Chapter 81: Scepter Liberation【Scarlet Echo】

“This, then....”

Mel gently tilted her head, then raised The New Moon.

“Defeat me, and I’ll tell you.”

As soon as the words fell, Sebastian rushed toward Mel like a ghost.

His blood-colored long sword cut a glaring red streak through the air, aimed straight at Mel’s throat.

The blue light in Mel’s right eye flared intensely again, and her pupil suddenly contracted.

She saw the lines of light wrapping around Sebastian, predicting his every next move.

【Lean Back】

Veronica’s voice rang in her ear.

“Alright, Sister.”

Mel quietly replied, then her body tilted slightly backward, easily dodging the lethal blow.

The New Moon spun in her hand, cutting a red arc that met Sebastian’s blood blade.

"Clang!"

The crisp sound of metal clashing echoed in the empty corridor.

The two weapons met, erupting in dazzling sparks.

A flicker of surprise crossed Sebastian’s eyes.

He hadn't expected Mel to still have reserve strength after the previous fight.

But....

“This isn't enough!”

As the words fell, Sebastian’s offensive suddenly accelerated!

The blood-colored long sword left streaks of afterimages in the air, as if trying to tear the entire space apart.

Mel’s movements became increasingly nimble, her body like flowing water, weaving through Sebastian’s attacks with ease.

The New Moon in the girl's hand was like a red flash of lightning; every strike was incredibly precise.

Their battle grew fiercer, the sounds of colliding weapons incessant.

Sebastian’s attacks were ferocious and vicious; every strike contained lethal power.

But with Veronica’s reminders, Mel was always able to avoid vital areas at the last second.

"Slicing sound!"

A trail of blood suddenly appeared on Mel’s arm.

Sebastian’s sword edge grazed her skin, leaving a shallow wound.

Mel frowned slightly but did not flinch.

However, a hint of delight flashed across Sebastian’s face.

“Now!”

He roared, and the blood-colored long sword in his hand immediately began to dissolve, transforming into a Scepter forged from blood.

—Scepter Liberation【Scarlet Echo】!

The wound on Mel's arm was suddenly torn open by an invisible force.

A large amount of blood gushed out of it, rushing toward the Scepter in Sebastian’s hand.

Seeing this, Mel's eyebrows furrowed.

She instantly realized the seriousness of the problem.

So, the girl did not hesitate, raising her hand and pressing it onto her wound.

Quintessence burned.

—Alchemy【Forging iron with blood】!

In the burning pain, the blood at the wound began to turn into iron as the Alchemy took effect, fueled by the burning Quintessence.

Mel clenched her jaw, enduring the intense pain caused by the burning Quintessence.

On her arm, the blood quickly coagulated, forming a thin, iron outer shell that blocked Sebastian’s blood manipulation.

A flicker of shock crossed Sebastian’s eyes.

The suction on the Scepter suddenly weakened, and he had to quickly adjust his tactics.

“No matter, it’s enough.”

Sebastian sneered, then slammed the Scepter in his hand forcefully onto the ground.

The blood-colored Scepter instantly collapsed the moment it touched the floor, spreading out into a puddle of blood on the ground.

Immediately following, the small blood-colored pool began to ripple.

The blood-colored ripples spread with astonishing speed, quickly covering the entire corridor floor.

Mel watched this bizarre change warily, the blue light in her right eye growing even brighter.

“This is—”

Before the girl had enough time to think, a violent vibration suddenly came from beneath Mel's feet.

The floor began to twist and deform, as if something was about to burst out of the ground.

【Jump】

Veronica’s voice sounded again.

Mel immediately leaped without hesitation, narrowly avoiding the blood-colored spikes that suddenly emerged from the floor.

"Snap! Snap!"

Countless blood-colored spikes emerged from the ground like mushrooms after rain, turning the entire corridor into a deadly thicket of thorns.

Mel moved through it using 【Void Walk】.

The New Moon spun in her hand, constantly cutting down the incoming spikes.

Sebastian stood at the center of the blood-colored spikes, controlling the thorns like a conductor, directing them toward Mel.

Mel landed on a thicker blood spike, maintaining perfect balance.

She panted slightly; the recent evasions had consumed a lot of physical strength.

“Sister.... what should I do?”

Mel lowered her head, softly asking Veronica.

However, only silence answered her.

“Sister?”

Still no response.

Mel's heart sank, but she quickly regrouped.

Veronica couldn't answer her, but that didn't mean that 【True Vision】 had lost its effect.

The girl leaped off the spike, her figure vanishing into the void, and then reappeared in front of Sebastian the next moment.

The New Moon's edge grazed past Sebastian's neck, drawing a thin line of blood.

Sebastian's pupils contracted sharply.

He instinctively leaned back, narrowly avoiding the lethal blow.

"Slicing sound!"

A thin wound appeared on Sebastian's neck; blood slowly seeped out.

He raised his hand and touched the wound, a flash of surprise and anger in his eyes.

"Tsk..."

Sebastian frowned deeply.

He fiercely waved both hands, and countless blood spikes swept toward Mel like living things, attempting to completely surround her.

The blue light flickered in Mel's right eye.

【True Vision】 allowed her to predict the trajectory of every blood spike.

The girl's figure moved freely through the thicket of blood spikes, like a nimble butterfly.

The next moment, Mel suddenly appeared behind Sebastian.

The New Moon cut a graceful arc, aimed straight at his back.

Sebastian suddenly turned around, his blood-colored Scepter condensing in his hand, barely managing to block the fatal strike.

"Clang!"

The sound of metal clashing echoed in the corridor.

A smile appeared on Sebastian's face.

Then, with a thought, the pool of blood beneath his feet instantly rampaged.

"Bang!"

Blood sprayed upwards, nearly engulfing Mel completely.

“Miss Melantha!”

Charlotte was suddenly alarmed.

She immediately drew her sword and rushed toward Helena nearby.

“Stay put!”

Sebastian shot a blood spike in Charlotte’s direction, but the moment before the spike was about to hit Charlotte, a certain golden pattern appeared in her pupil.

"Clang!"

Charlotte raised her sword to block, deflecting the blood spike.

She then continued her charge unabated, moving to attack Helena.

“I said, stop!”

Sebastian roared.

He immediately summoned a large volume of blood to surge toward Charlotte.

But suddenly, his movement faltered slightly.

The anticipated blood spike did not appear.

"!"

Sebastian sharply turned around, looking at Mel behind him, and the pool of blood beneath his feet.

There was no pool of blood left!

The gushing column of blood had already turned into cold white steel, and the pool of blood connected to the column had also solidified into iron slag in the cold wind!

Alchemy—【Forging iron with blood】!

Sebastian stared dumbfounded at the sight before him.

The originally blood-red thicket of thorns had been completely transformed into a cold steel forest.

His domain of blood was entirely dismantled, replaced by a silvery metallic ocean.

“How is this possible.... How could her Quintessence be enough to support the combustion for Alchemy on this scale!”

Mel stood on a pillar of steel, looking down at Sebastian.

The blue light flickered in the girl's eyes, and a faint smile curved her lips.

“Mr. Sebastian, your blood domain is indeed powerful, but...”

She gently stroked the iron-coated wound on her arm.

The Ring of the Nibelungen on her right index finger was emitting a mysterious light.

“In the face of my Alchemy, it is nothing more than a pile of raw materials waiting to be processed.”

Mel slowly raised her gaze, reaching out and gently brushing The New Moon in her hand.

The next moment, The New Moon dissolved, replaced by the blue light in the girl's eyes flaring intensely again.

The person standing before Sebastian was no longer Mel Rossetti.

It was Veronica Rossetti, who had taken control of Mel's body!

Veronica spread her five fingers, and the Quintessence within her surged and burned once more.

Alchemy—【Smelting/Reforging】!

The solidified steel melted again.

Sebastian, who was standing on it, immediately felt a loss of balance under his feet.

His legs sank into the scorching iron slag; the intense burning pain caused him to let out a primal scream.

“Damn it, what is this?!”

Sebastian tried to summon blood to resist the burning iron slag, but no matter how much fresh blood he summoned, it would only turn into cold steel in Veronica’s hands.

Veronica slowly descended from the steel pillar, elegantly stepping onto the solidified metal surface.

Her every step carried an indescribable sense of authority, causing Sebastian to involuntarily feel a pang of fear.

She raised her hand, her five fingers slightly spread.

In an instant, the surrounding steel began to twist and deform, wriggling toward Sebastian like a living entity.

Alchemy—【Smelting/Reforging】