Lea gazed into the void, her expression hollow as stone.

Everything felt utterly meaningless.

The people she had trusted, the ones she had bled for, had tried to murder her. They had plotted to kill the man she was meant to marry.

Worse still, they had executed their treachery without a moment’s hesitation, fully prepared to sacrifice countless knights in the process.

How could they?

This wasn’t the North she had devoted her life to defending.

“I gave you all a chance,” she whispered.

She had. She had offered them time to confess, space to make their excuses, room for redemption. Instead, they had fed her nothing but lies, their faces unmarked by even a trace of remorse.

Why, then, should she grant them forgiveness?

“Die.”

Lea drew her blade and surged toward Venom. Frost spiraled along her sword’s edge as crushing waves of Aura erupted from her body. Her power mirrored the Grand Duke in his prime.

Venom scrambled to raise his own weapon.

The clash sent a thunderous shockwave across the Demonic Realm.

“Gah!” Beads of cold sweat traced down Venom’s face as he choked out a strangled grunt. “W-what is the meaning of—”

“Silence.”

Crack!

Lea raised her sword and brought it down in a perfect vertical strike.

Bitter cold exploded outward. The technique froze the legs of her personal guard and the other knights solid, trapping them in crystalline prisons.

“My lady!”

“Her Ladyship has lost her mind!”

Only now did they grasp the gravity of their situation.

The northern knights thrashed against their icy bonds, panic etched across their faces.

Pathetic.

“I worked tirelessly to protect all of you,” Lea said, her voice carrying the weight of years. “While other noble daughters attended tea parties and discussed matters of refinement, I was in the training yard, swinging a sword until my hands bled. Do you understand what that means?”

She had lived for the North. She had sacrificed the best years of her life to shield it from harm. Even when disease had ravaged her face, leaving her scarred and diminished, she had done everything in her power to love them.

And yet… this was her only reward.

Lea stared down at her palm in silence.

Calluses covered every inch. While other ladies had held silk fans and learned the art of graceful conversation, she had gripped steel and struck down training dummies until her bones ached.

There hadn’t been a single day she hadn’t yearned for rest, not one moment she hadn’t longed to simply play like other children.

The only reason she had endured that brutal routine was simple: she loved the North.

But now...

“I don’t know anymore,” she whispered.

She no longer knew if she still loved this land, or if there had ever been reason enough to sacrifice herself for these people.

“My lady!”

The Praha Guard Commander pushed through the swirling blizzard, his expression grim with determination. Each step was a battle against the frost-laden wind, but he forced his way closer.

Lea watched him approach, lost in thought.

You didn’t know about this, did you, Commander?

Yes, she understood on some level. Only a handful had consented to this damnable plot, while most of the knights remained ignorant.

But what did that matter now? Her heart lay in pieces, and she had nothing left to give.

“Stand aside,” she said quietly. “I have creatures to kill.”

Lea walked slowly toward those still trapped in ice.

Crack. Crackle.

Swords of pure frost materialized in the air, their points aimed at Venom’s throat.

“Who masterminded this?” she asked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I’m asking,” Lea said, her voice thick with killing intent, “who planned this wretched farce.”

Every conspiracy had an architect. Someone had laid the groundwork, someone had led their pathetic faction. Even if she killed everyone else present, that one would suffer most of all.

Betrayal demanded its price in blood.

“Tell me. Who was it?”

Crackle.

With each step, new frost bloomed across the ground.

The designated Point B no longer resembled any part of the Demonic Realm. It had become a northern snowfield, or perhaps something more elaborate: a garden sculpted from pure, killing ice.

Venom swallowed hard, his eyes flickering toward Paul.

Should I sell him out?

If he surrendered the man’s name, he might survive this nightmare. After all, Paul had orchestrated everything; Venom had merely followed orders.

Whether Lady Lea would believe him remained another question entirely, but there was no harm in trying.

If that fails, our only option is to subdue her...

But was such a thing even possible?

Venom’s throat constricted as he watched Lea’s approach. If it were Lady Lea alone, he and the other conspirators might stand a chance. No matter that she had achieved the rank of Master, she was no Grand Master—no single warrior capable of decimating armies.

If he and the knights charged, ready to die, couldn’t they somehow prevail?

The problem is, she won’t be fighting alone.

The commander of the Praha Guard would enter the fray. The most loyal man in the North would gladly die for his lady’s cause. He would probably perish with a smile if she ordered his execution after the battle.

His devotion knew no bounds.

That meant facing two high-level Masters simultaneously. Even if every remaining conspirator attacked in concert, victory was far from assured.

Dammit all, there’s no escape!

Venom pressed his lips together, his gaze fixed on Lea’s advancing form.

He had only sought to enlighten her, to open her eyes to reality. How had everything gone so catastrophically wrong?

Louis Berg... was that bastard truly so important to her?

The news of his death must have been what shattered her composure. Causing trouble even from beyond the grave… what a useless fool.

First, I need to survive this situation.

Venom clicked his tongue and tightened his grip on his sword.

“Please, calm yourself,” he said, forcing reason into his voice. “Venting your rage on us won’t resurrect Sir Louis, will it?”

“What?”

“Wouldn’t it be wiser to confirm exactly what happened before we continue? Escalating matters over something so uncertain—”

The ice swords suspended in the air shot toward Venom like a volley of arrows.

“Damn it!”

Panic flashed across his features as he swung his blade desperately.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Each impact felt like absorbing the blow of an Aura Master. He might as well have been battling dozens of elite warriors simultaneously.

Is there really no other choice?

Venom’s gaze swept toward his fellow conspirators, those who had approved the plan to eliminate Louis Berg. Excluding Paul, every one of them had achieved Master rank.

Silent signals passed between them. Hold back the commander. We’ll subdue Her Ladyship and retreat.

Once they reached a silent consensus, Venom arranged his features into an expression of regret.

“I apologize for the necessity of scarring you.”

The words served as a quiet signal.

The commander of her personal guard heard it and rushed toward Lea’s position.

“You dog!” he roared.

Venom paid him no mind, unleashing his Aura. “My apologies, Commander.”

Venom’s sword carved through the air, spewing venomous mist in its wake. The poison filled the space between them, creeping forward to engulf Lea in its toxic embrace.

Just as Venom’s Aura seemed poised to overwhelm her—an arrow whistled through the air and buried itself in Venom’s chest.

“Gah...!” he gasped.

“It seems I wasn’t too late.”

A figure materialized before the wounded traitor. A man with raven hair who moved with a wolf’s predatory grace.

Louis Berg had arrived.

* * *

“Well,” I muttered, surveying the remnants of Aura scattered across the clearing. “You’ve certainly made a mess of things.”

No one had died yet, but if this continued, Lea would annihilate the entire northern force. Since her Aura alone could reshape the environment of the Demonic Realm itself, the outcome seemed inevitable.

She’s grown even stronger since the betrayal.

Perhaps due to her partial descent into darkness, the path to Grand Master was beginning to open before her.

If she completed her revenge in this state, she would likely ascend to that legendary rank… though she would have to wade through an ocean of blood to achieve it.

That’s a sight I’d prefer never to witness.

I shook my head, clearing away such thoughts. What good was all that power if Lea had to live in agony for the remainder of her days?

As I’d said before, I wanted her to find happiness.

That aside... she must be devastated.

Beyond her increase in skill, the emotional shock had clearly taken its toll. The wound of betrayal remained fresh and raw.

It made perfect sense. The very foundation that had supported her life of sacrifice had crumbled beneath her feet. Her reaction was only natural.

Though I hadn’t expected the damage to run quite this deep.

I had wanted Lea to feel the sharp sting of revelation, but I had never wished for her to fall so far into darkness. After all, hadn’t she already undergone partial Demonization once before?

If she surrendered to her rage here, within the Demonic Realm itself, the transformation would surely complete itself.

“Lea,” I called softly. “Leave the rest to me.”

“Why?” she asked, her voice hollow.

“Because this dirty work is mine to handle.” Speaking gently, I moved toward Venom’s fallen form.

“Uhhh...” he groaned.

He was crawling across the ground, clutching at the wound in his chest.

The arrowhead had been steeped in demonic energy. He would never channel Aura again. To be precise, any attempt to access his inner power would cause such excruciating pain that his life as a knight was effectively over.

“You... how dare you...” Venom muttered from beneath my feet, grasping weakly at my trouser leg. His eyes darted toward the other knights, silently pleading for rescue, but no one moved to help him.

“Look at those beady little eyes,” I scoffed.

I drove the arrow through his eye.

“AHHHHHHH!”

Then I raised my foot and brought it down hard against his neck.

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