By the third night, the stakes had become far deadlier. The hunters were getting more desperate, and Bella knew that only the ruthless would survive. Yet, there was an unspoken rule—no rival would dare clash openly, for all knew the Blood Moon would settle who would claim the Father.
However, Bella was unprepared for her first real challenge—an encounter in the cornfields under the pale light of the moon. Nomor Lima, the brutal murderer armed with a massive axe, had just finished his own killing spree when their paths crossed. His victim hung grotesquely from a tree nearby, lifeless.
"You took my blood, didn't you, Bella?" Nomor Lima's harsh voice tore through the air like a thunderclap.
Bella smiled, her eyes never leaving the glinting edge of his axe. "Does it matter?" she replied, her voice thick with mockery.
Without another word, Bella sprang forward, the sound of her steps ghostly quiet on the soil beneath her. Her knives gleamed in the night, cutting through the air like venomous fangs. Nomor Lima roared in anger, swinging his axe with unrestrained force, hoping to cleave her in half. The two clashed in a brutal dance, each trying to land a fatal blow.
Blood sprayed in all directions—her delicate porcelain doll ripped apart by the force of his swing, a near-miss from the sharp edge of his weapon. Bella danced around him, faster than his lumbering movements could track, and in the end, it was Bella who struck, her blades slashing through his throat with the precision of a master.
Nomor Lima, his mouth still gurgling in disbelief, fell to the ground, twitching in his final moments. Bella knelt beside him and without hesitation, she sank her teeth into his exposed throat, draining the blood as he breathed his last, still trying to fight but utterly powerless to stop her.
With the rival dead and blood filling yet another bottle, Bella rose, her movements smooth and eerily calm. She knew there was still more to do. The race would continue, but soon, only one would be left standing, and she intended for it to be her.
The night was long, and Bella's work was far from over.