Within that endless pitch-black space, it felt as if everything around had been flipped upside down.
The sky lay beneath their feet, while the earth hung above their heads.
Those demon hunters were all wounded from head to toe, their bodies covered in injuries, lying sprawled across the ground in all directions.
Severed limbs were scattered everywhere, and bright red blood stained the darkness with color.
Pale white bones had burst through chests, as if they had been completely turned inside out.
They had already completely lost the ability to fight.
The remaining demon hunters struggled to lift their heads with their last bit of strength, their eyes bloodshot as they stared up in shock at the enormous demon beneath the sky.
Its entire body reeked of blood, filth, and the stench of rust, with red blood slowly dripping from between its claws.
It looked as if a layer of crystal-red armor was attached to its body, gleaming faintly in the darkness.
Red metal fragments danced wildly around it in the black void, storm after storm rising up like a merciless meat grinder.
The demon hunters could feel it.
Yes, this was a demon.
The terrifying existence before them could only be a demon.
The moment they saw this colossal, crocodile-like monster that reached to the heavens, they felt their hearts pound faster, blood rushing straight to their heads.
The bloodline of the demon hunters was completely stimulated.
Their consciousness gradually blurred, and even their reason flowed away like water.
But the final result was…
In the blink of an eye, they were completely wiped out.
This sky-piercing demon was absolutely not something low-level demon hunters like them could deal with.
It was already so powerful that it filled people with despair.
Many demon hunters, after enduring that horrifying strike, had their legs broken, their waists twisted, and were even forcibly pulled back into sobriety.
Yet now, how desperately they wished they were still in a berserk state.
That way, perhaps they could numb themselves when facing such a terrifying monster.
Rather than personally experiencing the horror of a demon and trembling all over in despair and sorrow.
Demon hunters were actually afraid of demons.
What an ironic thing.
Suddenly, that sharp voice rang out from the darkness, "That's enough playing around, Rage."
"We still have other matters to deal with."
The enormous demon tilted its head slightly. Hearing this, it seemed to let out a sigh.
The surrounding metal fragments gradually settled down, returning to the demon's crystal-red armor.
Dragging its body over ten zhang tall, the demon turned and walked toward the depths of the black space, its tail swaying back and forth.
Under the demon hunters' disbelieving gazes, the demon slowly vanished from sight.
They simply couldn't imagine it.
After facing such a terrifying demon, they had actually survived.
But even surviving left an indelible mark of shame on their careers as demon hunters.
When faced with an unbeatable demon, they had felt fear.
Not only had they failed to injure the demon, they themselves had been gravely wounded.
Finally.
The moment after the demon disappeared, the surrounding space began to twist.
The inverted sky and earth, along with the contracting darkness, began to spin rapidly. The soft, sagging walls reappeared, their outlines becoming clear and hard once more.
When all the demon hunters came back to their senses, they found themselves standing in the courtyard of the Clavenna residence.
They stared at one another in disbelief.
Instinctively, they reached out to feel their own bodies, only to discover that the injuries they had sustained in the darkness had somehow completely healed.
Even severed limbs had been reattached, without a single trace of stitching, and the exposed bones had retracted back inside.
It was as if the battle just now had been nothing more than a false illusion.
What… exactly had happened?
Hadn't they just fought a demon?
The demon hunters looked up. The massive residence was brightly lit, with flickering firelight still dancing.
The scene before them was completely different from the gloomy house they had seen earlier.
"…An illusion."
Someone suddenly spoke with a sigh. After that, the other demon hunters nodded in full agreement.
Other than an illusion, they had no other explanation.
But… silently pulling all of them into the same illusion at once, could any human really do that?
And that demon…
When they recalled that towering red body and the crystal-red armor that shimmered with death, their bodies couldn't help but tremble.
Was everything that had just happened real, or fake…?
The demon hunters had just regained their composure when, all of a sudden, they felt the sky above them become shrouded in shadow.
Looking up, they saw a white cloud drifting down slowly from within the shadow.
"Hey, small fry. Trespassing into someone's home isn't very good behavior."
The voice rang out, and the demon hunters instantly went on alert, drawing silver-white daggers from their waists.
But before they could resist any further, the entire group froze in place.
The soil began to roll and tremble.
The next second, the ground beneath them split open, forming a massive hole.
A gigantic flower bud burst out from the shaking earth, opening wide as it stretched toward the sky, placing all the demon hunters right at the center of the flower.
And at last, they got their wish and saw the source of the voice sitting atop the cloud.
It was an… elf.
From her body, an ocean-like torrent of magic power poured out, cascading down from the entire sky.
It felt as if, in the next second, they would be completely drowned by it.
And a mage who could possess such magic power could only be... a "Councilor."
Cocotte sat on the cloud, arms crossed, lifting her head to look at the demon hunters.
"I'm not in a very good mood right now, because someone wants me to compensate her for the damage to her house."
"I don't have any money, so…"
She crooked her finger, and the enormous petals began to close toward the center.
The demon hunters knew very well that if this continued, they would be completely swallowed in one gulp by this flower.
But Cocotte let out a light chuckle, as if threatening them, completely terrifying them.
"So I'll just use you guys to pay off the debt."
———
Inside the imperial palace, it was pitch black, lit only by a few flickering candles.
The demon hunter hid within the darkness, quietly avoiding the guards' line of sight. Taking advantage of their inattention, she swiftly moved through the shadows.
She entered the palace and walked casually, as familiar as if she were returning to her own home.
Just as the woman had expected, there were pitifully few guards in the palace at night.
She knew this.
Because she understood Aubrey better than anyone.
The arrogant Aubrey needed no guards for protection, so inside the palace, there were rarely any soldiers on alert at night.
But suddenly, as if she had sensed a fluctuation of magic power, she quickly turned her head to look.
Staring intently at a corner of the wall, she spoke softly, "Your Excellency is quite bold, daring to hide inside the imperial palace."
"Aren't you afraid the emperor will discover you?"
The darkness began to surge like stagnant water rippling.
A man's figure gradually emerged from it, his coat swaying slightly.
"Such sharp perception. As expected of one of the seven strongest demon hunter executives."
Viktor appeared, elegantly bowing toward the demon hunter.
"I am Viktor Clavenna."
The demon hunter executive turned around, her gaze fixed on him as she spoke slowly, "I know you, Viktor."
"Your status as a current councilor of the Mage Assembly is far more renowned than your position as an imperial count."
Viktor straightened up, his expression calm, hands in his pockets, speaking indifferently, "Then I'll refrain from holding you accountable for sending people to search my house."
"I only have one question."
Hearing Viktor's words, the demon hunter's expression grew more serious.
"Go ahead."
In the darkness, Viktor's eyes seemed to glimmer as he looked at her intently.
"I want to know…"
"Do the descendants of demon hunters automatically become demon hunters?"
"..."
The demon hunter greatly respected Viktor's strength and status. She even regarded him as someone equal to herself.
So she could answer some of his questions.
But she never expected Viktor to ask something like this.
Though somewhat speechless, she still replied, "No."
"Demon hunters can only be created through acquired inheritance. No one is born a demon hunter."
Viktor seemed enlightened and suddenly revealed a relieved smile.
"So that's how it is…"
"Thank you very much for clearing that up for me, Your Majesty the Empress."
The demon hunter was instantly startled, her pupils beneath the mask widening sharply.
"You..."
"Wondering how I knew?"
As the words fell, Viktor raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
With the sound, the dark lanterns along the palace walls lit up one by one, as if fire were being passed between them.
The demon hunter executive couldn't help raising a hand to shield her eyes from the brightness.
Silver-white hair shimmered like a river of stars, glittering in the night.
In the slightly dazzling light, she vaguely saw Viktor facing the palace corridor, bowing slightly.
As if realizing something, she froze.
Suddenly, a terrifying pressure descended.
Like a low, rumbling beast slowly stepping out of its cave.
The surrounding air seemed to grow heavy, pressing against her chest.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
One step, two steps, three steps… drawing closer and closer.
As if she had been locked onto, her muscles went completely rigid, unable to move.
Even though her mind was crystal clear and she knew she shouldn't stay any longer, for some reason, she just couldn't move her feet.
Finally, Aubrey slowly emerged and stood atop the steps.
His murky eyes trembled slightly as he looked at the woman before him.
His deep, overwhelmingly authoritative voice exploded through the surroundings, "Claudia, you always say you understand me better than anyone."
"But have you ever thought about how well I understand you?"