Kira moved once more, her figure blurring as she slashed at Necrolai.
Slash!
Necrolai, not to be outdone, clawed back at her in the same instant.
Clang!
A heavy metallic sound rang out, sparks flying where their attacks met. The shockwave from that single clash sent both of them sliding back several steps across the stone floor—though Necrolai had it worse.
Even with her strength sealed, she's still this strong. Going head-on won't work, Kira thought as she steadied herself after the exchange. I'll have to drain her energy first… then destroy her completely.
Necrolai was having similar thoughts of her own.
She's strong, but her Ranger power is finite, the vampire queen calculated coldly. I only need to wait for her to demorph.
Then they both moved again.
This time, their attacks were no longer broad or reckless. Each strike was aimed at open, vulnerable points—joints, blind spots, weak angles—both searching for a fatal flaw in the other.
Necrolai's lips curled into a feral grin as her aura suddenly exploded outward. Dark energy surged like a crushing tide as she raised her voice.
"KNEEL!"
The pressure slammed down on Kira's body—
—and did absolutely nothing.
Kira didn't even flinch.
Even more surprising, a grin formed beneath her visor. Her voice came out teasing, almost amused.
"Do you have a weird fetish, my queen?"
Necrolai froze.
For a split second, she was both embarrassed and furious. This child—no, this teenager—was matching her not only in strength, but in words as well.
Even worse, the girl had countered nearly every spell she cast.
She's even stronger than the Mystic Force Rangers, Necrolai realized with mounting irritation.
Kira noticed the lack of response and immediately lost interest.
"Tch… can't take a joke," she said dismissively. "Oh wait—you're old. Guess your sense of humor got lost somewhere along the centuries."
This time, she made sure Necrolai heard her clearly.
And it worked.
Necrolai was fuming.
How dare she call me old?!
I've lived for tens of thousands of years… and I still look young!
Her teeth ground together as she raised her hands, dark energy coiling violently around her fingers.
"I'll tear that foul mouth of yours apart!" she screamed, lunging at Kira while weaving a spell mid-motion.
"Curse of Death!"
Necrolai flicked her fingers as glowing runes formed in the air around her. From the ground and walls, dark, twisted tree-like tentacles erupted, launching toward Kira from all sides—each one aimed to impale her and drain her life force.
Kira didn't hesitate.
She drew her Omni-Blaster and fired in rapid succession. Each shot, infused with pure Morphin Grid energy, tore straight through the incoming branches.
Ziing! Ziing! Ziing!
Every tentacle disintegrated on contact. None were spared.
"Is that all you've got?!" Kira shouted as she leapt high above Necrolai, charging her weapon mid-air. "If this was the level of power you had before turning my friend, I might as well call you the queen of bloodsucking vermin!"
She fired.
BOOM!
The spell shattered like glass under the overwhelming force. Necrolai was blasted backward, barely managing to stabilize herself as she crashed into the far end of the hall. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
"Damn it…" she muttered under her breath. "I fucking hate that bastard who sealed my mana reserves."
She pushed herself upright, facing Kira once more. This time, apprehension was clearly visible on her face.
If I can't win… I'll escape, Necrolai thought grimly. Getting captured and tortured is out of the question. I won't allow it.
She wiped the blood from her lips, eyes never leaving her opponent.
Seeing that neither of them was backing down, both shifted into battle stances—ready to end it once and for all.
On the other side of the throne room, Gwen was struggling to restrain the feral Mary Jane—and she was doing far too good a job.
BOOM!
Debris scattered as another section of the tiled floor collapsed. MJ lay sprawled miserably at the center of the crater, while Gwen stood at the edge, staring down at her friend with guilt written all over her face.
"Shit… did I hit too hard?" Gwen muttered worriedly as she climbed down into the pit.
Her steps were slow but steady as she approached MJ's unconscious form. She bent down and gently lifted her friend's head.
Looking at MJ's pale, bruised face, Gwen felt a sharp pang of guilt twist in her chest.
If we had revealed our identities sooner… would this have happened?
"No time to dwell on that now," Gwen muttered. "I need to get her out of here."
She moved to hoist MJ onto her shoulders—
Then something unexpected happened.
MJ's red eyes snapped open.
She lunged forward, fangs bared, aiming straight for Gwen's neck.
SNARL!
Her teeth nearly sank in, but—
BAAM!
A thick web shot out instantly, sealing MJ's mouth shut and stopping the attack cold.
Gwen jumped back, heart racing, before letting out a shaky breath. "Phew… that was close. Thank goodness my spider-sense warned me something was wrong."
"Mmph!" MJ thrashed violently, struggling beneath Gwen, her movements wild and uncontrolled.
"This won't do," Gwen frowned as she felt her friend slipping further into madness.
So she made a decision.
She fired webs at every limb, wrapping MJ tightly until she was fully cocooned, with only her head visible.
Then she struck.
Thwack!
A precise chop landed against MJ's neck, knocking her out in seconds.
"That should do it," Gwen muttered as she secured MJ onto her back and looked toward Kira's direction.
After she looked toward Kira's battle with Necrolai, she realized something had shifted completely.
Kira wasn't just fighting anymore.
She was dominating.
Every movement was sharp, decisive, and filled with restrained fury, finally given an outlet. Necrolai, the once-arrogant Vampire Queen, was being driven back step by step, her confidence shattered under the relentless assault. Kira poured everything into the fight—every ounce of anger, every bit of stress she had bottled up since learning the truth about MJ.
For her friend.
For every human, Necrolai had turned.
Kira struck without hesitation.
Her fist slammed into Necrolai's face, snapping the vampire's head sideways. Before Necrolai could recover, a kick followed, powerful enough to send her crashing into a broken pillar. The stone cracked on impact, fragments scattering across the floor.
"You think you get to walk away after what you did?" Kira growled, her voice low and trembling with fury.
She didn't wait for an answer.
Kira rushed forward again, bashing Necrolai with a brutal elbow strike before bringing her knee up into the vampire's ribs. The sound of bone cracking echoed through the ruined hall. Necrolai staggered, coughing dark blood as she tried—and failed—to regain her footing.
Kira summoned her Ptera Grips and swung them down mercilessly.
Slash.
Bash.
Crack.
Each hit landed with overwhelming force, tearing through Necrolai's half-bat vampire form and leaving deep wounds across her body. Blackened blood splattered the ground as the Vampire Queen screamed in pain, her once regal aura completely gone.
"This is for every life you ruined!" Kira shouted, punching her square in the chest and sending her skidding across the floor.
Necrolai slammed into the far wall and collapsed, her wings twitching weakly. She tried to rise—but Kira was already there.
A kick to the jaw.
A punch to the throat.
Another slam that shattered the stone beneath them.
Necrolai could barely move now. Her breathing was ragged, her body riddled with wounds that refused to heal fast enough, even with her strong regenerative abilities.
Gwen watched from a distance, MJ secured on her back, unable to look away. She had never seen Kira like this—never seen her unleash herself so completely.
And then Kira raised her arm, energy crackling around her Ptera Grips.
It was over.
Just as she moved to finish it—
Necrolai's eyes snapped open.
A sharp, cunning glint flashed through them—so brief, so sudden, that no one noticed in time.
She screamed.
"KORAGG, SAVE ME!!"
Kira froze.
Only for a fraction of a second—but it was enough.
Her instincts screamed danger as she realized something was very wrong. She lunged forward immediately, intent on stopping whatever Necrolai had just triggered.
"No—!"
At the same time, Gwen reacted.
From across the hall, she fired a thick strand of webbing straight at Necrolai, aiming to bind her completely.
But before either attack could land—
A voice echoed.
Deep and Ancient
"Uthra… Norqua… Ozarro."
The words reverberated through the throne room like a spell carved into reality itself. A glowing purple rune flared to life beneath Necrolai, symbols spinning rapidly as arcane energy surged upward.
In a flash of violet light, Necrolai vanished.
Kira's strike cut through empty air. Gwen's web slammed uselessly into the ground where the vampire had been seconds before.
Silence followed.
"…Damn it," Kira muttered, lowering her arm in frustration.
She clenched her fists, anger boiling just beneath the surface. "I had her. She wouldn't have escaped if I was faster."
She turned away sharply, teeth gritted. "If Zayne was here… she would've been captured. No question."
Gwen approached quietly, stepping up beside her friend. She placed a hand on Kira's shoulder, her voice calm but firm.
"Hey. We didn't lose," Gwen said. "We stopped her. And MJ—she's safe now."
Kira exhaled slowly and nodded, the tension easing just a little. "…You're right."
She glanced at MJ, wrapped tightly in webs and unconscious but breathing steadily. "That's what matters."
They turned to leave.
Then Gwen paused, something suddenly clicking in her mind.
"Wait," she said, looking up. "What about the people upstairs?"
Kira stopped walking and thought for a few seconds, her expression hardening again.
"They shouldn't be too strong," she replied calmly. "If they try to stop us, we'll just beat them until they can't."
Gwen gave a short nod. "Fair enough."
The three of them moved together—two walking side by side, one carried carefully, wrapped in layers of webbing. The ruined corridors echoed with their footsteps as they made their way back toward the main hall.
It took them five minutes.
Five quiet, tense minutes.
And then they arrived.
The moment they stepped into the hall, everything stopped.
Bodies were everywhere.
Some lay torn apart. Others looked as though they'd been crushed by overwhelming force. The walls were stained dark with blood, the air heavy with the scent of death and lingering energy that made Gwen nauseous.
There were no signs of a struggle.
Just slaughter.
Kira's breath caught in her throat.
Her voice came out barely above a whisper, thick with disbelief.
"They… they're all dead?!"