Jin knew his way out of the garden. The sun was now setting, casting long shadows across the castle, and it was almost time for the soldiers to depart.
He navigated his way to the training grounds, which were filled with the Duke's soldiers bidding farewell to their families. The air was thick with every kind of emotion—the sounds of weeping mingled with strained laughter. In the midst of them all, Jin saw Gilga.
The man's three-day beard and the dark circles under his eyes spoke of his condition: he was exhausted. With the improved senses that came from his cultivation progress, Jin spotted him easily.
"Gilga!"
Gilga turned and saw the boy running toward him, his expression softening in surprise. "Jin! You... you put on the clothes I gave you."
"I wanted to bid you farewell," Jin said, his voice flat but his intention clear. "And wish you luck in the battle."
"You have my thanks, Jin," Gilga said, placing a heavy hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Don't you have family here to see you off?" Jin asked.
Gilga hesitated for a moment, his expression clouding over. "My whole family... they died a long time ago," he said, his voice low.
"I see..."
Before Jin could reply, a loud voice interrupted them. "All of you, gather!" It was Commander Lionex, rallying the Duke's troops. Nearby, the Royal Army was already assembled in formation, their horses stamping impatiently, ready to depart.
"I will see you when we are triumphant," Gilga said, giving Jin's shoulder a final, firm clasp.
"Yes."
With a simple wave, Gilga turned and walked steadily toward his formation. His polished iron armor reflected the fiery light of the tall torches that now illuminated the entire training ground.
'Gilga, I am afraid today was the last time we will see each other. I hope you do not die a meaningless death,' Jin thought, watching the soldier's back.
"You have my thanks," Jin whispered to the air, then turned and left, heading back to his room. His mind was already shifting back to the most pressing matter: his cultivation problem.
***
The sky was now pitch-black. Nine thousand soldiers stood in formation: five thousand from the Royal Army and four thousand from the Duke's Demon Defense Force. A hundred horses and thirty supply carriages stood ready in their rows. Banners bearing the royal crest and the Duke's sigil hung high in the torchlight. At a signal, the first rank of soldiers lit their own torches, and the great castle gate began to rise.
Without a single word from the Duke, the massive column began to move, departing only on the signals of the General and Commander Lionex.
The Duke watched them go from the high balcony of the bedchamber, a cold, ominous feeling settled in his gut. 'I know we found their hideouts... but I cannot shake this awful premonition,' he thought. "I wish you luck in battle," he whispered to the wind.
"In all my forty years," he muttered to himself, "why must I face such a challenge now?"
"Darling," a soft, musical voice said from the doorway. A woman in her early thirties, clad in a silk nightgown, came onto the balcony. She was a classic beauty, with long brown hair, full, blood-red lips, and warm brown eyes. In comparison, the Duke, with his dark hair and short beard already showing signs of grey, looked worn and plain.
"Don't put so much pressure on yourself," she said, sliding her arms around him from behind. She embraced him fully, pressing her soft curves against his armored back. "Come to bed."
Instantly, the Duke's dark premonitions began to melt away under her touch. He turned, his worries forgotten. "My wife," he said, his voice thick, "you always know how to please me."
What followed was a long night of bodily pleasure, a welcome distraction for the duke, from the war and worries that lay beyond the castle walls.
"You are still the most seductive woman, my wife," the Duke murmured, and then, his energy spent, he fell into a deep, immediate sleep.
Beside him, his wife rose from the bed. She walked, naked, out onto their private balcony, the cool night air caressing her skin. The corners of her mouth began to rise in a cruel, triumphant smile. She placed one hand over her mouth, while the other slid down between her legs.
"Ahh..." A soft, private moan escaped her lips.
"This insolent fool," she whispered. "When I have depleted all his vitality, I can finally leave this place."
As if a glamour had fallen, her form shimmered and changed. The beautiful, smooth-skinned woman was gone, replaced by a creature with rough, grey skin. Her eyes became pits of black, her hair shifted to a fiery orange, and her lips turned white like snow. She still had a curvy figure, but it paled in comparison to the beauty before.
"I devoured his real wife a month ago," she sneered, "and he didn't even notice a difference. He feels himself growing weaker by the day, yet the oaf still suspects nothing."
Her hand pressed more aggressively against her crotch, and she slid a finger into her mouth. "Ahhh..." A louder, sharper moan came out of her. "He can't even satisfy me. If it weren't for his special constitution, I wouldn't waste a second on him."
"Soon, I will suck him dry and leave this place for good—"
She stopped. Her head snapped up, sensing a powerful, familiar aura from far away. "This..." Her self-pleasuring ceased instantly. She gripped the balcony's cold stone railing, her black eyes wide.
"Such a strong, turbulent demonic aura..." she hissed. "I have to speed this up. I have to suck this piece of shit dry faster!"
She was not the only one to notice the presence. In his small, dark room, Jin's eyes snapped open.
'Who is that?!' he thought, sitting bolt upright in his bed. 'I can't pinpoint the direction, but it's far away... and it's powerful.'
His blood ran cold. "Shit. My cultivation is still too shallow. If that being comes here, it will annihilate all of us!"
He clenched his fists, his mind racing. 'I have to find a solution to my cultivation problem. Now!'