The Demon Kingdom.

No one really knew where it was.

Not even the gods, supposedly.

Some said that it was right below Eliora, the Land of Divine Blood, the sacred land said to be blessed directly by the descendants of Elohim.

If that rumor were true, then the demons were hidden beneath the most sacred place in the world, enemies dwelling in the shadow of divinity itself.

They had no fixed borders, no known citadel to march against.

Because of that, the kingdoms of men couldn't strike at them directly, only wait, and endure their sudden raids when they came crawling out from the shadows.

That was the power of the Demon Kingdom.

"...Tsk."

Gray's attention snapped back, pulled from his thoughts as Leon blurred forward.

BOOOOM!

Void energy flared, coating Leon's arm in crackling black light as he smashed straight through an imp's torso.

It exploded into charred chunks, the ground quaking under the backlash.

He didn't stop.

FWSHHH!

Pivoting on his foot, Leon raised his hand, and another beam of void light tore through a cluster of twenty imps, scattering their corpses like dust.

"Unbelievable!"

"His Highness Leon is incredible!"

"He's wiping them out alone!"

The students' voices rose higher with every move, their awe growing brighter, louder, almost desperate to attach themselves to him.

Their gazes followed his every step like worshippers clinging to a god descending onto the battlefield.

Of course, Gray didn't join their praise.

Instead, he stared at Leon's back, threads twitching faintly at his sides, an unsettled coldness twisting in his chest.

There was something wrong here.

"Haah… haah…"

Raven staggered closer to Gray, chest heaving, sweat dripping down his temples. Even with his messy hair sticking to his forehead, that annoying grin was still plastered across his face.

"Oi, Gray… pfft—" he wheezed between gasps of breath, "don'tcha think… his Highness really deserves that whole genius prince title?"

Gray's frown deepened.

His threads twitched at his sides like restless serpents, and his gaze sharpened, locking onto Leon's radiant figure.

'That bastard…' Gray thought coldly, eyes narrowing as Leon unleashed another beam that drew yet another chorus of cheers.

He's earning their praise by using my power.

That poisonous thought clawed at him, burrowing deeper, consuming every breath. His chest tightened with something dark, something he knew too well but couldn't put into words.

[Gray…]

Jasmine's voice was enough to pull him out of that spiral of rage.

"Fuuu..."

He exhaled sharply, grounding himself again, just in time for Lira to step forward.

Her usual calm expression was still in place, but her eyes narrowed slightly as they followed Leon's movements.

"There's something strange about him," she murmured, her tone carrying a weight that made Gray's brow lift.

For a brief moment, Gray thought he saw a faint shimmer of an emblem flash across her irises before fading.

"…Really?"

Raven suddenly butted in again, forcing his voice into their serious exchange.

"I also thought that."

Both Lira and Gray turned in perfect unison to glare at him, their eyes saying the same thing: shut the fuck up.

Raven blinked at them, then raised both hands in mock surrender, but his grin never wavered.

'Well... Shall I have some fun?'

Fwip!

Gray moved forward without another word, rapier flashing in sharp arcs.

Shhk—!

Splurt!

Three imps fell apart in seconds, blood spraying the ground as his threads lashed out, piercing another one that tried to leap onto his back.

Not far away, Selene's daggers glimmered as she weaved through the swarm, her movements graceful yet merciless.

She always killed them with a single swing, using the faint charm in her eyes to make the imps falter for just a breath, just enough for her daggers to end them.

Gray cut his way toward her, the two paths of bloodshed crossing. Soon, they were back-to-back, fighting in perfect rhythm without needing to speak.

"Look at you," Gray muttered, his rapier sliding clean through an imp's skull before he yanked it free.

"Not so shy anymore."

Selene smirked, stabbing her dagger straight through another imp's throat.

"Shy? I was just… measuring you up."

Gray chuckled darkly, swinging his blade in a wide arc that carved two more imps down.

"Measuring me, huh? That's one way to call what we did."

Selene's cheeks tinted faintly, but she didn't miss a beat, driving her dagger deep into an imp's gut before twisting it.

"You're still as infuriating as ever."

"Really?" Gray retorted, threads snapping outward to drag an imp off its feet before his rapier cut it apart.

"I think I'm quite capable, especially in bed~. Besides, you keep sticking around me."

Selene clicked her tongue, wiping blood off her cheek with the back of her wrist.

"Don't flatter yourself, Gray. I just know a strong back is worth standing behind in a fight."

At her words, Gray couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

"Strong back, huh?" He grinned.

"Good thing you already tested how sturdy it is."

"Idiot," Selene hissed, but the corner of her lips curved upward despite herself.

Splurt!

Selene smirked as she flicked her dagger free from an imp's throat, adding:

"Careful, Gray. If you keep pulling me this close, people might think you're attached."

Gray leaned in just slightly, trapping five imps in one go.

"Attached? Sure, you'd love that."

Before Selene could shoot back, a sudden hiss split the air.

FWSSHHHH!

A beam of void energy cut straight over their heads, scorching stone as Gray yanked Selene tight against him and dropped to the floor in one swift motion.

BOOOM!

The air shook with the impact.

"Oops…"

Leon's voice floated down from above, calm and smooth, but with a bite of arrogance that made Gray's teeth grind.

Selene cursed under her breath, still in Gray's arms.

"That bastard, he did that on purpose!"

Gray let her go slowly, his rapier flashing up to slit an imp across the chest.

"Probably because of me."

Selene blinked, raising a brow.

"You?"

Before she could press, Gray's threads shot outward, wider than usual, snapping across the chaos toward Leon's exposed back.

Snap!

Leon moved instantly.

He turned sharply, void energy crackling across his fingers as he ripped the threads apart with a single swipe.

His eyes locked onto Gray, only to find that faint, devilish smile curling on Gray's lips.

BAM!

RIP!

Taking advantage of his carelessness, three imps lunged from the shadows, claws tearing into Leon's back.

Blood sprayed as his uniform ripped open, his composure breaking for the first time.

Gray's smile widened, his eyes shining with cruel satisfaction.

Leon's calm mask shattered.

His gaze burned with fury as void energy erupted violently from his body, blasting the imps into nothing but ash.

However...

"Huh...?"

Gray raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Calm down, Leon... he's not worth your effort..." Leon exhaled sharply, forcing the fury from his eyes.

His jaw tightened, but instead of snapping back at Gray, he turned his attention to the battlefield once more.

FSHHH!

The void energy around him dimmed, controlled, as he struck down another imp with clinical precision.

Splat!

Gray watched him for a moment, lips curling faintly before he clicked his tongue and drove his rapier straight through the skull of a last straggling imp near his side.

The chaos around him seemed to thin.

Gray straightened, scanning the ground, and noticed something off.

There were no more imps near him or Selene.

"Strange…" Selene murmured, lowering her bloodied daggers.

Her sharp eyes darted over the clearing.

"There were at least fifty around us a moment ago. Where the hell did they all go?"

Gray's frown deepened.

He raised his head slowly, a coil of unease twisting in his gut.

"…The fuck are they doing?" he muttered under his breath.

Selene heard, her expression hardening as she followed his gaze.

Above them, the sky darkened.

The imps weren't gone; they had flown to the air, their twisted bodies aligning in precise, unnatural movements.

Wings flapped in unison as hundreds of them spiraled upward, forming a massive, glowing circle that pulsed with sickly crimson light.

The air grew heavy, vibrating with demonic energy that made the students' skin crawl.

"…That's no formation they'd pull off on their own," Selene added with a frown.

Gray's grip on his rapier tightened, threads snapping to life around his arms like restless vipers.

"…We've got a bigger problem."

[...Oooh~]

Suddenly, Jasmine spoke with a hint of interest in her voice.

[They are actually recreating one of my formations? How interesting...]

'Huh?' Gray was taken aback.

'What do you mean by that?'

[They are using the Nine Hells Transformation Array, basically a kind of formation that allows them to fuse with each other, potentially forming a stronger, superior being.]

She hummed slighly.

[Mhm... based on this world's ranks, and the quantity of imps... they should be able to at least form a peak Grandmaster realm demon.]

'WHAT?!' Gray screamed inwardly.

The differences between the Advanced Realm and the Grandmaster realm were damn absurd, having more than tens of thousands of times the power.

One low-stage Grandmaster could deal with hundreds of Master realm users easily, without breaking a single sweat.

They would surely die if they fused with each other.

"Fuck..."

Gray gritted his teeth and, without any hesitation, he locked on to one of the imps and muttered to himself in a hoarse tone:

"[✧Swap✧]"

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