The castle's underground was like an ancient abyss. The walls were covered in petrified roots, and a grayish mist crawled across the floor like a veil of lost souls.
In the center, before a colossal gate carved from bones and corroded metal, stood Cletus — his smile distorted by the flickering light of the torches.
He flipped through the same ancient book, its yellowed pages pulsing faintly as if they were breathing.
His voice came out hoarse and fevered:
"People once screamed in fear of this castle… the Twilight Eye… a foundation built on fear. Fear…"
A low laugh crawled up his throat — cold and animalistic.
Behind him, Nyra stood motionless, the Kaburami resting against the floor, her gaze fixed on the demonic inscriptions shimmering across the gate.
Cletus lifted his head, half his smile swallowed by the shadows.
"Yes… fear," he repeated, almost reverently.
Then he slowly turned toward her.
"Can't you feel it?"
The ground shuddered. A deep, guttural rumble echoed below.
The gate began to tremble, its hinges moaning like ancient beasts in agony.
Runes ignited in red and green light as Cletus spoke louder — each word a profane chant:
"The rage and agony of the forsaken… those whose evil desires were sealed away… all because Ulisses slammed shut the gates of the demonic world!"
With a roar of iron and air, the gate opened, revealing a living, breathing darkness.
Nyra stepped forward without hesitation.
Cletus lingered for a moment, watching the void twist like living smoke.
"What's wrong?" she asked, not turning back.
"Nothing," he replied with a cold smile.
He closed the book and followed her, the fog coiling around their feet as they descended into the abyss.
Meanwhile, Lucy was fighting inside the pulsating, fleshy belly of the giant serpent.
The interior was a living prison — walls of muscle that moved and contracted, dripping acid and birthing grotesque, slimy creatures with gaping maws.
Lucy gripped the Dracallion tightly, bile and blood running down her shoulders.
"Ugh… too disgusting, even for me," she muttered, dodging a massive tongue that tried to wrap around her.
She drove the blade into one of the slimy beasts, tearing open the living floor and unleashing a torrent of thick purple and white fluid.
With her free hand, she summoned Gnu and Fritz, the twin elemental blades — one glowing violet, the other white.
"Time for an acid bath, bastards!"
The twin blades sliced through the air, releasing a dual wave of energy — lightning and wind — that ripped through the serpent's insides, carving a massive gash.
The snake screamed, shaking violently as its body plummeted toward the castle.
On one of the castle's balconies, a mysterious blonde woman walked silently.
Her boots struck the wet stone in rhythm. In her hand — a loaded Uzi, ready to fire.
The night sky blended with the ancient dust that floated in the air.
Suddenly, the ground trembled violently.
The walls echoed with laughter.
The quake was so strong that Nyra and Cletus, deep below, felt the shock — stones fell from the ceiling, and the air itself seemed to split in two.
The blonde woman didn't flinch. When the tremor faded, a cloud of dust and blood rose before her.
From within the haze, the colossal body of the serpent lay lifeless — its eye rolled upward.
She approached, gun raised, aiming straight at the massive eye that twitched faintly.
A wet, horrifying sound echoed…
The eye opened.
And Lucy emerged — drenched in blood, panting heavily, the Dracallion still glowing red.
The blonde's gaze hardened.
Lucy cracked her neck and turned toward a nearby entrance, where a rusted sign read:
"Welcome."
She smirked.
"So this is the next stage, huh…"
She walked past the woman without looking back.
"Wait!" the blonde called, raising her weapon.
Lucy stopped, but didn't turn.
"If you're gonna ask me out, forget it. I don't date people who shoot me in the head."
The blonde arched an eyebrow.
"A date with a vampire? I'm not that desperate." She gave a cold half-smile.
"Besides, I don't really like women who reek of blood."
Lucy looked down at herself, covered in dried gore.
"Yeah, fair point," she muttered, sniffing her shoulder and wincing at the stench of serpent blood.
Suddenly, a Wendigo lunged beside the blonde, roaring.
Lucy fired without even looking.
"Still more charming than that thing."
The blonde spun and shot another Wendigo that appeared behind Lucy.
The two stood back to back, moving in sync as their guns spat fire and smoke.
"Okay, sugar, what's your name?" Lucy shouted between shots.
"I don't have a name."
"Oh, sure, every mysterious girl says that. So… what do I call you?"
"Whatever you want."
Lucy grinned, blood dripping from her fangs.
"Alright then… Tory it is."
With a swift leap backward, she flipped through the air and aimed toward the castle gate.
"The show's all yours, blondie. I've got an afterparty to crash."
She blew a kiss in the air before vanishing into the darkness.
The blonde — now Tory — just gave her a cold, focused look and kept firing both Uzis with deadly precision, the echo of bullets rolling through the castle halls.
Lucy landed at the entrance and disappeared into the shadows — the next stage of the night awaiting her.