[Should I be unworthy to live as a knight, may death claim me here and now!]
[For there is no abyss deep enough to rob me of this blissful moment.]
[Wither to ashes, O my love.]
[What has come o'er me, what has come to pass?]
Vampire was awakening within her Wisdom Cube that perfectly resonant crimson crystal—an unsurpassed treasure bestowed upon her by the Commander.
The woven chant was like an abyss. The words spoken from the mouth of that petite, adorable girl would cause anyone, no matter where, to fall into depravity—a terrifying ballad filled with killing intent and hatred.
The Wisdom Cube connected to the souls within the Universe of Gold, draining their souls and forcing them to emit anguished wails.
Those turned into fuel were recomposed by Vampire into a world that corroded all reality!
At this moment, trampling upon the corpses of those souls, she let out a domineering roar!
[I fain would ask her: oh, why trembles all my soul? Has bitter wrong, a sinful deed been done?]
[I gaze and see but you, feel but you]
[For only I know you, who perished by my love.]
[Wither to ashes, O my love.]
A tone as sweet as a blessing, yet it spoke grotesque, twisted, and cruel curses.
[Creation Figment (Briah)—!]
The declaration charged with ominous portent signaled the imminent descent of something ill-fated. Vampire, her entire body covered in sharp blood stakes, bared her razor-sharp fangs and gazed at Cao Cao and Samael as if looking upon prey.
[The Rose Bearer in the Forest of Death (Der Rosenkavalier Schwarzwald)]
Ultimate power—ultimate power that eroded the world. An aura comparable to hell itself began to fill every inch of space.
Centered on Vampire, it rapidly spread outward.
A domineering, devouring otherworld swiftly unfolded.
The land beneath Vampire's feet instantly began to turn to sand. Cao Cao himself felt a wave of weakness and hollowness descend upon his body.
In the golden sky, an enormous vermilion moon suddenly appeared. The eerie, bloodlike, gleaming light it poured down formed a barrier that, in an instant, covered everything within a 5km radius, devouring the essence of all things.
Everything here seemed to transform into a bloodthirsty otherworld steeped in eternal night.
This domineering power plundered the strength of all things, and those plundered suffered continuous, unending weakening.
The ship girls other than Vampire were not included, because at their core they belonged to a single whole and were not considered "others."
"Ah!!"
At this moment, all outsiders—including Cao Cao—were afflicted by the weakness produced by this endless plundering. Their bodies were like sieves, allowing all their vitality, essence, and spirit to be siphoned away.
"Gu—uuuuoooooaaaaahhhhh!!!!"
The Dragon Eater immediately let out an incomparably shrill scream.
The filthy aura covering Samael's entire body began to wither at a visible rate, like alcohol spilled on the ground under a blazing sun, crazily evaporating at a speed measurable in seconds.
This domineering power was plunder itself—continuously weakening the enemy while strengthening the user, as long as one remained under the illumination of the blood moon.
Everything within the body that could be plundered was stripped away, as if imprisoned and gnawed upon by the greedy fangs of a vampire.
The filthy energy aura surrounding Samael completely dissipated. His entire malformed existence looked like nothing more than skin clinging to a massive skeleton.
Enterprise and the other ship girls also emerged unharmed from the confinement of Samael's cursed aura.
Cao Cao was now utterly desperate. He no longer even had the strength to release Truth Idea. Powerless, he crashed to the ground, his eyes bitter as he looked at Vampire behind him, her back covered in sharp blood stakes, and launched his final, decisive thrust at her.
The bloodstained holy spear ultimately fell powerless to the ground.
What Cao Cao's group had barely managed to endure with Samael's support had now completely collapsed into defeat. The ship girls led by Vampire all displayed an unnatural flush on their faces.
Feeling the continuously replenishing power within their bodies, along with that unending sense of satisfaction, they looked up at the blood moon in the sky with intrigued smiles.
Then they looked down upon the heroes sprawled helplessly on the ground before them, like lambs awaiting slaughter.
At this moment, it was checkmate.