"Such a foul mouth for such a pretty face." Blackbrand's smile awakened something dangerous in me, something sharp and cruel, a desire to rip that grin off and play with his severed head. My frost reacted instantly, blooming from the green flower in my palm, the cold rising like a breath of winter that wished to devour the world.

A wave of ice shot forward, wide and sudden, rushing straight at him. It was simple, intentional, a distraction masking my next move. I flicked my fingers in a practiced motion, and the acupuncture needles hidden under my clothes answered the command. They slipped between my knuckles like whispers. Thin, deadly, crimson-tipped.

I'll make you regret opening your mouth at me.

The needles launched themselves beneath the sweeping ice, weaving through the frost like invisible serpents. They aimed directly at his exposed torso, the soft glow of enchantment pulsing faintly as they cut through the air.

Blackbrand laughed, the flames around him flaring high enough to scorch the trees. His greatsword rose with one hand, slicing through my ice wave with raw force alone. Frost shattered into glittering shards, spiraling in the heated wind.

But the needles didn't break. They danced through the cracks, gliding toward his flesh.

Blackbrand's eyes widened for a fraction of a second. Then he twisted, his body moving far faster than a man of his bulk had any right to move. Flames erupted from his palm, a swirling vortex meant to melt my needles, but it would not be that easy. I flicked my finger sharply, forcing the needles to curve midair and slip around the fire.

The halo behind me burst with cold light, pumping my hands full of frost. I shaped it into a large ice spear and hurled it straight at him. It was meant to pull his attention, nothing more. If I could land the needles on the weak points of his body, then even a brute like him would fall. Yet his body was far more muscular than I expected, thick enough to shield vital points that should have been open.

Two needles finally struck his thigh, sinking in deep enough to pierce flesh. It should have disrupted his stance. It should have made him stumble. Yet he did not move an inch.

Blackbrand's smile widened. "Oh," he chuckled darkly, cracking his neck with slow satisfaction. "So that's how you want to play."

The forest around us brightened violently as flames surged outward. Heat rolled against my skin like a living beast pressing down, choking the air with its breath. The world shimmered in orange and gold, warped by the force of his magic.

Trees ignited instantly. Leaves curled and blackened. The soil cracked beneath our feet, steaming as the fire swallowed everything in reach.

He swung his greatsword downward in a blazing arc.

I jumped back, frost erupting beneath my feet to propel me away as the blade crashed through my spear of ice, dissolving it into a cloud of glittering crystals. His sword was so heavy that when it struck the ground, the impact tore through the forest floor in a violent ripple. Roots split open, dirt blasted upward, and sparks rained from the shockwave like falling fragments of broken stars.

Blackbrand didn't stop.

He moved forward with surprising speed, flames spiraling around him as if the fire worshipped him. Each step shook the forest floor, the heat rising thick enough to sting my eyes.

"You ice mages crack so beautifully," he taunted. "I wonder how loud you scream when you melt."

I narrowed my eyes, breath steady despite the inferno closing in.

I must stay calm. Come on, just give me a single opening… just one chance to sink all ten needles into his flesh at once. If I could land them properly, I could win, even if it only slowed him down for a moment. My hands tightened, trying to steady the tremble running through them.

It was my first time ever fighting as a human and not as a vampire. If I revealed myself here and now, I could probably end this faster. My wings alone would tear through his flames. The thought pulsed at the back of my mind, tempting, dangerous.

But if I did… could I handle the consequences?

That was the only concern truly clawing at my thoughts. There were too many Holy Knights near this battlefield, and everyone here with us was human. They would turn on me the moment my wings unfolded, no matter how many drinks we shared or how many nights we spent chatting together.

Friends or not, humans always choose their righteousness over the monster. I breathed out slowly, forcing my rhythm back into place. I had to do this their way. My way would only make me a target for both sides.

Frost crawled up my arms, trailing my skin like living veins of winter. The ice flower in my palm pulsed with a cold, ancient power. A shiver of instinct rushed up my spine.

I slammed my hand downward.

The ground froze in a heartbeat, spreading outward in a circular shock. Thick ice erupted into jagged pillars, aiming to pierce his legs and anchor him in place. The cold shot upward into the air, forcing the flames above us to coil and twist unnaturally.

Blackbrand roared, thrusting his greatsword into the frozen ground. Fire erupted from the impact in a violent burst, melting several pillars instantly. Steam shot upward in a harsh hiss, swallowing the space between us in a boiling cloud.

But he wasn't fast enough.

One pillar slid past the flames and grazed his calf. Frost sank deep into the muscle, biting through the heat. Blackbrand stumbled, just for a heartbeat, but it was enough to break his rhythm.

A slow smile tugged at my lips as I watched him recover, frustration flickering across his face despite the fire swirling around him.

I lunged forward, a whirlwind of frost swirling behind me like a living storm. My fingernails hardened on instinct, sharpening just enough to betray the part of me I kept hidden, but I no longer cared. This was my opening. My win.

The needles sank deeper into his flesh as he staggered, each one striking precisely where I wanted them. With his rhythm broken and his movements sluggish for even a moment, I was certain he had no way to dodge my next strike.

I would be the first to slay a Holy Knight.

I aimed directly for his throat.

He caught the movement and snarled, swinging his flaming sword upward with both hands. Fire spiraled violently, forming a blazing arc so wide it swallowed my entire world. How? My heart dropped as the heat bit into my skin. My eyes locked with his, and in that instant, I saw the flicker of surprise when he noticed my fingernails.

Then he smiled like a mad dog. The flames roared higher in response, fed by his bloodlust alone. He should not have been able to move like that. With the needles buried in his flesh, his blood flow should have slowed. His muscles should have been seizing. There was no possible way—

Yet he moved anyway.

The heat crashed into me like a physical blow, knocking the air from my chest and forcing me backward. My lungs tightened sharply. My vision wavered at the edges, darkening under the pressure.

Blackbrand's grin spread wider, savage and unhinged, as if he had already decided how this battle would end.

"So you are the one Hera spoke about. Not bad. You hid yourself well, but your arrogance revealed you, and—"

My heart dropped. He knew who I was? Did Hera sense me somehow? Did she feel something familiar when we crossed paths in the town? When did I slip? What gave me away? Shit… I have to silence him.

I pushed myself upright, forcing my breathing to steady even as pain burned through my limbs. The flames that had licked across my body still clung to my skin, leaving a dull, throbbing ache. The world wavered for a heartbeat before settling. Beelzebub watched me from behind, shaking slightly. He wanted to help, I could tell, but without revealing himself, he was useless in a fight like this.

Blackbrand's grin deepened. "Let's see how much you care about humans, cute vampire."

My stomach twisted as his eyes slid past me.

Elira lay unconscious beside the tree, her hair splayed across the roots, her breathing shallow and uneven. She could not even lift a hand to defend herself. The moment he looked at her, the air around him shifted with sick anticipation.

He raised his greatsword high. Flames coiled around the blade in thick spirals, the heat surging outward in waves that scorched the air. He grinned as if he were moments away from carving open a feast.

Then he swung.

The fire trailed behind the blade in a blazing arc, aimed straight for her body.

And in that instant, everything inside me tightened. Time slowed, stretching thin. My mind raced through the choice I never wanted to face. Reveal myself and risk everything. Or let Elira die and lose the one person who had ever shown me true, unwavering kindness in this world.

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