Chapter 72: Baptism in Blood


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    The moment we stepped forward, the Black Gull attacked.


    No hesitation.


    No words.


    Just death.


    The first wave of cultists surged toward us—figures wrapped in abyssal robes, their weapons pulsating with Rift energy.


    They moved like shadows, flickering in and out of reality, their blades carving through the air faster than human eyes could track.


    But we weren’t human anymore.


    We met them head-on.


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    The Clash Begins


    Darius tore through the front line, his shield shattering bones and sending enemies flying.


    Raika vanished into the darkness, her daggers flashing as throats were slit, bodies falling before they even realized she was there.


    Zephyr unleashed hell, lightning ripping through cultists, their bodies convulsing before they collapsed in smoldering heaps.


    Iris spun through the battlefield, her twin swords carving through robes, flesh, and bone alike.


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    And then—


    I moved.


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    The Abyss Unleashed


    I summoned Gwaine, the massive battle-axe roaring to life, its vines and thorns dripping with poison.


    A cultist lunged at me.


    I swung once.


    His body split in two.


    Another charged, a spear lunging for my heart.


    Nyx, still fused with Danielle, morphed into a rippling chain-blade, coiling around his neck before tearing his head clean off.


    Blood sprayed across the battlefield.


    But there was no time to stop.


    Because then, the second wave came.


    And this time, they weren’t human.


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    The Riftspawn Arrive


    A howl erupted from the Spire’s entrance as massive, mutated creatures emerged.


    Their bodies were twisted amalgamations of flesh and void, multiple limbs sprouting in unnatural places.


    Eyes blinked where there should be none.


    Mouths formed only to scream.


    And then they charged.


    Purn roared, his golden claws tearing through the first beast, its body rupturing in a spray of blackened ichor.


    Darius grunted as another slammed into him, his shield barely holding against its monstrous strength.


    Zephyr cursed. "I hate when they do this."


    Iris gritted her teeth. "Keep moving! We need to reach the ritual site!"


    I nodded—then threw myself back into the carnage.


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    A Bloody Path Forward


    Blades clashed.


    Screams filled the air.


    The ground was **soaked in blood—**ours, theirs, the Riftspawn’s.


    But we kept fighting.


    Kept killing.


    And slowly—we carved our way through.


    Toward the Spire.


    Toward the ritual that would end me.


    And toward the Black Gull’s leader—who was still waiting.


    Watching.


    As if this was all exactly as they had planned.