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The battle raged on for what felt like an eternity. High above the ruined town, streaks of energy and the thunder of clashing power painted the skies with chaos. Yet, below, life stubbornly pressed on. Citizens had begun organizing rescue efforts and clearing rubble, refusing to be paralyzed by fear any longer.
Still, under strict orders from the stationed knights and soldiers, the town was gradually evacuated. Only a few souls remained—adventurers who either refused to leave or felt their presence still served a purpose. Among them were Dracula and Detta.
As the sun dipped low in the west, the sky turned golden-orange, but the ferocity of the battle did not wane.
"They're strong," murmured a guard, breathless. He leaned on his pike, eyes wide with awe as he watched the spectacle above.
Boom… Sizzle… Crackle…
The sounds of explosive impact and surging magic rolled through the air like thunder.
"They're evenly matched," another guard added, equally transfixed. "At this rate, the fight might never end."
Dracula stood silently behind them, his cloak fluttering slightly in the breeze. Unlike the others, his mana-enhanced eyes revealed more than just a dazzling exchange of blows. He could see the minute details, the strain building in one of the fighters.
He exhaled slowly. No… They're not evenly matched. If this kept going, the woman would eventually lose.
Still, he had no intention of interfering unless someone posed a threat to him or the innocent. For now, he simply observed.
"Senior, I need to, um…" Detta's voice broke through his thoughts, her tone hesitant.
Dracula glanced at her, sensing a personal errand.
"Don't be long," he said.
"I'm not a little girl anymore," she replied with a huff, before slipping off down a side street still half-buried in debris.
He let her go, trusting her judgment—for now.
---
Above, Valerina roared with frustration as her dark mana surged once more. She hurled a barrage of conjured weapons at her towering enemy.
"Why doesn't it work on him?!" she shouted, her attacks crashing uselessly against her foe.
"Because he's a celestial," replied the Orb beside her, glowing faintly. "Made by the Goddess herself. His purpose is to guard her sanctum and counter us."
Sizzzz…
Electricity crackled as Ouranus advanced, the very air around him becoming volatile with energy. Valerina responded in kind, dark mana erupting from her like a wave and briefly pushing back the charged atmosphere.
"Huff… Give me more strength!" she demanded, her face glistening with sweat and fury.
"It won't make a difference," the Orb answered. "He was created to oppose beings like us, and I'm already weakened. Think, Valerina. Use your mind. You humans are good at that."
Growling, Valerina thrust her arms forward. Twenty ice shards, laced with violet energy, formed mid-air. She launched them all at once, then followed with a powerful gesture—summoning five massive, triangle-shaped projectiles pulsing with blue light.
"You can't defeat me," Ouranus said flatly, continuing forward.
"How about this?!" she shouted.
With a clenched fist, she shattered the giant projectiles into thousands of razor-sharp fragments.
"Go!" she commanded.
The shards flew like a storm of stars toward the celestial giant.
Whirrr… Whirrr…
From behind Ouranus, two golden discs—each the size of a serving plate—spun into view and circled around him like sentries.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The fragments struck the discs and disintegrated upon impact.
"You rely too much on that parasite's power," Ouranus said coldly. "You've forgotten your own strength. Humans were made to test demons—not to serve dark gods."
He extended a hand.
Zhooom!
Three more golden discs shot from his back like meteors.
Boom!
One hit Valerina square in the chest. Gold dust exploded outward.
"Aaagh!" she screamed.
"Watch out!!" the Orb yelled.
Crash! Boom!
The second and third discs struck her in rapid succession. The final hit sent her hurtling from the sky, trailing smoke and blood.
---
Dracula's eyes widened as he saw her plummet. She crashed into the very street where Detta had gone moments earlier.
"Let's check the impact site!" one of the guards called out.
A group of adventurers ran toward the crash zone, curious and excited.
But Dracula wasn't excited—he was afraid. Terrified. He sprinted faster than any of them, his mind gripped by a single horrifying thought.
"Detta!!" he roared.
Then he heard her voice.
"H-Help… me…"
He followed the sound to a place just outside the crater. There she was, half-buried beneath debris, bloodied and limp. Wooden splinters had torn into her flesh.
Gently, Dracula lifted her from the wreckage, holding her carefully in his arms. He ran toward the emergency tents where healers worked tirelessly on other injured townsfolk.
"Treat her. Now," he ordered.
Once he ensured she was in capable hands, he turned and returned to the crater. He searched, scanning for the woman who had been battling Ouranus. But she was gone.
Dracula narrowed his eyes. She hadn't flown back into the sky. No one else had seen her leave. She had to be nearby.
He channeled mana into his legs and leapt high into the air. Suspended midair, he scanned the area with razor focus.
Sizz… Crackle… Boom!!
A bolt of lightning surged toward him from a nearby rooftop. Dracula instinctively drew his sword and slashed, redirecting the energy back toward its source.
The bolt struck a glowing crack in the barrier surrounding the floating Sanctum Celestial Island.
A booming voice followed. "Are you the new challenger?"
Dracula's expression turned cold.
"I have no business with you," he replied.
"You wield great power," said Ouranus, rising into view. "But it is tainted by evil. My duty is to purge corruption near the Sanctum Celestial."
Dracula's eyes burned.
"I said, I DON'T HAVE BUSINESS WITH YOU!"
With a swift, powerful slash, he sent a diagonal energy wave flying—not at Ouranus, but toward the barrier. The wave pierced through the weakened field and struck the underside of the island.
BOOM. Boom. BOOM.
Explosions erupted along the impact site.
A second voice echoed down from the Island.
"It's strange to see you struggling against a mortal, Ouranus."
Sizzle… Crackle…
A new figure emerged from the island's shadowy underbelly.
At first, it appeared human. But as it stepped into the light, Dracula saw its true form—birdlike legs, majestic white-feathered wings crackling with electricity, and a hawk's head perched atop a humanoid body. In its hand, a whip of pure lightning hissed and sparked.
"He is formidable," said Ouranus. "But still corrupted. Test him, Kaija."
"I will follow my orders," the hawk-headed being replied, taking flight.
As Kaija approached, Dracula's gaze sharpened. Then, from the corner of his vision, he saw something odd: a faint, flickering blue light disappearing near the island's base—right where his sword strike had landed.
And with that, a new question took root in his mind: Was someone else hiding inside the Sanctum?
The battle wasn't over—it was only beginning.