"Blood Surge." The Crimson Count's voice rang across the battlefield.
The blood-soaked ground pulsed. Every drop of spilled blood drew toward him, flowing across the stone and soaking into his body. His frame sharpened, his muscles tensed, and his speed spiked beyond what anyone had seen before.
Thomas didn't wait. His fist swung down, brutal and decisive, aimed to crush the Count before the transformation could finish.
"SWOOSH!"
It should have landed.
But the Count vanished mid-motion.
A blink later, he was beside Thomas.
"WHAM!"
His clawed hand slammed into Thomas's chest, hurling him across the ruins. Stone shattered and walls crumbled as Thomas smashed through them, the ground trembling under the impact.
Marcus moved instantly. He planted his massive foot in front of the Count, his armored mammoth form cutting off the path. The ground cracked beneath him as he braced.
"Don't you dare," Marcus growled, his bulk blocking the way like a living fortress.
At the same time, Selene flickered into view behind the Count, her claws flashing in a blur.
"I'm still here," she hissed, before unleashing a piercing wail.
"SKREEEEE!"
Her claws tore across the Count's side and shoulder, slicing deep, yet the wounds closed instantly, sealing as if they had never been.
The Count turned toward her, his grin widening, crimson eyes glowing with delight.
"Oh," he murmured, voice thick with amusement. "You'll need to do better than that. Heh… heh… heh."
His hand snapped out without warning, claws slicing the air where Selene had been. But she was already gone, vanishing before the strike connected.
The Crimson Count is at the center of the battlefield, his blood-red cloak hanging still as his glowing eyes moved from fighter to fighter, sizing them up.
Then his gaze locked on Selene.
The smile faded.
"Tired of this game."
The Crimson Count exhaled and raised a hand toward the sky.
"Blood Eclipse."
The change was instant.
The pink sky deepened into crimson. The ground trembled with violent vibrations, cracks splitting across the battlefield. Then the pressure hit.
Gravity slammed down across the battlefield.
The ground cracked as the weight increased tenfold. Muscles locked, bones strained, and every breath felt like it was being crushed out of their lungs.
Selene tried to flicker, but her glide faltered. Her movements dragged, her body slowed as if the air itself had turned solid around her.
The Crimson Count lowered his hand, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction as the warriors around him struggled to move.
"No more running. Heh… heh… heh…"
Marcus planted his legs wide, his armored mammoth form straining against the crushing force. Even with his massive strength, every motion was heavy, like trying to walk under a mountain. He scanned the battlefield, teeth clenched.
Selene was still moving, though barely, her body shaking under the gravity pull.
The Hayashi Twins stood at the edge, unaffected. Their silver and golden forms held steady, their weapons ready, but they didn't step in. They could fight, but they chose to wait.
And then there was Thomas.
Thomas didn't slow. He didn't strain. If he even felt the shift in gravity, he gave no sign. His Runebound Oni Glint made him a walking force of nature, and the blood-drenched battlefield didn't change that.
He tore a streetlamp out of the ground, cement base and all, and swung it once, hard and direct.
The Crimson Count didn't dodge. The blow slammed into his chest, but it sank into him without effect, the impact absorbed as if his body couldn't be harmed.
"That all you've got? Heh… heh… heh…" His voice was calm, almost bored.
The pressure across the battlefield deepened.
Thomas swung again.
THWAM! The lamp smashed against the Count's chest, but the vampire barely reacted. Instead, the gravity spiked harder.
Bryan crashed to the ground, his wings too heavy to keep him aloft. Nevin's legs sank into the dirt until his feet were buried. Iris and Selene dropped to one knee, their bodies shaking under the weight. Even Noah, straining, could do nothing but clench his fists.
But Thomas didn't stop.
He swung a third time, faster and harder.
THWAMMM! The ground split open beneath the impact, stone and dirt buckling outward.
All around, shouts broke out.
"It's getting heavier!"
"Make it stop!"
The weight was crushing them.
Marcus felt it worst of all. His massive legs sank until his knees hit the ground. The others were nearly flat, struggling just to breathe. Only Thomas and the Hayashi twins remained standing.
Marcus pushed forward through the crushing weight, each step like dragging a mountain. He could see Thomas raising the streetlamp for another swing. With a roar, Marcus drove his massive body into Thomas's chest, stopping the strike mid-motion. The hit barely made Thomas shift, but Marcus planted himself like a wall, refusing to give ground.
"Stop," Marcus growled.
Thomas's grip on the streetlamp tightened. "Move."
Marcus didn't. His eyes burned into Thomas's. "Look around. Every hit you land makes him stronger."
Thomas's teeth clenched. He knew now. Every strike only fed the Count. Each blow was absorbed, making the Blood Eclipse's gravity even stronger.
But standing still, doing nothing, went against his nature.
"Thomas, stop!" Nevin's strained voice broke through the battlefield. "This isn't just pressure, it's gonna crush us! If you keep hitting him, we'll be flattened into the ground!"
Nevin tried to move, but his legs were locked in place, buried deep into the dirt. The weight pressed harder, squeezing the breath out of him.
"Please, just stop!"
Thomas exhaled sharply through his nose, fingers tightening around the streetlamp. He was frustrated, ready to fight, but he wasn't stupid. For now, he held back.
The Crimson Count tilted his head, crimson eyes gleaming with amusement. Their hesitation and fear only made him smile.
He stepped forward slowly. The blood on the ground crawled toward him, soaking into his form, fueling his power.
"Is that it?" His voice was smooth, mocking. "Come now, surely you can do better. Heh… heh… heh."
Then the Crimson Count moved.
In the space of a breath, he was in front of Selene.
She barely raised her claws before the strike hit.
"Too slow. Heh… heh… heh."
The blow sent her flying, her body crashing through debris and rolling to a stop. She was alive, but she wasn't getting back up.
Thomas lunged forward, streetlamp raised, fury in his eyes. He wanted to crush the Count where he stood.
But he froze mid-swing. He knew the truth. Every attack made the Eclipse heavier. If he struck again, he'd only make things worse. His hesitation left him wide open.
The Count's grin stretched wide.
"What's wrong, giant devil?" His tone dripped with mockery. "Afraid? Heh… heh… heh."
Then came the strike. A single backhand, fast and precise, smashed into Thomas's chest.
The hit launched him like a cannonball, his massive frame tearing through the battlefield. Stone shattered and debris exploded as he crashed through building after building, finally slamming into a half-buried structure. Rubble collapsed over him, burying him beneath tons of broken stone and steel.
The battlefield fell silent.
Only two fighters hadn't moved.
The Hayashi Twins.
The Crimson Count turned toward them, ready to make them his next prey. He lunged, his crimson eyes flashing as his claws tore through the air.
That was when the twins moved.
Tarsen blurred out of sight. One moment he stood at the battlefield's edge, the next he was behind the Count, his glaive flashing just as the vampire lord was mid-swing.
"SHHK!" Steel carved across the Count's back.
Cara followed instantly. Her chakrams crossed in a perfect X, cutting clean through his chest while his motion still carried forward.
"THNK!"
The Count staggered, crimson blood spilling for the first time.
Marcus's eyes widened. Then a sharp grin split his face. "They found it! They figured him out!"
Bryan, teeth gritted against the weight crushing him, forced out a breath. "They were studying him…"
Nevin's eyes darted to Marcus. "Studying what?"
Marcus's voice rang with excitement. "His weakness! Every time he attacks, he's vulnerable. He can't absorb damage while he's striking!"
The Crimson Count snarled, his composure cracking. He lashed out in frustration, clawing at the empty air where the twins had stood.
But they were already gone.
Tarsen slid to the side and struck again, his glaive carving a deep line across the Count's back. Cara darted forward at the same moment, her chakrams spinning in a silver-blue blur as they sliced into his ribs.
For a heartbeat, the wounds held.
Then the blood on his body pulled inward, the gashes closing, sealing shut as if they had never been. Blood Surge knitted the flesh together in seconds, restoring him even as fresh cuts appeared.
The twins kept pressing, striking only in the moments when he lashed out, their timing merciless. For the first time, the Crimson Count was forced on the defensive.
The Count spun, striking wildly. "Enough!" he roared, but the twins were already moving, slipping past every swing.
He refused to retreat. He refused to fall. But his precision was gone, his balance breaking with each exchange.
The twins pressed harder, never letting him recover. Cuts opened across his body, blood spilling faster than his regeneration could keep up.
Then he caught them.
His clawed hand clamped around Cara's wrist before she could pull away. His other hand locked tight around Tarsen's throat.
For the first time, the twins were still.
Cara struggled against his grip, teeth clenched. "Tch… shit…"