On a very special night, in a high-css residence where celebrations were being held, everyone was accustomed to wearing the best they had, in an attempt to appear important.

  They put on their best smiles, used their finest manners, and acted as though such elegance were their natural state. However, when the main doors opened, all that useless fanfare came to a halt.

  Everyone turned to look at the star of the evening…

  He wore an expensive French suit, European in appearance, with a noble bearing that inspired admiration even before he spoke a single word.

  Yet, everyone’s gaze quickly shifted to his side. At once, many were left speechless.

  For a long time, rumors had circuted that this man had taken for himself a rare beauty—one capable of awakening desire and emotion in anyone who saw her. But when they finally id eyes on her, they felt every rumor was true.

  That pale and fragile expression…Those mysterious, cold blue eyes…That gaze that evoked an indescribable sensation…

  Many approached the man, choosing instead to admire the girl’s beauty—something he gdly accepted on her behalf.

  She, like a doll without a soul, walked at his side from one pce to another. It was only after the introductions were over that she managed to slip away somehow. Slightly dazed, she made her way toward a balcony.

  There, she noticed a man standing outside. He was not sheltering behind the safety of the low wall; instead, he stood atop it. Indifferent to the great height, hands in his pockets, he gazed into the dark night.

  Suddenly, without turning around, the man spoke.“This night is beautiful. Come and look at it with me.”

  Without fully understanding why, the girl with sad eyes approached the balcony. She didn’t know the reason, but she felt a strong urge to do as she was told.

  After removing her bck diamond heels, she climbed up with some difficulty, as if her body had grown stiff from ck of movement.

  As her dress—bck as the night itself—fluttered in the wind, she looked down. The streetlights illuminated the vibrant green of the garden below. As she stared at it, a thought crossed her mind: What would the ndscape look like with her blood staining the ground?

  “Look over there, there’s a crow on that mppost,” the man suddenly said, pointing toward it.

  Pulled from her thoughts, the girl with sad eyes searched for it. After a moment, she found the glint of eyes shining in the darkness. The light revealed the bck feathers of the creature of the night.

  Without killing her yet, the man spoke again.“When people see it, they think of bad omens. But the truth is, it’s an impressive creature—more intelligent than any other bird. They live off everything the earth provides: they steal, deceive, and even kill if necessary to survive.

  Humans find such behavior deplorable, but only because they are never given another choice. Because, like you, every path to survival was taken from them.”

  As the man spoke, the crow took flight.

  “Now, Alexa, I offer you the same opportunity given to those crows. The chance to take from others, instead of having everything taken from you.”

  With those words, the man turned to look at her.

  Alexa—the girl with sad eyes—saw his gaze for the first time. That indifferent smile on a young face filled with countless days marked her in a way she could not understand.

  Then the man extended his hand and said with a smile,“All you have to do… is come with me.”

  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

  Alexa felt numb at what her eyes were seeing. In the distance, a dozen possessed figures were approaching—running on all fours through the streets and across buildings.

  “Take this.”

  Interrupting her thoughts, Kus’s voice sounded behind her. When she turned to look at him, she was stunned.

  Kus’s figure was darker than usual. His face was hidden beneath his hood, making him look like a shadow. In his outstretched hand, he held a broken piece of a spear.

  “Defend yourself however you can.”

  . . .

  After handing her something to protect herself, he surged forward like a specter. He was so fast that he reached the possessed in an instant.

  “Aaah!”

  The moment he reached them, he decapitated one. Two more leapt at him from the sides, but he dodged them easily before killing them in a single strike.

  With each death, energy flowed into his body, and his mind grew colder as time passed.

  Everything before his eyes moved in slow motion…

  “GROOAAAARGHH!”

  Then, the unmistakable roar of demons echoed through the area—heard by everyone, including the fallen, who halted their attack on Kus and recoiled.

  One demon had advanced ahead of the horde, while the other was barely visible.

  They had fought with their lives on the line to kill the previous demon. Honestly, Kus had no idea how they were supposed to face this lineup.

  Meanwhile, the fallen surrounding him began running toward Alexa behind him.

  Kus did not stop them. He had already struggled enough against a single demon.

  And although he was now almost as strong as that demon, fighting two was still a challenge. He wasn’t stupid enough to risk his life for someone he didn’t even like.

  . . .

  Alexa didn’t know what to do as ten fallen charged toward her at full speed. She truly believed she was about to die.

  She didn’t bother resisting. She simply lowered her arms and closed her eyes.

  Alexa didn’t want to die. She never had.

  She wanted to live.She wanted to be free.

  “Aaah!”

  But the world wouldn’t allow it…

  When a gust of wind struck her face, Alexa knew it was time.

  Nothing happened. She waited a few seconds—still nothing. No monster attacked her, and the sound of her scream faded into the distance.

  When she opened her eyes, she couldn’t help but gape in astonishment.

  She was on the rooftop of a nearby building, right next to where she had been before. It was impossible—yet now, impossibility seemed retive.

  She looked down with an expression of understanding, then smiled as she never had before in her life. A smile capable of stealing the world’s soul.

  Somehow, she already knew what she had to do—and how to do it.

  She gnced at the spear in her hand, then closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she looked at the fallen below with resolve.

  In an instant, her vision distorted. When she recovered from the dizziness, she was standing behind one of the fallen, her spear embedded in its skull.

  “Aaah!”

  The others reacted immediately and leapt at her, but before they could reach her, she teleported away. Before they could even react, she appeared beside another fallen that stood alone.

  Instant death.

  “Aaah!”

  The fallen grew enraged and attacked her with greater ferocity, but she evaded them again and again, making her spear teleport directly into their heads.

  After a few minutes, no fallen remained around her.

  She couldn’t help but feel happy about everything she had accomplished. She felt as though she could do anything with her new powers.

  Unfortunately, she failed to notice the figure standing directly behind her.