The evening air was tense as David's orders lingered in Angelica's mind. The words "demon hunting" echoed ominously, yet his calm deanor betrayed no sense of alarm, only purpose. Angelica cast him a confused glance as they prepared for their task.
"'Demon hunting,' master?" Angelica asked, uncertainty threading through her voice as she glanced at David, who was entirely focused on the mission.
David smiled, enigmatic as always. "All in due ti, Angelica. For now, keep your eyes on Shuan. When we're through, I'll tell you everything." His tone was calm, but sothing in his gaze was sharper than usual, as if Shuan held more significance in his plans than he let on.
****
The De Gor Castle lood over them, its towering spires casting elongated shadows beneath the moonlight. Angelica and Luna concealed themselves in the darkest recesses, eyes keenly observing the nobles taking their leave after the ceremonial gathering.
Angelica's eyes swept over each noble, noting their idle conversations, the way they carried themselves. Minutes passed, and then she saw him—the unmistakable figure of Shuan Le Gor, the son of Elder Maison of Willore. Shuan and his father exited the castle, exchanging a few words as Elder Maison scolded his son with a stern frown before heading to his carriage.
Angelica's eyes narrowed as she noted Shuan's easygoing expression, dismissive even in the presence of his father's warning. She watched as he gave Elder Maison a quick farewell, stepping into his own carriage, which soon veered away, diverging from the path the other nobles took.
Without missing a beat, Luna slipped into the shadows, pursuing the carriage at an impressive speed, her lithe form blending seamlessly with the night. Angelica moved to follow, but quickly realized Luna's pace was beyond her own. She had heard of Luna's reputation as David's shadow, a fearso sentinel, but seeing it firsthand was sothing else entirely. Angelica's instincts told her that Luna's strength was not just of any ordinary warrior—it felt wild, more akin to a beast on the cusp of primal dominance, the energy of an apex lord.
The carriage's path led to an isolated clearing far from the main roads, where a dilapidated cabin stood solitary, frad by the shadows of twisted trees. Shuan alighted from the carriage, glancing around briefly before gesturing to his coachman, who opened the rear compartnt, revealing the limp, bound figure of an unconscious woman.
Angelica's breath caught in her throat at the sight. Her hand tightened around her sabre instinctively, expecting Luna to rush forward at any mont to save the woman. But Luna held back, watching from the shadows with a steely, restrained calm.
Angelica couldn't wait any longer. With a whisper, she activated
Nightveil Embrace
, a shroud that wrapped her in an ethereal body suit, her form barely visible even in the moonlight. She moved forward, her sabre gleaming, as she slipped closer to the carriage, keeping her eyes on Shuan and his monstrous companion. The coachman had started to morph, muscles and bones warping, twisting into a grotesque form with razor-sharp claws and eyes that glowed a sickly green.
Angelica gritted her teeth, suppressing the shock of seeing such a horrifying transformation up close. Without hesitation, she lunged forward, her blade flashing as it t the monster's claws, sending a spray of sparks into the air. Her movents were swift and precise, each slice aid at vital points, and within seconds, she drove her sabre deep into its chest.
Shuan's mocking laugh filled the clearing as Angelica paused, holding her blade steady. "Well, who do we have here? " His voice dripped with derision, but his eyes sparked with intrigue. "Silent treatnt, eh?" He gestured at the monster, his tone turning cold. "You know, it's rather rude to interrupt soone's… private affairs."
With a sickening crack, the monster lunged again, recovering impossibly fast as it ambushed her from behind, delivering a bone-crushing blow that sent her skidding to the side.
Nightveil Embrace
absorbed most of the impact, yet the force rattled her core, and she struggled to regain her stance.
To her shock, the creature's wounds knit themselves together, regenerating with an unnatural speed as Shuan smirked, smug satisfaction etched into his face. "This is a true masterpiece," he taunted. "You can slash it all you want, but you can't kill what's beyond death itself."
Before Angelica could react, Luna stepped out from the shadows, her expression unreadable, but her golden eyes glowed with fierce intensity. There was a dark promise in her gaze as she sized up the creature, seemingly unfazed by Shuan's boasts.
Shuan's laughter faded into a sneer. "Oh, now this is interesting. Two against one? How very desperate." His tone was mocking, dripping with condescension. "Not that it'll do you any good. This monster is a marvel of regeneration. You two are simply outmatched."
With a growl, the monster charged at Luna, its hulking form a terrifying mass of muscle and claw. But Luna moved with flawless precision, slipping between its attacks as if she were dancing through raindrops, her movents too fluid for the creature's brutish strikes to land.
Luna's claws extended, crackling with dark energy, a power that humd ominously as she stared down the creature, a glint of deadly focus in her eyes. "Filth like you," she whispered, her voice carrying a chilling calm, "has no place in the world of my Master."
And with a single, fierce lunge, she drove her claws deep into the creature's chest, her hand sinking into its flesh as dark energy pulsed outward, resonating with a sinister hum. Shuan's smug expression faltered, watching with a mix of horror and fascination as shadows coiled around Luna's hand, forming a swirling mass that ignited like black flas.
The creature let out a blood-curdling roar, writhing as the shadows burned it from within, an inferno of midnight that consud its flesh, reducing its entire form to ashes. Shuan's mouth hung open in disbelief, his shock so complete he montarily forgot his arrogance.
Luna straightened, her expression unchanging, her golden eyes fixed on Shuan with a deadly calm. Angelica, though breathing heavily, lifted her sabre, prepared for whatever their twisted adversary had next in store.
The air thickened with Shuan's looming transformation, the ground beneath him cracking as he released a deep, exasperated sigh, seemingly resigned but tinged with dark excitent. "It appears I underestimated you two," he muttered, his gaze flitting from Luna to Angelica. He smirked, dark mana coiling around him like a smoldering storm. "But no matter… adjustnts can always be made."
Angelica's lip curled, the aura radiating from him evoking an instinctive revulsion. Whatever was coming, it felt wrong—a corruption of mana that gnawed at her very soul. Luna's growl rumbled low, her body tensed, ready to spring forth and silence Shuan. But he raised his head, and his eyes glead with malice, shadowy tendrils spiraling from his form.
Dark mana surged through Shuan's body, crackling with a haunting intensity, distorting and twisting him into a horrifying new form. His flesh was no longer flesh but a dark, armored carapace that pulsed with fiery veins, glowing like magma running beneath scorched obsidian. Horns erupted from his head, curving back nacingly, framing his now monstrous visage.
Four wings, skeletal yet vast, unfurled from his back, dripping with embers that scorched the ground. His fingers elongated into razor-sharp claws, and a long, whip-like tail lashed behind him, leaving scorched marks in its wake. He was a vision of raw, unholy power, his form radiating a sinister beauty that filled the air with dread.
"Behold," Shuan's voice ca, warped and echoing, almost unrecognizable. "The power of a Demon's Apostle." He sneered, his gaze alight with cruel amusent as he looked down at Angelica and Luna. "You're privileged to witness true ascendance."
Angelica gripped her sabre tighter, her heart hamring against her chest. This was no re opponent—they were facing sothing from nightmares, a twisted being that bore the mark of the abyss.
Before Luna could leap forward to et this newfound threat, a figure erged from the darkness behind them, cloaked in an eerie silence. Covered from head to toe in a sleek black bodysuit that seed to ld with the shadows, the figure wore a mask with only two narrow slits for eyes, the rest obscured in perfect darkness. David, his aura radiating an unyielding calm that sohow cut through the oppressive energy surrounding Shuan.
David's voice, cold and commanding, sliced through the tension. "Luna, stand down. I'll handle this apostle myself."
Luna hesitated, her feral eyes flickering between Shuan and her master, but the look David gave her left no room for defiance. She gave a small nod, reluctantly stepping back, though her posture remained tense, ready to strike should anything threaten David.
Shuan's twisted grin stretched wider, his laughter echoing across the desolate clearing. "So, the master himself has graced us with his presence," he taunted, though there was an edge of caution in his tone. "I should feel honored, shouldn't I?"
David remained unfazed, his expression hidden behind the dark mask, his eyes fixated on Shuan's monstrous form. Without another word, he advanced, each step deliberate, exuding an unshakeable confidence that only seed to provoke Shuan further.
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