacked his forehead. "Makes sense, really. Stupid question on my part. This version of you hasn't even formally become a Knight of the Round, let alone rebelled against King Arthur. So, of course, you can't use that cursed sword yet."
"The mana from that last strike wasn't absorbed by the blood," Mordred noted. "Seems like her magic-draining ability only works at close range. She needs to be nearby for it to kick in."
"Got it," Guinevere nodded. "Then I'll leave the frontlines to you. Just make sure you fight outside her absorption radius."
"Got it!" Mordred gave a thumbs-up. "Straight-up frontal assault is my specialty!"
In the next instant, her body turned into a flash of red lightning, charging straight at Bavanzi from the front. Her aggressive movement immediately drew all of Bavanzi's attention, and towering waves and columns of blood surged toward her—only to be torn apart one after another by the crackling thunder.
Despite the onslaught, Mordred masterfully maintained just enough distance to stay outside the influence of the magical absorption field radiating from the glowing core in Bavanzi's chest. Her fierce approach was calculated, remaining just beyond that dangerous range.
With Bavanzi fully focused on Mordred, Guinevere charged toward the side. His mana ignited into blazing flames via the Hunter's Rune, transforming him into a fiery whirlwind—like the storm-chasing child god Nezha—as he raced in a wide arc to flank her from the rear.
Soon, Bavanzi noticed Guinevere's maneuver and attempted to divert her attention. But just as she tried to deal with him, Mordred swooped in with her blade again, red lightning crashing violently toward her. Forced to refocus, Bavanzi had no choice but to deal with the renewed frontal assault.
She barely managed to fling a few blood arrows at Guinevere from time to time, but the seasoned warrior easily dodged them—or simply cleaved them apart with sword and flame.
Once he circled fully behind her, Guinevere took a deep breath. The mana he had been suppressing to reduce his magical signature now burst forth in full force. With the power of a cannonball, his magically-fueled body launched straight into Bavanzi's core zone—right into the radius of her mana-siphoning light.
The moment he crossed into the violet glow emitted by her core, Guinevere felt his mana consumption spike severalfold. A powerful suction yanked the energy from any part of his body that made contact with the blood, draining him at a rapid pace.
And then—a new figure emerged.
From the swirling lake of blood, a humanoid shadow slowly surfaced. The crimson liquid embraced it as though worshipping royalty.
A potent, oppressive aura radiated from the blood-cloaked figure, forcing both Guinevere and Mordred to freeze for a breath.
"Enough! Your opponent is me!"
Before the figure could attack, Mordred, still facing Bavanzi head-on, raised her blade high. Her mana output spiked to its maximum.
Thunderous lightning raged from her radiant King's Sword. As she swung it down with all her might, Bavanzi was forced to shift her full focus back to the front. Tidal waves of blood crashed against the roaring red thunder in an all-out clash.
Mordred held the line for only a few seconds before being blasted away by the sheer force of the blood wave, sent flying through the air. But Bavanzi didn't pursue. She turned immediately to face Guinevere again.
This time, instead of attacking, she summoned a thick, crimson shield of blood around herself, trying to protect the core inside her chest.
Yet even surrounded by her protective wall, Bavanzi didn't seem to feel safe. Curling into a ball, she raised her hands in front of her face, flailing desperately.
"Don't... don't come any closer... Please, don't hurt me... I didn't do anything..."
Guinevere stared at the wall of blood. "Is this your heart's defense, Bavanzi? Are the memories of your past that terrifying?"
He had suspected her time in Fairy Britain before Morgan found her had been rough, but he hadn't expected it to be this traumatizing. Seeing her cower in such helpless terror, he began to think the Bloodlord's purge of the fairies might not have been entirely unjustified.
"But you don't have to be afraid anymore..."
He charged straight into the shield glowing with the eerie light of her inner core.
"Because I will take your hand—and I won't let anyone hurt you again!"
He reached toward the wall of blood, and just like passing through a curtain of water, his hand slipped through it with no resistance.
[Hunter Rune - Curse of the Blood Source]:
You can perceive the weaknesses of all enemies. Once a vulnerability is exposed, your hand can bypass outer defenses and strike directly at internal organs.
Bavanzi's body was entirely undefended—only the wall of blood stood between them. And thanks to the rune's properties, Guinevere's hand could bypass even this magical defense.
In fact, with a little experimentation, Guinevere found he could apply the same magical bypass to his entire body.
With no resistance, he pushed through the blood shield as if diving into a placid pool.
"Uwah—!"
Startled by Guinevere's sudden appearance before her, Bavanzi screamed, curling up even tighter.
"Don't—don't hurt me—!"
But instead of pain, she felt a gentle hand resting on her head. A warm embrace followed.
In that warmth, fragments of forgotten memories stirred. The oppressive nightmares gripping her heart loosened slightly. Then, from beyond the dream, a voice whispered:
"Don't be afraid. I'm here. No one will hurt you."
"...Eh?"
Her trembling hands froze. Slowly, she looked up into the face before her.
"Guine...vere?"
"I'm here," he replied softly.
"You... you're okay?" she asked in confusion. "But... I remember I..."
"Ack!" Blood began to trickle from Guinevere's eyes, nose, and mouth. As it floated toward her, Bavanzi panicked.
"No—stay away! You'll be in danger near me... Please, I don't want to hurt you again!"
But Guinevere only stroked her head gently. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine... Just work with me now. Trust me, okay?"
Bavanzi nodded silently, tears welling up in her eyes.
Then, in that tear-filled haze, she saw Guinevere reach for the core embedded in her chest—the one radiating that sinister glow.
But the moment his hand touched it, the suction intensified dramatically. Blood surged from his fingers into the core, and his hand began to shrivel, its flesh collapsing.
"Don't touch that! The core's where the pull is strongest—and I've tried. You can't dig it out!"
She tried to move away—but when she met Guinevere's determined gaze, and remembered his words, she hesitated. She didn't dodge.
Guinevere plunged his hand forward. The blood rushed even faster, his entire hand withering to a dry husk.
Then he growled—and shoved further in. As if through water, his hand pierced her chest. With one swift pull, he tore the core free.
"AHH—!"
Bavanzi screamed and shut her eyes. But the expected pain never came. She blinked, looked down—
No injury. Her skin was smooth, untouched—as if the core had never existed.
In Guinevere's hand, the core's glow faded completely, like a lamp unplugged.
This was the work of another Hunter Rune.
[Rune of Multiplicity]:
With this rune, you may split one object into many, so long as the pieces remain independently viable. If the result can exist on its own, the original remains unharmed. "Intact" objects will not be damaged. "Living" beings will not die.
One-time use.
Rather than risk the core's removal killing Bavanzi, Guinevere had chosen to use the Rune of Multiplicity. It was expensive—but compared to her life, insignificant.
"See? Told you everything would be fine."
He gave her head a gentle pat and smiled warmly.
"You can trust me."
Bavanzi stared at his shriveled hand—at the core he still held. Then at his smiling face.
And the tears overflowed.
She threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly, unwilling to let go.
But just then, another voice chimed in behind them.
"Uh, hello? Can you two stop with the lovey-dovey stuff for one second?"
Mordred's brow twitched in irritation. "Some of us are still standing right here, y'know."
"Uwah!" Bavanzi yelped and quickly pulled away from Guinevere, startled.
Mordred sighed, pointing toward the distance. "Anyway... Looks like you're back to normal now. Can you maybe dismiss that creepy shadow over there? Ever since it showed up, I've had a really bad feeling."
She gestured toward the crimson figure rising from the lake behind Bavanzi—the one that had appeared when Guinevere flanked her.
But Bavanzi suddenly froze, staring blankly.
"Shadow? What shadow?"
"...Huh?" Mordred blinked. "The bloody figure. You summoned it when you were still berserk. It's been creeping this way the whole time—"
"Ah?" Bavanzi turned around—and her expression changed completely.
"No... No, that's wrong! That shadow—it's not mine!"
"And this lake of blood? I didn't make it either! I came here because I sensed all this blood and thought it would boost my power!"
Both Mordred and Guinevere stiffened.
Their expressions darkened instantly.