Magnus's eyes scanned the underground chapel, darting left and right as he floated in the air. He searched frantically for any sign of Austra, but found nothing.
Did she escape and make her way to the surface somehow? No... the BGM Glitch is still playing her music. She's here—I just can't see her.
Then, he heard her voice. It echoed, reverberating through the space, as if it came from everywhere at once, making it impossible to pinpoint its source.
"I noticed it earlier, but your body truly is something else, isn't it? I realized the moment I tasted your blood for the first time. That gash I gave you across your stomach should've been enough to gut you, to spill your insides across the stone. Yet, there was resistance. And your appearance... You don't even breathe. At first, I wondered if maybe you weren't a mage at all... but now I see it's just another one of your abnormalities." Austra's voice lingered, her words filling the space as Magnus's eyes moved more slowly now, desperately looking for any sign of movement.
Within the barrier he created, the family, who had been watching the battle in silence, held each other tighter. Even they could hear Austra's voice, as if she were right next to them.
Magnus, however, smiled faintly, staring at the empty chapel.
"If you like my blood that much, you should come try and take it again. But this time, I think I'll take your head instead of your arms."
Austra's smooth laugh echoed deep inside his skull in response.
"Oh, really? Then by all means... take it." Her words rang out just as Magnus saw her to his left. She wasn't attacking, just standing there, a smile on her face, hands behind her back.
Rokshaata acted without hesitation, breaking through the veil and teleporting right in front of her, closing the distance at a speed that was nearly impossible to follow.
Got her!
Or so he thought. To his surprise, Rokshaata passed straight through her. What he had thought was Austra shimmered, like a mirage, before fading entirely as Rokshaata looped back toward Magnus.
"Illusions?" Magnus muttered to himself, realizing what was happening. He floated back down to the ground, his mind working fast.
"I wouldn't be so quick to label things if I were you," Austra replied, her voice now much closer. Magnus blinked, and there she was again, standing only a meter away. This time, he didn't attack. He simply stared, looking for a flaw, any inconsistency that would reveal her as an illusion.
But there was nothing.
She looked entirely real. Her eyes shifted, her lips curling into that vile, mocking smirk—an expression of malice hidden beneath layers of false emotion.
"Don't bother trying to figure out what's real and what's not. In my current state, any sensory spell that depends on mana fields to detect subtle changes won't pick up a thing. Probing spells won't work either. Actually... no sensory magic tied directly to your senses can be trusted right now." Austra's voice faded, and with it, the form standing before Magnus disappeared. Just like that, her presence was gone—but only for a moment.
Suddenly, Magnus froze as he felt something—a breath against the back of his neck. He spun around, but there was nothing there.
Then, he felt it again.
This time, not a breath, but hands. He didn't pull away immediately, sensing the hands sliding up his back, arms curling around his neck. Turning his head slightly, he saw Austra. She'd wrapped her arms around his shoulders, clinging to his back. He hadn't noticed when she got there, but he could feel it—her skin, the weight of her body, every bit of it.
This one, this one has to be-
"I have to be the real one, don't I? You can feel me after all. That's what you're thinking," Austra interrupted his thoughts, but she finished them anyway. Her chuckle came next, sharp and amused, fangs flashing through the space between her lips.
"Like I said, don't be so quick to label what you don't understand, boy. You seem to know a lot about us, probably from studying many of those you've captured. But I doubt you know that every Hierarch has a title and a specialty. I, Austra, am the Hierarch of the Sensory Domain. Unlike the Nightborn, who mostly affect the living's functions, I'm not limited like that. Whether it's vibrations through the air, how light bends and is perceived, the slightest pressure against your skin, or a faint scent in the air—I can manipulate all of it." Magnus said nothing, but his mind raced. She could control a person's senses, or at least create them to some degree?
If that was true, it explained a lot, like when she fought him and Grial. She used that technique that instantly turned everything silent and dark. Back then, neither Magnus nor Grial could see, feel, or hear anything.
She's like the mana beast Seraline and I ran into after leaving Arlcliff City.
They weren't exactly the same, of course. That mana beast had caused plenty of confusion, but it couldn't hide its physical form with illusions, only warp what they saw. Austra, on the other hand, wasn't using magic—she was directly interfering with the aspects of the world that living creatures used to sense things. That made her power far more dangerous.
It was impossible to tell what was real.
"It seems you finally understand your situation," Austra murmured in his ear, still wrapped around him, before pulling away. Like a ghost or a wisp of fog, her touch and the weight he could swear he'd felt vanished.
"Now I believe it's time for you to die." Her voice faded into silence as all sound disappeared.
Other sensations, even his sight, dulled a moment later.
"I wouldn't be so sure," Magnus whispered, raising two fingers and focusing. Utter silence surrounded him, broken only by the faint sound of her music—the BGM Glitch, untouched by her silence. The melody was like something from a ballroom, but with a dark, eerie undertone. The longer you listened, the more off notes you heard, making you even more uneasy. No vocals—just classical instruments weaving the haunting tune.
Except when she attacked.
At that moment, Magnus heard it—his narrowed focus and [Combat Assistant] instantly locking onto the harmonized choir of voices signaling an attack from his right. Mana surged, shaping into a sharp, high-pressure stream of water as he swung his arm in that direction. The water cut clean through the stone floor and walls of the underground chapel, slicing through empty air as Magnus finished the swing.
A moment later, Austra's figure appeared, her face frozen in shock and disbelief. She'd been bisected—the upper half of her body flying through the air while her lower half collapsed to the ground.
"How... how did you detect me?" She muttered, confusion thick in her voice. How could he possibly know where to attack when every one of his senses was being manipulated by her?
Magnus didn't waste time. He sent Rokshaata after her upper body, while a mana construct wrapped around her lower half. Austra reacted fast—her head self-destructing to avoid Rokshaata's direct strike, and the rest of her body vanished, hidden behind another illusion. But Magnus still held onto her lower half. Crushing it down into a sphere small enough to visualize, he activated [Deletion], erasing yet another piece of her true form.
"You..." Austra's voice echoed through the chapel, mixing confusion with anger.
"What? You called me abnormal. So why are you surprised when something abnormal happens?" Magnus teased, but inside, his focus stayed sharp and steady.
No answer came.
Only growing unease, silence, and stillness—until the attack came. But it wasn't just one. The choir of Austra's music swelled, and countless attacks surged toward him, born from the darkness of her true form. Blades sliced through the air, phasing and overlapping. Bullets rained down like droplets of rain. Darkness coated the ground as spires erupted. Whips bent and snapped like snakes, lashing at him from every direction.
[Combat Assistant] quickly identified some attacks as illusions—false strikes meant to hide the real ones layered between reality and fantasy.
Magnus exploded forward at top speed, combining [Self Body Puppetry] with his flight ability. He launched multiple visualizations at once against the endless barrage of vampiric strikes. Rokshaata flickered in and out of existence, teleporting around Magnus as a mobile shield to block attacks. Still, even Rokshaata couldn't be everywhere at once, so for the remaining strikes hidden among the fakes, Magnus relied on his own movement and mana barriers.
He darted across the underground chamber, rushing from side to side, leaping with enough force to crack the stone beneath him, then doing it again mid-air.
Not every attack needed to be dodged—Magnus's sublimated body made him immune to typical vampiric strikes.
Mana condensed and dispersed dozens of times each second, flickering like lights, as reinforced structures formed and shattered. Magnus could tell Austra was using Blackout to cancel his magic, forcing him to speed up casting and create faster, only for her to dispel it again.
Still, Magnus didn't stay purely on the defensive. Mana spheres that could home in on targets and duplicate themselves on the fly, condensed balls of flame that acted as triggered explosives the moment they detected enemies, high-pressure water beams that bounced sharply off obstacles to strike their mark, spears of earth shooting from every surface and exploding into rocky shrapnel with secondary blasts on impact, and electricity crackling through the air in dazzling arcs all struck at the areas the BGM Glitch signaled as the source of true attacks.
Not every real strike came directly from Austra's body—vampires could launch long-range attacks independently—but the music gave him an approximate idea of where to focus.
Inside their protective bubble, the family of three watched in terror as the elements and magic collided with shadows and darkness that twisted and shifted.
Sometimes, an attack flew toward them, but as Magnus had said, the barrier held. It trembled and rippled under the force of magical strikes and volatile vampiric blows, but never broke. Still, the very stone beneath them shook as if fragile glass, walls cracked from the constant explosions, and chunks of ceiling began to fall.
The daughter trembled.
"I'm scared…" The little girl whispered, clutching her mother tightly.
The mother, barely holding herself together, lifted her daughter higher and said, "Don't worry, dear. We're safe in here…"
There wasn't full confidence in her voice, but there was nothing else to hold on to. Her eyes shifted to her husband, who was just as anxious, gripping his hands to stop them from trembling.
Finally, the mother asked, "Do- do you think he'll be able to beat it?"
She knew he probably didn't have an answer. What was happening outside the barrier was beyond anything mortal—they could only catch flickers of Magnus's figure.
Perhaps that's why the father simply said, "He has to…"
Meanwhile, in the chaos, Magnus's eyes darted in a dozen directions every second.
Landing on the ground heavily amidst the storm of attacks and his own magic, he saw Austra rushing in from his left, claws and hands reaching out. A musical alert signaled an attack from that direction—this had to be real, not an illusion. As spells and Rokshaata handled the swarm of vampiric attacks moving in from all sides, [Combat Assistant] readied to counter Austra's attempt to rip his throat out.
The moment she came within range, Magnus's right leg whipped up like a lash, striking at an unguarded spot. But his eyes widened, the next moment as his kick went straight through her, and she vanished.
She had been an illusion.
What!? But that's impossible! The BGM Glitch-
Then Magnus realized.
Trailing right behind the illusionary figure that he had thought was Austra was an Umbral Rend. It had been hidden within the illusion all along. The BGM Glitch only gave him the direction and timing of attacks ahead of time; it was up to Magnus and [Combat Assistant] to identify and react.
Austra using that trick meant she was starting to understand how Magnus detected her attacks, even if she didn't know about the BGM Glitch itself.
"Shit!" Magnus cursed, shooting up into the air—but he was a step too slow. As he rose, the Umbral Rend sliced through the thigh of his left leg. Normally, it shouldn't have been a problem—most of his body was modified, and only unaltered parts like his blood could be affected. But as the blade of darkness phased through, he felt it. His blood drained as if being devoured by something invisible, and through the magical artifice always attached to his chest, he sensed his body changing inside.
Biological functions in his left leg started shutting down. Cells began dying en masse.
Even with his high pain tolerance, Magnus screamed as his entire left leg began to wither. Instantly, [Perfective Regeneration] kicked in, fighting to heal the damage and stop the decay.
"No wonder my abilities didn't affect you—your body really is unique!" Austra said, having finished analyzing Magnus's body and adjusting her attacks to work against him. She suddenly appeared above him, leaping off the ceiling and rushing down like an eagle swooping on its prey.
Magnus quickly visualized a wall of earth over his head, over five inches thick—a floating roof of sorts.
Austra laughed wildly.
"You think that'll stop me?"
Without hesitation, both her hands slammed down on the earth shield with the force of a Master-level knight's strike. An ordinary wall of earth would have been pulverized into dust, but instead, Austra felt herself sink slightly into the stone.
That was the effect of K-Variant Rokshaata, which Magnus had teleported to strike the shield for just a moment. Rokshaata's ability to rubberize surfaces didn't simply make them resistant to strikes, but unbreachable. Unlike normal rubber that snaps when stretched too far, the surfaces rubberized by the Knockout Brick had endless elasticity, though the force needed to stretch them grew with every bit of pressure applied.
The result: a shield physically indestructible, even against Master-level brute strength.
Austra's downward momentum died out as the shield rebounded her strike, sending her flying back into the air. She twisted quickly, landing on the ceiling like a cat on all fours. The stone above cracked under her impact.
Her body also broke apart, but quickly regenerated moments later. She stood from her crouched position, now standing upside down on the ceiling. From Magnus's point of view, she vanished again, her ability interfering with his vision as she stared down at him with cold, unblinking eyes.
Every time I get close to him, he pulls out another trick to slip past me...
Austra raised her hand, focusing not on the form she showed others, but on the rumbling mass of energy beneath—the true source of her power.
I've already burned through more than half my reserves because of those strange abilities of his. I'm constantly pouring more energy into attacks, but the returns keep dropping faster and faster. I don't get how a human could have so much mana, or stamina for that matter. At this rate, I'll run out before I can wear him down.
She turned her gaze back to Magnus. The withered injury on his leg had already healed by some strange method. She'd been exploiting weaknesses in his sensory abilities, landing hits now and then—but never where it counted, like his heart or brain. What confused her most was that each time one of her attacks landed, it seemed like his body changed afterward, making her next strike less effective.
I can't keep this up. I'm sure I could win by keeping him constantly pressured, but I'll drain myself dry first. So, how do I finish this? Close quarters worked before—I'm faster than him. But once he started using that flying magic artifice, I was forced to slow down. And at this speed, he's too quick for me to land a killing blow without him pulling another trick.
She needed to break through.
But brute force wouldn't do it.
Then it hit her—Magnus's reaction when she crushed the head of one of those withered corpses. Despite his best efforts, the battle was so chaotic that those things got destroyed in the endless flurry of attacks from both sides.
Austra herself had practically forgotten about them. But now, his reaction made her eyes lock onto the layered shield protecting the three humans still inside.
Yes... If I can't break through physically, I'll target the flaw every human has.
Meanwhile, still on the ground, Magnus wrestled with a similar problem as he dodged and countered her endless attacks.
I've destroyed her body so many times, but I feel like I'm not making progress. Do Hierarchs have more energy than I thought? Whatever it is, she's getting more creative with traps, and more attacks are slipping past [Combat Assistant]. At this rate, she'll land a fatal hit I can't heal from. I have to finish this now.
He had a semi-rough plan in mind, but he still didn't know how to pull it off.
If I could just land a hit strong enough to completely destroy her physical form and reveal most of her true body, I could seal her away, and that would be the end of it. But none of my magic is powerful enough... especially since she can negate magic on contact.
As Magnus thought to himself, Basker spoke up as [Combat Assistant] made Magnus's body jump back, summoning ten barriers to block a barrage of shadowy pellets hurtling at him. Eight of the barriers were quickly nullified by Austra's constant use of Blackout, while the remaining two held strong.
[Master, if power is what we need, we can use [Velocity Breaker—Lance]. It would destroy her physical form without a doubt.]
Magnus frowned, weighing the idea.
Yeah, it'd destroy her—and probably a couple of city blocks around us too. Even after reaching the Adept-level, my mana shields wouldn't hold against that.
[Not if it's used at a fraction of its usual speed. Just enough power to break her, while minimizing collateral damage.]
Magnus hesitated, but after a moment realized that it might actually work. At the same time, the illusions and real attacks suddenly vanished around him without warning. In seconds, the underground chapel, torn apart countless times over the course of their fight, fell completely silent and still.
"Magnus, I believe it's time we end this, don't you?" Austra's voice cut through the quiet.
He didn't bother looking for her, knowing she was still hidden as he replied, "Funny, I was just thinking about how to do that."
"Then for once, we're of the same mind... Void Domain." The instant she spoke the name, a familiar void swept over everything. Magnus felt every mana formation, every spell he controlled, collapse and be forcibly shut down. Light disappeared. Then sound. Color faded until, from his point of view, absolute darkness swallowed everything. He couldn't feel anything—his body was numb, floating without sensation.
Even reinforced magic barely lasted a moment before being canceled.
This is the same move she used against me and Grial...
Despite the disorientation, Magnus didn't panic.
He could still hear the BGM music. Though he couldn't see, his mental map kept his sense of direction. His body was still moving and touching the world around him, but he just couldn't feel the sensation. Not to mention, he still had Rokshaata for defense; he just had to react properly.
As he ran through his options mentally, something caught his eye. He shouldn't have been able to see anything, but this time he did. It looked like eyes—not the usual black and yellow vampire eyes, but burning red, glowing even in this domain of darkness.
An illusion?
That was his first guess—until the red eyes, which had swayed just moments before, lunged at him. Magnus's [Combat Assistant] predicted the strike, and he dodged to the right at high speed using [Self Body Puppetry], the only way he could keep up.
He'd only caught a glimpse, but Magnus quickly realized that had to be Austra, in a different form—no doubt about it.
Since when could vampires transform like that? Do all Hierarchs have a secondary state?
Pointless questions.
Magnus clenched his fist and stood perfectly still. The red eyes vanished, plunging everything back into darkness. But she'd attack again for sure, and he needed to take the initiative.
Transformed or not, as long as I can land a single-
Magnus froze as a sudden, chilling feeling hit him—the barrier around the family had been broken.
Shit. She's going after them.
He shattered his stillness, rushing toward where the family had been, guided by his mental map. Then those red eyes appeared again, piercing the darkness like burning coals. Along with them came the blaring choir—the signal of an attack incoming.
Magnus didn't know if it was aimed at him or the family. It didn't matter. If he could take her down before she struck again, this would finally be over.
Pushing off his back foot, he charged even faster, his mind already shaping a weaker version of [Velocity Breaker—Lance].
Then, light.
A sudden, blinding light that cut through the Void Domain, revealing what had been hidden.
It only lasted a heartbeat, but it was enough.
There she was. Austra, exactly where the BGM Glitch had said the attack came from—but no monstrous form, no glowing red eyes. Just a smile. And that twisted smile twisted Magnus's face in horror. She had launched an attack—not a real strike, but a single sphere created by her true form, sent flying at him slowly. It was a fake—just a way to throw off his senses, to trick him about her real position.
Every part of him screamed to stop, to pull back, but his mind was scrambled.
It was too late.
The last thing Magnus saw were the faces of the family—wide-eyed and frozen in terror, and his own fist, already hurtling forward.
A memory unlocked inside him—a sealed vision gifted by the teacup that could glimpse the future.
And just like before, one thought burned in his mind:
Blood.