To increase the excitement of the fifth round of fights, General Luena had a brilliant idea. He would intersperse the six semi-final fights on a single day. This would force the bookers to make quicker decisions, and would bring a strong sense of unpredictability to the paying public and punters.

The bookers would have to make a prior selection of the fighters, and would not be able to change the order on the day. For the first fight, Tuponili selected Akachi. The young medium would face Countess Bloody Mary. The English witch had lost her last fight. She had lost the fight, as well as a hand and an eye.

Despite this handicap, she was still an exceptional fighter. Her ability to control her own blood and turn it into weapons created a constant sense of danger.

When both fighters climbed into the ring of the Grand Arena, and the starting signal was given, her first action was to remove the bandanas from the severed hand. The witch, in deep intonation, evoked the dark forces that granted her power. The dark aura of her patron demon followed behind her.

"O rex Azazel! Qui bibit meum sanguinem et tribuit mihi benedictiones tuas, ut plus effundatur sanguis in nomine tuo, Sanguinis Libels."

Bloody Mary took her dagger from her waist and struck the wound, causing blood to gush everywhere.

Fenyang appeared next to Akachi. He hated that evil presence taking the ring by storm.

"Here she comes, bro."

"I'm ready."

Adsa's son drew his two sticks, slammed them down and waited for the enemy to attack. From the open wound, blood began to bubble, solidifying into a nine-pointed whip.

"Listen, kid, I'm not going to make the same mistake I made with the other one. I'm going to execute you quickly and painfully."

"I won't make a mistake either."

"Why, you!"

She cracked the end of the whip on the ground, platch. She spun in the air and launched an attack. Akachi dodged effortlessly. Droplets of blood were sprayed on the ring floor. The countess attacked a second time, to no avail. The third time, she extended the whip even further and hit the wall behind Azekel's grandson.

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Akachi, she's throwing her filthy blood all over the ring, watch out.

I get it, it's a trap. Maybe she can control her own blood, even from a distance.

The countess attacked again and again, but Akachi dodged. He could only circle his target, without reducing the distance between them. In a moment of carelessness, he stepped in a pool of blood that she had produced. At that moment, she made a gesture with her fingers, and the bloody puddle turned into a carpet of red nails. Akachi injured the outside of his ankle.

The pain slowed him down. The countess took advantage of this and charged at him. Akachi raised one of the sticks, and instead of the ends of the whip wrapping around his neck, they clung to the stick. Bloody Mary laughed. From the wound, she pumped out a jet of blood that made the tips of the whip turn into snakes.

They struck Akachi. The medium electrocuted the tip of the other stick and gave the whip an electric discharge. Before the discharge reached her, the woman undid the whip. She pumped more blood into the wound and generated a halberd, as long as a grown man.

She scraped the blade on the floor and ran towards her opponent. She grabbed half of the handle with her other hand and struck. The boy avoided the cut by jumping over the halberd. The blade, shaped like the edge of an axe, stuck in the wall. As she tried to disengage the weapon, Akachi tried to strike her neck. She turned around, the stick coming straight for her neck.

"Damn you!"

⸎

MI6 agents, in the service of Her Royal Majesty of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, had been given the highest and most dangerous task: to arrest Countess Bloody Mary. The aristocrat was resting in the fall in one of her estates, a 13th century castle, inherited from her long lineage.

The witch lived in isolation, receiving visitors only from the cultists of her coven and billionaires who could afford her advice and supernatural services. She had few employees, who remained loyal to her through threats and witchcraft. The countess had not been present at social events for many years.

It was thanks to a meticulous investigation involving the country's top police authorities that the link between her disappearance and the disappearance of young English women became clear.

The government agents took the only two employees of the house, a young maid and an old chauffeur, who had their tongues cut out and were living in a hypnotic state. Either because she had foreseen this would happen at some point in her life, or because she was overconfident, she was caught red-handed.

The head of the operation found her in a tub of blood. She didn't seem to notice the two armed men at the bathroom door. The head of the operation straightened his sunglasses and cleared his throat. The metallic smell of young blood filled the atmosphere.

"Milady, you gave us a hard time, but we caught you. The victims' corpses were found dissected and hung like smoked herrings in the cellar.

"What do you think, isn't it a beautiful study in red, sir?"

"Oh, certainly. But I'd rather have all that blood irrigating the veins of our beautiful young English women. Tell me, madam, why did you commit such crimes? You are beautiful, you have a lot of money."

"Sir, you know very well that a woman is worth her youth. Since some don't take advantage of it as they should, and lose it quickly, why not take it for myself?"

"It's all about selfishness these days."

She stood up from the bathtub. The two agents behind the head of the operation pointed their guns at her, but the other gestured for them to put their weapons down. She put on a silk robe. Apart from the redness, only her blue eyes and whitish teeth were visible.

"I don't believe you came here to debate aesthetics, sir."

"No, ma'am. Your crimes are countless, and unforgivable too. However, we've come here to make you a proposal…"

"Proposal? I'm willing to listen, sir."