The flourishing world collapsed into a burning hell in a single instant. Amid howls and savage roars, jagged demons surged forth, encircling the entire manor, seeping into every stretch of shadow like a living nightmare.
Never had the nobles beheld such abhorrent things. As the demons flooded in, a corruption that twisted the mind began to spread among the crowd. Most people were seized by overwhelming terror the moment their eyes met those creatures; some fainted outright. A handful of guards tried to raise their firearms and resist, yet the instant their sights aligned with a demon's gaze, their trembling hands betrayed them and the barrels wavered from their targets.
The demons spread like a plague, multiplying without restraint.
Selu crouched within the shadow of a wall. Though chaos had already swallowed the hall, there was not the slightest trace of panic on the girl's face. It was as if she had never learned the meaning of fear.
At first she had intended to follow Lloyd. There had been something terribly wrong in his expression—like a man who had already glimpsed the arrival of calamity. As it turned out, Selu's instincts were correct. A tidal wave of demons surged in and devoured the entire gathering in an instant.
Fortunately, this had been a grand ball, and a measure of security had been stationed nearby. Amid the screams, the sharp reports of gunfire echoed through the manor. Yet those gunshots gradually dwindled, fading one by one. It seemed the guards would not hold out for long.
Selu did not know what these creatures were. But the strange pressure that radiated from them told her they were nothing good. Slowly she stepped backward, gripping a candlestick in her hand. The flame had long since been extinguished, yet the heavy weight of the metal made it a respectable blunt weapon.
Her naturally faint presence—something she had carried since birth—proved useful now. Countless demons rampaged through the vast estate, yet not a single one noticed the girl concealed in the shadows.
Perhaps it was a skill she had learned during her early years in Gaulunaro. Selu's ability to survive was stronger than most. After all, who would ever imagine that this dignified duchess had, only a few years ago, been nothing more than a wild stray curled beside a heap of alleyway refuse?
She slowed her breathing.
Like a spirit of the dark, Selu moved from shadow to shadow, her steps light and silent. Her goal was beyond the manor walls. If she could escape this place, then among the winding streets and tangled alleys of Old Dunling—even if she had to outrun monsters—she would not lose the race.
Of course, that was assuming she could shed the cursed weight she carried.
The extravagant hair ornaments were the first to go. Selu tore them free one by one and tossed them onto the floor without ceremony. Wearing them felt as though she had balanced an entire platter of precious metals atop her head—heavy, cumbersome, and worst of all, reflective enough to betray her hiding place.
Next she seized a dining knife and began slicing through the layers of her gown. The thing was far too heavy. Wearing it, she felt like a waddling penguin, utterly incapable of running.
She showed no mercy to the exquisite dress. Had its designer witnessed this scene, he might have rushed forward in outrage to stop her. Selu, however, cared little for such things.
At last she felt lighter.
Her body moved swiftly again, slipping through the shadows.
Though she did not know the exact layout of the manor, Selu still remembered the road by which she had arrived. Even now, she constantly mapped out her escape in her mind.
To leave this place, she would have to cross the courtyard and pass through the manor's towering castle. Between the gate and the building stretched an open road with no cover at all—but beyond that road stood rows upon rows of waiting carriages.
Selu needed to reach them.
Though she was not particularly tall, life in Gaulunaro had taught her much. Lloyd had once shown her how to ride a horse—and more importantly, how to crawl out of a dead end when the world had closed in.
Suddenly, a half-dead demon staggered into view from the far side of the courtyard. It had clearly already suffered wounds. Several enormous bullet holes riddled its body, dark blood pouring endlessly from them.
The strong had their ways to survive.
The weak had theirs.
The cold girl's blood suddenly burned.
Before the wounded demon could launch an attack, Selu charged forward first. Her frail body collided with the creature—yet somehow it was the demon that crashed to the ground.
Grip tightening around the candlestick, as if clutching her own fate, Selu brought it down with brutal force.
The demon writhed beneath her, struggling violently. Yet the slender girl pinned it down with desperate strength. Countless indescribable emotions surged through Selu's heart. At such close range, the creature's eerie corruption pressed upon her mind, gnawing at her sanity.
But that was no reason to stop.
Teeth clenched, she struck again.
And again.
And again.
A mechanical rhythm of blows, driven by fury, until the demon's skull was smashed into a shapeless mass of pulp.
Slowly Selu rose to her feet.
Her white dress was now completely soaked in red—like a crimson rose blooming across pale silk.
"…Still not dead?"
The headless body continued to twitch.
Selu had never seen a demon before. She did not know that destroying the heart was the only way to truly kill such a creature. With their terrifying vitality, a demon could continue moving for some time even after losing its head. Some of the stronger ones could survive such wounds entirely—and even regenerate their severed skulls through sheer monstrous life force.
Realizing she could not finish it off, Selu turned and ran.
Even with her cold heart, an unspeakable fear now crept into her chest.
Footsteps—countless footsteps—echoed in her ears. And as time passed, they grew clearer.
Selu could not tell whether they were real or merely hallucinations.
If they were illusions, then something must have already affected her mind. She simply had not realized it yet.
But if they were real…
Then countless demons were already coming for her.
Alone and abandoned, Selu moved through a world that had become a living hell. Gradually she felt herself reverting to what she once had been—not Selu of House Stuart, but Selu the street beggar.
Glory. Power.
She had never truly desired either.
Strangely, in this desperate moment, what she longed for was the life of escape she once lived. To Selu, the moment Lloyd kicked open that door—when sunlight first touched her face—that had been the moment Selu truly came alive.
Crossing the tangled courtyard, she rushed into the towering castle.
From its highest point, one could overlook every corner of the manor.
Her steps began to falter.
A wound had opened along her ankle, likely left there when the demon had struggled beneath her earlier. At the time she had not noticed—but now the pain surged through her leg.
Selu suddenly realized that she might not leave the manor alive.
Still, she did not believe she would die.
She would never surrender so easily.
Climbing the stairs, she entered the labyrinthine chambers of the castle. Perhaps these twisting corridors would delay the demons for a while.
Her breathing came in ragged gasps. Panic and injury were draining the last of her strength.
And then—
At the far end of the corridor, a demon stepped slowly into view.
Like the beginning of a duel.
At opposite ends of the narrow hallway stood Selu and the monster. Decorative suits of knightly armor lined the walls, standing silent guard over this makeshift arena.
Selu forced her breathing to steady.
Then she reached toward one of the armored figures and pulled free the ornamental sword hanging at its side.
The blade was far too large and heavy for her. She dragged it along the ground with effort. Yet difficult as it was, it was still better than a candlestick. The demon before her was completely uninjured—not the half-dead thing she had fought before.
Her fingers brushed lightly across the blade.
Unfortunately, the decorative sword had never been sharpened. With Selu's strength, a normal slash would never harm a demon.
Only a thrust might work.
But the weapon was so heavy, and Selu had little control over it.
She would have only one chance.
One fatal opportunity to strike the creature down—otherwise she would become its meal.
As if by silent agreement, both moved at once.
They charged.
The demon's twisted body resembled a human form yet carried the savage grace of a beast. Its elongated claws scraped against the floor, propelling it forward with terrifying speed.
Selu was far slower.
With great effort she lifted the blade, waiting for the moment to strike.
Everything happened in a single heartbeat.
As she closed the distance, Selu suddenly lunged forward with the sword raised high. Borrowing the last burst of momentum, she slid across the floor beneath the creature, angling the blade upward while leaning her entire body back against the ground.
It was the only tactic she could think of.
If the demon pounced, it would impale itself upon the angled blade. By throwing her body backward, she could reduce the damage as much as possible.
Everything unfolded exactly as she had predicted.
The demon leapt high into the air—
But in the very instant it descended, its claws hooked into the wall. With unnatural agility, the monster twisted its body mid-air and changed direction.
It landed lightly behind Selu.
Like a hunting leopard.
Her end had come.
In that moment Selu could already imagine the claws tearing through her body.
Yet she felt no terror of death.
Faced with it, she felt almost nothing at all.
She simply turned her head with all the strength she had left—
And watched the descending claws.
The claws came down.
At once the corridor erupted with the harsh scream of steel grinding against steel, the sound trembling violently through the air. Then the knights who had stood silently along both sides of the hallway—still as statues until that moment—suddenly moved.
Their ancient divine armor roared to life, dragging a shrieking wind in its wake. A heavy ceremonial sword was swung up in a wide half-moon arc. As the demon lunged forward, the blade fell from behind it like the stroke of an executioner.
"Strike its heart!"
A voice thundered from beneath the armor.
Selyu had never imagined that a living person hid inside that decorative suit of armor, yet the thought was cut short by the violence unfolding before her eyes.
The descending blade slammed viciously into the demon's neck. But the sword had never been sharpened; its dull edge could not fully cleave flesh. It bit only a few inches deep, driven more by raw momentum than by any cutting power, forcing its way in like a slab of steel.
Yet that single blow gave Selyu the moment she needed to survive.
The descending claws faltered, deflected by pain. Clutching her sword, Selyu dropped to her knees on the ground and shoved the tip of her blade against the demon's chest—right where its heart should be.
"Again!"
Her voice burst out in a hoarse roar.
The knight lifted the heavy sword and brought it down again—then again—like someone hammering a stake into the earth. The blunt weapon crashed repeatedly against the demon's neck. Under those relentless blows, the creature's body slowly sank downward.
Then the upraised sword point pierced through its chest.
Below, Selyu gripped the crossguard with both hands and forced the blade upward with all her strength. Above her, the knight kept striking. The edge might not have been sharp, but in the knight's mind it was simple enough—strike enough times, and eventually something would break.
Between the two of them, the demon struggled weakly.
Until finally—no one knew which blow it was—the falling blade severed its head.
It was perhaps the most miserable death a demon had ever suffered. Its entire neck had been hammered into pulp; the bones inside were shattered into countless fragments. The corpse sagged helplessly on the sword while Selyu crawled out from beneath it with difficulty.
When it was finally over, the knight collapsed to the side as well.
The two looked at each other.
After a short silence, they both raised a thumb to the other.
"Come with me. We can't stay here long."
After a brief rest, the knight rose again. The armor scraped and rattled with a clattering metallic chorus.
"What is that thing?"
Selyu nodded and struggled to stand, dragging her injured foot behind her.
"Demons… You probably wouldn't understand. Just think of them as monsters from myth. The only way to kill one is to sever its head or destroy its heart."
The knight explained while tightening her grip on the sword. Judging by the way she used it, the weapon functioned more like a spiked club than an actual blade.
Before the two could speak further, the sound of footsteps echoed from every direction.
The knight removed her stifling helmet. A cascade of fiery red hair spilled down her shoulders. Sword in hand, she glanced at the slightly startled Selyu beside her.
"What? Surprised?"
The girl scanned the surroundings warily. Though the sword in her hand was far from sharp, gripping it somehow brought a strange sense of reassurance.
"It's nothing."
Selyu leaned on her blade and stood back-to-back with the girl, watching the corridor behind them. In the shadows, countless silhouettes shifted and crawled.
All of them demons.
"You know, you've actually impressed me, Selyu."
Faint wails echoed somewhere in the darkness. The girl didn't seem afraid—instead she chatted casually.
"You know me?"
Selyu had not expected that.
"Of course. The future Duchess of House Stuart. They say you're a lucky one—climbing from a street orphan to the top in a single leap. I thought you'd be some timid little princess… but turns out you're pretty ruthless when the fighting starts."
Whether it was praise or mockery was hard to tell.
Selyu asked coolly,
"And who are you?"
"Eve Phoenix. Once my overprotective father finally retires, I'll be a duchess too."
Eve spoke bluntly. Though when she thought about the Phoenix Duke's absurdly vigorous health, it seemed likely he could hold on to the title for many more years—a thought that left her slightly disappointed.
"They look like there are a lot of them. Got any ideas?"
Carrying a bone-chilling presence, the demons slowly crawled out from the shadows.
And this time, there was far more than one.
"These damn things hate fire."
Eve remembered something Lloyd had told her earlier. Her gaze shifted to the sides of the corridor. Because the castle was ancient, many sections had never been fitted with electric lights—or perhaps it was a deliberate effort to preserve its archaic dignity. Instead, candle flames flickered atop rows of wall sconces.
Selyu murmured quietly,
"This is Duke Salicado's favorite estate."
"You think he'll still enjoy living here after this many people die?"
At Eve's words, the two girls turned to look at each other.
Neither said anything more, but in that silent glance it felt as if an entire conversation had passed between them.
The same smile appeared on both their faces.
It was the kind of smile people share when they unexpectedly meet a kindred spirit—someone who truly understands. After all, companions like that are not easily found.
The demons began to close in.
At that exact moment, both girls swung their swords simultaneously, smashing the candle stands on either side of the corridor.
Flames instantly leapt onto the luxurious carpets and velvet curtains. Perhaps it was the richness of the materials, but the fire surged with astonishing speed.
And that was only the beginning.
The two girls moved like arsonists in a riot, seizing every remaining candlestick and setting alight anything that would burn.
It became a chaotic flight through spreading flames.
Beyond the wall of fire, the demons hesitated—uncertain whether to advance.
In that moment of hesitation, two blades burst through the blaze and crashed into the demons. The blows were not enough to kill them, but they knocked the creatures to the ground.
Then the two girls leapt out of the sea of fire.
As they ran, the flames spread behind them—carried through corridors, halls, and stairways—scattering sparks into every corner of the castle.
The blaze spread rapidly.
Soon the entire ancient fortress was lit by fire.