Crimson and white

The beam of pure energy tears through the air, searing into Winter with a force that defies his expectations. His right arm, once untouched by any weapon, now crackles with energy as the beam tears into it. Skin and tissue evaporate, disintegrating in a flash of radiant heat, leaving behind charred bone and scorched muscle.

Winter stumbles, feeling the pain for the first time, his icy calm replaced by a flicker of surprise. He looks down at what remains of his right hand, now barely more than a skeletal remnant. The beam has done more damage than even he could have anticipated. But despite the wound, Winter is not shaken.

Yuui, panting from the exertion, watches with wide eyes, hoping that this will be enough to weaken him. But Winter’s dark gaze lifts, calm, calculating, as if nothing has truly changed. His face remains impassive, his resolve untouched.

Slowly, he raises what remains of his right hand, the charred bone gleaming in the blood-red light of his cloud. His voice, cold and unwavering, echoes across the battlefield.

“Blood Recovery.”

At once, the blood drops from the cloud above respond, moving in perfect sync with his will. Thick droplets coalesce and snake down, swirling around his damaged hand, flowing like liquid silk. The blood wraps around the exposed bone and scorched flesh, pulsating as it begins to reshape and rebuild.

Yuui watches in horror as the blood takes form, sticking to his injured hand like living clay. Muscles knit together, veins reform, and new skin stretches over the once-charred surface. In mere moments, the damage is undone. Winter’s hand—now whole, perfect, and gleaming with vitality—is restored, as if nothing has ever harmed him.

Yuui’s heart sinks. Her attack has been powerful, enough to wound him, but his ability to recover is beyond anything she has imagined. His blood magic isn’t just destructive—it’s regenerative, an endless cycle of death and rebirth.

Winter flexes his new hand, the fingers curling and uncurling with ease. His dark eyes remain locked on Yuui, expressionless, unbothered by the ordeal. There is no sign of pain or weakness in his movements, only the cold, mechanical precision of a predator who has taken a hit and come back stronger.

“I see,” Winter says softly, his voice as cold as ever. “You’ve forced me to regenerate. Impressive… but futile.”

Winter stares at Yuui, the smoldering intensity in his gaze unbroken. The attack has left him briefly

vulnerable, but his blood recovery had undone the damage .

Winter flexes his newly regenerated hand, as if testing its strength, while his mind races. Yuui’s power is unlike anything he’s encountered before—direct attacks won’t work against her radiant energy.

“I can’t beat her in a direct attack with my blood stream,” Winter mutters to himself, his cold voice barely audible in the eerie silence that follows. He looks at Yuui, still catching her breath after the intensity of her last attack. “But I can defend.”

Winter’s expression darkens as he reaches a decision. It is time to shift his strategy.

“Blood body,” Winter spells, his voice like a quiet storm brewing beneath the surface.

The blood cloud above him trembles in response, darkening as if growing denser.

Slowly, tendrils of blood begin to descend from the cloud, moving with eerie precision as they coil around his body. The thick, crimson liquid adheres to his form, sticking to his skin and spreading out like a living second layer.

Yuui watches in stunned silence as the blood continues to flow over Winter, covering him from head to toe. The droplets harden into an almost metallic sheen as they wrap around his limbs, forming into a sleek, dark armor-like structure. The suit clings to him perfectly, molding to every contour of his body—an extension of his power and will.

Piece by piece, the blood transforms into a solid, impenetrable suit. It isn’t just armor; it’s a weapon in itself, a protective shell designed to absorb and counter Yuui’s attacks.

His entire body is now encased in the dark, shimmering blood suit, and every move he makes causes the armor to ripple with latent energy.

Winter flexes his arms and takes a step forward, the blood suit moving fluidly with him, as if it were alive. The armor is as much a part of him as his own skin, a manifestation of the blood magic he has mastered over the years.

With this, he can absorb Yuui’s attacks and regenerate instantly, no longer relying on evasive maneuvers.

Yuui’s eyes widen. She can sense the shift in Winter’s strategy, the way he has adapted so effortlessly. He isn’t just on the defensive anymore—he is preparing for something far worse.

“Now he’s become a blood ghost...” Yuui thinks, her heart pounding in her chest. But even as the words form in her mind, she realizes the truth.

No, not a ghost.

“…a BLOOD DEMON.”

The thought sends a chill down her spine as she stares at the abomination before her. Winter has transcended his human form, becoming something far worse—a demon of blood, feeding on the lives of the fallen, commanding power beyond imagination.

Winter has become a blood demon, a monstrous entity of destruction, but Yuui isn’t ready to back down. Her body trembles with exhaustion, her heart races as she stares into the hellish red eyes of the creature he has become. His power is overwhelming, his aura suffocating, but Yuui’s resolve burns brighter.

She knows she can’t beat him with sheer strength alone—not in her current state. But there is something Winter has overlooked. He relies on blood, on death, to fuel his transformation. Yuui, on the other hand, taps into something purer, something alive. The energy of her fallen comrades still surges within her, not as blood, but as life force. As light.

She takes a deep breath, her fists tightening as she closes her eyes, reaching deep within herself. She knows she must match Winter, not with blood, but with the essence of life.

Her voice, steady and firm, cuts through the chaos.

"Mana Infusion."

At once, the air around Yuui begins to hum, a soft glow radiating from her skin.

The energy she has been gathering swirls around her, bright and warm, a direct contrast to Winter’s dark, oppressive aura. Slowly, tendrils of pure energy, bright as the morning sun, begin to spiral around her body, wrapping her in a protective cocoon of light.

The energy clings to her form, molding to her skin just as Winter’s blood does, but this is different. This is no demon’s armor—this is the essence of life itself. The tendrils of energy solidify, forming a sleek, radiant suit of pure, shimmering light.

The suit pulses with raw power, humming with the collective life force of those who have fallen, but whose spirits live on through her.

Winter’s blood-red eyes narrow as he watches, sensing the shift in Yuui’s power. The bright glow of her suit seems to cut through the darkness, creating a stark contrast between them.

Where Winter has become a blood demon, a being of death and destruction, Yuui has embraced the opposite—life, purity, and hope.

Her entire body glows, encased in radiant energy that sparkles and shimmers as if made of stardust. Her eyes open, glowing with the same light, and she feels the surge of strength coursing through her. The suit is no mere defense—it is an extension of her will, her determination to protect, to endure.

“Pure Energy Suit,” Yuui whispers, feeling the full weight of her power settle around her. She flexes her fingers, the light rippling along her arms, and feels an overwhelming sense of clarity. This is the key—the path to ending Winter’s reign of blood and despair.

Balance between life and death. Between destruction and creation.

Winter’s monstrous form looms before her, his blood armor thick and menacing, but Yuui stands tall, the light of her suit shining like a beacon in the darkness.

Winter feels a cold shiver run through him, the first tremor of doubt he has experienced in ages. This isn’t just energy. It isn’t just a suit of power.

"An angel…?" Winter thinks, his voice faltering for the first time as he stares at the glowing figure before him.

But no.

The light that radiates from Yuui is far too intense, far too divine. It isn’t the light of an angel. It is something more profound, something that commands the very forces of life and creation.

"No..." Winter’s thoughts race as the realization strikes him, his mind recoiling from the truth. His demonic form, once invincible, suddenly feels small in the presence of what stands before him.

"A god…"

The words echo in his mind, a chilling revelation that twists his very being. This isn’t just Yuui. This is something more—a force of pure divinity.

"Pure God."

The thought lingers in Winter’s mind, filling him with a dread he hasn’t felt in centuries. His blood armor, his monstrous form, all the power he has gathered—it all pales in comparison to the blinding light that now radiates from Yuui.

She stands before him, not as a mere warrior, but as a manifestation of the purest energy, the essence of life itself.

Winter can feel it—the overwhelming force of creation that burns in her every movement, in every pulse of her energy suit. And for the first time, Winter, the blood demon, feels fear.