The guard was just about to ring the heavy iron bell, a sly smirk creeping across his lips, as if he already knew the outcome.
In truth, there wasn't any real danger—not in his eyes. This was destined to be nothing but a pitifully one-sided slaughter. Of course, the Souichiro Faction would crush the fools daring to challenge them.
After all, how could some unknown, backwater human ever hope to stand against the crushing might of one of the most feared and powerful demon factions in the entire demon world?
And because of that smug certainty—because of that fatal arrogance—he hesitated.
He didn't ring the bell right away.
If only he had sounded the alarm the very instant he spotted the approaching army... then maybe, just maybe, his head wouldn't have ended up rolling on the ground, torn clean off his shoulders.
In the next breath, chaos erupted.
The entire fortress of the Sarushima House shook violently as raw power slammed into its walls.
