Scarlett's vision shifted back to first person. Everything around her suddenly felt real again — the cold air brushing against her skin, the echo of distant rumbling.
She blinked in realization.
"So we were trapped the moment we came here?" she thought, But what frustrated her more was not the trap itself—
It was the fact that she didn't know how to break it.
Her mind raced. Her body burned with power just waiting to be unleashed.
"Should I let out all my aura? No… not the blue one. I should use my goddess aura," she thought, gripping her fingers tightly.
But then, the image of her followers appeared in her mind.
480 million.
Still too little when compared to Avion, who had more than ten trillion. .
Even so, this number was a huge jump from before—When she barely had more than one lakh followers.
Maybe one day, when she built her church and gain faith, the numbers would explode.
Her lips tightened. Her heart beat louder.
She was about to release her aura.
But then she saw Aoto and Chiyoko standing nearby, She stopped out of instinct.
Even if her goddess aura was weaker than her other two, it was still too much for them. They would definitely die.
She lowered her hand and chose another way.
"Shut your eyes! Don't open them for a few seconds!" she shouted without hesitation.
Aoto obeyed instantly out of instinct. Chiyoko, though confused, also shut his eyes tight.
Now, Scarlett turned her gaze toward Noir, who floated silently in the air.
"This might be the first time I'm using it of my own will," she whispered.
She raised her hand to cover her glowing blue eye. Instead, she opened her other eye wide. The one with crimson red pupils, deep like a dragon's flame.
A menace red aura rose around her body. It wasn't crushing like her blue aura. It didn't scream or burn. But it crawled. It whispered. It invaded the heart.
The moment Noir looked into her eye, something broke inside him.
His eyes widened. His body jerked slightly. His heart skipped a beat—like a sudden stab of pain.
Far above, the giant man with same appearance as noir, holding a floating piece of land—village, forest, and castle—froze in place. His face twisted, and his massive hand flew to his chest.
"Why is my heart beating so fast…? Didn't my heart stopped centuries ago?" he mumbled, his voice trembling.
At once, loud cracks appeared in the air, like reality itself was shattering. It didn't just look broken—it looked like someone had smashed a giant mirror in the sky. Pieces of light and space floated like sharp glass.
"Let's go!" Scarlett shouted. Without waiting, she grabbed both Aoto and Chiyoko by their arms and dashed toward the cracks.
BAM!
With a powerful kick, Scarlett smashed her foot into the crack. A wave of energy exploded from the point of impact, and the crack burst wide open like a broken door being forced open. Without thinking, all three of them jumped inside.
The moment they did, it felt like the ground beneath them vanished. Their stomachs flipped, and the air rushed past them like they were falling from the clouds.
Thud!
They landed roughly on a smooth floor. It didn't hurt, but it wasn't exactly gentle either. Except Scarlett the two of them groaned softly as they looked around.
They were inside a huge castle hall.
Tall black pillars reached all the way to a painted ceiling. Golden lights glowed from chandeliers that floated in the air. The floor beneath their feet was polished so well that it reflected their faces like water.
"Where are we now…" Aoto mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. His eyes moved ahead—and froze.
Right in front of him stood Noir, still clutching his chest with one hand. Beside him was Seraphina, her brows furrowed in worry as she supported him.
Aoto blinked and turned around quickly. Behind him was a small toy like replica of floating island—an exact copy of the one they were just in. It had the same forest, village, and even Noir's castle.
"So we were trapped there? But when?" he whispered, confused. He put his hands on his head and let out a long sigh. "Urgh… now I can't even tell what's real anymore…"
He stood up slowly, brushing the dust off his clothes.
Scarlett was already on her feet. She didn't say anything. Her eyes were locked onto Noir like a predator staring at its prey.
But inside, she wasn't calm. Her mind was spinning.
"I can't control my eyes for long," she thought. "Should I put my blindfold back on? But… what if he tries something sneaky again?"
Her hand twitched slightly. She couldn't decide.
Then she glanced above her forehead. There it was again—the faint, almost invisible thread of energy. It was still connected. Which meant… it didn't matter if they escaped that trap earlier. The manipulation was still working. Slowly, but surely.
Still, Scarlett didn't show any fear or worry on her face. She smiled—a dangerous, fearless smile—as she cracked her knuckles loudly.
"Finally found your main body," she said. "It's time to end everything."
Noir smirked too, brushing off the tension from earlier.
"Will you be alright?" Seraphina asked quietly beside him.
"Yes," Noir replied. "I was taken a back by that suprise attack, My mind was partially diverted in manipulating Xulgorath into coming here" he paused, his voice calm and low, "I never knew a half dragon and half human would have so much raw power but nevertheless, she won't be able to handle two demon kings on her own."
Seraphina nodded. Her eyes glowed with determination.
"That's fine. I'll take care of these little pets in the way," she said, stepping forward.
Noir gave her a silent nod, then looked back at Scarlett.
"Beating the fake version of me… and defeating the real me—those are two very different things," he said without emotion.
-----------
In the sixth demon‑king's castle, news of Hover and his army being defeated left Xulgorath stunned.
He fixed a blank look on his subordinate.
"I'm going to see Noir."
"Noir? Why go to him now?" the subordinate asked, worry in his voice.
"Scarlett nova defeated Hover for no reason, She may come for us next. Noir might know more about this situation." Xulgorath paused, then added, "Besides, I want to learn how his raid on Darwitz going on. We're not enemies yet, so he may still be useful." He strode for the door. "I need no attendants. No one follows."
The subordinate bowed and watched him leave for Noir's territory.
---
Inside Noir's castle, steel rang against steel. Aoto and Chiyoko clashed with Seraphina in the grand hall, swords sparking, spells bursting. Stone tiles were chipped and scorched all around them.
"That's a level‑eighty hero for you!" Aoto shouted, knocking Seraphina back with a heavy swing.
"I'm only level seventy‑four," Chiyoko grumbled, a touch of envy in his eyes. In their world, a visible "level" rose with training and battles, boosting every stat they had.
"Talk later," Aoto barked. He thrust out his palm. "Fire Phoenix!"
A roaring bird of flame shot forward, wings blazing.
It smashed straight into Seraphina and erupted, blasting debris and smoke across the hall.
Aoto laughed, chest swelling with triumph. "Revenge feels good!"
A silver shape flashed through the smoke—Not a sword but spear, hurled like lightning. Aoto barely saw it. In a heartbeat the spear drove through his chest, the steel point bursting out his back.
--------
Elsewhere in the castle, Scarlett chased Noir in a blur of motion. She wore her purple blindfold again, yet her speed tore the air. Noir answered every lunge with a calm step into nowhere, vanishing and reappearing several paces away before her next strike could land.
He chuckled softly, unhurried.
"i can clearly see the panick on her beautiful face," he murmured, watching her stiff smile. "You know about my Anchor skill, but not the others."
Noir pointed at Scarlett. "Here goes your left leg!", He shouted.
Scarlett's left leg locked in place as if seized by invisible chains. A moment later, her right arm jerked and struck at her own ribs, moving against her will.
Her jaw tightened. She refused to cry out or flinch. Instead, she forced her body to fight the unseen command, muscles flexing.
But it didn't matter.
The moment Scarlett's movements froze, Noir attacked without holding back. He moved in from all sides, punching and kicking without giving her a single moment to breathe. His strikes came from the front, the back, above, and below—as if he had eyes everywhere.
Even with only one working leg, Scarlett was still far faster than most. She dodged many of the blows with smooth, sharp movements, her blindfold fluttering slightly with each motion. But even she couldn't avoid everything. A few punches and kicks landed. Her body didn't show pain, but the situation was clearly turning worse.
"Is this why no demon king has ever died?" she thought, her mind racing. "What if even destroying his real body won't be enough to finish him?"
She tried to shake the thought away, but panic and a deep sense of frustration crept in.
Noir laughed again, his voice calm and cold.
"Of course, you're thinking it right," he said. "If my main body is killed, I'll just be reborn from one of my Anchors. The only downside is the new body won't be as strong as this one…"
He tilted his head and grinned wider.
"But that's not a problem if I take the body of a hero. Or maybe… a dragonoid," he chuckled.
Then he raised his hand and pointed at her again.
"Let's take the other leg now. Say goodbye to your right one."
In an instant, her right leg stopped moving too. She was completely stuck now—unable to take a single step. Her left arm was busy holding down her right arm, which had started to twitch again, trying to hit her against her will.
Even though she was blindfolded, the sharp scowl on her face and the way her jaw tensed made her feelings clear. Her expression was filled with disgust and anger.
Noir finally landed on the ground with slow, confident steps, smirking like someone who had already won.
"Since you're already doomed, let me tell you more about me. It's been a while since someone gave me a good fight. You even killed several of my clones—impressive."
He began to slowly walk around her like a hunter circling a captured beast.
"I have four unique skills. You already know the first—Anchor. The second is Steal. I can steal anything…. even memories, Of course that depends on enemies's resistance."
Scarlett's hands twitched slightly. Her entire body was locked in place, but her mind was burning with rage and thoughts.
"So that's how he's been reading my mind…" she thought, clenching her jaw harder.
Noir continued like he was giving a show.
"The third skill is something I call "Appear before Arrive". I teleport first and then think about it later. That's why you can never hit me. I disappear before I even think of dodging. Unless you break space itself, you won't touch me."
He laughed again, hands in his pockets, looking too relaxed for someone in a fight.
"And my last skill is Horror. It's not an attack—it's support. It makes people panic. It clouds their thoughts and pushes them to make stupid, rushed decisions. Just like you've been doing till now."
Scarlett said nothing, but inside her mind, everything was coming together. Her teeth pressed tightly together as she thought,
"How can someone like him even be killed?"
At that moment, she finally understood why people said that defeating a demon king and killing one were completely different things. And why not a single demon king had truly died in over ten thousand years.
---
Noir placed his hand gently on Scarlett's head, a wide smile spreading across his face.
"Your struggle ends here," he said softly. "Now, let's take your mind—"
The moment he tried to take control, something went wrong.
His eyes widened in shock, and in the blink of an eye, his consciousness was thrown away—far away—into a strange place.
Everything was dark. So dark it was hard to tell where the ground ended and the sky began. Purple flames burned quietly in the distance, giving off a strange light. The land itself was covered in black dust and ash, like an endless land of burnt coal.
It didn't feel like a real place at all.
It felt like a dead world.
Noir looked around, confused.
"What just happened?"