******
Initially, Xylen and Lilith had been genuinely grateful to the guard who had helped them escape the tense situation they had encountered before dawn that morning.
They had completely believed they had overcome the challenge.
But now, standing on the village podium, surrounded by hostile guards and under Kaelrik’s merciless gaze, that relief turned into bitter regret.
They had utterly let their guard down.
Finally, after a moment, Xylen shifted his gaze away from Lilith and locked onto Varek, the guard who had sold them out to Karlrik.
"So... how did you discover I was the one under the cloak?" he asked, his voice low and his eyes calm beyond word, appearing resigned.
Upon hearing him, Varek’s lips curled into a smug, twisted grin. His chest puffed out, pride suddenly swelling in his stance.
Without any hint of respect toward his real lord, he chuckled, and then suddenly, he glanced at one of the towering figures standing in front of the guards.
"Who doesn’t know Captain Azraka in our squad?" he sneered with mockery.
’This...’
The words hit like a thunderclap, the entire Demon Guard unit freezing in an instant.
After a second, their heads snapped toward Azraka, a demon with skin like blackened ice and eyes like pale blue orbs — cold, lifeless, and sharp enough to pierce through souls. They instantly flinched, fear flashing in their eyes.
"He is infamous for being strict, never forgiving even the slightest offense," Varek continued, his voice heavily laced with mockery and contempt. "But last night? He ordered me to leave, even though I had acted against a direct command."
’Huh?’
Silence slammed down like an iron wall, and the guards exchanged uneasy, dumbfounded glances, the weight of the accusation they had just heard settling in like a suffocating fog.
"He... he really did that?" one of the lowest-ranked guards whispered, his voice trembling and brimming with disbelief.
"Oh my gods... Captain Azraka, breaking protocol?" another gasped.
Slowly, the guards erupted into murmurs, their shock and disbelief evident as they gasped and stared wide-eyed at Azraka.
Azraka, however, stood unmoving, his face as cold and expressionless as stone. But the faint, involuntary twitch of his arm didn’t escape their notice.
The grin on Varek, the betraying guard, widened, his eyes gleaming with triumph as he looked back at Xylen.
"I couldn’t sleep nor focus on anything else after that," he continued, his voice dripping with arrogance. "I kept wondering why Captain Azraka, of all Demons, would act so strangely. So, I did some digging and found out your precious handmaid, who rarely leaves the mansion, snuck out twice yesterday, and at that... with a cloaked demon."
’This...’
Realization gradually dawned across the crowd like a poisonous fog once Varek was done speaking, spreading dread with every heartbeat.
Meanwhile, Xylen’s fists clenched so tight, his knuckles turning bone white as regret burned through him like acid.
’If I hadn’t gone out last night... if I had let Lilith go alone... the plan would have been perfect, and we wouldn’t have been caught.’ He smiled bitterly, his entire being brimming with regret.
Lilith, still seated where she had been placed, trembled with rage and self-blame. She wanted to scream at herself for not convincing Xylen to stay hidden.
Meanwhile, deep within the crowd, Venomspite’s body shook as guilt ate away at him.
"It’s my fault," he finally muttered, his voice barely a whisper but heavy as lead.
Hearing him, the seven demons surrounding him stiffened, hurriedly turning toward him in alarm.
But before they could speak...
"If I hadn’t doubted him... if I hadn’t wasted his time..." Venomspite’s voice cracked. "He wouldn’t have been caught."
His body trembled with frustration and regret, but his comrades only clenched their fists, glaring hatefully at Varek, who continued beaming as if he had just solved the universe’s greatest mystery.
"I’ll go join him," Venomspite suddenly declared, his voice cold and resolute, like a blade ready to cut.
"This..."
His colleagues shivered, their hearts skipping a beat.
"You’re insane!" one of the demons hissed, quickly grabbing his arm.
"If you move now, we lose our last chance at backup!" another snapped, his voice barely concealing panic.
They furiously chastised Venomspite, causing him to tremble harder.
He wanted to follow his mind and run to Xylen’s side.
But if he did... they might all die here.
.....
On the podium, Kaelrik remained eerily silent as the village square buzzed with hushed whispers and anxious murmurs.
But his eyes... they never left Azraka from the start, disappointment gleaming in them like a dull, rusty blade.
Then finally—
"What do you have to say for yourself?" Kaelrik spoke, his voice as calm and smooth as glass — yet sharp enough to slice flesh.
The entire square fell deathly quiet in the following second, and all eyes locked onto Azraka.
However, Azraka’s massive frame did not flinch, not even a bit. Instead, he raised his head, his pale blue eyes meeting Kaelrik’s without a shred of fear.
"Nothing," he rasped, his voice like gravel scraping against stone.
Immediately following it...
"This—"
Gasps erupted from the villagers and the guards.
Even Kaelrik couldn’t help but tilt his head, genuinely intrigued.
"Aren’t you going to defend yourself?" he asked, sounding almost amused.
Hearing him, Azraka let out a bitter, low chuckle.
"Would you believe me if I did?" he said, his voice laced with quiet defiance.
The air grew suffocatingly heavy.
Because everyone knew the truth:
Kaelrik never forgave anything, no matter how minimal it was.
Not even from his most trusted subordinates.
And as expected...
"Hahaha!" Kaelrik burst into laughter, but the sound echoed hollow, devoid of joy.
Then his laughter stopped, his face abruptly twisting into something monstrous.
"Tie this idiot up," he snarled, his voice dropping to a guttural growl that vibrated through the air like a war drum.
Immediately, guards rushed forward, slamming Azraka to the ground and binding him with enchanted chains that straightly burned into his flesh.
Then Kaelrik stepped forward, crouching beside Azraka.
"I will not kill you," he whispered, his voice venomous and blood-crawling. "Death would be a mercy. I’ll break you so completely that you’ll beg for it... and I’ll deny you that release."
Azraka didn’t flinch, but the guards around him paled significantly, their knees almost buckling under Kaelrik’s crushing bloodlust.
Then Kaelrik straightened his posture, his gaze lazily shifting to Lilith.
"No need to be scared," he said, his voice dripping with fake gentleness. "I know your loyalty lies with your precious lord."
Lilith’s heart sank.
"But," Kaelrik continued, his eyes gleaming with sadistic amusement, "since Count Lucareth enjoys tormenting women... I doubt I need to punish you. He’ll handle that for me."
Lilith’s blood instantly ran cold. But she bit her lip, fighting back the rising dread clawing through her chest.
Then Kaelrik turned to Xylen.
"And you... Dear cousin." His lips curled into a predatory smile.
"You should’ve stayed asleep, and that way, your death would have been painless," he sneered, his eyes burning with nothing but pure, venomous hatred. "But since you chose to wake up and dared to defy me... I’ll make your death the most agonizing experience imaginable."
Kaelrik’s eyes gleamed with a frigid, murderous intent, and in the next instant—
Boom!
His aura exploded like a volcanic eruption — a Level 10 Hellblade fighter’s power crashing down like a falling sky.
The earth quaked.
Stone tiles cracked and sank into the ground.
The sheer pressure alone nearly crushed the guards, some falling to their knees as blood leaked from their mouths.
Xylen’s body also stiffened, his heart hammering violently against his ribs, his chest heaving.
’Wait... Level 10?’ His thoughts screeched to a halt, blood draining from his face.
’Isn’t... isn’t he supposed to be at Level 6?!’