The heavy air struck the terrifying and ruined atmosphere. Ophelia stood on the rooftop of a Victorian mansion, the wind whipping her hair in all directions.
On the other side stood Valdimar, staring at her. It was impossible to know how he felt or if he was smiling — his face was nothing but strands of arteries. His beast panted like a dog when it gazed at flesh.
"It seems I will have to join the fight. It's becomi—"
Gehrman began to speak, but Ophelia raised her hand toward him and said in an extremely calm tone:
"These two fools are mine. Stay out of it."
Gehrman raised his hands up, smirking sarcastically:
"Very well, my queen. Everything is yours. I'll just watch and cheer you on."
Valdimar suddenly appeared beside her, swinging his sword at her neck. The beast appeared as well, attempting to stab her in the stomach with a blade made of dust.
With a terrifying motion, she swung her sword in a circular arc, creating a bloody whirlwind that pushed them both away.
"Oh, you've got some nice moves. Looks like this won't end easily," Valdimar spoke mockingly.
Ophelia revealed the third card and placed it into the four slots. A soldier descended from the sky like a silent meteor.
It was a tall knight with a white band over her eyes, her hair split between white and black. She wore a black armor emitting dark sparks and held a strange sword—its blade shattered, yet somehow still looked natural.
Gehrman watched from afar, astonished:
"Seems even her knight is as beautiful as she is."
A mad, yet beautiful smile spread across Ophelia's face as she spoke with excited tone:
"Now it's fair. My follower Malenia will have fun with your mutt."
Valdimar laughed, but his laugh shattered the moment Malenia appeared, grabbing the beast with the single open eye by the neck and slamming it down into the ruined castles with ferocious speed.
An explosive impact shook the ground. The beast clutched its sword and attempted to stab Malenia, but she blocked the attack with her hand, then unleashed a flurry of blows powerful enough to shake the earth.
The beast tried to defend itself, reacting with terrifying precision to her strikes. Meanwhile, Valdimar watched the battle — until Ophelia appeared behind him, whispering softly:
"What are you looking at?"
Valdimar swung his scythe, but she blocked it with her foot, then kicked it back at him forcefully and landed several strikes to his abdomen. But Valdimar grabbed her hand and broke it.
Ophelia suppressed the pain, though her eyes gave it away. She swung her sword to cut his head off, but he leaned back and kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying a great distance.
Valdimar appeared above her and drove the scythe into her stomach. She spat out a flood of blood, grabbed the scythe, trying to pull it out, but he planted his foot on her face and yanked it out violently.
A deep gash opened in her stomach, nearly exposing her intestines. Yet she didn't fall. Instead, she attacked again, slashing Valdimar's deformed face so hard it exploded with blood like a pond.
Ophelia had reached the peak of madness, feeling neither pain nor anything else, thanks to her rapid regeneration. She swung her sword across Valdimar's stomach, creating a deep cut.
She tried to drive the curved blade into his belly, but he struck her in the chest to push her away. Valdimar slammed his head against hers, releasing corrupted black blood, and spoke sharply:
"Your death won't be a merciful one."
Ophelia raised her hair, blood dripping over her face, and responded with a fierce tone:
"Same goes for you. I'll blow your body into tiny pieces."
Gehrman looked at his trembling hand, overcome with excitement. Yet he refused to break his promise and join the battle.
"One of the stupidest decisions I've made was sitting this one out. But it doesn't matter. I want to watch her fight. She reminds me of someone," Gehrman spoke with a sharp and sorrowful tone.
Elsewhere, the knight Malenia was crushing the single-eyed beast with terrifying force. They fought amidst black clouds, lightning and rain striking them from every side.
Malenia grabbed the beast's head, threw her sword into the air, and unleashed a barrage of strikes onto its head, causing its eye to bleed profusely. The beast screamed in rage as the sword fell, striking its skull directly.
She pulled the sword from his head and stepped back slightly. The beast shoved its hand into the wound atop its head and began laughing maniacally, then lunged at Malenia, stabbing her in the stomach. She grabbed his sword, but he quickly pulled it out and slapped her across the face.
The beast shrieked behind Malenia like a lunatic and stabbed her in the same spot again. She was infuriated by his filthy fighting style.
He vanished again and appeared in front of her, aiming to stab her in the same place. But she grabbed his head, her rage tearing her apart. He slashed her arm off, yet her severed hand never let go of his neck.
He flew upward toward the gothic castles, but Malenia appeared before him, grabbing his head and punching it so hard his eye burst from the bleeding and screaming.
The beast flailed his sword wildly, landing brutal wounds on her, but she grabbed his arm and snapped it.
He flew off to the left like a mad creature. Malenia appeared again, grabbed his wing, and broke it. The beast screamed in agony.
She seized his eye and slowly plucked it out. He screamed like a lunatic, thrashing wildly. They both soared into the depths of the clouds as blood rained with the storm.
Meanwhile, the other battle was terrifying — even the sky rumbled with the force of their blows. Ophelia blocked Valdimar's scythe with monstrous methods, grabbing it with her hands or even blocking with her foot.
Valdimar wrapped the scythe around her neck, trying to decapitate her. But she placed her sword vertically to stop him. Then, with a brutal move, she stabbed his stomach and pushed her arm through his back, pulling out part of his intestines.
She kicked him hard in the face, sending him crashing into chains anchored to the sky. A siren-like sound echoed from the force of the blow.
Then, in an unexpected move, Valdimar threw his scythe and severed Ophelia's arm. The scythe returned to him. She was shocked by this strange move, but before her arm hit the ground, she caught it and reattached it to speed up its healing.
Valdimar wasn't done. He appeared behind her and struck her back hard, sending her crashing into the ruins of the gothic castles.
"Oh man, when is this fight going to end? Looks like Ophelia's enjoying it too much to finish it," Gehrman muttered, a bit bored by the prolonged battle.
"Looks like your strength is beginning to falter," Valdimar laughed, addressing Ophelia.
Ophelia emerged from the rubble and sliced off his arm. Valdimar watched it soar through the air like a leaf falling from a tree.
With one swing of her sword, she slashed deeply across the top of Valdimar's body, causing a massive gush of blood and devastating his digestive system.
Ophelia grabbed his neck, wiping the blood off her face. As she did, the clouds exploded, revealing Malenia descending — holding the beast's head in her right hand, and its eye in the other.
Valdemar was taken aback by the sight before him. On the other side, Ophelia stood with a calm smile.
"It seems your favorite hound has been slain," she remarked.
Valdemar trembled with rage. He seized Ophelia's hand, momentarily paralyzing her. She managed to free herself, and Valdemar hurled his blood-soaked scythe toward her before swiftly retreating and vanishing.
Ophelia caught the scythe just before it could strike her neck. As she held it, it disintegrated into a cloud of blood-red dust that dispersed into the air.
Both Ophelia and her knight, Malenia, descended to the bridge where Gehrman awaited.
Gehrman clapped as he approached Ophelia. Malenia placed the beast's head on the ground, handed her sword to her commander, and then vanished.
"That was an excellent battle," Gehrman said with a teasing tone and a smile. "Though there were moments of tedium, shattering that man's pride was the highlight."
Ophelia smiled and responded softly,
"I could have ended the fight at several points, but he was a formidable opponent. It's rare to find such worthy adversaries."
Gehrman gazed at the bridge, which seemed to ascend into the sky but actually stretched forward. He spoke with a peculiar tone, as if sensing something imminent.
"Even though the battle has concluded, something feels amiss. It's as if something monumental is about to occur."
His eyes flickered to gold before returning to their natural color. Ophelia looked up at the sky, sharing the same sensation.
"Yes, it feels like a terrifying earthquake is imminent, but not one of human origin."
As they spoke, a powerful tremor made standing difficult. Suddenly, a colossal black mountain appeared at the end of the bridge, struck by lightning from all directions despite the absence of clouds. Blood poured profusely from its summit.
Gehrman stared at the black mountain in astonishment.
"What's happening? How did this come to be?"
As they watched the mountain, a catastrophic event unfolded. The sky split in two, and a beam of light descended to the earth like a needle piercing the land.
Through the massive rift in the sky, a gigantic, blood-soaked hand appeared, raining blood onto the bridge.
Both were stunned, unable to articulate what they saw. Shock was the only evident reaction on their faces.
Ophelia murmured to herself as she gazed at the awe-inspiring scene:
"It seems the first phase of the Crimson Moon's emergence has begun."
The monstrous hand of Lovecraft seized the moon with intense fury, pulling it into the void without destroying it. Subsequently, the Crimson Moon appeared in the sky from the forbidden side.
Lovecraft's hand looked toward the Crimson Moon, then at the black mountain. It placed its finger on the black mountain and struck the ancient shadow of the earth.
Then, it vanished like a dark shadow in a strange and terrifying manner. The sky opened up, revealing blood-red galaxies swimming in the heavens, with the other part of the sky colored like blood.
"What madness is this? I've witnessed such events before, but never like this," Ophelia said anxiously, placing her index finger and thumb on her chin.
Gehrman fell to his knees, clutching his head and screaming in agony.
"Aaaaaaah!"
His screams were so terrifying that blood began to trickle from his mouth. Ophelia looked at him in surprise, placing her hand on his back and shouting with concern:
"Gehrman! Tell me what's wrong! What's happening to you?"
He continued screaming for ten seconds before collapsing to the ground. Ophelia called out to him, but it was in vain; he had lost consciousness.
His golden eyes stared at the Crimson Moon as he heard the cry of an infant, then his eyes closed.
Gehrman opened his eyes to find himself lying on a Gothic-designed floor, yet he could see beneath it—columns and white clouds.
He stood up, shocked, and began to look around. He found himself in a room filled with columns stretching infinitely upward. The atmosphere was gloomy and dark, with only a single, dim light illuminating Gehrman.
"Where am I? What is this place with such a strange design?" Gehrman spoke softly as he looked around.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the black shadows, moving in a wheelchair. The chair's upholstery was made from the hide of a wolf slain long ago, and its wheels were crafted from blood.
The mysterious figure spoke in a weary, aged voice:
"Why do you seem so frightened, Gehrman? You are now in a place far removed from the great ones."