Suddenly, each egg quivered.
With a sickening crack of bone and a gush of viscous fluid, they burst open one by one. The shrieks that followed were not screams of pain—but declarations of hunger.
From each egg emerged a hulking beast.
They were tall and twisted, vaguely humanoid, but only just. Each stood hunched, with bloated torsos and long, gorilla-like arms ending in blade-like claws as long as scythes. Their skin—where it wasn't torn open or peeling—was smooth and leech-like, glistening under the faint crimson glow of the Womb.
The first, wreathed in an aura of Blood, dripped constantly from its claws and teeth. Its flesh pulsed with veins that beat like hearts of their own, and every step it took left bloody prints that hissed against the stone.
The second was the embodiment of Corruption. Its body oozed with black pus and green ichor, each breath a foul vapor that twisted the air around it. Its presence alone made the Womb's walls writhe in discomfort.
The third moved like a shadow given form—no light clung to it, and its eyes were endless voids. It radiated Darkness Law so purely that even Asher felt the weight of its gaze linger against his soul like a brand.
The three beasts stood side by side, twitching with alien hunger. Then they raised their claws—impossibly long, ending in serrated, obsidian edges—and pointed them straight at Asher and Valeris.
And in perfect synchronization… they looked at Asher and Valeris with insatiable hunger burning in their eyes.
"They seem good enough," Asher said casually.
Valeris shot him a look. "Good enough? Those freaking things are oozing Law auras above 50%, and you call that good enough?"
"For me, they are," Asher replied with a shrug.
Before she could respond, he blurred forward. In the next instant, the two beasts—one wreathed in Corruption, the other cloaked in Darkness—were already reeling.
They never even saw his movement.
Asher appeared behind them, arms still crossed. But between his fingers now glowed two cores—one bleeding green, the other seeping black.
The beasts hadn't fallen yet.
A moment passed… and then their torsos burst open from the inside, collapsing into steaming heaps of ruined flesh.
"One each. I'll leave you the Blood one," Asher said over his shoulder as he crushed both cores in his palm.
Valeris stared at the last remaining monster, its bloodied claws twitching as it stepped forward, enraged.
She drew her weapon, eyes narrowing.
"Fine," she said. "Let's see if this one can make me break a sweat."
The Blood Beast exhaled in hissing gulps, steam curling from its elongated fangs. It was taller than any humanoid should be—its limbs sinewy and stretched, ending in crimson claws that pulsed like beating hearts. Its body shimmered with the dense aura of Blood Law, the very air around it thickening with predatory hunger.
Valeris stepped forward slowly, drawing her twin blades—Veinrender and Silvershade—the first glinting a soft maroon, the second a whisper of silver moonlight. The Blood Beast snarled.
The first clash rang like a cathedral bell struck by thunder. Claws and blades collided, sparks and blood mist bursting in every direction. The sheer force of the beast's blow sent veins bulging along the chamber walls. Valeris spun away with elegance, flipping backward mid-air as her twin swords carved twin arcs of silvery red behind her.
She landed and struck.
A web of blade-light burst from her swing, slicing across the chamber in a precision net. The Blood Beast twisted its elongated torso unnaturally, dodging most—but not all. Several gashes opened along its ribs, spilling dark, syrupy ichor onto the stone.
It retaliated with a sudden eruption of Bloodspike Roots—tendril-like spears bursting from the floor like carnivorous plants. Valeris moved like flowing wind, skating across the ground, pivoting off one heel to launch into the air just as three of the roots pierced where she'd stood.
She extended her hand.
"Chains of Judgment."
From her palm, glowing spectral chains burst forth, snaking through the womb's corrupted air. They found the beast's limbs mid-pounce and snapped shut, locking its wrists and ankles. With a roar, it flexed—Blood Law surging as the chains buckled and cracked.
But it gave her an opening.
Valeris dove like a falcon, her swords crossed in front of her in an X-shape.
"Twin Eclipse Spiral!"
She spun like a drill, blades glowing brighter with every rotation. She struck the beast's chest with the precision of a surgeon and the weight of a storm, boring through corrupted flesh. Blood exploded outward in a circular shockwave. The beast staggered back, chest torn open—but still alive.
It roared again—and something changed.
Its body twisted violently, expanding. Its blood boiled into mist, condensing around its frame until it took a new form—hulking, four-armed, and cloaked in a burning red haze. Its power surged, and it moved with terrifying speed.
A claw caught Valeris across the ribs.
She winced, skidding backward, blood staining her armor. But she didn't falter.
She raised one sword, pressing it against her wound.
"Bloodbind Recursion."
Her own blood answered her call, wrapping around the blade and reinforcing it with shimmering red energy. The pain vanished. Her movements sharpened.
The beast came again. Claws slashed in a flurry, but she was faster now.
Steel met sinew in a dizzying exchange—slashes, parries, counters. Each of her movements bled grace and savagery. She struck low, swept high, pivoted, and drove an elbow into the beast's throat, stunning it for a heartbeat.
That was all she needed.
"Final Verdict: Heartpierce."
One second she stood in front of the beast.
The next, she was behind it.
For a moment, nothing happened.
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Then a clean hole bloomed in the creature's chest—straight through the heart. Her blade had pierced the exact center of its blood core, shattering its life force. The beast gasped, clawing at the air… before falling.
The red mist faded from its body. It collapsed into a puddle of ruined flesh and congealed blood, dissolving slowly into the Womb floor.
Valeris exhaled, standing tall. A thin line of blood ran down her cheek, but her eyes gleamed with triumph.
Asher clapped slowly from the side, arms crossed.
"Not bad," he said with a smirk.
"Not bad?" she huffed, rolling her shoulder. "I carved that thing like a festival pig."
He shrugged. "Still slower than Black Tide."
She flipped him off with a tired grin. "Bite me."
"I actually meant your Blue Moon Art," he said, then added, "I didn't know you'd learned it."
"Well, I got inspired by you. Watching you fight with weapons—and now having that Dragon body—made me wonder what it feels like to fight with blades. This twin sword style… it felt the most natural and instinctive to me," she replied.