"Riley… I'm sorry, but I need to go."

At Lucas's words, Riley lifted his gaze, eyes calm as always.

The light from the flames flickered across his face, but his expression didn't change—not even a hint of surprise.

Lucas hesitated. The usual confident, battle-hungry gleam in his eyes was gone.

In its place was something else—unease.

"I know you said to wait," Lucas continued, adjusting the strap of his sword across his back, "but… I promise I'll return before the competition ends."

Riley studied him quietly for a moment, then asked, "Did something happen?"

Lucas's hand, already resting on the hilt of his white sword, trembled slightly.

It was subtle, but Riley noticed.

"I don't know," Lucas admitted after a short pause. "But if I don't go now… something will."

There was a quiet beat between them.

The sound of wind whistled softly.

"…Alright," Riley finally said. "Take as much time as you need."

Lucas blinked.

He had expected questions, maybe even a warning or a lecture.

But instead, Riley's tone stayed calm, almost casual—like he didn't need to know the reason.

Like he trusted him completely.

Lucas smiled faintly.

He really is unique.

That simple trust—without demand or doubt—made Lucas's respect for Riley grow even more.

He gave a firm nod. "Thanks."

And then, without another word, he turned.

The white glow of his sword briefly flickered as he channeled mana into his legs—

—and in a single step, his body blurred, vanishing from sight.

The air rippled where he once stood.

Riley exhaled, eyes still fixed on the spot Lucas had disappeared from. "He's getting faster," he murmured to himself.

Far away, Lucas landed silently in the forest, branches swaying under the burst of air pressure he left behind.

His pulse raced. Something deep inside was pulling him forward—an unease, like a whisper in the back of his mind urging him to hurry.

He wanted to call for Riley's help, even just to inform him.

Having Riley's strength by his side would have made everything safer—assured.

But he couldn't.

[Master… do not involve the being—person in front of you.]

The warning had come the moment the pulse of demonic energy flared somewhere beyond the forest's edge.

He didn't understand it. If a demon was involved, wouldn't it make sense to seek help?

But the Holy Sword's voice had been almost desperate—its words not a command, but a plea.

Lucas clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on the sword's hilt.

He didn't know why but if the holy sword was asking him not to let Riley get involved, then he wouldn't try to force him to.

"Tell me where to go."

[Just right up a head, master…]

The voice of the Holy Sword echoed inside Lucas's mind, steady but with an unusual hint of concern.

[This time, please be careful. The Goddess has warned that there might be something more at play.]

Lucas nodded silently. His steps didn't slow, but the warning lingered in his thoughts.

As he moved, his aura ignited—soft golden light bursting from within, wrapping around him like a shield.

Feather-like strands of light drifted from his body with every step, illuminating the dark forest trail.

The ground beneath him seemed to hum faintly, reacting to the divine presence spilling from his core.

...…

Meanwhile, back at the camp—

Riley sat under the tree, silent for a long moment after Lucas vanished.

The soft sound of the winds was the only sound left in the clearing.

Then his eyes opened.

"Lavine…"

A soft, feminine voice answered from the air beside him, calm yet alert. "Master…"

"You feel it too, right?"

"…Yes. The king of those roaches finally made a move."

Asmodeus.

"To think he'd show himself this openly…"

Riley looked toward the forest in the same direction Lucas had gone.

His calm, unreadable face didn't waver, but his thoughts ran deep.

He had always expected Asmodeus to make some kind of move eventually—but not like this.

Not so soon.

He could feel it even from here—the faint, suffocating pressure in the air, the twisted energy that clung to the wind like tar.

The demonic stench was unmistakable.

Thick.

Heavy.

And more than that—it wasn't being hidden.

That fact alone told Riley everything he needed to know.

Demons were arrogant, yes, but not reckless.

Not Asmodeus

Of all the Demon Kings, he was the one that never acted without reason.

A schemer.

A manipulator.

The kind who'd rather let others bleed while he smiled from behind the curtain.

And yet now… he was baring his presence openly.

Riley narrowed his eyes, the faint glimmer of distorted shadows flickering in them. "So… this is bait."

Lavine's voice wavered slightly. "For you or for the boy?"

"Maybe both,"

At the same time, it made sense… yet it didn't.

Asmodeus should've been painfully aware of what kind of existence Lucas was—and what Riley had become as well—so for him to act so openly… there had to be something more behind it.

It wasn't arrogance. Not from someone like him.

There was always a reason—always a layer behind the layer.

Riley's mind ran through possible explanations as he stared into the faint glow still lingering from Lucas's departure.

There were many liable reasons for the Demon King's behavior—testing boundaries, drawing attention away from something else, or maybe just gauging how far the "Hero" had grown—but if Riley had to guess… this wasn't about power. It was about interest.

"Lavine," he said quietly, breaking the silence.

"Yes, Master?"

"Go follow Lucas. I doubt anything major will happen while he's there, but… just in case something gets out of hand, help him. Don't reveal yourself unless you have to—and report to me immediately if anything else unexpected occurs."

Lavine hesitated for a moment, her form flickering with a faint blue hue. "Alright, but… where are you going, Master?"

Riley's footsteps slowed. He turned his head slightly, his eyes half-hidden by the faint shadow cast from the tree's canopy.

"Just to have a few words."

"Hm?"

Before she could ask what he meant, his presence vanished.

Not even the rustle of air remained—just the faint aftertaste of crimson energy that clung to where he stood.

Lavine sighed softly, her expression troubled.

She knew that tone.

Whenever Riley said something like that, it rarely meant a simple conversation.

Still, she didn't have the luxury to question him further.

The situation had already gone beyond what any of them expected.

Her gaze turned in the direction Lucas had gone—the faint traces of divine energy still pulsing in the far distance.

She clenched her ethereal hand. "Let's hope this doesn't turn into something worse…"

Because she knew—both of them were powerful enough to destroy this entire forest on their own.

And if Asmodeus, even in a fraction of his presence, was truly manifesting here…

Then even an incomplete incarnation could spell catastrophe.

She snapped her fingers once—light bending around her form as she vanished from sight.

I'll just tell Master if anything crazy is happening—

But the moment Lavine reappeared, her thoughts froze.

The entire scene unfolded before her eyes like a nightmare drawn from legend.

Lucas stood at the center, his holy sword blazing with golden-white light, divine energy rolling off him like waves.

Every breath he took seemed to shake the air, the earth beneath him faintly glowing from the sheer pressure of his divinity.

Across from him, descending from above, Alice rode atop her massive crimson beast—its fur glowing faintly with embers, eyes burning with primordial fury.

The air itself seemed to twist and fold around her, reality struggling to remain stable beneath the weight of her overflowing crimson energy.

When did she even get here…? Lavine thought, her body tense. There wasn't time to question it.

Because the source of it all—their shared wrath—stood right before them.

An elf, or rather what was once an elf, now clearly consumed by another presence entirely. His smile stretched unnaturally wide, eyes glowing with crimson-black fire that spiraled and pulsed as if alive.

"Now now~," he drawled, tone playful yet venomous, "seems I've attracted quite the interesting individuals. A shame he isn't here though~" his voice darkened, almost as if mocking someone unseen.

"Still… before you two do anything rash—why don't we talk things out a bit, hm? You wouldn't want that fallen princess over there to die, or worse… be completely taken by my curse, right?"

The air stilled.

Both Lucas and Alice froze mid-step.

Lavine's heart dropped as her gaze followed the elf's gesture.

There, lying against a tree's roots, was Snow.

Her breathing was shallow—barely there—and the color had long drained from her face.

The corruption spreading from her severed arm had turned black, twisting and crawling up toward her chest like veins of ink.

Each pulse of it radiated faint demonic energy.

The dark tendrils coiled, tightening with each beat of Snow's faint heart.

...…

"Hmm… this is unexpected," a woman murmured, her voice calm yet amused.

Trisha brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear, turning her head slightly as she felt the cold edge of metal press gently against her neck.

"Hello, Mr. Anomaly," she said with a faint smirk.

Behind her, reality flickered and distorted—like a film burning through light. Slowly, a shape took form from the shadows.

Riley.

His figure was half-faded, as if part of him existed somewhere else entirely.

His presence bent space around him, the air trembling with invisible weight.

His cold blue eyes stared at her without warmth—sharp, quiet, and unblinking.

[Is this part of the warning last time?] he asked, voice calm yet heavy.

Trisha smiled darkly, her crimson pupils glowing faintly under the dim light.

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