Blood continued to drip slowly from the edge of the dagger.

Nox stood perfectly still, breathing heavily.

Before him...

Olive had fallen.

Her massive sword remained firmly gripped in her hands, while the inquisitor’s lifeless body lay motionless across the cobblestone alley.

The demon began to laugh.

At first, it was only a quiet chuckle.

Then it grew louder.

And louder.

"Ha..."

His chest rose and fell violently.

"...Ha..."

He couldn’t explain it.

That feeling...

It was far too pleasurable.

His heart pounded so violently it felt as though it would burst through his ribs.

Every breath carried the scent of blood.

Every sound seemed sharper.

And part of him...

Wanted to keep fighting.

Wanted to keep cutting.

Wanted to keep seeing blood.

Dawn remained frozen, watching him.

She had never seen an expression like that before.

It wasn’t happiness.

It wasn’t madness.

It was...

Pleasure.

The princess took a step toward him.

"...Nox."

There was no response.

She stepped closer.

"Nox."

The demon slowly turned his head.

His crimson eyes glowed with terrifying intensity.

A chill ran down Dawn’s spine.

Those eyes didn’t seem to belong to the man who had freed her.

Without saying a word...

Nox slowly raised Ashbringer.

The rifle’s barrel pointed directly at Dawn’s chest.

"Don’t come any closer."

His voice was cold.

Empty.

As though someone else were speaking through him.

Dawn froze.

"...What?"

"No."

Nox’s finger tightened around the trigger.

"...Closer."

For the first time since meeting him...

Dawn was afraid of him.

He wasn’t pretending.

He truly might shoot her.

Before either of them could say another word...

A tremendous crash shook the alley.

Both of them turned.

A massive white figure plummeted from one of the rooftops.

Claws.

The four-armed bear slammed into the ground with such force that a cloud of dust and debris exploded into the air.

Chunks of stone scattered in every direction.

"...Claws!"

Audrey’s voice echoed from somewhere in the distance.

The enormous bear lay motionless.

He was breathing.

But completely unconscious.

Then...

Nox heard it.

The clash of metal.

A woman’s laughter.

The sound of blades colliding.

And suddenly...

Thin crimson threads began appearing before his eyes.

Dozens.

Hundreds.

Every single one stretched toward the same place.

They climbed the wall.

Leading straight to the rooftop from which Claws had fallen.

"..."

Nox didn’t understand what he was seeing.

But he knew exactly where he had to go.

Dawn stepped forward again.

"Nox, wait..."

Too late.

The demon vanished into the shadows.

The princess reached toward the place where he had disappeared.

"You’re insane!"

Her voice trembled.

A single tear slowly rolled down her cheek.

She didn’t know what was happening to him.

But...

He no longer seemed like the same man.

◇◆◇

On the rooftops...

Audrey breathed heavily.

Her dagger, cloaked in dark energy, left a trail of blackness behind every swing.

Across from her...

Luna smiled.

That same expression never changed.

As though all of this were nothing more than a game.

"Come on..."

She spun her short sword between her fingers.

"I thought you wanted to rip my head off."

Audrey clenched her teeth.

"I still do."

The two women vanished simultaneously.

They charged toward each other.

The huntress raised her dagger.

Luna prepared her sword.

Both leaped.

Both blades came crashing down.

CLANG!

Neither strike reached its target.

Between them...

Two demonic daggers had appeared.

Nox.

His body leaned forward.

His crossed blades simultaneously deflected Audrey’s and Luna’s attacks.

Both women widened their eyes.

"...What?"

Nox didn’t even look at Audrey.

His attention was completely fixed on Luna.

The inquisitor instinctively stepped backward.

Too late.

Nox activated his Wind Legs.

The demon disappeared.

The first kick slammed into Luna’s stomach.

Then another.

And another.

And another.

The kicks came so quickly they were almost invisible.

Luna tried to block.

She couldn’t.

Her body was hurled across the rooftop.

She bounced across the tiles several times.

Finally rolling to the very edge of the building.

"Damn it!"

She tried to stand.

A black chain wrapped around her waist.

Then another.

Then another.

Within a single second, she was completely restrained.

Her smile vanished.

For the first time...

The Hunt Inquisitor looked like nothing more than a terrified young woman.

The hunter had become the prey.

"N-No..."

The chains pulled.

Nox slowly drew her toward him until they stood face to face.

He pressed Ashbringer’s barrel against her forehead.

Luna swallowed hard.

She couldn’t move.

She couldn’t escape.

"No..."

Her voice was barely a whisper.

"...Please."

Nox didn’t answer.

His finger slowly tightened around the trigger.

Audrey’s eyes widened.

"NOX!"

She ran toward him.

"Stop!"

The demon didn’t even react.

"Listen to me!"

Audrey stopped only a few steps away.

"...This isn’t you."

No response.

The demon’s eyes were completely crimson.

He didn’t seem to see her.

He didn’t seem to hear her.

He didn’t seem to recognize anything around him.

Luna began to cry.

"I..."

She tried to speak.

The words never came.

Nox simply opened his hand.

The chains disappeared.

For an instant...

The inquisitor remained suspended in midair.

Then...

She began to fall.

"AAAAAAAH!!"

Her scream vanished between the buildings.

Audrey immediately sprinted to the rooftop’s edge.

Looking down...

She watched Luna’s body disappear several stories below.

She didn’t know whether the inquisitor had survived.

She didn’t even have time to check.

Behind her, she heard a groan.

She turned around immediately.

Nox had dropped the rifle.

Both hands clutched his head.

"...Agh..."

His muscles trembled.

His entire body convulsed in pain.

"What..."

He struggled to breathe.

"...Is happening to me?"

He collapsed to his knees.

The veins in his neck bulged.

An unbearable pressure surged through every fiber of his body.

As though something were trying to tear him apart from the inside.

"No..."

He gritted his teeth.

"...No..."

Audrey rushed to his side.

"Nox."

She tried to support him.

The demon could barely breathe.

His vision began fading into darkness.

And then...

A blue window appeared before his eyes.

It was almost impossible to read.

But he managed to make out a few words.

[Demonic Frenzy Unlocked.]

"...What...?"

He never finished the question.

The Marauder Mask began to disintegrate.

It crumbled into countless black particles.

Then vanished.

Ashbringer also dissolved into black ash.

The black chains evaporated.

The Demonic Dual Knives disappeared from his hands.

The crimson glow faded from Nox’s eyes, slowly returning them to their normal color.

Every ounce of strength left his body.

He collapsed forward.

Audrey caught him before he struck the rooftop.

"Nox."

No response.

"Nox."

Nothing.

The huntress placed a hand against his chest.

He was still breathing.

But he was completely unconscious.

Holding him tightly, Audrey slowly lifted her gaze toward the city.

In the distance...

Explosions still echoed through the night.

The battle wasn’t over yet.