That eerily familiar grin, the one he saw in that dream of his. Those soulless eyes with an abyss-like gaze. All of that together was enough to scare Zenyph stiff.
'Don't let it trick you. Stay focused.'
Even if his body refuses to obey him when his instincts scream danger loud and clear, he knows he needs to trust in himself and to move.
Clutching his fists, he readied himself to fight alongside Asura.
But even then... He couldn't ignore his instincts screaming at him that this thing is dangerous. His body was frozen in place even though his mind was telling him to move.
Despite that though he was still determined to fight it. Asura grabbed Zenyph by
his hand and threw him away towards a broken tree trunk. He flew for quite some distance until he crashed onto it.
"Stay right there you imbecile." commanded Asura sternly as she glared at Zenyph. "You'll only get yourself killed."
Her voice carried such a ferocious tone that Zenyph was momentarily stunned. He could hear a slight trembling within her words however.
His instinct told him something is wrong with Asura. Her entire being feels off.
And the reason for that might be this wyrm.
"I didn't think we'd meet again like this." said the wyrm cheerfully. Its voice sounded young.
"If I knew it was you I would've come alone." snarled Asura as her glare intensified. "After all, the last time we met..."
The wyrm tilted its head looking at Asura confusedly. "What about last time?"
"This time I will rip your eyes and limbs off of your disgusting body." Asura threatened menacingly.
"I'm curious about this fight between the two of us. Last time you lost horribly so maybe you have gotten stronger." laughed the wyrm mockingly.
"I promise you this time I won't lose. I'm going to make you suffer before you die." stated Asura resolutely.
The wyrm smirked condescendingly at the vampire. "Are you sure about that? Because as far as I'm aware I remember breaking every bone in your body."
Asura slowly brought her hand to her mouth and sank her vampire fangs into her wrist. The blood flowing from her hands started to float alongside her. It formed a swirling ball of blood around her. "This time I'm not going to underestimate you."
She spoke softly. Her voice filled with confidence and determination. She gazed directly into the monster's eyes without blinking. There was no hint of fear or hesitation present within her.
The creature chuckled lightly. "So you finally grew a backbone after all these years? Good."
Asura grinned fiercely showing her blood stained fangs. She pointed at the wyrm's face. "Die."
Blood shot forward towards the abyssal in a barrage. The liquid struck its neck and arm and tore through its skin tearing it apart.
The wounds were deep enough to cause serious damage but it was nowhere near fatal.
"Wow. I actually expected better." taunted the Abyssal as it chuckled maliciously.
It moved faster than light and suddenly appeared right next to Asura. Before she could react it kicked her in the stomach sending her flying away. The kick knocked all wind out of her lungs.
Asura rolled across the ground several times before coming to a stop. She quickly got up and jumped towards the wyrm with her claws aimed straight for its head. The wyrm blocked the attack with one arm and countered with an elbow strike to her face. The force of the blow shattered her nose. Blood sprayed out of her nostrils splattering over the ground.
Blood dripped down the corner of her lips staining her lips red. Her hands trembled uncontrollably from the pain coursing through her system.
The vampire princess bit her lip angrily as she raised her hands defensively. A blood barrier formed around her blocking any further attacks.
"What's wrong princess? Aren't you going to retaliate?" provoked the wyrm devilishly grinning.
"Shut up!" yelled Asura enraged.
A mass of blood rose from beneath her feet and circled around her body forming a protective layer around her. The blood began changing shape taking on various forms ranging from swords to shields.
The blood solidified, becoming rigid and sharp.
"Take this!" exclaimed Asura as she fired away a wave of blood spikes at the wyrm.
The beast leaped sideways avoiding the attack. It landed gracefully on top of a tree trunk. A smirk appeared on its face as it stared at Asura.
"Too slow." jeered the Abyssal. "I told you before I'm much faster than you."
It pounced toward Asura and punched her squarely in the chest. She tumbled backwards landing hard on her butt.
She coughed up blood spitting it out into her palm. It stained her dress crimson.
"That hurt asshole." groaned Asura as she clutched her aching chest.
The blood circling around her thickened, becoming more dense and heavy. It congealed into a single large pillar around five meters tall. It broke off into multiple pieces transforming into massive blood constructs shaped like spears. They flew towards the wyrm's head attempting to impale it.
The monster dodged them, easily jumping over each attack with ease.
The Abyssal dashed at Asura at full speed.
The vampire swung her blade at it. Her blade hit the creature's chest piercing its flesh but not damaging the internal organs underneath.
The abyssal grabbed the blood sword pulling it out. "Looks like you aren't as strong as I thought." sneered the Abyssal.
"Shows what you know." spat Asura with contempt.
She thrust her free hand towards the creature shooting a blood needle towards it's heart. The projectile pierced through its rib cage puncturing the organ.
The abyssal gasped in surprise, dropping the bloody sword on the ground.
"Fuck you." snarled Asura venomously as she launched a barrage of needles at the creature.
With a wave of its hand, the needles turned into dark mana and disappeared into nothingness. The Abyssal caught its breath while glaring at the vampire.
"Disappointing. Disappointing. As your friend I truly am disappointed." sighed the wyrm.
It sent a fist straight at Asura's face, breaking her jaw in one punch.
She stumbled backwards holding onto her cheek which was starting to swell up. Her whole body trembled in pain.
Abyssal looked at the bloodied vampire disapprovingly. It shook its head.
"What happened to the girl who once vowed to become the strongest? Where did she go? What happened to her?" the abyssal asked bitterly.
Asura gritted her teeth, tightening her grip on the blade. It cracked under pressure.
The wound in her chest ached badly reminding her of the humiliation she received during that time.
"You're not my friend. She died the day you took over. You are nothing but a parasite feeding off her body and soul." said Asura as tears ran down her face.
Zenyph watched helplessly from afar, unable to assist her. His water magic is depleted and his chaos is beyond saving. Asura has given up on healing herself and she's currently being pushed back. Even his physical prowess is inferior to this wyrm. He can only watch as Asura struggle against it.
Asura wiped away the blood dripping down her nose and glanced at the dragon prince. "Stay there and wait until this is over." she ordered him sternly.
"How am I supposed to do that?" demanded Zenyph furiously. "How am I supposed to stand here and do nothing?"
"Just keep quiet and stay put."
"Oh I just had a lovely idea." said the wyrm as it looked to Zenyph with a devilish grin.
"How about I killed him?" it proposed happily.
It teleported right to Zenyph and placed its hand on Zenyph's throat.
"Ahhaha.. That sounds nice but I won't let you touch him." growled Asura as her blood split into multiple branches and attacked the abyssal.
The wyrm vanished, reappearing next to the vampire. It swatted away her blood tendrils before appearing at Zenyph's side again. It's hand grabbed his neck lifting him up into the air.
"I warned you not to get involved with this idiot. Now you'll pay the price." hissed the wyrm angrily as it tightened its hold around his throat.