Kurose Akira's movements froze in that instant.
His gaze locked firmly onto the Witch of the Night, a flicker of uncertainty flashing across his eyes.
Is that… really the Witch of the Night?
And more importantly…
Roselyn and the others seemed completely unaware of her existence. Even Lucia, who was always extremely vigilant, had shown no sign of noticing the witch's sudden appearance.
The Witch of the Night simply stood there, making no effort to hide herself.
The situation left Akira filled with doubts, unable to draw a conclusion.
Then—
As he stared at her, the witch began walking toward him with light, graceful steps.
Instinctively, Akira shifted closer to Lucia.
But the moment he did, his eyes widened in shock.
Except for him, the entire world had seemingly been paused.
Everyone around him stood frozen in place.
"Lucia? Yvessa?"
Akira looked at Lucia's motionless figure, his expression turning grave.
With no other choice, he turned his attention back to the Witch of the Night.
In the blink of an eye—
She was already standing right in front of him.
She raised a hand. Her long fingers were painted with jet-black nail polish, and a bewitching curve formed on her lips as she spoke softly.
"Would you like to become my dog?"
"…No."
The moment Akira heard the question, his mind went blank for a split second.
Then he answered immediately.
He truly hadn't expected that the very first thing the Witch of the Night would say to him… would be something so utterly outrageous.
"And why not?"
The witch drifted lightly to Akira's side. Her deep, ink-dark eyes studied him closely while the cool edge of her fingernail traced gently across his skin.
Akira instinctively tried to dodge—
But discovered that his body seemed bound by invisible chains.
He couldn't move at all.
Yet he knew something for certain.
The Witch of the Night had already died.
"No one wants to be a dog," Akira replied in a low voice.
"Oh? Really?"
The witch's lips curved into a playful smile.
Her gaze drifted lazily toward the king of the Stellar Kingdom, lying on the bed.
"I've asked that same question to hundreds of people," she said leisurely."But you are the only one who has refused me."
"…?"
Akira's expression instantly turned complicated.
Is my mindset just too… conventional?
Even more unsettling—
From the witch's eyes, he faintly sensed that even the king of the Stellar Kingdom had apparently not escaped the fate of becoming her "dog."
While Akira was lost in thought, the Witch of the Night stepped even closer.
Her pitch-black eyes locked onto him.
The distance between them shrank to barely ten centimeters.
Akira could clearly feel the breath leaving her lips.
But it wasn't warm.
It carried a faint icy chill.
"Do you know?" the witch whispered by his ear, her voice dripping with seductive malice.
"With only the slightest temptation, they are willing to die for me."
"Even a noble king needs only a single bone to willingly offer everything he has."
"Even sacrificing the last remaining power of the stars within the Stellar Kingdom… just to nurture the life I created."
"…?!"
Akira's mind surged like a storm.
Fragments of earlier information suddenly resurfaced in his thoughts.
A terrifying speculation formed.
He looked straight at her and asked:
"Princess Vivian… she isn't the child born from you and the king, is she?"
The Witch of the Night chuckled softly.
Her fox-like eyes gleamed with amusement.
"'Born from us'?"
She tilted her head slightly.
"Every inch of my body has long been baptized by the Blessing of the Night. Any lifeform that touches me would instantly perish."
"Do you really think anyone would dare to unite with me?"
"The Curse of the Night…?"
Akira's heart tightened.
He didn't understand what that curse actually was, but his instincts screamed one thing at him—
Keep your distance.
"How interesting~"
The Witch of the Night immediately caught the subtle change in his expression.
Excitement flashed across her face.
Her voice trembled with both teasing and anticipation.
"Fear and curiosity intertwine in your eyes."
"You are afraid of me… yet fascinated by my secrets."
"You're very interesting."
Her voice softened.
"Let me ask you one more time, man."
"Will you become my dog?"
"If you agree~"
As she spoke, she slipped off one of her black high heels.
Dark wisps of mist still clung faintly to the shoe.
She gently swayed the high heel in her hand, her smile becoming increasingly mischievous.
"It will be yours~"
"…???"
Akira's expression grew increasingly complicated as he faced the witch's madness.
He simply couldn't understand how anyone could be dominated by such a reward.
A shoe? What's so—
Wait.
Why is my hand moving?
Akira suddenly snapped back to reality and hastily pulled his hand back.
His heartbeat accelerated wildly.
He couldn't believe what he had almost done.
He had nearly reached out to take the high heel from her hand.
What the hell was that just now?
Was it the influence of the Dominating Demon Eye?
Had his thoughts been manipulated so easily?
But then why hadn't his Counter Demon Eye reacted at all?
While Akira struggled to suppress the strange impulse in his heart—
The Witch of the Night revealed a look of genuine surprise.
She had never expected someone to resist the temptation of her high heel.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
The smile on her lips grew even more intrigued.
"Is that still not enough?"
"You're quite greedy for someone so young."
Her crimson lips parted slowly.
Then—
She gently slipped off her black stockings and extended them toward him.
"Well~"
"Will this do?"
Faced with this series of temptations, Akira's expression became even more bizarre.
But this time he wasn't tempted.
He remained standing exactly where he was.
Unmoved.
"Oh?"
"Even that can't shake your heart?"
The Witch of the Night's already enchanting smile slowly turned stranger… more unhinged.
"No one has ever rejected me twice in a row."
"It seems your taste is even higher than the king's."
Her lips curved beautifully.
Then she reached a hand beneath her robe of swirling black mist.
It was impossible to tell what she was undoing inside.
Click.
A crisp sound rang out.
Akira clearly heard something inside the witch's robe being opened.
He could also see her preparing to pull something out.
But he still couldn't move.
All he could rely on was his own willpower to resist her domination.
"Come now~"
The Witch of the Night coaxed him sweetly.
"Be my dog~"
Just as she was about to remove the mysterious object from her robe—
A blinding flash of golden light suddenly erupted.
The stillness of the world shattered.
In the next instant—
Lucia, who had been frozen moments earlier, suddenly moved again.
Her cold gaze swept toward Akira.
Then toward the Witch of the Night standing in front of him.
The golden scepter appeared in her hand out of thin air.
Without hesitation, she swung it straight at the witch.
"Wicked witch!"
"Stay away from him!"