Chapter 922: The Human-Shaped Monster (2)
The man in the red demon mask floated in the dark sky, casually looking down at the town of Virella.
The rain grew heavier by the minute, accompanied by the deafening rumble of thunder.
Yet the man remained completely unaffected by either.
"Well, look who’s here."
He turned his head and saw a beautiful white-haired woman floating not far away.
She was tall, her body draped in a black gown that fell all the way to the ground.
Her blue eyes were beautiful, yet as cold as a sword’s blade.
"You must be a subordinate of the Singularity of Chaos, right? The masked woman who stopped the Demon Emperor Zerathos’s final attack after he possessed Prince Cassian’s body," the man said bluntly.
"Oh? You seem pretty well-informed. Did you investigate me before attacking?" Malverna asked casually, folding her arms across her chest.
The man chuckled softly.
"Of course. Gathering information is the first step when dealing with a powerful enemy. What do you think?"
Malverna stayed silent, a faint smile on her lips.
"You’re a bit boring," the man continued, shaking his head. "By the way, I suggest you leave now. I’m in a good mood, after all."
He waved his hand as if he were shooing her away.
Malverna’s smile widened before turning into a shrill laugh.
"Hahaha..." She tapped her forehead with her right palm. "That’s so funny... Absolutely hilarious!"
The man raised an eyebrow. He couldn’t understand why the woman was laughing like a madwoman.
Malverna’s laughter slowly faded. Her relaxed expression turned cold.
"I am the Demon Empress. No living creature in this world, except for the Seven Singularities, can threaten me!"
Boom!
Demonic power erupted from her body. The energy shot into the sky, tearing through the clouds and creating a terrifying whirlwind.
The masked man’s eyes widened in shock.
"D-Demon!? You’re a—"
Before he could finish, Malverna had already teleported right in front of him. She raised her fist and punched him.
Boom!
A powerful shockwave erupted behind the man. Yet instead of being blown away by the impact, he remained firmly rooted in place.
Malverna grinned.
"This isn’t a good place to fight."
Whoosh!
Both Malverna and the man turned into streaks of red light before disappearing from sight.
...
Boom!
Blue lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a deafening roar of thunder.
In front of the fence surrounding the Virella lord’s mansion, pieces of iron armor were scattered across the muddy ground.
"Argh... that was absolutely delicious..."
Kruch licked the corner of his lips as he gazed at the scattered armor with a smirk.
He had already turned dozens of people into his meals, but this was the first time he had ever tasted something this delicious.
"But..."
His expression suddenly turned angry.
"This isn’t enough! Kruch wants more! I’m still hungry!" he growled, stomping his foot against the ground.
"Ahem!"
A sudden cough came from a short distance away.
Kruch’s whining immediately stopped. He turned his head and saw Luvistar slowly getting back to his feet amid the rubble of the shattered wall.
"Oh! I forgot you were still alive!"
Whoosh!
His figure vanished and reappeared right in front of Luvistar.
Before Luvistar could react, Kruch grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground.
"Argh!" Luvistar cried out in pain as he struggled, but it was no use.
"Hahaha! You’re such a weak human!" Kruch laughed as he pulled Luvistar’s face closer to his own. "Without a sneak attack, you’re nothing but a helpless ant!"
Luvistar gritted his teeth in anger. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do.
Kruch was incredibly strong—far beyond the strength of an ordinary human.
He was the very definition of a monster.
Seeing that Luvistar was no longer putting up a fight, Kruch spat.
"So boring. Where’s all that arrogance? Ugh... You might as well just become my meal."
Just as he was about to turn Luvistar into a lump of meat, Kruch’s nose suddenly twitched.
"This scent..."
His eyes widened. He threw Luvistar to the ground and turned his gaze toward the mansion.
"A virgin woman... Now that’s a delicious scent! And besides..."
He gasped, his eyes lighting up with excitement as a drop of saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth.
"I can sense the scent of destiny... Such powerful destiny! Hahaha!"
He burst into loud laughter.
"If I eat both of them, I’m sure I can become stronger... stronger than the boss! Then..."
He rubbed his hands together, his eyes filled with excitement.
"I can finally break free from his grasp and become my true self, a free Kruch!"
Without wasting another second, he crouched down and leaped toward the mansion.
...
"I’m so scared!"
"Y-Your Highness, will we be all right?"
"The guards... Will they be able to hold off the enemy?"
The servants in the bunker could barely stay calm in the face of the situation.
Rafine quickly tried to calm them down, but it was no use.
Elina patted her on the shoulder before speaking loudly.
"Everyone, don’t worry. The enemy attacking us isn’t a threat. We’ll be fine, so stay calm and don’t leave your posts, understand?"
The servants nodded in unison, though fear still gnawed at them.
Elina felt helpless. She could naturally sense how afraid they were.
But there was nothing she could do except reassure them.
"By the way, Rafine."
Elina carefully looked over the servants.
"Where’s Novaria? Why isn’t she here?"
Rafine’s face tensed.
She quickly searched through the servants, but Novaria was nowhere to be found.
"She’s not here? How is that possible? Don’t tell me..."
Her words trailed off, but Elina understood what she meant. Her expression immediately turned serious.
"Wait here. I’ll go look for her."
Rafine quickly stopped her.
"But that’s dangerous, Elina! You could get hurt!"
They didn’t know how many enemies were attacking, but Rafine was certain there was more than one.
If even one or two enemies had managed to sneak into the mansion, Elina would be in serious danger.
"My mind is made up."
She had promised Nolan that she would protect Novaria. Despite their past animosity, Novaria was still her older sister.
The reason Ragan hadn’t asked her to bring Novaria back to the queen was because he trusted her to look after her.
She couldn’t betray that trust.
Rafine was annoyed by Elina’s stubbornness. But at the same time, she also liked it.
After all, it was one of Elina’s most prominent traits.
"All right..."
Rafine let out a long sigh.
"But I’m coming with you. Don’t even try to talk me out of it, okay?"
Elina smiled helplessly.
"All right. Just stay by my side."
Rafine nodded, and the two of them hurried out of the bunker.