Kai stepped out of the shadows of the rock formation and planted his boots firmly in the centre of the dirt path.

The night air blew gently through the narrow canyon, carrying the faint smell of woodsmoke from the distant campfires.

Lilith stopped walking immediately.

She did not reach for the curved blade resting on her hip, nor did she call out for her guards.

She simply stood her ground and tilted her head to the side.

It was the same motion Millenia had used back at the ballroom gala. Kai felt a cold weight settle deep in his stomach as he recognised the shared mannerism.

They had been close once, perhaps even allies, long before this war started.

The way they analysed a threat was identical.

"Millennia sent a human to do this," Lilith said, letting out a soft sigh.

Her voice was low and held a trace of amusement.

"She really has gone soft in her old age. I expected her to send an assassin from the inner circle."

"She sent the right person," Kai replied smoothly.

He kept his grip firm on the black steel sword, holding it low by his side.

He needed to keep her talking. The twelve blood puppets were twenty meters back, and they were closing the distance at a steady walk. He had to distract her long enough to find an opening, because fighting all of them at once was guaranteed suicide.

"The Devouring Seed," Lilith noted, ignoring his comment.

Her dark eyes dropped straight to his chest, looking at him as if she could see the raw magic sitting right under his ribs.

"She actually gave it to you. That is surprising. She never gives that to anyone outside her own bloodline."

’She knows exactly how my cheat skill works,’ Kai thought to himself, studying her relaxed posture.

’I cannot treat her like a standard enemy. She understands the rules of the board just as well as I do. Her animation patterns are too similar to the final boss.’

The quiet amusement slowly vanished from Lilith’s face.

A shadow crossed her pale features, making her look much older and far more dangerous.

She took a slow step toward him, closing the gap by a fraction.

"She gave it to me once," Lilith said softly, staring at his chest with a complicated expression.

"It was three hundred years ago. And then she took it back."

The twelve puppets were fifteen meters away now.

Their heavy boots crunched loudly against the gravel road, and they were walking faster. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

The window of opportunity was closing rapidly, and the pressure in the narrow canyon was building.

"Why did she take it back?" Kai asked, shifting his weight to the balls of his feet.

He prepared his mana for a sudden burst of movement.

"Because I stopped being interesting," Lilith answered flatly.

She finally lifted her gaze to meet his eyes.

There was a genuine warning hidden in her cold expression.

"Do not let her do the same to you, human. When she gets bored with her toys, she will discard you without a second thought."

"I am not her toy," Kai stated clearly.

"We all think that at first," Lilith smiled a bitter, knowing smile.

"Until the strings pull tight."

The puppets reached the ten-meter mark. They were almost within striking distance, and their dead eyes were locked right onto Kai’s position. The rattling of their armour grew louder.

Kai moved.

He triggered his Shadow Step skill without a single warning word.

The dark magic pulled him straight through the thin air.

He reappeared directly behind her back before the visual blink even registered in the dim moonlight and swung the dark blade hard toward the base of her neck.

Millenia had promised him that striking that specific spot would sever the puppet connection instantly, regardless of her vampire traits.

But Lilith was fast.

She was far quicker than he had anticipated for a magical commander. She spun halfway around, letting her raw instincts take over.

The black blade caught her right shoulder instead of her vulnerable neck.

The sharp metal bit deep into her dark leather armour, sinking into the pale flesh beneath.

She did not even flinch from the sudden pain. She just swung her arm in a brutal backhand strike that caught Kai square in the chest.

The physical blow sent him flying twelve feet backwards through the air.

He slammed hard into the solid rock formation behind him. His hidden Barrier Fragment flared to life right on impact.

It glowed bright blue for a split second before it shattered into useless dust, successfully absorbing the lethal force of her counterattack.

Kai dropped heavily to the dirt path.

He gasped for breath as he scrambled back to his feet, ignoring the dull ache in his ribs.

The shield had taken the damage, but the kinetic push still knocked the wind out of his lungs.

He looked up and saw Lilith clutching her shoulder.

She was bleeding a black fluid from the deep wound. The injury was severe, but she was still standing tall, and she looked furious.

Her calm demeanor shattered.

She let out a sharp hiss, exposing elongated fangs, and her red eyes flared with genuine anger.

The twelve blood knights drew their heavy swords in perfect unison. The sound of ringing steel echoed loudly through the narrow canyon.

Their heavy footfalls shook the loose stones around him as they broke their steady march and started running toward him in a dead sprint.

A blue system window popped into Kai’s vision, casting a faint glow over the dirt path.

[System Event: Combat Critical]

[Barrier Fragment: Depleted]

[Shadow Step: Available]

[Bloodsense: Lilith’s signal is destabilising. Injury effect confirmed.]

[Note: One more clean hit ends this.]

Kai read the floating text quickly and tightened his grip on his sword. His shield was gone, and he was entirely exposed to the approaching knights.

The injury effect confirmed that the line meant the dark blade was working.

He locked his eyes on the wounded general, preparing his mind for one final, desperate strike to complete the first arc of this game.