Neisa slowly raised her elegant wand.
The crimson gem embedded at its tip began to glow with an eerie light.
"So..." she whispered, "let's see how long you can survive."
She swung the wand downward.
BOOOOM!!
The entire ruined hospital trembled violently.
Massive chunks of stone broke loose from the ceiling and rained down like a deadly avalanche.
Dust exploded into the air.
Walls cracked apart.
Ancient pillars collapsed one after another.
The Blood Soldiers were buried beneath the enormous rocks.
However...
Instead of being crushed...
CRACK!
One Blood Soldier punched through a boulder.
Another tore apart a stone slab with its bare hands.
Within moments, every Blood Soldier had escaped the collapsing debris through sheer physical strength.
Neisa smiled.
"Good."
"My soldiers are tougher than I expected."
Meanwhile...
Black ViSage didn't attempt to destroy the falling rocks.
Instead, he disappeared into the collapsing ruins.
He moved swiftly between the debris, avoiding every falling boulder with precise movements.
Neisa watched carefully.
"Hm..."
"I expected him to smash the stones with brute strength."
"But..."
"He's choosing to dodge instead."
Her smile slowly faded.
Then...
She noticed something strange.
His presence...
...had vanished.
"What?"
She narrowed her eyes.
"I can't sense him anymore."
Without hesitation, Neisa spread her radiant wings.
"Purifying Wings."
A brilliant emerald light burst from her wings.
The divine energy spread throughout the underground hospital.
The blue flame chains imprisoning the Blood Soldiers instantly dissolved into glowing particles.
At the same time, Neisa's once-crimson wings gradually turned dark green.
The Blood Soldiers were finally free.
Neisa immediately gave an order.
"Find him."
Her voice echoed across the underground ruins.
"Search everywhere!"
"Find that masked man!"
She looked around furiously.
"Come out!"
"Stop hiding!"
Silence.
Nothing answered her.
Then—
A blue flame suddenly erupted behind a collapsed pillar.
Black ViSage appeared without warning.
His black knight mask reflected the flickering flames surrounding him.
Without wasting a single second...
He thrust both hands forward.
Five blazing spheres of compressed blue fire shot toward Neisa like meteors.
Immediately afterward...
He summoned five enormous flaming needles.
The needles tore through the smoke before crashing directly into Neisa's position.
BOOOOOOM!!
An explosion shook the underground ruins.
Smoke swallowed the battlefield.
Broken stones flew in every direction.
For several seconds...
Nothing could be seen.
Then—
The smoke slowly disappeared.
Black ViSage suddenly felt danger.
Thousands of crimson swords materialized inside the smoke.
Every blade floated in the air.
Each one radiated terrifying magical energy.
Neisa's voice echoed confidently.
"You really thought..."
"...that attack could reach me?"
The smoke finally cleared.
Neisa stood completely unharmed.
Not even her clothes had been scratched.
A transparent barrier surrounded her body.
Black ViSage quietly observed it.
Neisa smiled proudly.
"I expected much more from you."
"But..."
"I think I overestimated you."
Black ViSage calmly replied,
"So..."
"You possess the Faceless Shield."
"Hm."
"I only attacked to confirm whether you had awakened it."
Neisa laughed.
"Come on."
"You're just trying to protect your pride."
"The truth is..."
"You never had a chance."
Black ViSage remained silent.
Then he nodded once.
"Good."
Neisa raised one hand.
"Now..."
"...prepare yourself."
"I doubt you'll dodge this."
The thousands of crimson swords immediately aimed toward Black ViSage.
"Go."
The blades rushed forward simultaneously.
The underground hospital exploded with countless impacts.
The sound of destruction echoed endlessly.
Stone walls shattered.
Columns collapsed.
The ground split apart.
Even Neisa activated another protective barrier around herself and the Blood Soldiers to shield them from the devastating shockwaves.
When everything finally became quiet...
Black ViSage was nowhere to be seen.
Neisa slowly lowered her hand.
She laughed.
"So?"
"Mr. Adventurer?"
"Did you die?"
"Or are you pretending?"
"Perhaps..."
"...you finally realized you're hopeless."
Her laughter echoed through the ruined hospital.
"Hahahaha!"
Then—
A shadow suddenly burst out from beneath a mountain of broken stone.
Black ViSage.
He had hidden beneath the collapsing debris.
Using the explosion as cover...
He closed the distance instantly.
Before Neisa could react—
He threw a single punch.
A punch filled with overwhelming power.
Neisa's eyes widened.
The invisible Lembes Protection automatically activated.
The transparent shield appeared between them.
Neisa smiled in relief.
"My shield—"
CRACK!!
The smile disappeared.
The legendary barrier shattered like fragile glass.
Her pupils shrank.
"What—"
Black ViSage's fist continued forward without slowing down.
BOOOOM!!
The punch struck Neisa directly across the face.
The impact launched her through multiple stone walls.
She crashed into broken pillars before smashing into a giant boulder.
The surrounding ruins shook violently.
Silence filled the battlefield.
It's not that Neisa's Lembes Protection is weak; Black ViSage's strength is simply overwhelming
Neisa slowly opened her eyes.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
Her breathing had become unstable.
"...Impossible..."
"No one..."
"...has ever broken my Lembes Protection."
She stared at Black ViSage in disbelief.
"...Who are you?"
Black ViSage walked toward her calmly.
"I've been holding back."
"If I had fought seriously from the beginning..."
"...your Blood Soldiers would've died alongside you."
"And I refused to risk my companions' lives."
He stopped only a few meters away.
"Look at yourself."
"Your wings are damaged."
"You're already losing."
"Give up."
"You cannot defeat me."
Neisa looked at him with trembling eyes.
"A human..."
"...should never possess this kind of power."
Black ViSage answered quietly.
"You're right."
"A human shouldn't."
He slowly extended one hand.
A magnificent sword materialized within blue flames.
Its blade shone with ancient runes.
Then he spoke the words that completely changed Neisa's expression.
"...Because I am not human."
"I am..."
"...a Sage."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
An ancient aura spread throughout the ruined hospital.
Neisa's body instinctively trembled.
Her Devilion instincts screamed at her.
Danger.
Without hesitation—
Black ViSage swung his sword.
Two clean flashes crossed the air.
Neisa screamed.
"AAAHHHH!!"
Both of her legs were severed cleanly.
She collapsed onto the broken ground.
"You..."
"What are you doing?!"
Black ViSage lowered his sword.
"Relax."
"You'll regenerate."
"Devilions possess extraordinary regeneration."
"I removed your legs simply to prevent your escape."
He pointed the sword toward her.
"Now..."
"You have two choices."
"First."
"Restore my companions."
"I'll spare your life."
"Second."
"Refuse."
"And die."
His voice became colder.
"Choose."
For the first time in years...
Neisa felt genuine fear.
Not because of his strength alone—
But because she finally understood what stood before her.
A true Sage.
Someone vastly beyond ordinary humans.
She lowered her head.
"...Alright."
"I choose the first option."
"I'll restore them."
"Please..."
"Don't kill me."
Black ViSage nodded.
"Good."
Neisa immediately began chanting.
Crimson magic spread across the underground ruins.
The Blood Soldiers slowly returned to their original human forms.
Their red skin faded.
Their eyes regained normal color.
One after another...
They collapsed unconscious.
They were alive.
Only sleeping deeply.
Their bodies would naturally recover after several days.
Neisa looked toward Black ViSage.
"I've done what you asked."
"...May I leave now?"
Black ViSage returned his sword to its magical seal.
"You may."
"But remember this."
"If I ever see you creating Blood Soldiers again..."
"...or slaughtering innocent people..."
"...I won't show mercy next time."
"Our next meeting..."
"...will be your last."
Neisa remained silent.
She simply nodded.
"I understand."
Her damaged wings regenerated.
Moments later...
She spread them once more before flying through the shattered ceiling into the night sky.
As she disappeared into the darkness, she thought,
"That man is dangerous..."
"I must avoid him whenever possible."
"I'll continue my own mission..."
"...but never cross paths with him again."
After a moment...
She finally remembered the masked man's name.
"Black ViSage..."
Back inside the ruined hospital...
Black ViSage raised one hand toward the sky.
A gentle spell activated.
"Cloud Vehicle."
A massive floating cloud descended into the ruins.
It stopped quietly beside him.
Black ViSage carefully lifted each unconscious adventurer onto the cloud.
Once everyone was safely aboard, the cloud slowly rose into the night sky.
It drifted peacefully toward the nearest Nightglass Covenant branch.
As the wind passed over his black knight mask, Black ViSage silently looked toward the distant horizon.
"She hasn't changed."
"She only chose survival."
"A Devilion like her won't abandon bloodshed so easily."
"She's probably already searching for another place to continue her crimes."
Without another word...
The cloud carried Black ViSage and his rescued companions through the night, disappearing beneath the moonlit sky.