A guard yawned at the front gates of the Castle of Grimore, glancing at his companion beside him.
"The Queen's totally enraged and has gone insane, don't you think?" the guard inquired.
"Maybe, I guess," his friend replied. "But you never know. Maybe the Queen is right about this upcoming Frenzy Requiem. It could happen anytime because of the Princess and the Goddess's actions."
"Seriously? Even if it's true, there's no way they could tear the entire castle down. They're just slightly stronger Holy Knights. What could they possibly do against an entire kingdom?"
"She said Black Hood was an example of one of those Holy Knights."
"Touché. That battle was five years ago. We're all a lot stronger now."
Suddenly, in a split second, both their heads separated from their bodies—no screams, just silence.
Xiandre stood before the gate, blood on his blade, as the silhouettes of Velmora and Amelia approached from behind.
Xiandre pulled a potion out of his pocket. Amelia and Velmora did the same. They smashed the potions to the ground, the splash of liquid hitting them—instantly turning them invisible.
The first floor of the castle was eerily quiet, led by Bato Budiga and Papel Punas—the second and third commanders of the castle.
Both stood tense, fully believing the Queen's warning. The guards under them held their weapons tightly, prideful and ready.
Suddenly, something fell from the roof—it was a candlelight holder.
It dropped to the floor with a light clang, and the room froze.
The candle rolled across the carpet as Papel stepped toward it. He bent down, carefully picking it up before it could cause a fire, and blew it out. There were plenty more along the walls.
Suddenly, a guard rushed in, breathing heavily, and collapsed from exhaustion.
"What happened?" Papel demanded.
"Buro and Putak! They're dead! Beheaded at the gate!" the guard shouted.
"What?! They were supposed to scream if they saw anyone!"
"I don't know! When I went to check, they were already dead!"
Papel tried to move out to confront the intruders, but Bato stopped him.
"Don't! That's a braindead move! If you go now, you'll be dead before you even realize it!" Bato warned.
Papel gritted his teeth.
Then came the sound—some of their men collapsing behind them.
They turned quickly—only to see her.
Velmora.
Her mouth was wide open, back covered in thorns, horns protruding from her head, wings spread from her back, and long claws ready to kill.
"Fufu~ I was actually trying my best to avoid getting caught immediately... but I guess that's already over," she said with a giggle.
More than half of their men were already dead—killed while they were off guard.
Seeing her demonic form, the guards' instincts kicked in. They screamed out their battle cries and charged at Velmora.
Velmora dodged every swing with ease. She moved like a blur, slicing through the soldiers. Their armor was shredded like paper under her claws.
Bato growled and charged into the fray. "BACK UP, NOW!"
Velmora dashed past multiple men, effortlessly eviscerating them. Bato met her directly and swung his sword—but she caught it in midair.
With her fingers, she snapped the blade like a twig.
Then she pierced his chest, pulling out his heart—and took a bite.
The sight froze everyone.
Some guards turned to run—but flames erupted in their path, burning them alive.
Velmora laughed gleefully and lunged toward the remaining men, who now panicked and screamed.
Papel stood frozen. Then his instincts kicked in. He reached for his bow, aimed at Velmora's head, and fired.
The arrow struck her in the forehead.
Blood trickled down her face.
But Velmora just pulled the arrow out calmly and tossed it into the flames. She was still smiling.
Then, without warning, she dropped onto all fours and crawled toward Papel like a beast.
Papel fired more arrows, but they were useless. Some struck her, most missed—none mattered.
She lunged.
With one vicious bite, she devoured his entire head.
He dropped, lifeless.
The last remaining guard—the one who reported Buro and Putak's deaths—was on his knees, crying.
"PLEASE SPARE ME!" he screamed.
Velmora opened her mouth wide. Papel's severed head emerged from her throat, biting down on the man's face.
His screams were cut short as he was killed instantly.
Velmora stood back up and turned toward the carnage.
"Oh? Did I overdo it? Fufu~" she said with a grin.
Suddenly, knights descended the stairs—soldiers who had heard the screams of their comrades. They stopped in horror, witnessing the massacre.
"FOR THE QUEEN!" they roared and charged at her.
On the second floor, screams echoed upward. Some guards rushed down to help, while others stayed at their posts.
"Fuck... looks like it was true," one guard muttered.
"Send word to the Queen and the others upstairs," Gunting, the First Commander, ordered. "Tell her... the Frenzy Requiem has begun."
A knight nodded and ran upstairs to the third and fifth floors.
"Everyone stay calm and stay sharp. We don't know how many enemies are below us," Gunting added.
Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted below—and Velmora burst through the floor, crashing into the second floor.
"Hm? I got lost. Thought I'd just break through the roof to get here. Fufu~" she said casually.
She was drenched in blood, her appearance terrifying.
"ATTACK!" Gunting shouted.
Dozens of arrows and bolts were fired.
Velmora spun and used her wings to deflect the volleys. Some arrows flew back and hit the guards. Chaos erupted.
Gunting leapt forward with his massive axe.
He swung it down—but Velmora bit down on the blade, shattering it between her teeth.
Then she grabbed Gunting by the neck and slammed her forehead into his skull, knocking him to the ground with blood pouring from his head.
On the third floor...
"Looks like everything's going wild down there, huh?" Malakas, a platinum adventurer hired by the Queen, said as he dropped a card on the table.
"Should we join them?" asked Frutas, a golden-plated adventurer, his party member and girlfriend, laying her cards down.
"Maybe," replied Mayola, a silver-plated adventurer and Malakas's second girlfriend.
"We hold this floor. That's our job. We don't move unless they come to us," Malakas replied, laying down his own cards.
Soldiers stood all around them, waiting for orders.
Suddenly, a Holy Knight stormed in.
"What the hell are you doing?! Slacking off?! Get down there and stop the madness in the castle ALREADY!"
"Seriously, that's not our job. It's the people downstairs' job, not ours," he inquired.
The three turned their heads toward the holy knight who spoke—it was Xyrene Ligaya, the most popular student at Ka-agahan Academy. The Vtuber everyone looked up to.
"Huh? This holy knight Loki looks kinda cute, doesn't she?" Malakas said.
Malakas stood up and lifted her chin.
"Hey, wanna be part of my harem? I wouldn't mind you joining in. I promise you'll enjoy it. Besides, I've got a nine-inch dick—I know you'd love how it feels inside you," Malakas added smugly.
Xyrene gritted her teeth and began walking away.
"I'll think about it... if you manage to fend off the upcoming Frenzy," she replied.
As she headed toward the upper stairs, Hikaru met her along the way.
"Hm? What are you doing here, Prez?" she asked.
"I was going to ask the same. But maybe you shouldn't make such reckless suggestions. What if they actually manage to fend off the Frenzy Requiem?" Hikaru said. "Would you really become one of his kittens?"
"Fufu~ Why does it bother you? I don't mind being with a strong guy who can protect me. Unless... you're head over heels for me?" she teased with a smirk.
She continued up the stairs, grinning, while Hikaru called back.
"Who the fuck wouldn't be head over heels for you, idiot," he muttered as he walked down toward the third floor.
Xyrene, now flustered, stormed her way up to the fourth floor.
Hikaru smirked—until he reached the third floor.
His expression dropped.
Amelia stood there, wearing a black cloak. All the guards and the three overpowered adventurers heavily wounded on the ground, bones twisted and torn from their bodies.
Amelia slowly turned to him, her smile cold.
"You're Hikaru Lamour, from the Student Council... aren't you?" she asked calmly.
Hikaru stood frozen in place, stunned and terrified. He couldn't make sense of what he was seeing.
Malakas slowly pushed himself back to his feet, groaning as he yanked a jagged bone lodged deep in his shoulder. He gasped for air, staggering. Behind him, the two girls also rose, bloodied but alive.
"Everything happened so fast... There was an explosion—but it was silent. Then a strange smoke spread out, and before I knew it, bones erupted from the ground and pierced through our bodies. Several more blasts followed... all of them silent," Malakas muttered, trembling.
"Fufu~ I wonder why people never start with their strongest attack," Amelia said, ignoring the adventurers as she kept her glowing gaze fixed on Hikaru.
"No... No way..." Hikaru's thoughts raced in panic. "She's too powerful... Her left eye—it's glowing blue... That flaming aura... Her presence alone makes me tremble. She's the class president of Class Blunder... I know her... She's come back to kill us..."
His breathing grew erratic as he turned and bolted up toward the fourth floor. Amelia chuckled softly, then shifted her attention back to the three battered adventurers.
"How dare you attack us while we were off guard?! You're lucky we weren't fully serious yet!" Malakas shouted.
Amelia's smile never faded. She slowly closed her left eye.
"The night... it's quite lovely, isn't it?" she whispered, as a gaping hole behind her revealed the moon through the broken castle wall.
"Fuck you!" Malakas screamed.
"Then let's get straight to the point," Amelia said calmly.
In the blink of an eye, everything turned pitch black.
And then—just as quickly—it returned to normal.
But this time, her eyes were pure black.