The scent of blood hangs heavy in the air. Anger and sorrow linger in the atmosphere, raw and unfiltered, brushing against the skin. They’re the remnants of unfulfilled emotions left behind by the demons who have already met their end.
“Hmm.”
Lucifer licked his lips and wiped the blood off his cheek.
“All those who fled have been dealt with, my lord.”
Virtus stood behind him as he spoke.
Lucifer stretched his body with a deep sigh.
“They were too weak.”
He spoke with a face full of dissatisfaction.
“They’re nothing like the demons I used to know. Sure, I’ve grown stronger since then, but even so—this is just pathetic. Don’t you agree?”
Virtus averted his gaze slightly, recalling the three demons he had taken down. Each one had fallen in a single strike. He couldn’t deny Lucifer’s words.
“I did think it was different from what I had expected.”
“Right? Even if they were just grunts, this is too much. They’re worse than ants, aren’t they?”
“Maybe they’ve grown weak after staying too long in the human world?”
“No, no. They’ve already regained their demonic energy.”
Lucifer muttered as he gauged the lingering energy still drifting in the air.
“And yet, they ended up like this.”
Tsk. He clicked his tongue.
“They’ve turned out even more worthless than I thought.”
“I agree.”
“But still…”
A sly grin tugged at Lucifer’s lips.
“Even in a garbage heap, you sometimes find uncut gems.”
He half-turned his head to look behind him—more precisely, at the figure who had silently approached.
“Don’t you think so, Lucart?”
He looked at Lucart.
“……”
A chilling air sliced through the space between them. Virtus felt the instinct to protect Lucifer, but he couldn’t move—as if his legs had been nailed to the ground. The oppressive force pressing down on him was overwhelming, making it hard to breathe.
“Lucifer.”
The source of that crushing pressure—Lucart—spoke in a calm, detached voice. At that very moment, the weight in the air intensified even more.
“To show yourself in my domain… you must be ready to die.”
“Mm, no. I’m not ready to die just yet. I’ve still got a lot to do.”
But Lucifer remained relaxed.
“For example, getting my revenge on you. Among other things. So no, dying here isn’t part of the plan.”
He wrinkled his nose and wore a light expression.
“But isn’t this something you shouldn’t be so angry about? Shouldn’t you be thanking me instead? Thanks to me, that precious child of yours survived, didn’t they?”
“………”
Lucart bit the inside of his cheek.
After hearing the news from Nord, Lucart had rushed over, assuming that some of Shekina’s party must have been injured—or worse, killed.
But to his surprise, the ones lying dead were demons, and shockingly, Lucifer was there in person. Just as he had said, it appeared Shekina and the others had managed to escape thanks to Lucifer’s sudden appearance.
Still, that didn’t mean Lucart could just let Lucifer go quietly.
His eyes narrowed coldly.
“No, even seeing you like this doesn’t scare me. Trying to kill me is pointless anyway. This body isn’t even my real one. You know that, don’t you? That’s exactly why you’re not attacking me right now. You’ve always had a knack for picking up on things fast—before and now.”
“……”
“And yet, someone as sharp as you is just letting rats scurry around your courtyard? Tsk tsk…”
As Lucifer said, the version of him standing there was only an illusion. The fact that he could exert this much power even in such a state was impressive, but Lucart didn’t see him as truly strong.
After all, Lucifer was just a half-god.
Lucart took a deep breath.
“What are you scheming?”
Lucifer twirled around with a small smile. Facing Lucart, he raised two fingers.
“There are two reasons I created the chimeras.”
“……”
“One, to win more easily.”
“……”
“And two, to fight against the monsters.”
Lucart, who had been listening indifferently, slightly widened his eyes. Lucifer immediately seized the opening.
“I’ll get rid of all the monsters in the Demon Realm. So why don’t you all quietly return there? Leave the human world to me. If you do, I won’t lay a finger on any of you.”
“……”
“You know it too, don’t you? Just how disgracefully your demon kind are living now. It’s so bad you can’t even bear to watch.”
Lucifer curled his red lips into a grin, his eyes gleaming.
“So? What do you think? How about letting go of old grudges and joining hands now?”
Lucart let out a dry laugh.
“Quick to switch sides for someone who once spoke of revenge.”
“I just came to prioritize conquering the human world, that’s all.”
“Lucifer.”
Whether Lucifer was serious or not didn’t matter at that point—what truly frustrated Lucart was the state of everything. The monsters, the demon realm, the weakened demons… It was all pressing down on him.
He clenched his teeth tightly.
“You’ve gone too far.”
Slash!
Lucifer’s image split in half.
Lucart’s greatsword had sliced cleanly through him.
Lucifer’s illusion dissipated into nothing. Without even sparing a glance back, Lucart turned and aimed his greatsword at Virtus, who had been hesitating nearby.
“Go back and tell him this.”
No matter what had happened between him and Lucifer—
Right now, Lucart was the Demon King, the one who leads the demons.
And there was only one thing to say in this situation.
“For the sixteen demons you killed, I will hunt you down and kill you sixteen times.”
***
Meanwhile, Benita stood anxiously before the castle gate.
And for good reason—Shekina was well past the time she was supposed to arrive.
The journey from the northern lands to the capital was a dangerous one, and fearing something may have happened, Benita had quickly dispatched knights. But even then, his worry wouldn’t ease.
‘It’s been ten whole years since I’ve last seen her… If something happened—!’
He had worked so hard to appear dependable in Shekina’s eyes. He forced himself through sword training he hated, pushed through boring studies—all for her.
Ten years of effort… and if something had happened to her, if she was hurt, or worse—
Benita couldn’t even bear to finish the thought. He bit his lip hard.
“Should I send another search party…?”
He muttered as he stared at the already-setting sun.
Traveling after nightfall would only be harder on Shekina and her companions.
Maybe it was better to send more people out now.
“Yes… Better to overreact than regret it later.”
With that decision, Benita hurried toward the gate guards. He’d start by sending ten more knights. And if that still wasn’t enough, he’d go himself. Or better yet, maybe he should just ride out now?
As his thoughts raced—
“Ah! Your Highness!”
One of the guards shouted as he spotted Benita.
“They said they found your companions! They’re on their way here now!”
“Is that true?”
“Yes! They’ll be arriving any moment!”
“Haa…”
Benita let out a breath, finally releasing the tension he had been holding. A wave of relief washed over him.
So it wasn’t that something bad had happened—just a delay. That made it even more comforting.
“Then I’ll just wait here.”
“Shall I bring you a chair?”
“No need. They’ll be here soon, I’ll stand.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Leaving the courteous guard behind, Benita quietly gazed out toward the only road leading to the castle gate.
He watched, picturing the moment Shekina would appear, imagining himself greeting her with the perfect words, looking as cool and composed as he had always hoped.
“…Hm?”
Benita rubbed his eyes.
But the view didn’t change.
Knights on horseback came into view in the distance.
Each of them had a passenger riding with them.
At the front of the group, seated before one of the knights, was Shekina.
Shekina Daimon. His first love, the one he had longed for through an entire decade.
He always imagined their reunion would be something out of a dream—surrounded by flowers, a moment of bliss.
But…
“Uh… hmm.”
Benita turned a bit sour as he glanced at the guard beside him.
“Why… why does she look like such a mess?”
