"Your talent for the Moon is truly astonishing. I have never seen such pure moonlight."
The Bloodkin girl praised Shade as well. A faint smile appeared on her face, but she immediately shook her head.
"Perhaps I really have gone down the wrong path. But sometimes, one slow step means falling behind at every step. You do not understand the struggles within the Bloodkin clans. I do not have time."
They pushed open the iron gate and returned to the 25th Floor. The elevator room's door had barely opened when a wave of Blood Water rushed at them, ready to swallow the two people inside.
They had remained vigilant all along. As the Blood Water flooded into the elevator, spirals reappeared in Miss Novare's eyes, and the liquid churned as it reversed course, surging back the way it had come.
All the crimson liquid flowed outward along the doorframe, like curtains being drawn apart to reveal the blood-drenched crimson figure standing in the corridor.
It was the thing that had tried to ambush Shade after he contained the Demon, only to be driven back by Miss Novare. He had not expected it to appear again. This time, Shade clearly saw the room number "2594" floating above its head.
Dawn's First Light slashed forward, releasing pure silver moonlight. The figure split apart to either side, allowing the sword's trail to pass directly through its body. Only then did Shade realize that it was made entirely of blood. Its humanoid form was merely a shape formed by accumulated liquid.
"Heaton Seal!"
The expanding golden spherical shield blocked the doorway. The splashing Blood Water evaporated the instant it touched the flowing-light barrier. Miss Novare took a deep breath, then spat out a mouthful of foul-smelling Black Blood. It passed through the shield from