Apocalypse Reset: My Crab Can Heal the World!

Adea screams so sharply that Osmond is momentarily stunned. Hideous energy overtakes her, transfiguring her stunning body into something far more sinister. Skinny black wings burst from bleeding holes in her back, and her claws elongate, becoming draconic. Stiff scales begin to form over her pale, exposed skin, and her shoulders disengage, her arms looming over her like the form of a mantis.

"I’M GOING TO KILL YOU," she howls, her voice barely human - distorted, deep, and echoing. Her teeth barely fit in her mouth.

Osmond is immediately overwhelmed. Adea is now moving too fast to keep up with. She flies toward him and kicks him so hard he goes flying, smashing into a tree nearby.

The wind is knocked out of him and his vision blurs.

’Is this the end?’ Osmond says to himself. He has two choices. Let Adea kill him now, or give in to his demonic power.

Osmond shakes his head. He couldn’t do either of those things, in truth. All he cares about is seeing Maria again, and keeping her safe. To do that, he has to survive.

Yet as Osmond tries to lift his staff for another attack, he cannot. His left arm, the dominant one, is completely broken. It hangs uselessly at his side as he struggles and fails to stand.

"Get the fuck away from my man!"

Osmond’s head jerks abruptly to the left. There, he sees his angel, running toward him as fast as she possibly can.

"Maria?" he coughs, almost ready to pass out. He can hardly believe it.

’But this isn’t a safe place for her. Maria can’thandle Adea. She needs to get out of here!’

Those thoughts fill his mind, but he’s powerless to do anything about them. He blacks out, falling over in the remains of the tree stump.

"Royal Art: Impulsive Light!" 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Suddenly, Adea is yanked sideways and smashed into a nearby rock. The stone shatters as she makes contact with it. Despite the strength of the attack, it hardly phases the vampiress, as she leaps from the rubble and hurtles through the air toward Maria.

"Let’s try that again!" Maria exclaims, using her Royal Art again to smash Adea into the ground. Maria alters the trajectory of the Art at the last second, dragging Adea’s torso over the stony soil like she’s scrubbing sandpaper with her face. The sound of Adea’s distorted wails chills Maria, who’s not sure if Adea howls in pain or pleasure.

’Relatable,’ Maria scoffs.

Adea rises from the ground, the skin on her face completely gone. She breathes heavily, her throat emitting a continuous and low growl. Her eyes fully lock onto Maria - common sense has left Adea’s mind. All she sees is a delicious human female, and she’s never been hungrier in her life.

"You were a lot prettier when we first met," Maria taunts. "I see the years in Ordella have NOT been kind."

Adea is beyond words - a being of pure evil and wrath. She charges Maria, who attempts to use her Royal Art again. But Adea has experienced that attack multiple times, now - she knows what to do. She hurls her momentum in the opposite direction, breaking the technique and finally reaching Maria.

Adea makes contact, slashing across Maria’s chest. A Master Vampire’s claws inflict wounds that never heal - but they are not able to cut through anything. Maria’s ’Iron Maiden’ skill has made her tougher than even a vampire’s claws - only Adea’s teeth would be able to break through Maria’s ultimate defense, and the Princess was well aware of this.

"Royal Art: Holy Trinity!"

Three blades of light are summoned from above and lodge themselves into Adea’s torso - one through her heart, one through her stomach, and another from above crashing through her spine. The last blade pins Adea to the ground as the three flashing swords of light begin to twist and spiral, shredding the vampiress’ flesh.

She hisses loudly, activating one of her own vampiric techniques. The blades of light rot away in her darkness, freeing her. She tries again to attack Maria, this time with her teeth. Maria kicks her out of the way, but Adea is persistent. She grabs Maria’s leg and takes a bite.

Maria falls to the ground. She knows better than to reveal her weakness and scream, but for the first time in her life, Maria experiences true pain. The fangs sink into her leg, leaving two deep puncture wounds. Maria pushes Adea off her quickly, before the vampire can do any more damage.

The blood oozes from Maria’s leg as she hops back to her feet. Adea, still low to the ground, bats her wings menacingly.

Maria tries not to focus on the mind-shattering pain. She was already losing a lot of blood, and the scent of it was driving Adea even more wild. A snakelike tongue explodes from Adea’s melted lips, dancing around her mouth hungrily.

Maria takes a deep breath. With Osmond incapacitated and her leg injured, this is quickly turning into a critical situation.

"To think it would be a filthy vampire such as you," Maria mumbles to herself. Adea’s ultimate technique is proving to be quite powerful. So it’s time for Maria’s.

Maria raises her arms to the sky. In stark contrast to Adea and her sickly wings, Maria levitates into the air, as a beautiful pair of golden wings manifests from her back. The air around them fills with heavenly golden feathers, and the perpetual darkness is broken by halos of light from above.

Maria hovers above Adea. The vampiress is stunned by what she witnesses. It’s as if an angel of destruction has descended from the heavens to deliver divine retribution.

"Royal Art: Ave Maria," she says, her wings pulsing with resplendent light. A circle of divine light hangs over her head like a crown.

"This is a technique I developed myself," Maria says, her voice echoey and radiant. Her skin and clothes shimmer with heavenly splendor.

"Come to me, Adea. Face your judgment."