After several days of uneasy rest, the cave finally settled into a fragile quiet.
The air still carried the weight of their last battle—not in ruins or scars, but in the heavy silence that pressed against every breath.
Sunny sat alone on a fractured stone slab, back resting against the jagged remnant of what might once have been a proud pillar. His wounds had mostly closed, yet a dull, persistent ache lingered like a warning. He was healing, but he was still far from strong enough.
Not here.
Not in this world.
Not beside her.
His gaze drifted forward, as it had every day since the fighting stopped.
He watched Ava.
At first, he told himself it was boredom.
Now he knew better.
It was unease.
Because what Ava was doing was not normal.
She had split herself into three distinct versions, each moving with purpose.
One Ava remained close to the small child.
But that "child" was no ordinary being.
It walked now—unsteadily, its tiny legs trembling—yet its golden eyes occasionally flickered with an ancient, primordial awareness that made Sunny's skin crawl. Even in this weakened, reduced form, its presence pressed against the air like an invisible storm.
That child was the Dragon King.
The Ava beside it moved with patient, almost gentle care, guiding its steps, teaching it balance and presence. Yet beneath the softness, Sunny sensed something colder: control. Precise. Deliberate. Possessive.
The second Ava was the one he recognized best—the quiet, calculating version who observed everything and spoke only when necessary.
The third Ava…
She trained without pause.
The training ground had become her frozen domain.
What began as a thin layer of ice had grown into a crystalline wasteland. Each step she took left behind intricate frost patterns that refused to melt, shimmering with unnatural life. The air around her shimmered with biting cold, moisture condensing into hovering shards that pulsed like living things.
Sunny watched as she moved like a phantom—graceful, lethal, precise.
Her hands rose slowly.
Frost gathered from the very air itself, forming delicate yet deadly blades that rotated lazily around her.
Then, without warning—
They shot forward.
BOOM!
The shards pierced straight through a distant rock formation as if it were wet clay. Fragments exploded outward, but the frost remained intact, gleaming with eerie resilience.
Sunny exhaled sharply.
"…That would have gone through me," he muttered under his breath.
And she wasn't even exerting herself.
Days blurred together in this rhythm of observation, silence, and relentless training.
Until something shifted.
It started subtly—so subtle the wind barely stirred.
But Sunny noticed.
The training Ava froze mid-motion.
The frost surrounding her trembled, then simply… ceased to exist. Not melted. Not shattered. It vanished as if it had never been.
Sunny straightened, instincts flaring.
Ava stood motionless for a long moment.
Then she smiled.
Not her usual controlled, distant expression.
This smile was genuine. Bright. Alive.
Sunny pushed himself up and approached cautiously.
"What happened?" he asked.
Ava turned toward him. Even with the blindfold covering her eyes, he felt the weight of her gaze—complete, penetrating.
Her smile widened.
"I've unlocked it."
Sunny frowned. "Unlocked what?"
Ava tilted her head, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"My Blood Demon Core."
Sunny blinked.
"…Your what?"
Ava let out a soft, almost playful laugh.
"Oh… I forgot."
She tapped the air lightly in his direction.
"You don't know anything about demons, do you?"
Sunny's brows furrowed. "How do you keep doing that? I didn't say anything."
"It's written all over your face," she replied simply.
Before he could protest, she raised a hand to silence him and moved to sit on a large stone, gesturing for him to join her.
Sunny hesitated, then sighed and sat across from her.
"Explain."
Ava folded her hands neatly in her lap, her voice calm and measured.
"There is a hierarchy that governs all demons—a strict structure of power."
Sunny leaned forward slightly.
"Start from the beginning."
She nodded.
"At the lowest level: Imp. Creatures driven purely by instinct. Weak. Chaotic. Disposable."
One finger rose.
"Next: Demon Spawn. Stronger, more aware, capable of thought, but still lacking true authority."
Another finger.
"Great Demon. The first real threshold."
Her tone grew heavier with each rank.
"Archdemon. Beings that command territory."
"Demon Lord."
"Demon King."
"Abyssal Demon."
The words hung in the air like distant thunder.
Ava paused, letting the weight settle.
"Beyond the ranks exist sub-classifications—mutations, special evolutions, unique paths."
She continued listing them with quiet precision.
"Blood Demon. Titan Beast. Astral Devourer. Terabox. Abyssal Overlord. Colossal. Colossal Titan."
The final name lingered like a warning.
Sunny exhaled slowly. "So where do you fit in all this?"
Ava's lips curved faintly.
"My Blood Demon Core allows me to transcend my current rank."
Sunny's confusion deepened. "That doesn't make sense."
"It does," she replied. "Because the core rewrites the rules."
She leaned forward slightly, her voice dropping.
"I remain at the Imp stage… but I surpass it."
A chill ran down Sunny's spine.
"If I successfully deceive the core during this trial," she continued, "I will evolve into something far beyond a standard Demon Spawn."
Sunny swallowed. "What kind of something?"
Ava's smile sharpened, dangerous and beautiful.
"An unstoppable Demon Spore."
The phrase felt wrong—twisted, unnatural, carrying a weight that made the air feel heavier.
Sunny quickly changed the subject, gesturing toward her blindfold.
"Then explain that. How can you see anything?"
Ava placed a hand lightly over her chest.
"My Blood Demon Core enhanced my Shadow Sense. It evolved it."
Sunny leaned in. "Into what?"
"Shadow Perception."
The air around them seemed to shift.
"I can feel everything," she said softly. "Your breathing. Your heartbeat. The tension in your muscles. Your confusion."
She turned toward him fully.
Sunny stiffened. "…That's unsettling."
"It's useful," Ava chuckled.
Then she stood.
"Let me demonstrate."
The moment she took a single step—
The temperature plummeted.
Frost exploded outward from beneath her feet in jagged, intricate patterns that raced across the ground. The air turned sharp and painfully cold. Moisture crystallized instantly, forming hovering shards that swirled around her like a waiting storm.
"This," Ava said calmly, "is Cold Frost."
She raised her hand.
The frost condensed, compressed. For one terrifying heartbeat, Sunny felt as though the entire world was about to freeze solid.
Then she stopped.
Everything vanished.
The cold disappeared as if it had never existed.
Ava exhaled softly.
"With this, I can hunt most creatures with ease."
She paused, her tone turning serious.
"But not all."
Sunny's gaze sharpened. "What do you mean?"
"If I encounter a true Blood Demon-class creature… I wouldn't be able to deal significant damage."
Silence fell between them.
Sunny leaned back, processing everything.
His eyes slowly drifted toward the child—the Dragon King.
The small figure stood unsteadily, watched over by the other Ava. Yet now Sunny saw it for what it truly was: a being destined to one day sit at the apex of this monstrous hierarchy. A king among monsters.
And Ava was raising it.
Guiding it.
Controlling it.
Sunny exhaled slowly, voice low.
"…This world is insane."
Ava smiled faintly.
"Yes."
She turned toward him, her presence calm yet undeniably growing, evolving with every passing moment.
"And you've only seen the beginning."
Sunny clenched his fist.
If this was only the beginning…
What kind of nightmares waited at the peak?
Demon Lords.
Demon Kings.
Abyssal Demons.
Colossal Titans.
And beyond even those…
His gaze returned to Ava.
She stood there as though everything she had revealed was ordinary.
But Sunny knew the truth.
She wasn't just powerful.
She was becoming something far more dangerous.
And she wasn't done.
Not even close.