Sacrifice

Eira unleashed her sword‑fighting skills against the demoness, yet Vespera was anything but an easy opponent. Trained for years, Vespera could not be defeated so quickly. At last, Eira dodged an incoming strike and found an opening. She invoked her ability, "Shadow Cut." Her speed increased dramatically, and Vespera—caught off guard by the sudden assault—couldn't evade the blow. Eira's blade slashed across Vespera's abdomen, cleaving her in two and sending the upper half of the demoness crashing to the ground.

Meanwhile, Nimora continued to heal herself; the wound was gradually closing, though not completely. Each breath came harder than the last, her energy nearly spent.

"Nim, stop pushing yourself. You don't have to—besides, I've already taken the woman down," Eira said.

Nimora stared past Eira and replied, "No, you haven't."

Eira froze. She was certain she had just split Vespera in half.

"Nice work, Eira," a voice said behind her.

She turned and saw a woman standing beside Vespera's severed body.

Aethonia, known as ProjectUndead Arcane  Cypher," is the result of a forbidden experiment that fuses advanced robotics with the dark art of necromancy, creating a rare and extremely dangerous hybrid. Her long hair fades from violet to blue, cascading beneath a pair of curved crimson horns, while her golden eyes burn like eternal embers. Her left arm is entirely replaced by a neon‑blue bionic frame etched with ancient runes, perfectly matched by a cybernetic right leg lined with glowing circuits and arcane symbols.

She wore a form‑fitting metallic‑violet bodysuit, its chest plate etched with cursed sigils, a power‑core belt at her waist, and a blood‑red gauntlet on her right hand. In one hand she gripped a gleaming violet plasma staff that crackled with arcane lightning; in the other she commanded a whirl of bluish magic—a fusion of advanced tech and death sorcery. Magenta vapors coiled from her boots, tracing runic circles that proclaimed her a forbidden creation, a living weapon born of mad scientists' ambition.

Raising her right hand toward Vespera's body, she released a surge of blue energy. A thick azure mist enveloped the corpse, and within seconds Vespera stood whole again, her wounds completely gone.

"Thank you, Sis," Vespera said.

"I told you not to fight her alone," Aethonia replied, then turned to Eira. "Hello, traitor."

Eira glared back, equal parts angry and afraid; she knew the terrifying prowess of Project  Arcane  Cypher, capable of resurrecting the dead and merging sorcery with the technology embedded in her body. The project was supposed to have been terminated as a failure, yet someone had completed it—and awakened Aethonia.

"What's wrong? Surprised to see me awake? I was meant to be a failure, wasn't I?" Aethonia taunted.

"Who brought you back?" Eira demanded.

"You think I'd tell you? Hardly. Even if you knew, you couldn't kill them," Aethonia sneered.

"If persuasion won't work, I'll beat the answer out of you," Eira said, eyes locked on her target.

The sword in Eira's hand dissipated into smoke; in its place she summoned a massive scythe. Her skin turned deathly pale, and her pupils faded to pure white—she had entered Undead  Fury.

Nimora sensed a thick, ominous energy surrounding her—it was undoubtedly coming from Eira. Eira's once fair skin had turned pale, her pupils now completely white, and the tips of her hair had faded to a stark white as well.

A massive scythe materialized in her hands. Eira was now fully prepared to face both demons at once.

"Nimora, I suggest you step back," Eira said without looking at her.

"No, let me help you. I managed to heal myself thanks to you—because you bought me time," Nimora replied.

"Then don't let my sacrifice be in vain. If I lose control, I won't be able to protect anyone. I might even kill you," Eira warned.

Nimora froze. There was something different about Eira now. The dark energy radiating from her was growing heavier, pressing down on her. Reluctantly, she stepped back—but she didn't abandon her.

In the blink of an eye, Vespera appeared right in front of Eira, aiming to slice her in half with her dual plasma blades.

"Got you!" Vespera shouted.

Eira smirked faintly.

"Scythe of Shadows," she whispered.

Vespera's strike cleaved through Eira's neck—only for her target to dissolve into black mist.

"You really thought I'd just stand there and take your pathetic little attack?" Eira mocked.

Vespera's face twisted in rage. Her plasma blades glowed even brighter as she prepared to finish Eira off.

The battle between Eira and Vespera erupted in a storm of violent energy. Vespera, wielding both plasma swords, launched a flurry of rapid attacks. Eira, armed with her scythe, effortlessly evaded them and retaliated with devastating blows of her own.

Caught off guard by Eira's strength, Vespera staggered back, narrowly avoiding the deadly blade. But Eira gave her no room to recover, relentlessly pressing her assault. Though Vespera fought back, Eira's overwhelming speed and power in her Scythe of Shadows mode were too much.

The clash intensified, a chaotic blur of strikes and dodges—but Eira gradually began to dominate. Vespera grew exhausted, her movements slower, unable to keep up.

Then, with a final, powerful swing, Eira struck. Vespera tried to dodge, but Eira was too fast—her scythe landed with force, sending Vespera crashing to the ground, gravely wounded.

Suddenly, Aethonia appeared at the battlefield and attacked Eira from behind. Taken by surprise, Eira tried to dodge, but it was too late—Aethonia's strike landed, knocking Eira off balance.

Vespera, still badly hurt, saw her opening. With all her remaining strength, she lunged at Eira, slashing with her plasma swords. Eira fought back, but the two demons worked in tandem, overwhelming her.

The battle ended with the demons' victory. Eira was left badly wounded, unable to continue. Vespera and Aethonia stood tall—an unbeatable force fueled by their power and unity.

Seeing Eira lying helpless on the ground, Nimora rushed to her side and immediately cast Divine Blessing, a healing incantation capable of rapidly restoring wounds.

But before long, Eira pushed her hand away, stopping the spell.

"Save your energy," Eira said, struggling to rise, her voice strained.

"Eira, stop! You've got nothing left. You don't have to push yourself for me."

"Who said I'm doing this for you?" Eira answered. "I'm doing this for your sister—and because I made a promise to Dr. Thrain."