Life in a new Kingdom

"You think you won!? You think you can destroy everything I have created just because you've finally embraced the real you!? Even if you manage to escape, my hounds will hunt you down with the blood of your companions!" Cornelious shouts in his bat form. Rys looks at him, his hair still bright white with his red eyes to pair along.

"Only a coward chases after those fleeing. Once I am done with you, I'll be sure to save them, too." A long blood-red wire, a testament to Rys's formidable abilities, strings around him and slashes through the room, causing a mass of rubble to clump against the floor. Caleb, exuding confidence, takes a long, deep breath before a slowly rising laugh bellows from him.

"What is this..?" The creature tilts its head toward the young man. A frivolous look appeared across its face.

"If you think a couple of undead hounds you made would stop the Phantom Blades? Sorry to say, but your filthy mutts are nothing but decaying corpses and nothing more. Don't make me laugh. But threatening my companions will give you a one-way ticket to hell!" A thunderous sound emits from Caleb's clenching hand. Startling both Rys and Cornelius at the sudden outburst.

"Caleb, what are you-"

"There are no more secrets in this place, not anymore. I'm tired of letting things continue to play out without letting the sparks fly." Spiraling from his hands and up his arms is a stream of lightning, sparking to life that soon caresses around his body. Removing the gloves from his hands, each crack of the knuckle produces another spark of lightning that shimmers across his arm.

"Marvelous... I wouldn't have guessed that a specimen such as yourself would possess such a rare combination! The blood of a Demon King and Nix all in one child! I must have this blood for myself! I can use it to create some magnificent constructs! Just give me a taste! I must have it!" Losing most of his self-control, Cornelius charges forward but is stopped by Rys as a wire strangles at his neck. The string cuts deep into the neck but not enough to decapitate.

"Rys," Caleb says calmly.

"Ngh...Caleb?" Rys responds with a sudden sweat dripping from his forehead. The aura around Caleb had changed completely.

"You showed me everything you're willing to do in order to achieve your goal. Let me show you everything I have..." Streaks of lightning pulsate into his eyes, highlighting the blues within. They dance around in a graceful rhythm until they swirl at the palm of his hand.

With a deep breath, the cold stare focused on the struggling Cornelius, the sudden twitch in the veins, blood leaking from the fingertips... "Lightning Bolt!" Channeling the power, pushing through the barriers behind the spell, unleashing a devastating blast of electricity that slams right into the massive creature. A fog of dust kicks up to obscure line of sights. The strand snaps in Rys's hand, and he backs away slowly to gauge the situation.

Sounds of gargling and hot liquid splashes onto the stone floor, and a large dark pool travels through the creases outward. The giant bat creature stands with a chuck of its arm missing and leg. However, it is very much alive and still fighting.

"You think... That can kill me, maggot!" Lifting into a rage, Cornelius slams into the ceiling until bouncing downward to Caleb. The attack misses with the young man dodging to the side and drawing his sword.

"Rys! I'll help you with your quarry! Let's finish off this fucking thing!"

"Right!" Standing side to side, the duo charges the rapidly healing vampire. A quick flash of light emits from the eyes of the vampire which causes a momentary blind to both of the warriors. Using a keen sense of hearing, Rys pushes Caleb out of the way and narrowly dodges the wing attack.

"Tempest Burst!" Activating the magic within Tempest, causing the wind to accelerate around the blade. Aiming the wave at Cornelius, Caleb switches the blade to his left side and swings the blade into the ground. The stone floor shatters, causing debris to fly toward the air-born creature, pelting it with large stones. Rys expands his strands to catch and fling the stones left in the air, causing damage to pile upon him.

A loud screech emits from Cornelius's vocal cords, and he slams into the ground, crawling toward Rys. Caleb leaps forward, lighting pulsating from his arms; he unleashes a bolt of lightning to strike its left leg. The limb is shredded from the blast, and it topples over itself, leaving a wide opening for Rys to attack. Shrugging off the damage, Cornelius flaps his wings and beats the current around him to evade the opportune attack from Rys.

Frustration grows with Cornelius as his size has proven to hinder his actions; the ceiling is only thirty feet high, limiting his mobility in the air. Caleb leaps and slashes at his wings, bringing him down to the ground, while Rys unleashes a wave of strands to pin him to the ground. The ensuing struggle continues in a stalemate; Caleb's arms begin to rip open from the overuse of his abilities, and the veins in his arms rip through the skin as the process of combustion continues. Rys's fingers are torn to shreds by the strands, using the strength of a vampire and the Holder's powerful wires as they soak in every drop of his blood, yet Cornelius recovers quickly enough to survive each of their attempts to kill him.

Several minutes of this fight drag out until Cornelius falls to the ground, growling in a fit of rage. His bat-like form degrades, and his body shifts into a humanoid once more, revealing that his body had sustained too great of damage and that the strength necessary to retain such a form had been lost. However, the powerful regeneration of that power was not lost.

"Damn it! You pests have done enough to frustrate me to no end! I'll rip your hearts out with my hands!" Hissing with his fangs bared, Cornelius lost the raw power of his massive form but regained his humanoid figure's superhuman mobility and agility. Rys attempts to catch him with a few strands. Still, the slippery bastard evades the attempts only to rush against Caleb, who has exhausted most of his magic, and the rips of his skin pouring vast amounts of blood leave no wonder to the imagination of pain running through his body.

"I can still fight even in this state!" Flipping Tempest in a reverse style in his hand, Caleb twirls around and slams the blade down. Cornelius evades, leaving an afterimage, and strikes at Caleb from the left side. Seeing the intense speed of this creature, drawing his dagger from his side to deflect the blow, Caleb catches him off guard, leaps over the vampire, and drives his sword through his body.

Upon landing behind Cornelius, blood flows from his wound but begins to heal. Rys rips away the vampire's right arm with strands, not giving it a chance. However, before even attempting to remove his head, Rys's right ring finger snaps in half from the intense pressure of the strands. Despite his ability to heal, the broken finger and flesh missing hands find difficulty in continuing to the battle. Cornelius seizes the moment to backhand Caleb, causing blood to shoot from his mouth and a shattered tooth. His arm regrows within seconds and slashes Caleb's chest, piercing the light chest plate. Blood runs down his chest as he defends against a couple of slashes before a hefty kick to his stomach causes him to fold over himself.

Feeling the grasp of the situation, Cornelius grabs Caleb by the neck, slams him into the stone floor, and drags him through it. The skin and pieces of his hair are violently ripped off during the drag. Blood leaks down his head and across his eyes and cheek. Stunned by the concussion suffered by Cornelius, Caleb reaches out to touch Cornelius, but the moment his left-hand gets close, a loud snap twists his wrist around, breaking the bone and rendering it useless.

"Caleb!" Rys forces his fingers to move his strands and attempts to save him, but his ally is held hostage by the mad vampire. His fangs bite down hard into Caleb's neck; the blood sloshes through his lips hastily and sprays across his face. The lustful expression as he draws back from a replenishing meal leaves him in total bliss. Caleb struggles but is unable to fight back with his only arm held aloft by Cornelius. A claw at his throat, Caleb's pale face from blood loss of his wounds, and now the bite, veers into passing out...