I decided to visit the demon lord early. I flew to the capital, where a single building rose higher than the sky itself. The tower pierced through the clouds, its immensity unparalleled. When I peeked inside, it was a city unto itself—multiple apartments lined its walls, stretching endlessly upward. Parks, shopping malls, recreational centers, and workshops filled other sections, creating a microcosm of urban life within the tower.

  Ralph and I ascended beyond the clouds. The air grew thinner as we climbed, but eventually, I reached the summit. I nded on the roof, finding it surprisingly empty except for a set of doors leading to the floor below. Of course, it was locked. Without hesitation, I ripped the doors open. However, before I could descend, a message interrupted me—another evolution.

  [You have reached a threshold for evolution. Evolution possible. Evolution paths:]

  Vampire Queen

  Lich Queen

  Wraith

  I chose to continue down the path of the Vampire Queen. The idea of becoming a Wraith was tempting—I could retain my human form. But it came at the cost of my physical body, and that was a sacrifice I wasn't willing to make. Even if the food was tasteless and the sensation of touch had dulled, I still longed for those simple experiences. They gave me hope.

  [You obtained a skill: Blood Magic]

  My body didn't change much outwardly, but I felt the surge of new magic coursing through me. Soon, I sensed something forming on my head—not horns, but a crown. When I came across a mirror in the stairwell, I saw a blood-red crown, shimmering with embedded feystones that sparkled with golden hues, like stars in a crimson sky on my head. Magic condensed around me, and my body instinctively converted it into these precious stones to adorn the crown.

  Like my wings—which had doubled into two pairs after my ascension to Vampire Queen—the crown could be dismissed at will, simir to my wings. Yet, without it, I felt an odd discomfort. Ultimately, I decided to let it remain; it was beautiful, after all.

  The stairway was vishly decorated with red carpets and lined with opulent paintings. As I descended, the path led to a grand corridor, and an enormous, ornate door stood at its end.

  When I opened the door, a luxurious throne room unfolded before me. A red carpet with gold trimming stretched across the floor, fnked by golden pilrs adorned with demonic faces etched into their surfaces. The walls bore simir embellishments. Massive windows framed with gilded borders offered a view of the eternal hurricane churning on the horizon. From this towering height, the city below was obscured by clouds.

  At the center of the room stood an enormous throne, so colossal that even the massive demon seated upon it appeared small in comparison—and he was already a giant, towering over the other demons around him. The throne's back reached the ceiling, and the legs of the chair were as tall as me. Even its armrest alone could reach my neck. Several demons were gathering on the throne. Those demons, who I assumed were nobility, had horns of varying colors instead of the usual bck. I walked to the throne with a steady gait. They turned toward me, their expressions ranging from curiosity to anger.

  The towering figure on the throne turned his head to look at me as well. Was this Rausha? He was different than other demons. Why was he so massive?

  "Who are you to interrupt our meeting? You are no Leyman. State your master!" one of the nobles barked.

  But Rausha stood, grasping a harpoon in one hand and fixing his gaze on me. At his waist hung a bck sword.

  He wore no armor—not even a shirt—yet he was no less intimidating. His muscur, obsidian-toned body gleamed like polished armor, and his pants shimmered as though woven from silver threads.

  "Greetings, White Wing. Are you the source of this scourge? The insanity infecting my people? You are so small, yet you have caused damage surpassing any disaster the Leymen empire has endured to this day." His deep voice resonated through the room. "I appud your audacity in coming here. But know this—I shall vanquish you for the sake of my people. Any st words?"

  "She is the scourge?" one of the demons jeered. "Such a small girl! Even my granddaughter is taller than her!"

  I bristled at his words. One noble mocked my wings, and now another insulted my height. So what if I was small? So what if I had white wings? I could hide my wings if I wished, but there was no hiding my stature. And now that I was a vampire, I would likely never grow any taller!

  "I see that this continent is hopeless. There are too many people here. Arrogant and beligerent. You've caused so much suffering. So, I came to purge—just as you did to my people." I gnced toward the gss window at the far end of the wall. For a moment, I thought there was nothing to see, but then Ralph swooped past.

  Our eyes met, and Ralph immediately turned, crashing through the window and nding in the throne room. Standing as tall as Rausha, Ralph loomed menacingly in the massive room. The space was so grand that there were still a good two meters between their heads and the ceiling, leaving plenty of room for their imposing presence.

  "Wuaaah!!" The nobles scattered in panic at the sight of Ralph. Regardless of culture or empire, the privileged seemed the same everywhere—they were always the first to flee at the slightest sign of danger, only to prey on the weak when it was safe.

  Rausha, however, remained steady. He possessed a sense of dignity that set him apart. I wondered why he had allowed this travesty to pass.

  "Are those your nobles?" I asked with disdain. I had expected their society to be stratified based on magical ability, simir to ours. Yet my mana sense told me they weren't much different from common demons. Only the color of their horns was different.

  "Not in my books," Rausha replied with a smirk. A fleeting sense of camaraderie formed between us, born of shared disgust toward those who mocked and ensved others from their lofty perches. The same spite toward the privileged. "Tradition dictates that the eldest bloodline holds power. It ensures stability."

  "Even with that contract of yours?"

  "Yes."

  "I see." It was a necessary evil, I supposed. But ultimately, it didn't matter. "I assume it's futile to ask you to stay away from our nds."

  "It is. You have vioted the kinsyer w. We could not negotiate with you. We have never been defeated, so they've grown arrogant. To them, the world revolves around us. We are Leymen. The gods granted us this world to manage it. We shall be prosperous, and Rausha, me, the God-King, shall be honored ever higher."

  "You truly believe that?"

  "I was taught that ever since I was a kid. Funny, isn't it? There was never any proof. We have subjugated two other races. We were never defeated. Yet somehow, I always dreamed this moment would come sooner or ter."

  "I think I know what you mean," I replied. "You feel their praise is hollow. You feel like you're not doing the right thing, yet you keep doing it anyway. You know you shouldn't, but you do."

  I understood that feeling well. I had grappled with it when I began my crusade against the demons. Should I really kill all of their people? Couldn't we have lived together? Elidranthia was no longer here, and I was free. There was no longer any force or compulsion for me to kill.

  "So, you understand, too," Rausha said, a faint trace of something almost like sadness in his tone. "Shall we get started, then? Let's see who's right—you or me."

  He raised his harpoon, his muscles tensing as he prepared for the fight. With my new blood magic, I conjured daggers, their crimson edges shimmering like liquid fire. I hurled them toward the nobles hiding in the corners of the room and near the doors. Like rats, they had been waiting for a chance to strike. But their ck of experience betrayed them—they fumbled with their spells, their attempts clumsy and desperate.

  The poison within my blood magic seeped into their veins, twisting their bodies into vampires. Their prized magic was stolen from them and repced with a mindless craving for blood. I didn't send them against Rausha, I sent them to turn other demons in this building.

  I turned my attention to Rausha and threw more daggers his way. He blocked them effortlessly, his harpoon sweeping through the air like a shield. Then, his focus shifted to Ralph.

  The battle of the Titans began.

  It was Ralph's first fight, and his roar shook the throne room like thunder. Rausha charged, his harpoon aiming for Ralph's neck. Ralph dodged nimbly, but the harpoon grazed his shoulder, leaving a shallow wound. Ralph retaliated, sinking his teeth into Rausha's leg.

  For a moment, I thought it was over. Blood poured from the wound, but Rausha stood his ground, unyielding. It was just a flesh wound. Ralph retreated warily, sensing danger as Rausha aimed his harpoon at his head.

  Seeing Ralph struggling, I leaped into action. My wings fred wide, and I surged forward, forming a scythe in my hands. My speed skyrocketed as I charged.

  As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Rausha abandoned his pursuit of Ralph and dodged my scythe at the st second. A sphere of light gathered in his hands, its brilliance blinding.

  In response, I conjured a dark spear while Ralph charged mana in his maw.

  In unison, we unleashed our attacks.

  Explosions echoed through the vast hallway, reverberating like thunder. Within the thick smoke, a harpoon hurtled toward me. I didn't dodge. If I evaded it, it would strike Ralph instead. The harpoon plunged into my stomach, and I was yanked forward like a hooked fish. A strange discomfort churned in my gut as the foreign object embedded itself, but there was no pain.

  Blood poured from the wound, pooling beneath me. Rausha grinned, confident that victory was within his grasp. But it wasn't over yet. Summoning all my strength, I formed multiple blood daggers. At such close range, there was no way he could dodge.

  But Rausha didn't try to dodge.

  With a powerful swing, he smmed me to the ground. The ground cracked.

  "You are brave, little one," Rausha said, towering over me as blood dripped from his many wounds, which he ignored entirely. "This is, without a doubt, the greatest disaster the Leymen have ever faced. But as, one individual can't change the fate of an entire race. Just as I cannot change the fate of my people."

  He raised his massive fist, preparing to crush my skull. I knew I had to stop him—vampire or not, a shattered skull would mean my death. Raising my power to the limit, I raised my hand to defend my head. The mighty fist dropped on my head.

  "Stop… calling me… little one!" I roared, summoning every ounce of my vampiric strength. "I'm already 17! I'm not small!"

  I caught his fist, halting the full force of his blow. My head still hit the ground, pain radiating through my skull, but I survived. And with his arm in my grasp, I bared my fangs and bit down hard.

  The effect was immediate. Rausha recoiled, yanking his arm away and tossing his harpoon aside. Ralph seized the opportunity, charging forward with a ferocious roar. But Rausha caught the dragon by the neck with a single hand and hurled him across the room. Ralph crashed to the floor, his arm twisting unnaturally due to the impact.

  Rausha dropped to his knees; his face was in agony. The poison from my bite was working—his left arm trembled violently, the flesh appearing to corrode before my eyes. But he wasn't succumbing to the transformation. Instead, he glowed with a radiant light as his magic surged, mending his wounds.

  Meanwhile, I turned my attention to the harpoon embedded in my stomach. I tried to pull it out, but the serrated edges dug into my bones, refusing to budge. An idea struck me. Summoning my blood magic, I pushed the flesh around the wound aside, creating enough room to slowly extract the harpoon.

  As I worked, I gnced at Rausha, expecting to see the early signs of vampirism. But contrary to my expectations, his left hand melted entirely, and his mind remained intact.

  "That's a dangerous skill you have, little one," Rausha said, his voice steady despite the pain. "Such poison erodes the mind. So, this is the source of your strength. If not for my magic, I would have died."

  His entire body glowed with a blinding white light.

  "Light magic?" I stared at him in disbelief. "You're a demon. Why are you using light magic? Shouldn't you be more… demonlike? Use dark magic like me!"

  Rausha smirked, the glow intensifying as fireballs, water orbs, dark spheres, wind bursts, and earthen globes began to circle him in a mesmerizing dispy of power.

  "I am Rausha," he decred. "All forms of magic are mine to command."

  He stepped forward, his presence suffocating, and the air seemed to crackle with energy.

  "Let us start a new round, little one. This time, I will not hold back."