The club rose with brutal force, the weight of the weapon making the air whistle. Alvida's rage drove the movement faster, leaving almost no room to react.
Robin did not step back.
Busoshoku Haki covered her entire arm, darkening down to the fingertips. Her stance was firm, unhurried, as if she had already foreseen the exact point of impact.
Alvida brought the weapon down with everything she had.
CRACK!
The sound echoed like wood splitting under extreme pressure. Metallic fragments flew into the air. Alvida's club split in two, Robin's strike cutting through the weapon and sending the shock straight into her rival's wrist.
The sharp crack of stressed bone followed, along with a jolt that made Alvida's entire arm vibrate.
She staggered back a step, eyes wide with surprise and pain.
"You bitch!"
Her voice came out rougher, almost a roar. Hatred replaced any calculation. Her fangs gleamed under the torchlight, her body leaning forward, ready to pounce like a beast.
The ground beneath her feet cracked as she launched herself forward, ignoring the blood still staining her mouth.
"I'll tear you in half, Robin!"
The tension sparked across the courtyard, Nojiko and Kalifa keeping their distance. The sound of Alvida's boots pounding against the floor resounded violently.
But before she could reach the newcomer, a different sound sliced through the air.
ZHHHMMM!
Lines of purple light appeared, crossing into a perfect pattern. In less than a second, a translucent cube formed around Robin, each face solid energy without imperfection.
Merlin stood at the side of the courtyard, one hand raised, eyes glowing with rotating runes.
"That's enough."
Her voice was clean, firm, a sentence.
Alvida froze less than two meters from the cube, rage still painted across her face, but now powerless against the flawless barrier.
Robin kept her eyes locked on her rival, unmoving, though the glow in her red eyes made it clear the fight was not over—only delayed.
The cube pulsed lightly, reinforcing its structure. No sound or touch passed in or out. It was absolute isolation.
Merlin let out a long sigh, twisting her wrist slightly to adjust the central rune sustaining the barrier.
[Start – Merlin PoV]
Seriously... did I really have to deal with this today?
While my Master is probably buried in bed with Hancock, I'm here… putting out fires between two vampires who want to kill each other over reasons that don't even matter on the battlefield.
I look at Alvida, still snorting in anger, and at Robin, standing inside the cube with that disguised "I won" expression. If it were up to me, I'd let the two of them smash each other until they got tired. They'd recover anyway. Flesh, bone, blood… vampiric regeneration exists for a reason.
But no… if one of them ended up permanently crippled, it would fall on me to rebuild them. And rebuilding people is a lot more annoying than rebuilding walls.
Besides, I can't let this rivalry explode now. Bigger things are coming, and the Master will want all his pieces on the board, not buried in a graveyard.
But honestly?
Part of me wanted to see how far they would go before realizing they were killing each other over a man who, at this very moment, probably wasn't even remembering one of them existed.
[End – Merlin PoV]
The energy cube dissolved with a sharp snap. The purple lines that sustained it retracted into Merlin's palm until they vanished.
She walked slowly toward the broken club, crouching to touch it with two fingers. The shattered metal gleamed under a purple flash, the edges rejoining as if time itself reversed. Within seconds, the weapon was whole again.
Without ceremony, Merlin lifted it and extended it to Alvida.
"There. Now, get out. All of you."
Kalifa reacted first, closing a small portal behind her and stepping through with controlled steps. Nojiko dispelled the electricity from her arms and followed without protest, casting one last assessing look at Robin.
The courtyard's silence grew heavier.
Alvida stayed put, clutching the restored club tightly. Her eyes still burned, and her mouth opened to release the first complaint.
"That was cowardice, Merlin. You think you can"
The words died as Merlin flicked her right wrist. The runes in her irises flared, and a wave of magical pressure descended upon the courtyard.
It was as if the air around Alvida turned into dense liquid, seeping into every space, every pore, every thought. The weight was physical, crushing bones, and mental, diving deep enough to awaken memories of when she was still human—weak, vulnerable, at the mercy of any greater force.
Her heart raced uncontrollably. Her fingers trembled against the club's grip. Eyes once defiant wavered.
The sense of imminent death wasn't exaggeration. It was certainty.
"Sorry…"
Her voice came out almost a whisper, but enough to shatter any trace of pride in her tone.
Merlin released the pressure like dropping a useless weight.
"Go."
Alvida did not hesitate. She turned and left the courtyard in quick steps, the sound of her heels echoing until it disappeared through the archway.
The space went quiet again, only the crackle of torches filling the air.
Robin remained in place, her eyes fixed on Merlin.
The mage folded her arms, the glow of the runes fading slowly.
"Now that the theater is over… let's talk."
Robin kept her gaze steady, her body relaxed but alert.
"You must have noticed…" Merlin began, her tone colder than the night air, "that the Master favors some women more than others."
Robin did not answer right away.
Merlin tilted her head slightly, her eyes roaming the newly turned vampire's face.
"And you are one of them."
Robin blinked slowly.
"I didn't notice before…"
Her breathing slowed, weighing each word.
"...but after everything that happened, I understood."
A faint smile touched Merlin's lips.
"Alvida probably understood too. And that's why she's jealous."
Silence lasted only a moment. The runes began spinning in Merlin's eyes again, but this time the glow carried something darker than magic.
"Demonic Magic: Shackle of Agony."
ZHHHHMMM!
Black and red lines slithered through the air, latching onto Robin before she could react. Ethereal chains coiled around her wrists and ankles, tightening with force. A searing heat coursed through every link, burning skin and penetrating muscle.
The dry sound of flesh being branded came with a metallic tang in the air.
TSHHHH!
Robin's body arched, her teeth clenched to hold back any scream. The heat turned into pulsating pain, climbing her spine as if aiming for her mind.
"This pain…" Merlin said, her voice low but sharp, "is for you to remember two things."
The glow in her runes brightened, and the chains tightened again.
TSHHHH!
Robin grit her teeth, her muscles trembling under the strain.
"The first…" Merlin leaned forward, eyes locked on her red gaze, "is that the Master favors you more than Alvida."
The grip eased for a second, only to return with doubled force.
CRACK!
"The second…" her tone dropped colder still, "is that the Master favors me more than you."
The heat burned inside, pulsing in her bones, as if every heartbeat was a hammer against the chains.
Merlin slowly twisted her wrist, the runes in her eyes spinning in sync.
"It will stop hurting…" a faint smile touched her lips, "when you reach your room."
She released her hand, but the magic stayed, burning constant like embers pressed under skin.
"Now go."
The sound of chains echoed even without touching her, every step Robin took toward her room accompanied by the weight of that reminder.
The courtyard returned to silence. Merlin stayed still for a few seconds, arms crossed, watching the newly turned vampire disappear into the shadow of the archway. The runes in her eyes slowed until they vanished, but the faint smile remained.
The calm did not last.
'Cruel as always, Merlin.'
The voice sounded clear in her mind, carrying the deep, precise tone she knew well. The mage's gaze shifted slightly upward, as if her eyes could pierce through walls.
'If you saw everything, Master, then you know she needed to learn.'
'I know… but I also know you need punishment now.'
The silence that followed brought a different gleam to Merlin's eyes. The corner of her lips curved into a slow smile, unhurried, almost anticipating.
'Punishment, is it?'
'Not in my room. In Hancock's. Immediate teleport.'
The smile deepened, balancing between challenge and obedience. She twisted her wrist slightly, a teleport rune glowing in her palm.
Without another word, her body was wrapped in a spiral of purple light that compressed until it vanished, leaving the courtyard empty.
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