Ivy’s pupils suddenly contracted, and she instinctively took a few steps back.
The eyes she had seen in her dream were now appearing in reality as well.
The countless eyes before Ivy seemed to overlap with the door she had seen in the dream.
That eerie, twisted spiral pattern was as if right in front of Ivy’s eyes.
Her body stiffened momentarily from fear, but she quickly regained composure and hurried over to Frosty’s side.
However, Ivy did not grab Frosty; she simply stayed very close, pinching her own arm to keep calm.
Frosty’s gaze turned cold, and the blood-red longsword in her hand suddenly swung forward in a slash.
The crimson sword aura shone brilliantly in the dark space, flickering with a red light.
The sword aura struck the wall fiercely, producing a tremendous crash, causing the items in the room to clatter and fall under its impact.
But when the dust settled, the wall was smooth and intact, as if Frosty’s attack had been completely ineffective.
Bang—
At that moment, a loud noise came from the door; it was slammed shut by some strange force.
However, because of the red block Frosty had set up in advance, the door was not fully closed, leaving a narrow crack.
Frosty acted decisively, releasing the blood-red longsword in her hand and sending it straight through the door crack.
The longsword passed through the gap and then transformed into a rectangular block, slowly prying the door open.
Meanwhile, another blood-red longsword appeared in Frosty’s hand.
Watching Frosty’s smooth and effortless movements, Ivy couldn’t help but envy her convenient blood mist.
In her memory, most people needed a brief incantation to cast magic, and only a few exceptionally gifted mages could perform without one.
She was one of those few.
But after witnessing the Blood Clan’s fighting style, Ivy had to admit—
The Blood Clan really was extraordinary; their blood mist was like an all-purpose tool, not only usable as a weapon but capable of shapeshifting.
Just then, Frosty grabbed Ivy’s hand and started running outside.
But once outside the door, Ivy was dumbfounded.
The scene before her was nothing like the dark corridors of the castle.
It was a pitch-black space.
In this space, Ivy vaguely heard laughter.
That feeling of being watched reached its peak, making Ivy’s hair stand on end as if it had been electrified.
Her palms grew slightly sweaty, and an inexplicable pressure enveloped her, making it hard to breathe.
She didn’t know where this pressure came from, but ever since entering this space, Ivy had felt nothing but fear.
And her only reliance was Frosty.
Ivy looked at Frosty ahead and squeezed her hand a little tighter.
But for some reason, Ivy felt Frosty’s hand was a bit cold.
Then, Frosty turned her head to look directly at Ivy.
But her body didn’t move—only her head twisted around.
Ivy’s eyes widened slowly, and the next moment, she immediately realized something was wrong.
Frosty’s head had actually rotated a full 180 degrees!
Ivy reacted quickly and tried to release Frosty’s hand immediately.
But she was half a beat too slow.
“Frosty’s” hand clamped down like a vice, crushing Ivy’s hand with such force it almost shattered her bones.
Pain contorted Ivy’s face, and she saw the fake Frosty’s mouth curl into a sinister arc.
Then that twisted smile grew wider and wider.
Her entire face split open, flesh peeling back, and countless eyes sprouted from the bloodied, twisted visage, all staring at Ivy.
From the sticky touch on Ivy’s hand, she knew the monster’s entire body was contorting!
And at that moment, Ivy sensed the monster’s grip loosen slightly.
Without hesitation, she mustered all her strength and fell backward.
Using all her might, combined with the sticky sensation on her hand, she forcibly tore free from the monster’s grasp.
The monster didn’t pursue Ivy but continued its grotesque twisting.
Like… countless whirlpools.
No, rather than whirlpools, it was a spiral.
Ivy’s heart pounded wildly, but her mind was clearer than ever.
She had to think—how to survive.
The monster might not harm her yet, but what if it fully transformed?
Without Frosty’s protection now, Ivy had nothing but her weak body to rely on.
“Dead brain, think, think of a way, quickly!”
Ivy panicked.
Because the monster before her was covered in strange spirals from head to toe, its face split vertically, with many tentacles bearing sharp teeth writhing from the center.
The metallic taste of blood filled Ivy’s mouth.
She had bitten her own lip.
In this space, pairs of eyes slowly began to open, more and more awakening, eventually filling the entire surroundings.
This was the main source of the immense pressure and intense feeling of being watched that Ivy had felt upon entering.
She had no way to retreat; even if she wanted to run, the eyes all around clearly belonged to hostile beings.
At that moment, the monster moved.
It lunged forward like a swift leopard, aiming at Ivy.
Ivy quickly rolled to the side.
The stone fragments on the ground scraped painfully against her fair skin, but she had no time to care.
Because the monster’s second attack came.
Ivy staggered to her feet, trying to dodge again.
But this time, she wasn’t so lucky.
Her leg was grabbed.
The monster’s hand clamping her calf twisted slowly, the flesh and blood contorting into a spiral.
Within this spiral of flesh, sharp bone spikes pierced through Ivy’s calf.
She screamed out loud; the pain was so intense she nearly collapsed.
But just then, Ivy heard a shriek from the monster as well.
She felt the bone spikes retracting from her calf, and the agony nearly brought her to tears.
Yet, she suddenly noticed something.
After injuring her, the monster seemed to suffer some kind of backlash.
She hurriedly pulled her leg back, stumbling to stand.
Her injured calf barely touched the ground, and she shifted her weight entirely onto the uninjured leg to relieve the pain temporarily.
Blood kept flowing steadily down Ivy’s calf.
She watched the monster writhe and struggle on the ground, emitting strange, harsh cries.
Its hand looked as if it had been burned, steam constantly rising from it.
Ivy immediately noticed this abnormality in the monster’s state.
So, it was her blood that was harmful to this monster!