Creeaak.
The massive doors of the Demon King’s castle opened with a chilling, heavy sound.
Prima’s lips curled into a soft smile, as if he had been expecting this.
His gaze lingered on the open gates with a peculiar sense of nostalgia.
With a single step, he began to move forward. But before anyone could see him take a second step, he was gone—vanished into a rift in the dinsions that had quietly appeared.
On the other side, Prima erged, striding into the Demon King’s castle.
Baal’s gaze bore down on him, sharp and far from welcoming.
A stranger, one who had killed Lagos and taken his place as the new Duke of Dinsions. While such things weren’t unheard of, it was an unanticipated developnt for Baal.
For once, a variable had appeared that Baal hadn’t accounted for—and he didn’t like it.
“I had assigned Lagos a task.”
It was an important one, too.
Yet sohow, the mont he gave the order, Lagos had died and been replaced.
“Whatever it was, I’ll carry it out far more perfectly,” Prima said, stepping closer with an almost dreamlike expression.
Baal scrutinized the new Duke of Dinsions with an assessing gaze.
He was an unfamiliar demon.
Normally, Baal wouldn’t have cared who replaced Lagos. The Duke of Dinsions, no matter who held the title, would always be second only to Baal in strength and loyalty to the Demon King.
When Lagos had defeated the previous Duke and claid the title, Baal had barely paid attention.
But this ti was different.
Sothing about the one who had killed Lagos unsettled him.
“You’re not… from this world, are you?”
Baal’s piercing observation hit the mark.
Prima’s appearance alone was unusual.
Radiant silver hair, serene blue eyes—features that were far too rare and pristine for a demon. Most demons were not born with such appearances.
And then there was his attire.
Baal knew all too well who wore clothes like that.
Priests and holy knights—those who served the gods in the human realm.
A fallen holy knight?
It wasn’t impossible. Angels fell, so why not a holy knight?
But what truly set Prima apart was sothing else: he had co from another dinsion.
Baal had never seen such a thing before.
Even for a Duke of Dinsions, crossing between dinsions wasn’t a simple feat.
It ant this newcor was not only reckless but also exceptionally powerful.
“What is your na?”
“Prima Damascus.”
“What business do you have in this dinsion?”
Baal’s direct question made Prima smile faintly, as though he had been waiting for this mont.
“It’s simple. As the Duke of Dinsions, it’s only natural to test the boundaries of other dinsions. After all, what’s the point of having such power if you don’t use it to explore?”
“The Demon King of your world must have had a hard ti with soone like you.”
“There’s always a reason when a servant of the gods becos a demon.”
“Fair enough.”
Baal chuckled, rising from his throne.
Whatever discomfort Prima’s presence had initially caused was now irrelevant.
Prima was his subordinate now.
Having a more powerful Duke of Dinsions than Lagos was, in fact, a welco change.
“Congratulations, Prima Damascus. I have high expectations for soone who defeated Lagos.”
“Whatever task the forr Duke left unfinished, I’ll exceed him in every way.”
“Then start by destroying the human girl.”
Baal’s crimson eyes glead with a nacing intensity.
Whether it was Lagos or Prima, it didn’t matter to him—so long as Crescent was killed.
Prima offered a graceful gesture of respect, his smile as tranquil as ever.
“As you wish.”
***
“Finally, it’s all over,” I groaned.
Late at night, I collapsed onto my dormitory bed, utterly drained.
I had just returned from wrapping up a conversation with the knights who had accompanied to Duke Winterly’s Winter Domain.
I thought teor and I had gone through quite the ordeal there, but hearing the stories of what the other knights endured left stunned.
The attacks in Winter Domain were so varied that each knight had faced a completely different type of assault.
The Ice Fortress? That was unique to teor and .
“Duke Winterly… such a diligent bastard. Worked so hard to kill humans, huh?”
Well, serves him right for dying!
I recalled the scene where the Demon King effortlessly cast Duke Winterly aside, killing him in an instant.
I hated the Demon King, but at that mont, it was oddly satisfying, like a weight being lifted from my chest.
Clasping my hands together as if in prayer, I closed my eyes.
“Ammas, today I sent another one to hell. I didn’t kill him myself, but my quick thinking did. Then again, he was already in hell, so… where did he go?”
Surely, he must’ve been erased from existence entirely.
After all, demons don’t have another hell to go to once they die.
Thinking about the Demon King’s castle inevitably brought thoughts of my dad.
It had been so long since I’d seen him—what if he didn’t recognize anymore?
Did he try the cake I made?
Did my heartfelt desire to celebrate his birthday reach him?
Even though we hadn’t spoken a word to each other, I’d shared the sa space with him for a brief mont.
That alone brought a small sense of comfort.
I was alive now to make sure I could be with Dad again, just like before.
With those thoughts swirling in my mind, I let out a light sigh.
I decided to get so sleep and turned onto my side.
That’s when I heard it—a faint rustling sound as the curtains swayed slightly, letting in a soft breeze.
Did I leave the window open?
I didn’t think much of it and burrowed deeper into my blanket. The warmth wasn’t quite there, so I tried to snuggle further.
And that’s when I felt it.
A hand gently brushed against the side of my head.
It was warm and soft.
“Found you….”
A low, almost reverent voice accompanied the touch.
Chills ran down my spine.
Am I having sleep paralysis?
No.
Realizing it was an attack, I bolted upright, snatching the sword I always kept by my side and raising it defensively.
The sound of my breathing and my pounding heartbeat filled the room.
Opposite stood a figure—a stranger.
My voice, trembling with tension, escaped before I could stop it.
“Who are you?”
I kept my guard up, carefully observing the intruder.
He appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen years old.
The first thing that caught my attention was his face. Even in the dim light, his appearance was striking, almost unnervingly so.
Is the light brighter on his side of the room?
His features were sharp and flawless, like a polished gemstone. His silver hair shimred faintly, and his deep blue eyes seed to hold the brilliance of stars.
And that nose—perfectly sculpted, as if drawn by an artist. Below it, lips so precisely shaped they seed unreal.
My eyes widened.
He looks familiar… like soone I know.
The man spoke then.
“Crescent. I recognized you at a glance.”
My eyes grew even wider.
“You know ?”
Well, of course, anyone breaking into my room would know who I was.
He smiled as if my question was absurd.
“If I didn’t know you, I wouldn’t be .”
“What kind of nonsense is that? Who are you?”
I adjusted my grip on my sword, my guard unwavering.
The man bore an uncanny resemblance to teor.
How can they look so alike?
Did teor have a secret older brother?
It couldn’t be—they looked similar, but this man seed a few years older than teor. He was also taller, with a broader build.
“How did you get in here?”
I demanded sharply, only then noticing his attire.
He wore the battle uniform reserved exclusively for Adamas-ranked Holy Knights. It was the most ornate and prestigious uniform of all.
But sothing was off.
The sash that should have been a pure, sacred blue was instead pitch black. The golden embroidery on the uniform shimred red.
Noticing these differences, a chill crept up my spine.
Without hesitation, I lunged at him with my sword.
Whoever—or whatever—he was, he wasn’t human. That much was certain.
Clang!
The man blocked my blade with his own, the clash of tal ringing sharply.
And then the room vanished.
In an instant, the cozy space of my dormitory was replaced by the cold night air biting at my skin.
I glanced around in bewildernt.
We were now standing in the training grounds near the dormitory.
The space had changed in the blink of an eye.
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