Asher leapt from his position, landing on top of a nearby tal container.
He stood facing Lucy and Nikolai's group with a blank expression, showing no sign that he could see any of them.
Lucy stepped forward, worry flickering in her eyes. "Can you hear ?"
Her voice was soft, careful not to startle him. She knew this wasn't the sa person she had once known.
A change had taken root in him, one she couldn't fully understand, and it gnawed at her.
"Can you hear ?" she asked again, hoping for even the slightest reaction from him.
No response. He remained perfectly still, almost statue-like.
"What happened to your friend? Don't tell he's gone berserk?" Nikolai chuckled, his excitent barely contained.
The sight of two demons in front of him lit a thrill in his eyes.
He wanted to capture them, to experint on them—but he knew that it was impossible. Not with Lucy around.
If Asher hadn't shown up when he did, their entire group would already be dead from her powerful attack.
"Shut up!" she snapped, her sword cracking as shards of blood burst toward Nikolai.
Just as her attack closed in, one of the largest bandaged figures stepped forward, crossing its arms to block the shrapnel.
The attack hit its mark, but it stayed unmoved, absorbing the full force without a hint of pain or damage. Its body was as hard as rock.
Nikolai was about to speak, a smug grin forming as he watched his creation hold up against a demon.
But then, the large figure started jerking, struggling to stand.
THUD!
It dropped to its knees as blood began leaking from its nose, eyes, and mouth, pouring out in thick streams, soaking into the bandages covering its body.
"RGGG" The figure gave a low, painful sound as it finally died from internal bleeding.
This was the true danger of Lucy's power: not its sheer penetration , but her ability to control the blood of others once her own mixed with theirs.
Once that was done, they would be at her fingertips. It was a terrifying power, the kind that was feared even in the Demon World.
Only beings with enough demonic energy could resist it. But even then, it would take soone close to her level to stand a sliver of a chance at surviving.
Unfortunately for the bandaged figures, their bodies had been created through scientific ans, devoid of the natural demonic energy that could offer resistance.
"Shit!" Nikolai cursed aloud. He snapped his head toward his remaining creations, urgency in his voice. "Retreat!"
In no ti, they turned and bolted in the opposite direction.
The fastest figure grabbed Nikolai, lifting him effortlessly, and sprinted away, carrying him to safety as the others followed close behind.
"You think you can escape?" Lucy's eyes locked onto their retreating figures. She raised her hand, and six blood swords materialized behind her.
SWOOOSH!
The blood swords shot forward, slicing through the air with a sharp, whooshing sound.
Nikolai cursed under his breath, realizing how dangerous her ability was.
"Block them!" he ordered the remaining two figures.
They stopped, their bodies shifted into defensive stances.. They raised their weapons high, the blades gleaming as they braced for impact, eyes locked on the oncoming attack.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
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They managed to hold off for a mont, deflecting a few of the blood swords with their weapons, but it wasn't enough.
One by one, their bodies erupted as blood exploded from within, and they collapsed to the ground, dead.
In that brief mont, however, Nikolai was able to escape.
The figure carrying him increased its speed, running away from the battle and creating distance between them.
Lucy hesitated. She wanted to pursue them, but her attention kept drifting back to Asher, who remained motionless.
'Forget it,' she shook hear head. His well being was more important to her.
She jumped onto his container, but he still didn't respond. He stood there like an empty husk, his gaze distant and hollow.
Her heart tightened with worry as she slowly closed the gap between them, stopping just in front of him.
"What happened to you?" she asked softly, her voice full of concern.
Without waiting for an answer, she gently reached up, her hands trembling slightly, and cupped his cheeks.
The mont her skin made contact with his, a sharp jolt ran through her.
Her eyes widened in shock as she felt it—an overwhelming surge of demonic energy.
It was consuming him from within, eating away at his body, spreading like a poison. It was a miracle he hadn't exploded by now.
"Where is all this energy coming from?" she wondered, her voice trembling as she grew more concerned.
Then, sothing else caught her attention—an odd scent. Her nose twitched, and she froze, the realization slowly creeping up on her.
It was his old blood.
When he died, all his blood had been taken by her and replaced with her own. Theoretically, there was no way he could regain it.
The reason wasn't just that his body couldn't produce it; it was more that her blood was more dominant.
But now, it was as if her royal bloodline had been overridden by his.
"Not good. If this keeps up, he'll explode from too much power," she thought, her worry deepening.
The power he possessed now was still far less than her own, but his heart and body weren't prepared to handle it. It was like trying to force a gallon of water into a one-liter bottle.
'What should I do?' she thought, panic rising in her chest.
Normally, she wouldn't be this agitated, but this was the man she had feelings for, which made her anxiety grow even more.
Fortunately, an idea ca to her—a solution that only she could pull off.
'If the blood is the problem, then I should just absorb it until he stabilizes,' she reasoned.
She acted imdiately. Runes began to glow across her hands, their symbols sharp and intricate, shifting with demonic energy.
With a steady breathing, she moved her right hand to her chest, her fingers lightly brushing the area over her heart.
'Slowly,' she muttered.
This was different from before. Back then, he was already dead, and she could take his blood without a second thought.
But now, any mistake could trigger sothing far worse—she could destroy him or, worse, unleash the full force of the energy inside him.
The weight of that danger pressed heavily on her, but she couldn't hesitate.
"You will not die on . You can't die on , alright? I own you!" she spat out, her voice tight with desperation, as her hand pressed harder against his chest.
As she focused, his blood began to flow from his mouth, slowly forming in mid-air.
To her amazent, it glowed with a faint red light, a clear sign of the power it contained.
But that was less of her priority. She controlled her breathing, focusing on checking his condition, her eyes scanning him carefully for any sign of change.
'His eyes...' she trailed off, watching as his right eye slowly returned to normal.
Lucy could also feel the power in his body stabilizing and sighed in relief, but the calm didn't last long.
BOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the warehouse, tearing it apart in seconds.
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