Hands tearing through flesh, the wet sound of chewing, saliva dripping…A horrifying sight: an inhuman creature devouring the body of a young girl as if it were nothing more than a meal served in a restaurant where eating with your hands is perfectly acceptable.
Aria's breathing grows heavy as she watches the scene.Gina had always been a kind girl who never asked for anything… so why her? Why such cruelty? And most of all, why would Nix do this? It's far too horrible.
"Nix… what's happening… why are you… hey…"
It's too much. Aria doesn't have the strength to keep watching and stay calm. She suddenly vomits, coughing violently before forcing herself to look back at the nightmare.
Nothing has changed.She is still there.Still devouring Gina.
Then she slowly lifts her eyes to meet Aria's.
"I'm truly surprised, big sister. You managed to defeat Romanié's clone… a clone weakened by distance, but still, that's impressive for a girl who knows nothing about her weapon, nothing about the rules of this world, and nothing about the situation. As for the first man who came earlier, I had to let Romanié devour him. Young men like him don't interest me. I prefer children."
She speaks with unsettling calm, as if everything had gone exactly as planned.She doesn't look disturbed. She doesn't look out of control.
It really is Nix speaking.
But the conversation ends abruptly.Nix suddenly lunges forward, aiming a bone dagger straight for Aria's throat — a dagger crafted from Gina's own body.
Shock floods Aria's mind, followed immediately by despair.
At that very moment, Grégor arrives just in time to save her. His eyes scan the scene, and within seconds, he understands enough of what is happening.
"Aria, listen to me for now… This creature has killed two people, and one of them was Beck — a dear friend of mine. Unfortunately, I can't mourn him yet, because if we lose ourselves to darkness, we let this monster win! You need to wake up, because standing before us is, without a doubt, the one known as the Devourer of Children! But why is she a little girl? She's supposed to be an old woman…"
Nix looks at Grégor, then at Aria.A storm of darkness swirls around her, and her body transforms into that of a much taller woman — roughly Aria's age. Her expression shows clear amusement at their distress.
"I am Nix Kivarro, the Ninth Seat of the Devourers… and the one no one can ever truly identify. My appearance can be large or small. Hehe. Yes, I devour children to obtain eternal youth… You've surely heard that urban legend. Well, I made sure it became so widespread that people truly believe I can achieve immortality by eating children. It's stupidly brilliant. But honestly? I just think they taste sweeter than adults. Hahaha… What do you think, Aria, dear?"
Aria listened to Grégor's words, but is he really serious?He expects her to stand up, ignore the obvious corpses, and remain calm?
That's impossible.She has never witnessed anything this disturbing.
No speech, no motivation can change this.This is her first real battle… and she is weak.
She thought she had defeated a Devourer, but it was only a weak clone.And now she has lost a very important friend.
The sweet, innocent Nix she knew… was actually a cruel witch.And now she has to stand up and fight.
"I can't… big brother… Lux… I'm scared… I can't fight… it's too terrifying…"
Nix watches the young woman with amusement as she sinks into primal fear. Moments like this — breaking a future heroine — are rare, and the thrill alone makes all the boredom of this village worthwhile.
"Want to hear something funny? Every Devourer has a code name. My real name is Nyx with a Y, but I renamed myself Nix with an I — which represents the Roman numeral nine: IX. I am only the ninth… Just like Ameria. Her code name is Amexia, though she hates it and keeps her real name. It means XI — the Eleventh Seat. Do you understand? Among the Devourers, I'm actually one of the weakest. That's how we distinguish ourselves. It was Vince's idea — he loves silly concepts like that. Anyway… even if you manage to defeat me, there will still be eight others far stronger. Hahaha… You'd be wiser to give up while you still can. Go back to your noble life and marry some nice husband… if you survive me, that is."
Aria trembles violently.Nothing she hears gives her strength.Instead, she feels herself sinking deeper into terror.
Until Grégor slams his fist into his palm.
"Shut up, monster! Aria! Tell me — have you ever seen Lux return from battle? Was he confident? Could he sleep peacefully? Did his eyes shine with joy?! No! I'm certain he went through horrors beyond imagination! He didn't ask to fight the Demon King, but he did it — not for himself, but to protect the weak! If you're afraid, don't be ashamed, because I'm shaking too! I'm terrified! I've never faced a monster like this before, damn it! But if protecting you is the price, then it's worth it!"
He charges into a fierce battle against Nix.He is fast, focused, careful with every movement, while Nix fights only with physical attacks, still holding back her true abilities.
Aria stumbles backward until her back hits a tree. Tears stream down her face.She feels pathetic — forced to watch someone else fight for her.
Slowly, she pulls out her pendant.
"My big brother… he was strong…"
Grégor stands before Nix and throws a punch with all his strength, but she blocks it effortlessly.
"The things I destroyed earlier… they were clones, right? The Kivarro family has someone with a cloning ability."
He tries to maintain the fight while speaking, but she ignores him and counterattacks, clearly uninterested in a man like him.
When he lands a solid hit toward her cheek, her body suddenly shrinks to the size of a five-year-old child — then instantly returns to her previous form while delivering a powerful kick to his chin, sending him flying high into the air.
Aria watches the scene, trembling.
"I… shouldn't get in his way…"
She steps back slightly.
Then, suddenly, she hears a voice.
"Will you run away? Have you reached the deepest despair… or the greatest fear? What do you feel? Hatred? Anger? Choose only one emotion."
Aria looks down at her blades and realizes the voice is coming from them.Her breathing grows heavier as confusion fills her mind.
Then a scream of pain echoes from the battlefield.
The second man under Grégor's command — John — who had been distracted by one of Romanié's clones after taking a heavy blow, suddenly reappears and stabs Nix in the arm. Rage burns in his eyes for Beck's death, yet he continues fighting alongside Grégor.
"He's fighting too… even though he knows she's one of the Devourers… Why? And me… why can't I find that courage? She killed Gina! Wake up!"
The next moment is horrifying.
With a single bite, Nix tears into John's leg, devouring it. He collapses to the ground in agony, but quickly leaps backward, desperately healing his wound while Nix laughs cruelly, proud of her attack.
Grégor, furious, prepares to strike — but before he can move, Aria rushes past him and slams into Nix with her blades still sheathed.
Nix blocks the attack by reflex, clearly surprised that Aria has joined the fight.
"Big sister~ was it your heroic instinct that made you move? You, who know nothing about the fundamental rules — how exactly do you plan to kill me?! And with what? Those chained blades of yours?!"
Nix slashes forward with her bone dagger.Aria blocks with intense concentration.
Their exchange of blows becomes even — then gradually shifts in Aria's favor. Her strikes grow stronger, forcing Nix to step backward.
Aria grips her blade, her hands trembling.
"I'm scared… but I'm fed up!I'm sick of hearing your laughter!So even if I'm useless, weak, or pathetic…I will make you shut up!"
End of Chapter.