As the rock golems clashed against Diego, their sheer numbers attacking him ranged from a thousand to one for each passing second and growing relentlessly, yet Diego still found a way to take down all his adversaries, pressing forward step after step toward his goal with unyielding determination. Sensing the enemy's momentum wasn't relenting in any way, and realizing Diego was still moving with the same relentless pace he had been using earlier, the sand-woman hastened her movements and constructs, determined to complete her plan before Diego's inevitable strike landed upon her.
Although the sand-woman had earlier created a battalion of rock golems to stand by her side in the fight against Diego, she felt that wasn't enough. Deep within, she feared that no matter what she prepared to face the foe known as Diego, it would never be sufficient. However, to ensure her survival, the sand-woman had to think of new ways and constructs she could summon to restrain such a dangerous adversary. So she began pulling forth constructs from the ground. At first, it seemed she was merely forming walls and summoning pillars from within the earth, placing them irregularly around her, the inner courtyard, and most importantly in front of Diego. Yet as more constructs were formed and fitted together, they began to align like pieces of a puzzle, though instead of a puzzle, the pieces merged into a sprawling labyrinth—a maze designed to trap and delay him.
Although the newly formed maze hindered Diego's movement, he still advanced toward the sand-woman, clashing against weathered walls and carving his own path rather than seeking narrow slits that no doubt hid traps layered across the floor. Instead, he manipulated the energy in the atmosphere, channeling it to weaken the walls until they softened, collapsing with a mere tap of his hand.
Meanwhile, the sand-woman who created these constructs looked tired and exhausted, having expended all her energy and mental power to make the walls as strong as they were. While summoning dirt and shaping it into structures might appear simple and fascinating to some, it was grueling work to repeat with incredible speed. She stood drained among her dwindling constructs and a few remaining golems, no longer able to command the earth. Her once vast army had been reduced to fragments, and the walls she had hoped would hinder Diego's advance were being torn down like fragile paper. With a grim expression, she accepted the reality that even her best-laid plan wasn't enough to stop him. Yet one desperate thought flickered across her mind, a fragile hope of salvation: "Should I run away?"
However, after reminding herself of how her last disastrous rodeo with Diego had gone, and considering the way her new, carefully laid plan was unfolding, the sand-woman decided that although circumstances were dire and fortune was not in her favor, she would orchestrate one last desperate attack to finally take Diego down once and for all. She pointed her hands downward, hoping to renew the dwindling supply of golems at her command, but nothing happened. Instead, her bony hands produced only sparks and puffs of acrid smoke as the sand-woman realized one grim truth—her reserves of cursed energy were gone. She was no different from a craftsman stripped of tools, yet she refused to let the absence of power extinguish her resolve. With the burning fire of revenge nestled deep within her chest, she and her faltering golems launched a final assault. Still, despite her determination, and her army of rock golems—able to manipulate their strength and weight with precision—all crumbled against Diego's relentless force. The perfect structure she had built to battle him was shattered, and Diego laid waste to the sand-woman all the same. As she attacked, Diego had only one thought in his mind: "Getting rid of this thing." He wasted no time with theatrics, instead moving forward with cold efficiency to accomplish exactly what he had set out to do.
For the first time, he manipulated the energy coursing through his body and went "full vampire mode"—fully unleashing his vampiric abilities. Tired of the sand-woman's hubris and endless interference, he had initially spared her, storming the castle only because he believed Maru would be occupied elsewhere. He had fought her constructs as if they were toys, nearly bringing her soul to the brink of death but stopping short, intending only to warn her not to stand in his way. Yet her continuous attacks and relentless desire to defeat him had become intolerably dull. Bored and impatient, Diego resolved to end the battle decisively, determined to erase her existence once and for all.
With a mischievous smile curling across his lips, the apprentice soul vampire decided to unleash only a fraction of his immense power to vanquish the soul being blocking his path and hindering his movement. He ceased manipulating the invisible energy lingering in the atmosphere and instead drew upon the raw, surging energy within himself. His aura flared—an unmistakable, radiant blue glow—surrounding him as he moved with such blistering speed that the moment his hands struck to destroy the golems could not even be discerned. All that was seen were once formidable golems, prepared for battle, erupting into puffs of sand before collapsing back to the earth as though they had never existed at all.
For a fleeting instant, the battlefield was cleared, no obstacle daring to stand before Diego as he aimed at one side of the maze wall. He had already calculated the soul-being's movements with precision, knowing exactly where she would appear at the appointed time. Her plan was transparent, predictable, and plain as an open book to him—and he was ready to crush that book without hesitation. Just as Diego had foreseen, the sand-woman emerged at the precise location he had anticipated, down to the very last second.
Yet the moment her eyes met his, her expression betrayed a desperate wish to be anywhere else, however she was not moving within the same realm of time as Diego and so she was not able to make any abrupt moves to escape Diego's wrath, she just stood still as if waiting for Diego's attack. Her decisions lagged, her reactions faltered, and she could not act with the swiftness of someone like him. So Diego made the choice for her. With unstoppable momentum and incredible speed, he thrust his hand forward, a strike so sudden and devastating that the sand-woman never saw it coming until it smashed through her defenses, poised to claim her life in a single, merciless blow.