The aftermath of the battle draped the scene in a heavy shroud of solemnity, each breath drawn with a weight that mirrored the loss they had suffered.
Aisel and Dagger approached Trevor, their footsteps echoing softly against the backdrop of Rictor's lifeless form.
Trevor knelt beside Rictor, his hands clasped in prayer, a flicker of sorrow etched upon his features as he beseeched the heavens for solace in the wake of their fallen foe.
Despite the clash of powers and the triumph of holy magic over shadow, there was a profound sense of reverence in Trevor's demeanor, a testament to the gravity of the moment.
As the they convened amidst the aftermath of the battle, Trevor's voice pierced the silence, his tone laden with both grief and a quiet resolve.
His gaze shifted to Aisel, a flicker of curiosity glinting in his eyes, a silent inquiry veiled within his words.
"Did your work go well?" His question hung in the air.
"Yes," Aisel's voice trembled slightly, the weight of his actions heavy in his heart, burdened by the consequences of their choices.
"Good. Let's go to the next floor. The young master might require our help," Trevor's words rang out with a steely resolve, his gaze fixed ahead with unwavering determination.
"Okay, sir," Aisel's response was laced with newfound resolve, his voice steadier now, fueled by the prospect of aiding their comrade in need.
Despite the heaviness in his heart, a spark of determination ignited within him, driving him forward into the unknown depths of their journey.
As the group neared the portal, a sense of foreboding hung heavy in the air, a palpable tension that seemed to twist and contort the very fabric of reality itself.
Leo's confusion mirrored the unease that rippled through their ranks, each step forward accompanied by a growing sense of apprehension.
"What's happening?" Leo's voice trembled with uncertainty, his gaze darting nervously around as if searching for answers in the swirling chaos.
"Look at the portal," Mike's urgency cut through the tension like a blade, his words laced with a hint of alarm as he gestured towards the shimmering gateway before them.
As their eyes followed Mike's directive, a collective gasp escaped their lips as the portal pulsed with an otherworldly energy, its once-stable form now writhing and fluctuating with an unsettling intensity.
"Someone is coming," Emily's voice was barely more than a whisper, yet it carried a weight of premonition, her hand instinctively gravitating towards the comforting weight of her weapon.
"Be prepared. We don't know who might come," Trevor's voice echoed with the weight of his experience, his commanding tone tinged with caution as he braced his companions for the impending threat.
The anticipation hung thick in the air, mingling with a sense of dread as they braced themselves for the unknown threat that loomed on the other side.
From the swirling vortex emerged a figure, his silhouette cloaked in crimson aura, his smile twisted into a sinister curve that sent shivers down their spines.
The malevolent aura that emanated from him seemed to taint the very air around them, suffusing the atmosphere with a sense of impending doom.
"Ethan!" Emily's cry pierced through the tension, her voice laced with a desperate hope as she stepped forward, her heart pounding with anticipation.
"Stop. He is not the young master," Trevor's interjection cut through the moment like a knife, his words ringing with a clarity born of experience.
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Despite Emily's longing and the allure of familiarity, Trevor's keen senses discerned the truth hidden beneath the facade, his resolve unyielding in the face of deception.
Emily's gaze faltered, the once-familiar visage before her now distorted into a twisted reflection of the friend they knew, her heart heavy with the realization of betrayal.
"Who are you?" Trevor's voice cut through the tension like a blade, his stance poised for conflict as he confronted the enigmatic figure before them.
"Me? You can call me Asura," the figure declared with a tone that dripped with malice, his very name sending a chill down their spines as the weight of his presence bore down upon them like a suffocating blanket of darkness.
"What? Asura?" Leo's gasp echoed through the chamber, his disbelief mirrored in the wide-eyed expressions of his companions as they grappled with the revelation of their adversary's identity.
"Where's Ethan?" Emily's voice trembled with a mixture of fear and defiance, her grip tightening on her bow as she adopted a defensive stance, her resolve unyielding even in the face of this unsettling revelation.
"He is still here. I've just borrowed his body for an hour," Asura's words slithered through the air like venom, a chiling revelation that sent a shiver down their spines, the thin veil of Ethan's presence now tainted by the malevolent force that inhabited him.
"What do you want?" Trevor's voice rang out with a steely resolve, his command clear as he prepared his team for the inevitable clash that lay ahead, his gaze unwavering even in the face of darkness.
"Well, I want to do a lot, but for now, guess I should kill them," Asura's words dripped with disdain, his casual gesture towards their direction sending a wave of apprehension rippling through their ranks.
Trevor's gaze swept over the horde of demon guild and Blood Hound members, their numbers swelling like a tide of darkness surging towards them.
They were an unseen threat, lurking in the depths of the lower floors, their presence now revealed in a terrifying display of strength and malice.
"They are too much in numbers. What should we do, sir?" Aisel's voice wavered with concern, the weight of their predicament bearing down upon him like a suffocating weight, the odds seemingly insurmountable against the relentless onslaught.
"Don't worry. I will handle them," Asura's voice cut through the tension with a confidence that bordered on arrogance, his words carrying an air of assuredness that belied the magnitude of the threat they faced.
"Are you sure you can handle all of them?" Trevor's question hung heavy in the air, his eyes fixed upon the sea of enemies that loomed before them like a specter of impending doom.
The sheer magnitude of their opposition was a daunting sight, a formidable challenge that tested the limits of their resolve and determination.
"You know this body is still not strong enough to handle my whole powers, but this much power is enough to annihilate them. So step back and watch the true power of blood," Asura's proclamation echoed with a chilling certainty, his words carrying a weight that demanded obedience as he stepped forward, his presence commanding attention with an aura of dark authority.
The group watched in a mix of awe and fear, their hearts pounding with anticipation as Asura prepared to unleash a power that was both terrifying and mesmerizing.
Each member stood rooted to the spot, their breaths held in anticipation of what was to come, the air heavy with the scent of impending danger.
"Blood domain."
As Asura's voice reverberated through the air, the invocation of his Blood Domain sent shivers down their spines, the very ground beneath their feet trembling in response.
A crimson circle materialized, its edges pulsating with an otherworldly glow that cast eerie shadows upon the surrounding landscape.
With each passing moment, the circle expanded outward, its boundaries stretching to encompass the battlefield in a shroud of crimson energy that crackled with malevolent power.
The group watched in a mixture of awe and trepidation, their senses overwhelmed by the raw intensity of Asura's abilities as he prepared to unleash the full force of his wrath upon their enemies.
In that moment, they stood on the precipice of chaos, their fates entwined with the unfolding tide of bloodshed and destruction that awaited them.
"In this domain, I can manipulate blood however I want. Well, you must already know it," Asura's tone remained casual, his words dripping with a chilling nonchalance as if discussing a trivial matter.
Yet, the weight of his abilities hung heavy in the air, a stark reminder of the power he wielded within the confines of his Blood Domain.
The crimson circle pulsed with a sinister energy, its influence extending beyond the physical realm as droplets of blood rose from the fallen, swirling in a macabre ballet around Asura like obedient servants to a malevolent master.
The group watched in horror as Asura continued to speak, each word sending a chill down their spines as the grotesque display unfolded before their eyes.
"But what you don't know is that it doesn't matter whose blood it belongs to."
With a flick of his wrist, the droplets converged twisting and contorting into grotesque shapes that danced in the air like demented apparitions.
"Whether it be dead," Asura's gesture encompassed the lifeless bodies strewn about the battlefield, and the blood obeyed, rising like specters from the earth in a haunting display of power.
"Or be alive," his gaze swept over the demon guild and Blood Hound members, who convulsed in excruciating pain as their own blood turned against them, a weapon wielded against their will.
Anguished cries filled the air as they writhed in agony, helpless against the malevolent force that now controlled their very lifeblood.
The group stood frozen in shock and horror, their hearts heavy with the weight of despair as they bore witness to the unfathomable depths of Asura's depravity.
In that moment, they realized the true extent of the darkness that had been unleashed upon them, and the grim reality of the battle that lay ahead.
"As long as they are weak, they have no choice but to die." Asura's words cut through the air like a blade, his voice cold and merciless as he condemned the helpless victims before him to a fate of inevitable demise.
With a cruel inevitability, the blood shapes heeded his command, lunging forward with a chilling determination, their grotesque forms seeking out the remaining survivors whose screams were silenced before they could even begin.
"And the most powerful thing I can do in this domain is to manipulate a lot of blood at the same time."
The air grew thick with the metallic scent of iron, the blood swirling around Asura now transformed into a crimson storm under his malevolent command.
Each droplet pulsed with an unholy energy, a testament to the unfathomable power that he wielded within the confines of his Blood Domain.
"And that is what I call Blood Impact." With a flick of his wrist, Asura unleashed the full force of his wrath upon the battlefield, the blood storm surging forward like a tidal wave of destruction that left nothing but silence in its wake.
The ground trembled beneath the onslaught, the very earth quaking in fear as the crimson deluge consumed everything in its path, leaving naught but devastation in its wake.
The battlefield was transformed into a tableau of terror, a grim testament to the horrifying reality of the power that Asura wielded with Ethan's borrowed body.
Amidst the chaos and destruction, the group stood as witnesses to the atrocities unfolding before them, their hearts heavy with sorrow and despair as they beheld the true extent of the darkness that now threatened to consume them all.