Scarlett sighed loudly, rubbing her temples as if she was already tired of the man in the pit. "Nobody? Could you stop acting like you're in middle school and just tell me your name and what you're doing here?" she said in frustration, her voice sharp. She glanced down at her nails, annoyed to see dirt clinging under them, and with a flick of magic, she cleaned them instantly.
The man gave a weak, self-mocking laugh, his body looking half-dead as he lay there. "What's the point? You won't remember it anyway," he muttered, his tone bitter but tired.
Scarlett raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "Then rot here if you want. I'm not wasting my time." Her words came out flat as she turned her back on him, ready to leave.
But after a few steps, she suddenly stopped, her head tilting in confusion. A puzzled expression crossed her face, and she turned back toward him. "Wait… who the fuck are you? And why am I even here? What's with this big hole?
Her sudden shift made the man roll his eyes, his expression showing both exhaustion and irritation. "Osiris. My name is Osiris Ragelia," he said at last.
"Ragelia?" Scarlett's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You're from hell? One of the primordial demons?" She knew that every true being from hell carried the surname 'Ragelia,' unless someone else had given them a different one.
Osiris gave a small nod. "Yes. I finally broke free from hell and defied the Creator's will. Now I'm truly a nobody. But escaping came at a price… these injuries nearly finished me." His voice was rough, carrying the weight of suffering.
Scarlett crossed her arms, tilting her head as she studied him. "So are you going to die? Because looking at you right now, it sure seems like it." She asked bluntly, without a shred of sympathy.
"Of course not," Osiris said, though his voice was weak. "Just let me rest, and in a year I'll recover fully. If someone powerful enough heals me, then it won't take nearly that long."
Scarlett hummed, her expression unreadable for a moment. Then she gave a small shrug. "Fine. You seem decent enough. How about we work together? I'll give you time to rest, and once you're back on your feet, you'll help me when I need it. Comrades, for now."
Osiris didn't speak further, but he gave her a slow nod, accepting her words.
Without hesitation, Scarlett grabbed him by the leg and dragged him out of the pit. She didn't bother lifting him onto her back—his body scraped roughly against the ground as she pulled him along. Yet, Osiris didn't complain. As long as she was keeping her promise, he was satisfied.
As she walked, Osiris rasped, his voice suddenly serious. "I have the ultimate skill, Absolute Absence. But in my condition, it's unstable. So you must keep remembering me, keep thinking about me. Otherwise… you'll forget I even exist."
Scarlett stopped in her tracks, blinking at him. She gave a half-hearted nod. "Yeah, yeah. But remind me—why exactly should I remember you? Who the hell are you again?"
Her words hit him like a brick. His rotting eyes froze in place, his face falling as the frustration finally broke through. He let his head drop back against the ground with a heavy sigh.
"…Oh, fuck," Osiris muttered in defeat.
-------------------------
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Dreadhaven, a volleyball match was in full swing. The only strange thing about it—was that it was an all-girls match. On the court were Lunatic, Reiza, Xao Feng, and Seiira, while a crowd of onlookers cheered from the sidelines.
The teams were split into pairs: Lunatic partnered with Seiira, while Reiza joined up with Xao Feng. But the match didn't feel like a normal game at all. It had turned into a heated clash, almost like a battlefield, with Lunatic and Reiza locking horns more than playing.
The ball wasn't even normal. It was made of some strange, tough, bouncy metal. Yet these girls—one a succubus queen, the other a towering Oni over 215 centimeters tall—were smacking it around as if it were just a soft rubber toy. Every strike they made created massive shockwaves, the ground rumbling beneath each hit.
Xao Feng had expected this chaos from the very beginning and insisted the match take place in the outskirts of dreadhaven.
The spectators were split in their cheers—succubi supporting Lunatic, while orcs roared loudly for Reiza. The atmosphere was wild, full of excitement.
"It would've been perfect if Teacher Lilith and Lady Scarlett were here," Seiira said while focusing on the ball flying through the air.
Xao Feng, standing opposite her, gave a little smile. "Yes, but Lady Scarlett went somewhere with her human friends, and Miss Lilith decided to tag along with her master… I think they went to some beach or something."
"A beach, huh?" Seiira's brows furrowed. "But we're so far from the sea. I wonder where exactly they went…" She shook her head and tried to keep her mind on the game.
But then, everything came to a halt.
A deafening crack tore through the sky, and a huge bolt of golden lightning struck above them. Everyone froze and looked up in alarm as the clouds split open, golden flashes weaving through each other like jagged blades of light.
And then—something fell.
From the torn sky, a being with six large wings descended violently. She was female, though her face was blurred and unclear, and streams of golden blood leaked from both of her eyes. Her body was covered in wounds, and her wings looked torn, battered, and broken.
BAM!
The ground shook as she slammed into it like a falling meteor, dust and shockwaves scattering outward.
"The hell just happened?!" Lunatic yelled as she rushed forward, her long hair whipping wildly in the gust of displaced air. The others, stunned, followed closely behind, trying to make sense of the scene.
Before anyone could even approach the fallen woman, another figure appeared above.
Floating in the sky, radiating divine light, was a man with six pure white wings and a glowing halo over his head. He gripped a lightning rod in his hand, his expression sharp and haughty. His condition was far from perfect—one of his eyes was ruined, and his body bore many wounds—but compared to the broken figure who had crashed, he looked in far better condition.
His voice thundered over them with arrogant disdain. "Do not interfere. I will take her and leave. You filthy demons are not worth my time."
Lunatic's face twisted with rage. "Who the hell are you calling filthy, you sparkling lightbulb bastard?!" she shouted from below, looking like a furious little ant compared to the massive presence hovering in the sky.
The man tilted his head, his gaze faint and unfocused. His physical sight was failing, but he relied on his "Mind's Eye," a unique skill that worked like sixth sense and allowed him to perceive things clearly.
"Succubi, huh? Nothing but a bunch of sluts," he sneered.
Lunatic's entire face turned bright red, trembling with anger. "Who are you calling slut, you manwhore?! I only love one person, you bastard!" She thrashed against the arms of her fellow succubi, who hurriedly grabbed her to keep her from charging recklessly.
"Who the hell do you think you are? Some kind of god?!" Lunatic spat furiously, but her subordinates still held her back.
Xao Feng rubbed her forehead with a tired sigh. "Of course he's not going to answer you, you idiot…"
But surprisingly, the man gave a mocking laugh and puffed out his chest with pride.
"You mean to tell me you don't even know me? Pathetic. I am Gabriel—one of the Six Archangels." His voice boomed, dripping with arrogance.
Xao Feng blinked, momentarily speechless. "…He actually replied?"
"FUCK YOU, GABRIEL!!" Lunatic screamed at the top of her lungs, her voice cracking with fury as she showed him middle finger.
"You…! What did you just say?!" Gabriel's face twisted in fury, his veins bulging as his voice echoed across the skies.
But Lunatic only smirked, her sharp fangs showing as she proudly lifted her middle finger high. "I said… fuck you!" she shouted, her tone mocking and playful.
Gabriel's teeth ground together, his grip tightening on the lightning rod until it crackled with divine sparks. "You dare mock me? Then you shall face death as punishment!" His voice thundered like a storm as he raised the weapon, ready to strike.
But before he could release his divine wrath, something far more terrifying hit him.
Not a bolt of lightning. Not a blade.
It was a glare.
An intense, soul-crushing death stare pierced straight through his being. Gabriel's body stiffened, his hand frozen in midair as cold sweat trickled down his face. He slowly turned his head toward the source of the killing intent, and his pupils shrank.
The gaze wasn't coming from nearby. It was coming from far—so far that it stretched across the land itself.
He was in Dreadhaven, in the western edge And yet, his sight had been locked onto the eastern edge of the continent—beyond the Kingdom of Armament, at the borders of the newly awakened Seventh Demon King's territory.
There, where the ground met the glittering ocean waves, was a beautiful white beach.
On that beach, an old man with a terrifying aura stood casually in the shallow waves, playing with the water like some carefree elder but right now he stood still. Beside him was a stunning maid with short silver hair, her swimsuit neat and modest, her face cold and completely expressionless.
They were Avion and Lilith, enjoying what looked like a quiet beach day.
But it was Avion whose eyes burned with the deadly glare. Though miles apart, it felt like he stood right in front of Gabriel, pressing a blade to his throat.
"Go back," Avion's voice rang out, calm yet dripping with unshakable authority. "If you stay for more than ten seconds… I'll kill you."
The killing intent was so sharp it made Gabriel's breath catch in his throat. His expression shook, his pride as an archangel crumbling under the pressure.
"N-no way… He's actually here?!" Gabriel's thoughts trembled in panic. "I'm no match for him alone! But—he's the only one who knows where the Chaos Egg is…! What if he runs away later?" His mind spun in circles, unable to decide between fear and duty.
He finally clicked his tongue, his gaze darting down to the demons below. "W-wait for me! I'll come back for my revenge, you bunch of filths!" he barked, his voice shaky, and in the next instant—his figure flickered and disappeared into nothingness.
Back on the beach, Lilith tilted her head slightly, her tone flat as always. "Don't give him such death stares, Master. He might wet himself."
Avion blinked, and in the very next second, his entire expression shifted. His eyes sparkled like a boy seeing candy for the first time. His lips curled into a wide, goofy grin, and he dashed toward Lilith with arms wide open.
"Lilith~! You look even sexier in a swimsuit than in your maid uniform!" he shouted, almost drooling.
BAM!
Before he could even get close, Lilith's foot shot up with perfect precision. Her back kick connected with his face, sending him flying like a ragdoll across the sand.
"Stay at least ten meters away from me,"