Raiden looks at Raia with horror in his eyes, gripping the hilt of his broadsword with trembling hands — a force not his own. His eyes land on the sword that has pierced the girl's stomach. His sword. The blade penetrates her flesh so deeply that its entire length vanishes. Blood drips from the blade's point, which protrudes from Raia's back. A wave of terror sweeps over him.

"N-no!" Raiden yells, his heart pounding in his chest. "Stop it! Stop controlling my body. Don't make me hurt her . . ." He clenches his teeth, gathering strength. He tries to free the sword from Raia's body, but his limbs aren't cooperating.

The Blood Demon has the strings, and Raiden will not be able to reclaim his body unless the strings are snipped.

"How does it feel to have your holy weapon stained with the blood of a friend?" Tallulah says with a self-satisfied grin across her thin, pink lips.

Like the cold blade of a sharp knife, the demon's words cut mercilessly into Raiden's heart. When he lifts his head, he finds Raia staring at him, and his chest twists into a knot as guilt floods in.

Raia opens her mouth, then closes it again. She looks at Raiden, who gazes at her. There's something in her eyes, as if she's trying to tell him something. It doesn't take him long to figure out the message: Raia is telling him not to blame himself or allow guilt to take over his senses.

She is telling him to control his emotions.

Warm blood continues to seep from Raia's stomach, dripping down the ground and echoing like the sound of Raiden's pounding heart. Then his hands move, pulling out the sword. Raia lets out an agonizing scream, sounding like another sharp blade in Raiden's heart.

Raia sways to her feet before collapsing to the ground.

No . . .

Raiden has stabbed her. He has harmed her. If things worsen, Raia might die because of him.

"R-Raia. . . ." Raiden's voice falters, his gaze fixed on the bleeding girl as his hands grip the hilt of his broadsword, blood still dripping from the blade.

Raia's blood.

Just as another wave of guilt threatens to crush him inside, Raiden hardens his jaw, refusing to be subjected to such emotion. Raia can forgive him for stabbing her because he isn't in control of his body. And if he ever allows his emotions to overpower him, she will despise him. Furthermore, defeating the enemy must be the top priority. He'll take care of this mess later.

"Release him!" Nathan cries as he rushes toward the Blood Demon with his spear in hand.

Tallulah jumps backward to avoid Nathan's attack. She extends her hand, and silver threads shoot from her fingers. Nathan dodges to the side before charging at Raiden.

He swings his spear across him, whispering into his ears. "You're now free."

A powerful energy ripples out from his spear like a gust of wind. Nathan has already charged back at the Blood Demon before Raiden realizes what has happened.

He lets out a gasp as the threads holding him together snap and he stumbles forward. The sword slips from his grasp as he slumps to the ground. He lifts his hands and looks at his palms. He opens and closes his fists and taps his boots once against the ground. As soon as he realizes he is no longer being controlled, he grabs his broadsword, activates the Divine Power of his Blessing, and races to join Nathan.

"I'll handle her for the time being. You can check on Raia first," Nathan blurts out, stopping Raiden in his tracks. "Make sure she's still alive."

"Don't be cocky, you can't handle her alone," Sunshine says as she joins Nathan, clutching her shining longbow, which resembles a giant crescent moon knife. Her right hand is wrapped in a black cloth ripped from Nathan's coat and hangs limp by her side.

Sunshine's weapon, in addition to being a bow and arrow, can also function as a blade, which was her Blessing's standard form when she hadn't yet reached its final Divine Level.

Raiden nods without hesitation and rushes over to Raia.

The girl is lying in a pool of blood. Her skin is pale, and her purple hair is splattered with blood. Her eyes are half-open, and she has a blank expression as she stares at the ceiling.

"Raia," Raiden whispers. He reaches out a hand to touch her, but quickly withdraws it, fearful of further injuring her with his bare hands.

Her breathing is shallow, and the pungent smell of her blood makes Raiden shudder. He clenches his teeth, fighting back tears that threaten to fall.

She's still alive.

Sounds of dull metallic clanks fill the place as Nathan and Sunshine clash with the Blood Demon.

". . . fine."

Raiden's heartbeat quickens. Raia has spoken, but it is too quiet for him to hear and understand what she said.

"What is it?" Raiden asks, leaning in closer.

Raia tilts her head just enough to look at him. "I'm fine," she manages to wheeze out. "The Blood Demon . . . she's far too strong." She pauses for a moment to gasp for breath before continuing. "You won't be able to defeat her with brute force. However, weakening her is not impossible."

"What do you mean?"

Raia takes a deep breath, clearly struggling. "Her wooden sword. Destroy it. It looks precious to her. The demon has a sentimental attachment to it. Do you know of a powerful tool that anyone can use against someone? One that you always seem to lose to?"

Raiden nods, a hard expression on his face. He doesn't need her to explain herself. He knows, of course, what she's referring to.

Emotions.

"This is the time to wield emotions as a weapon," Raia says, her voice barely above a whisper. "Use that to shatter your opponent's defenses."

To gain the upper hand, Raiden must first shake his opponents up mentally. That way, when emotions take over their senses, their defenses will be weakened.

That's how he almost lost to the Cimmerian.

That's how he lost to Loki.

"Besides, that Demon has no intention of killing us, or she would have done so while we were still sleeping," Raia informs him. "She could have simply killed us by slicing us, but she didn't. She's taking her time, which means she has a plan. That said, be careful. Once you've successfully provoked her, she will lose control of herself."

"Kara!" Nathan screams out a warning.

Raiden slices the threads behind his back in one swift movement of his sword. He whirls around and takes a stance.

"Raia, stay alive," Raiden says as he tightens his grip on his sword's hilt. "Don't let me down." He leaps up and releases his Blessing after leaving that remark.

The blade of his sword splits apart, transforming it into a flexible weapon that he can extend and contract at will. He swings his whip sword in a wide arc, and several blades fly like arrows toward Tallulah.

Tallulah launches a large net of threads to defend herself from the sharp blades, and Nathan and Sunshine take advantage of the opportunity to attack her.

Nathan's weapon has taken on a new appearance. His spear has been divided into several sections, which were linked by chains, and has cross-shaped blades on either end. He has cuts all over him and his body is drenched in blood, but he shows no signs of being in pain. His uniform is tattered and torn, and one side of the coat is shorter than the other. He bears the appearance of a true warrior as if he has been fighting for years.

He lunges forward, extending his spear on a chain and aiming it at the Blood Demon.

Tallulah launches herself into the air to evade the blade, but Sunshine appears at her side. Sunshine swings her crescent blade and grazes her arm, causing her to yelp. Before Tallulah can regain her composure, Nathan leaps in front of her and kicks her hard in the stomach.

The Blood Demons slams into the wall, causing the ancient stone to crack. A sliver of light shines through a chink in the wall, falling to the pews in the middle of the nave. Tallulah's once sapphire eyes flash red, and she summons her wooden sword. She spins it toward them, and the sword slams into Sunshine and Nathan, knocking them to the ground, before changing course and flying toward Raiden.

The wooden sword!

Raiden asks his Blessing for more power, and sharp blades extend from the blades of his whip sword. He then strikes the wooden sword hard with his weapon.

The wooden sword snaps in half, and the next thing he knows, the Blood Demon is screaming and charging at him like a beast, her eyes flashing crimson.

Sharp pain then penetrates his body as silver threads pierce his chest.

"No!"

He can hear his comrades yelling in anger, but his focus is solely on the Blood Demon in front of him.

Tallulah closes her small fist around his throat, squeezing the air out of him. She then uses her other hand to create a web of threads behind her to keep Nathan and Sunshine at bay.

Raiden smirks and says, "I guess that useless sword is flimsier than I thought."

"How dare –" Tallulah starts, but her eyes widen as she pauses. "Y-you . . . why are you still alive? How?"

Great, she's now acting on emotions.

"Got you," Raiden croaks, ignoring what the demon said and refusing to be distracted.

Thorny vines coil around Tallulah's small body. Raiden swings his weapon, which has now returned as a broadsword, and slams the demon against the wall before she can react. He yanks her back and slams her repeatedly. Tallulah appears to have weakened slightly, which Raiden believes is due to Sunshine's Blessing, which slows a demon's movement.

To provoke an enemy is to pull their guard down.

The image of Raia bleeding and lying on the floor flashes through his mind. With an expressionless face, Raiden pulls on his whip sword and swings it to and fro, slamming the demon into the hard stone again and again as if he's just playing. Triggered by overwhelming anger, the unknown person dwelling within him awakens and takes over his consciousness.

"How dare you make me hurt her, you filthy demon!" Raiden says, his voice deep and devoid of any emotion. "I will punish you and make you suffer for what you did!"

Tallulah growls at Raiden as she slices the vines around her body with her threads. Her dress is ripped and tattered, and blood stains her entire body. One shining arrow pierces her chest, and she uses her threads to pull it out.

With a ferocious pounce, Nathan extends his spear, chains clanking, and twirls it around, repeatedly slashing the Blood Demon. Tallulah deflects his attack with her threads, barely matching his speed. Since she's been wounded by Sunshine's Blessing twice now, her movement speed has been greatly reduced, giving the Aragon an advantage.

Then Nathan wildly slams his clenched fist against her belly. Tallulah ends up groaning on the ground.

Nathan has knocked her away with his bare hand.

But of course, the Blood Demon won't give up so easily. She stands up, her eyes glowing red and threads dangling from her fingertips. But before she can attack, Raia steps in front of her and slams a foot into her abdomen. Her blow knocks the demon into the wall.

Raia stands in the pool of blood, her purple hair dancing and waving behind her like fire. She is wielding her sword, which has a long blade made of purple flame.

She throws her flaming sword in the air without moving from her position. It spins around as it descends before coming to a stop over her head, its tip pointing in the direction of Tallulah. As she thrusts her arm forward, the flame blade hovering around her splits into ten swords and hisses through the air.

The flame blades pierce Tallulah at once, knocking her back against the wall. She screams in agony and terror as the swords melt into her flesh, seeping inside her and creeping around her corrupted soul. One sword remains intact in her chest.

Raiden blinks and returns to his normal self.

"Damn! Did her sword just multiply? That's exactly like Apostle Simon's technique!" Nathan blurts out as he approaches Raiden, who is speechless as he stares at the scene before them.

Raia.