Night in the forest surrounding Grand Aurelis was never a gentle night.
It hung like a black shroud wrapped across the sky, hiding the moon and the stars, leaving only fragments of pale light slipping between the branches of ancient trees. The wind drifted quietly through the tall pines, carrying the scent of wet soil, moss, and something sharper—the smell of blood that had not yet dried.
On the damp ground lay Kafka's body, a crimson blade piercing through his chest.
Blood flowed from the wound like a small river that had lost its way.
Time seemed to stop.
No one reacted immediately.
Because sometimes shock is sharper than any blade.
Then a voice spoke behind him.
Soft.
Calm.
Yet carrying a coldness like metal freshly pulled from a grave.
"Ah… finally."
Kafka slowly turned his head.
And the world inside his mind collapsed.
Standing there,
holding the bloodstained sword still embedded in his body,
was Elara.
For a moment, Kafka did not understand what he was seeing.
His mind refused to accept reality like a child refusing to wake from a nightmare.
"Elara…?"
His voice cracked.
Slowly, the girl pulled the blade out of Kafka's chest.
SHKRRK.
Blood sprayed.
Kafka dropped to his knees.
Elara stepped back, flicking her sword so droplets of blood scattered like tiny red rain onto the ground.
She looked at Kafka the way someone looks at an insect they had just stepped on.
Then,
she smiled.
But that was no longer Elara's gentle smile.
It was the smile of something born from darkness.
"So… you finally figured it out."
Rina, standing several steps behind, immediately stepped forward.
"ELARA?! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"
But the girl only laughed softly.
Her laughter sounded like a cracked glass bell.
"Doing my job."
She turned her gaze toward Kafka.
Her eyes glowed red.
"I've been wanting to see that expression for a long time."
She slowly walked closer.
Her steps were light.
Yet each step left a thin trail of blood on the ground.
"The face of someone who just realized that his entire life was nothing but a lie."
Kafka held his chest,
trying to close the wound.
But his mind was still blank.
"Elara… why…"
The girl laughed louder.
"Why?"
She tapped her own forehead as if hearing a very stupid question.
"You're incredibly naive."
She raised her hand.
The blood on the ground began to move.
Like living worms.
"My name isn't Elara."
Her voice changed.
Colder.
Older.
"I am Natasha Vaelorian."
The air around them seemed to drop several degrees.
That name was like a spell opening the gates of hell.
"A blood witch from the Vaelorian Clan."
She bowed slightly.
"And I was assigned by the Bishop for one purpose."
Her eyes locked onto Kafka.
And a devilish smile spread across her face.
"To find the two souls born from the bloodline of the King."
She pointed at Kafka.
"One is destined to lead."
Then her finger shifted slightly.
"And the other is destined to die."
She laughed.
"Because a king…"
Her voice turned into a cold whisper.
"…can only be one."
Rina stepped forward.
Her eyes burned with fury.
"YOU TRAITOR!"
Flames erupted around her fist.
She lunged forward.
KYOKUSHIN KARATE + FIRE ASPECT – OI TSUKI
Her flaming punch tore through the air.
But before it reached Elara,
The blood on the ground exploded.
CRIMSON SPIKES
Dozens of blood spears burst from the earth.
CRASH!
Rina was blown backward.
Yogi shouted and leapt forward.
His wind-core iron ball spun like a meteor.
"GARUDA SMASH!"
BOOM!
He hurled it toward Elara.
But the girl simply raised her hand.
Blood formed a shield.
THUD
The iron ball stopped as if it had struck a mountain.
Then the blood stretched.
Turning into a whip.
WHIP!
Yogi was hurled into a tree.
Ilham and Satrio attacked at the same time.
Two steam daggers flashed like shadows.
A massive earth axe roared like a gorilla.
But Elara laughed.
Her body began to change.
Blood flowed from her skin like lava.
Her bones cracked.
Crimson wings formed from her back.
Her eyes became two red suns.
Her form,
CRIMSON VENGEANCE
The same form as the Blood Demon King.
"Ah…"
She exhaled with satisfaction.
"It's been a while since I've used this form."
Then she looked at Kafka.
"You should be grateful. Back when the king sent you and Arga to that ugly world, I couldn't even use magic to kill you."
Ilham attacked first.
His daggers moved like lightning.
But Elara caught his wrist.
CRACK
"SHIT!" Ilham shouted.
His bone snapped.
She kicked him away like a doll.
Satrio roared.
His axe crashed down like a falling mountain.
BOOM
But Elara stopped it with one hand.
Rina tried to stand again,
Elara noticed.
She spun.
CRASH
Satrio's massive body was thrown into Rina.
Nadia fired arrows of nature repeatedly.
The arrows turned into vines.
But Elara only laughed.
Her body absorbed the blood on the ground.
Her wounds healed.
All their attacks were like light rain falling into the ocean.
A few minutes later—
all the students lay on the ground.
Their blood stained the earth.
Kafka slowly stood up.
His hand pressed against the wound in his chest using mana.
Blood was still flowing.
But his eyes had changed.
Calm.
Empty.
He picked up his sword.
The blood blade pulsed.
Elara watched him.
Then she chuckled.
"Ah."
"So you finally stopped holding back."
Kafka stepped forward.
A blood aura flowed from his body like crimson mist.
But something was different.
His blade was darker.
Heavier.
As if the blood came from somewhere deeper than the human body.
Elara narrowed her eyes.
"That aura…"
Kafka vanished.
BOOM!
He appeared in front of Elara.
His sword slashed.
ROYAL CRIMSON SLASH
Elara blocked,
But her expression changed.
A wound opened on her arm.
And,
it did not heal.
Blood dripped.
For the first time, Elara looked shocked.
"Impossible…"
Kafka vanished again.
Not just fast,
but truly disappearing from space.
She only realized when a shadow appeared above her.
Kafka leapt high.
His body spun.
Blood flowed from his leg forming a crimson vortex.
TAEKWONDO + ROYAL BLOOD MAGIC
PERFECT 1080° SPINNING BLOOD KICK
His body spun three full rotations in the air.
Like a crimson storm born from gravity itself.
His leg sliced through the air.
The blood around him formed a sharp ring.
Like a solar eclipse made of blood.
BOOOOOOM
The kick slammed into Elara.
The ground beneath them exploded.
Shockwaves tore through the surrounding trees.
Elara was launched dozens of meters away.
Her body crashed into a giant boulder.
CRASH
The rock shattered like glass.
She stood again.
Her wounds once again refused to heal.
Her eyes widened.
"What…?"
Kafka was already in front of her again.
No sword.
Only his fists.
His stance was deep and stable.
The stance known in the old world as Kyokushin Karate.
A martial art that worships the human body as a temple of will.
Blood flowed along his arms,
forming crimson gauntlets.
KYOKUSHIN KARATE + ORION BLOOD MAGIC
CRIMSON IRON BODY COMBO
First step.
MAE GERI
A straight kick slammed into Elara's stomach.
The air burst out of her lungs like a dying breath.
Second step.
GYAKU TSUKI
His right fist fired like a bullet.
Blood spiraled around it.
BOOM
Elara was blasted backward.
Her mind blurred.
What the hell is this?!
Third step.
USHIRO MAWASHI GERI
A spinning back kick.
His leg cut through the air like a crimson scythe.
Elara's head snapped sideways.
Her body crashed through three trees.
But she stood again.
Blood dripped from her mouth.
Her regeneration worked,
but slowly.
Too slow.
Elara finally understood.
Kafka's blood blade…
rejected demon regeneration.
"You bastard…" she growled.
She attacked with blood spears.
But Kafka was already moving.
His body slipped into close range.
Too close for a sword.
MUAY THAI + BLOOD MAGIC
HELL KNEE CRUSHER
Kafka grabbed her head.
Then,
KNEE STRIKE
His knee rose like a crimson meteor.
CRACK
Elara's nose shattered.
Demon blood sprayed.
Her mind filled with questions.
Is this really Kafka?
I know he and Arga trained together in that world…
But Kafka always lost…
Since when was he this skilled?
But Kafka wasn't finished.
His elbow spun.
BLOOD ELBOW – METEOR BREAK
The strike fell like the hammer of a war god.
BOOM
Elara was blasted away again.
Her thoughts were chaotic.
Oh…
So he was holding back against Arga all along.
The ground cracked.
The air trembled.
Kafka attacked again.
His movements combined swordplay and martial arts.
Slashes.
Spins.
Kicks.
Elara was driven back.
Every wound she received refused to heal.
For the first time,
the Vaelorian witch felt something she had nearly forgotten.
Fear.
I'm afraid?
"DIE YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Elara screaming.
Elara tried to counterattack.
Her blood sword slashed forward.
But Kafka caught her wrist.
His body turned smoothly.
AIKIDO
The movement wasn't violent.
Not brutal.
It was like wind moving clouds across the sky.
Yet in a single motion,
Elara's body was lifted four meters into the air as if gravity had forgotten her.
Kafka's body began to move like a dancer.
His steps were light.
Spinning.
This was no longer ordinary martial arts.
This was Capoeira, a fighting style disguised as dance.
CAPOEIRA + BLOOD MAGIC
DANCING REAPER KICK
Kafka spun.
His body nearly horizontal to the ground.
CRIMSON MEIA LUA DE COMPASSO
His leg swept through the air like a crescent blade.
WHOOOSH! BOOM!
The kick slammed into Elara.
Her body was sent flying far away.
Kafka stepped forward.
Both of his hands rose like a boxer's guard.
Blood flowed around his fists.
BOXING + BLOOD MAGIC
CRIMSON HURRICANE COMBO
JAB
His left fist smashed into Elara's face.
CROSS
The right followed like lightning.
HOOK
A brutal arc slammed into her jaw.
Elara raised her arms trying to block.
CRIMSON UPPERCUT
A powerful strike surged upward from below.
The blood coating his fist erupted like a geyser.
Elara's body lifted from the ground.
Each punch left a trail of blood behind it like the tail of a comet.
Like a crimson storm striking a single point.
Before Elara could even react,
two blood daggers appeared in Kafka's hands.
"I'm ending this."
Kafka's gaze was empty.
KALI ARNIS + KENDO + CRIMSON BLOOD MAGIC
ULTIMATE CRIMSON SLASH
CRAT! CRAT! SKHRRK! SRAK!
Kafka spun with his blades.
Every strike moved like a dragon dancing before delivering the killing blow.
"ARRRGHH!" Elara screamed in pains.
The other students watched in terror.
None of them could stand anymore.
Their injuries were too severe.
And none of them had the courage to interfere.
At last,
Elara collapsed to her knees.
Her breathing ragged.
Her body was covered in wounds.
Her regeneration was failing.
She looked up at Kafka.
Fear flickered in her eyes.
But suddenly,
she smiled.
Tears appeared on her face.
"Kafka…"
Her voice trembled.
"Kafka… you still love me, don't you?"
Kafka stepped forward with cold eyes.
"Don't talk nonsense."
He was about to finish her.
The pain in his chest was impossible to understand.
Was it from the stab wound?
Or the betrayal?
He didn't even know.
Elara's eyes froze.
Tears streamed down her face like crystal droplets.
"I… I was forced…"
She crawled toward him.
"If you want… we can run away from here…"
"Kafka… please…"
Her hand almost touched his foot.
She was already preparing Blood Magic.
But Kafka didn't move.
He simply stared at her.
For a long time.
Kafka raised his sword for the final strike.
But,
his body swayed.
Blood began pouring from his old wounds.
The previous fight.
The battle with Arga.
Elara's stab wound.
Kafka still didn't know how to use regeneration.
His body had passed its limit.
His sword slipped from his hand.
Kafka fell to his knees.
Then collapsed.
Elara slowly stood up, clenching her teeth.
Then she laughed.
Laughed loudly.
Like a demon crawling out of hell.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
She kicked Kafka's body.
"So this is all you've got?! Damn it, you were holding back all this time?! You almost killed me, you bastard son of a bitch!"
She stomped on Kafka's unconscious head.
"Stay away from him, you traitor!"
With the last of her strength, Nadia stood up and pulled her bow.
ARROW OF THE FOREST
Unfortunately,
the arrow missed.
"A traitor?"
Elara vanished.
Then appeared directly in front of Nadia.
BAM!
She punched Nadia and sent her flying.
"I was assigned this mission long ago. Watch that filthy mouth bitch, you lowly insect."
She spoke as if talking to herself.
"Even back in the previous world, I spent years searching for the two of them."
She clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"Too bad I couldn't use my energy there. My lord's power had not yet reached that world."
She looked at the other students lying on the ground.
"And you…"
"You still think I'm a traitor?"
"This has always been my mission, you inferior creatures."
Rina gritted her teeth.
Tears streamed down Nadia's face.
Ilham tried to stand.
But their bodies were already broken.
Elara raised her sword.
"Alright."
"It's time to end this."
Just as the blade was about to fall,
Light appeared.
From their pockets.
The card given by Mr. Rahmat.
The card began to glow.
A protective barrier appeared.
Then,
a gentle voice echoed.
Like a sound coming from far away.
"Calm down…"
The voice was warm.
Peaceful.
The voice of a teacher who always comforted his students.
Mr. Rahmat.
"Kids… you've fought far enough."
Tears streamed down Rina's face.
"Mr… Rahmat…?"
The light grew brighter.
A teleportation circle opened.
Elara's eyes widened.
"WHAT?!"
In an instant—
FLASH
All the students disappeared.
"ARRRGHHH YOU FUCKING BASTARDS!"
Elara screamed in rage.
***
Cathedral - A few minutes earlier.
Arga was being treated for his injuries.
Meanwhile Adam led the guards chasing Kafka and the others into the forest.
Magnus spat on Mr. Rahmat's body.
"Pathetic nuisance. Did you think we didn't know about your plan? How dare you investigate my archives."
He turned away.
"Fools."
Then he gestured.
"Throw the corpse away."
Gilbert, Antonio, and Azuna stepped forward.
But suddenly—
Mr. Rahmat's hand moved.
CLICK
He locked Magnus's neck from behind.
Everyone froze.
Magnus's eyes widened.
"You think I was dead?"
Mr. Rahmat laughed softly.
"Hahaha…"
"You're the fools."
He whispered into Magnus's ear.
"I prepared a gift."
***
Back in the forest,
Elara stood alone.
Her face twisted with fury.
She pulled a card from her pocket.
The same card.
She smiled coldly.
"Rahmat… you fool. You gave everyone these cards."
"With this, I can chase them."
She poured mana into the card.
"Thanks for the teleportation tool."
Light began to appear.
"Now all I need to do is—"
"What?!"
Suddenly—
a voice came from the card.
The same voice.
Mr. Rahmat.
"You are the fools."
Elara froze.
"I prepared a gift for you."
Her eyes widened.
Sparks burst from the card.
The card began to glow violently.
Before she could throw it away,
BOOOOOOOM!!!
An explosion engulfed the area.
At the cathedral, the same explosion erupted.
Fire and blood exploded like a miniature sun.
Half of Elara's body was destroyed.
Her flesh burned.
She fell to the ground.
Her regeneration slowly began to work.
But it would take time.
A long time.
She gritted her teeth.
Her eyes filled with hatred.
"DAMNED SON OF A BITCH…"
she whispered.
Far away,
the surviving students had already vanished into the darkness of the world.
And the real hunt…
had only just begun.
~To Be Continued ~