The crumbling sound of a wall collapsing filled the room.

  Yivern pushed through the falling debris, its eyes glued to Olivia with intense contempt. It clutched its side, a vibrant pain pulsing uncontrollably, beyond its ability to suppress.

  “What?” Olivia smirked, tracing her index finger across her lower lip. “Your expression tells me you didn’t like my little deception.”

  The Devourer straightened, its mouth pressed tightly shut. Its gaze alone was more than enough to convey its feelings.

  “Really? You won’t ask what I’ve done to make you look this pitiful?” She sensually leaned her upper body forward, pointing at the monster disguised as a human.

  “Well, I’ll indulge you and explain a little.” Crossing her arms, she tilted her head, maintaining a steady gaze.

  The maids lined up on both sides. Alisa warped back to Olivia’s side, while Keleanos stepped closer as well, positioning himself just behind her, his eyes never leaving the Devourer.

  “You see, my darling is a very cautious man.” Olivia smiled warmly, but her eyes shone red, exposing her intense passion to the world.

  “I might have taken some notes from his books, as you see…” She purposefully turned to the side.

  Yivern did not hesitate. It leaped forward, claws ready to slash at her.

  —but the air distorted.

  Its vision betrayed its body. Olivia’s figure blurred, stretched, and dissolved into something false as it closed the distance.

  A heartbeat later, Yivern found itself slammed back against the same broken wall. Confusion flickered across its face as stone cracked beneath its spine.

  It turned sharply—only to see Olivia standing exactly where she had been, continuing as if nothing had happened.

  “I’ve taken precautions from the very instant we entered the city.” Olivia stepped forward, her voice calm, assured.

  Behind her, the maids smiled with quiet pride.

  She lifted a single finger beside her face and issued a silent order.

  As her hand lowered, four maids bowed instantly and vanished from their positions.

  Helen appeared in a flash of light directly before Yivern, a brilliant sword already in her grasp. The Devourer swatted at her as one would swat a fly—but the blue-haired maid had already disappeared.

  A trail of light lingered for a split second, followed by a wide gash of radiant energy tearing across Rakia’s chest.

  Yivern spun around to pursue her, only to face Helena instead, waiting calmly, a faint smile resting on her lips.

  The Devourer winced and braced itself as her radiant blade carved through its arms like butter.

  Though severe, its ability to render parts of its body intangible spared it from lasting damage.

  Still, it wasn’t finished.

  Keleanos’ hands curled into fists at his sides—not in triumph, but in a strange, bitter vindication. Olivia was using his notes better than he ever could, turning his observations against the creature that had stolen everything from him.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “Playing the fool was interesting. We went around and scourged this city as if we weren’t certain a Devourer resided here.” Olivia’s voice slid into its ears once more.

  Yivern turned sharply, shock written plainly across its face. The expression screamed How?—as if demanding how she had known from the very beginning.

  Claire erupted from the shadows at its side, a massive mace of darkness already in motion.

  The impact thundered through the chamber as she slammed the Devourer across the room, sending it crashing into the opposite wall near where the illusion of Keleanos had been struck moments before. Yivern rebounded violently, blood trickling from its nose, its eyes whitening as it teetered on the edge of consciousness.

  Claire winked, pressed two fingers to her lips, and blew a kiss its way—her black lips gleaming like polished jewels—before dissolving back into the darkness, clearing the path for the next strike.

  For the first time, Yivern felt it.

  Not pain—but loss.

  Control slipped through its grasp, crumbling as easily as the wall still collapsing in its vision.

  The next maid moved in to deliver the finishing blow as Yivern sagged toward the ground, the floor littered with broken cement and marble.

  Noelle warped gracefully behind it and waited.

  Yivern recovered just enough to spin and slash with its right hand.

  Only a soft giggle reached its ears.

  Noelle vaulted over its head, her skirt defying gravity as her boots flipped skyward.

  Two long daggers pierced its shoulders, and with a masterfully executed spin, she used her momentum to lift Rakia’s body and slam it into the floor in a beautiful, deadly rotation.

  All four maids returned to their Master’s side, rejoining the ranks with disciplined precision.

  “That’s how my maids fight. Do you like it?” Olivia lifted both arms slightly, proudly presenting them. “They’re not a random bunch of women who can’t coordinate.”

  Her eyes darkened, a demonic gleam shining through—sharp enough to feel as though it were consuming the enemy’s soul directly.

  “Kh…” Yivern gathered what strength it could and slowly pushed itself up from the floor. It dropped to one knee first, trembling, its eyes burning with hatred as they locked onto Olivia.

  “You…” It tried to speak, but Olivia showed it no such mercy.

  “I’m a leader. A full-fledged, experienced woman who knows how to command the forces at her disposal.” She smiled menacingly. “As if an immortal beast like you could understand my devotion to protecting humans.”

  As a demon, Olivia had no obligation to care.

  That was the difference between her—who believed in the value of others—and Yivern, who believed in nothing beyond itself.

  Two opposing ideologies.

  And the balance was already tipping in her favor.

  One by one, the maids’ features began to shift. Demon horns and wings emerged from those aligned with darkness, while halos and feathered wings manifested above the angels.

  The four void masters remained still, patiently holding their ground. Flecks of void drifted around them like winter snow, their silhouettes blurring into the back wall, almost imperceptible.

  “Coward…” Yivern spat through clenched teeth, wiping the blood running down its nose.

  “Oh?” Olivia leaned forward slightly, tilting her head as if straining to hear, her tone dripping with provocation.

  “Coward! Face me instead of hiding in the back like a roach!” Yivern forced itself upright in a surge of fury, pointing an accusing finger at her as it screamed.

  Olivia simply leaned back, arms crossing beneath her modest bosom.

  “Hmm~” She hummed thoughtfully, her gaze drifting lazily toward the ceiling.

  The maids—especially Alice and Eden—watched with unease as Olivia appeared to consider the offer.

  “Well, you’ve insulted me by calling me a roach.” She looked back at Yivern, a slow smile spreading across her face. “Me, whose beauty is cherished by the ideal man.”

  Everyone around her tensed as the long yet short silence came to an end.

  For a fleeting moment, a devilish excitement flickered across her fair visage.

  The crimson of her eyes deepened into a darker shade as two wings burst open at her sides, the pressure of their unfurling disturbing the air around her.

  She stepped forward and reached behind her, pulling out a pair of gloves. Her long, devilish tail coiled freely behind her as she slid them on, tugging each into place before snapping the last one tight with a crisp slap.

  “I can indulge you with a bit of my time.”

  Her sharp fangs caught the light as her triumphant smile widened.

  “I’m a bit of a fighter myself, you see?”

  Yivern's face curled in horror as it understood.

  She's the most dangerous.

  For the first time, its borrowed face faltered.

  But it was too late to back down.

  Olivia's echoing footsteps became the start of a haunting sequence of events.