Yes, I did all of this!

The sounds of each instrument combined create a sense of holiness, but the distinct echo of the plucked string instruments adds a touch of tranquility—it's as if one is in a chapel at night, where stained glass casts large, colorful shadows on the floor by the moonlight, and the flickering candlelight makes the statues appear even darker.

As the blood mist slowly dissipated, the music gradually quieted down, highlighting the appearance of that figure.

— Duanmu Mo's body, which emerged from the blood mist, had changed slightly. His cloak was now more tightly bound, and the cloak that was originally attached to his breastplate was tied in front of his neck. The color inside of the cloak had also turned dark red.

Now it's less of a cape and more like a cloak worn by nobles, making Duanmu Mo's overall demeanor even more elegant and noble.

But inside the cloak, the bat-shaped breastplate added a sharp edge to his aura, and together with the bat-wing-shaped eyes and sharp-tooth-like patterns on his head, it gave him an even more undeniable sense of danger.

Duanmu Mo wiped his hand across his cloak, and two red beads appeared in his palm.

Upon closer inspection, one can see that it is not red paint at all, but two small red bats—these bats were perched on his palms, and countless bats were hanging inside his cloak, which gave the cloak its scarlet color.

With a grasp of the bats, blood flowed out and condensed into form, transforming the two bats in Duanmu Mo's hand into two sharp daggers.

The dagger danced between his fingers as Duanmu Mo bowed to the two magical girls.

"Kamen Rider Neville, First Embrace Blade form, reporting for duty."

Chapter 53: Doppelganger

"The Blade of First Embrace?"

Looking at Duanmu Mo, who had changed his appearance, Xi Ri snorted: "Pretending!"

After blocking an attack from a strange man, she raised her hand and shot a fireball at Duanmu Mo.

Duanmu Mo raised his cloak and with a sudden flick, deflected the fireball aside.

Faced with Xi Ri's subsequent mockery, Duanmu Mo spread his hands and sighed, all his elegant demeanor vanished.

"Okay, it is indeed an act, but there's nothing wrong with putting on an act once in a while, isn't there?"

With that, he suddenly jumped down, waved his cloak in mid-air, and countless bats shot out, forming daggers that flew towards the two magical girls.

The evening sun raised two strange figures as a defense, but Huangyi immediately dodged them.

Therefore, the two magical girls were unharmed, while most of the daggers ended up in the bodies of the other people.

"Damn it! Neville!"

The strange man, who had apparently been accidentally injured by Duanmu Mo, roared as he drew his dagger, but dared not say anything and continued to attack the magical girl.

Duanmu Mo also landed on the ground, stepping on a dagger stuck in the ground, and nimbly approached the setting sun.

shhhhh--

The sharp blade swung continuously, creating a fierce and piercing effect.

Xi Ri's pupils contracted as he raised his gauntlet to defend himself.

Sparks flew, the setting sun cast a shadow, and reached out to grab Duanmu Mo's dagger.

Duanmu Mo then used his other hand to stab her with a dagger.

A sharp dagger hardly considers durability; its only concern is cutting more wounds into flesh and blood.

Xi Ri's expression changed slightly. Just as the dagger was about to pierce her waist and abdomen, a flash of lightning appeared, and Huang Yi raised his katana to block Duanmu Mo's dagger.

Arcs of electricity flickered around her, and Huang Yi roared again, accelerating his attack towards Duanmu Mo, leaving afterimages in his wake.

Duanmu Mo raised two daggers to defend himself, and sparks flew everywhere.

Unlike before when he was empty-handed, Duanmu Mo now only had two daggers in his hands, allowing him to block her attacks without having to dodge, and he clashed with her at a slower speed than Huang Yi.

Soon, Duanmu Mo realized that her next attack was coming.

In another instant, Duanmu Mo simultaneously raised his dagger and slashed.

A cracking sound rang out, and the dagger in Duanmu Mo's hand broke.

"Drink!"

Without any warning from each other, a tacit understanding arose between the two magical girls. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Yuhi caught up, the thrusters on the back of her arms propelling her forward at lightning speed.

Seeing this, Duanmu Mo turned and retreated.

Hidden by the cloak, Yuhi couldn't see his actions clearly, but he still subconsciously chased after him.

Clang!

But just as she was about to take a step, a dagger slashed open her cloak and pierced her body.

"Well!"

—With a cloak between them, Duanmu Mo gripped a dagger and plunged it into Xi Ri's shoulder, leaving a noticeable wound on her body.

"Yūnihime-senpai!"

Huangyi charged forward again, using his katana to force Duanmu Mo back, and stood in front of Xi Ri: "Are you alright?"

"It's nothing... Hmm, this is!"

Just as Xi Ri was about to shake his head in response, he suddenly sensed something and his expression changed.

She looked at her shoulder, where a wound was oozing blood; the injury was clearly unusual.

"--toxin."

Duanmu Mo, who had retreated to a distance, was not in a hurry to attack. He played with his dagger and explained:

"But don't worry, the poison isn't strong; it's only effective against some low-level soldiers."

As he spoke, he looked at the other combatants and monsters who had been attacked by the daggers.

"what!"

Faced with their angry questions, Duanmu Mo's words remained relaxed: "Sorry, you rabble, the toxin won't take effect until it's piled up to a certain level."

As he spoke, he reached into his cloak and pulled out several daggers: "—As for their effects..."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Duanmu Mo suddenly swung out his daggers, plunging them all into the body of a strange man.

Caught off guard, the strange man was riddled with holes and covered in daggers.

"you--"

Not killed immediately, but feeling his life force slipping away, the strange man panicked and instinctively tried to pull out the daggers.

But it was too late. Duanmu Mo raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Snapped--

"In the vampire race, the process of developing new members is called 'The Embrace.' So do you know why I call it the Blade of the Embrace?"

Under Duanmu Mo's dangerous tone, the strange man, who was covered in daggers, suddenly convulsed, and a large amount of blood gushed from the wounds, enveloping him.

"no no!!!"

The unknown fear engulfed the monster as he screamed, but then fell silent as his entire body was covered in blood.

Then, as the blood churned, the strange man's body began to twist and deform, gradually taking on another form:

A scaly trench coat, blood-red tear stains, a strange man with human features but who is definitely not human—Neville in his monster form!

"It's actually turned into this!"

"A clone!?"

The two magical girls were surprised at the same time, while the other strange people were even more horrified and all moved away from the strange man, Neville.

Looking at their expressions, Neville, formed from the Blade of the Embrace, spread his hands and smiled helplessly:

"Everyone, don't be so nervous~ At least we all have the same goal."

—The moment those words were spoken, everyone knew that this weirdo Neville and the Neville in Kamen Rider form were the same being!

And that is indeed the case. This strange man, Neville, is, strictly speaking, an Embrace clone of Duanmu Mo. As long as he is multitasking, he can control the other party as he is doing now.

Of course, that's not all; all it takes is for Duanmu Mo to create a clone.

In this way, by performing a scene where two people appear together, the secrecy of his identity is greatly enhanced.

"Hey, bro." Duanmu Mo raised his hand, waved at the strange Neville, and tossed him two Embrace Blades.

"Hey, bro." He then controlled the freak Neville to catch the Embrace Blade and responded, "Why are there only two daggers? Why not use a greatsword?"

"Just think of it as giving the new form a chance to shine. What will happen to this card if everyone buys the Black Iron Greatsword?" Duanmu Mo also took out two daggers, swung them around a few times, and then held them in his hand.

"I think just based on the Castlevania sound effects during the transformation, the sales won't be low," the weirdo Neville quipped, glancing at the two magical girls.

"Then—let's begin the second round!" Duanmu Mo and his clone said simultaneously, charging towards the two magical girls.

Chapter 54: That Lord

While the battle raged, on the other side, Poison Vine had brought the Manjusaka Monster to the mountain. Looking at the surrounding plants, she placed her hand on the ground.

The surrounding plants began to tremble, and as her gaze grew serious, beads of sweat slowly dripped down her face.

"Get up!"

Finally, with her roar, a large number of vines burst forth from the ground.

She abruptly pulled her arm back; her five fingers had transformed into vines, yet remained firmly connected to the ground.

Boom boom boom!

With a series of loud bangs, the earth churned violently.

Finally, something emerged from the upturned earth:

—A shrine covered in damp soil, already half-rotten.

"Got you!"

Seeing this, Poison Vine smiled. She knew the shrine was ancient and understood that it was impossible for it to remain as it was now; only some mysterious force could influence it.

Opening the shrine, at its center is a blurry clay statue of a young girl. Despite the passage of time, it remains undamaged, looking as new as if it had just been made.

With a sinister smile, Poison Vine grabbed the clay statue and ripped it from the shrine.

At that very moment, the clay statue released a dazzling light, and a phantom seemed to spread from it, its light covering the poisonous tendrils in her hand, stopping her actions:

"—Descendants, whatever you wish to do, please stop! Do not let the demon king who is disturbing the world be resurrected!"

"This is......"

Upon hearing the commotion, Poison Vine was startled at first, then realized what was happening and sneered, "An ancient defensive mechanism? This kind of antiquated thing... is useless now!"