The night was deep.

Moonlight drowned out the stars, flowing silently over cities, forests, and streams, gently embracing all beneath the sky.

Mist curled faintly through the woods, lending everything a dreamlike haze.

Luyi walked soundlessly through this veil of moonlight and shadow.

Scenery blurred past her. Even at just Tier One, her speed outstripped the golden-feathered unicorns that elite knights prided themselves on.

Thanks to her innate talent 【Shadow Monarch】, she could manipulate shadows at will—using them to erase enemies or conceal her presence.

Demonic Sovereign Eternal Ash was the oldest and most familiar of her Authorities.

Even after reincarnating as the seemingly harmless Virtuous Maiden, she could still effortlessly wield all the Sovereign’s powers.

"Is this the Abyssal Demons’ encampment?"

Luyi murmured, gazing at the withered trees snapped flat ahead.

A steel fortress, dozens of meters tall and cast in ashen gray, loomed before her. Jagged blades sprouted from its surface, glinting coldly—a sight meant to intimidate.

From the Virtuous Maiden’s memories, she knew this was the Abyssal Demons’ mobile stronghold: Blackstone Citadel.

Only Abyssal nobles possessed such fortresses.

This explained the rumors of a high-ranking Abyssal Demon descending upon Azurewind City.

"Blackstone Citadel..."

The Azurewind Holy Court seemed wary of it, sending knights to scout multiple times.

But to Luyi, this mobile fortress was riddled with flaws—crude, almost laughable.

Yet... upon closer inspection, she noticed traces of *Dusk*’s design philosophy in its architecture.

Was this world connected to *Dusk*?

After all... she’d arrived here only after accepting that game’s sole hidden main quest.

And—

"Could the Abyssal Demons be tied to my Authority?"

Her rise had begun in *Dusk*, within a hidden map—a lost ruin of demonic heritage.

But reality would likely disappoint her.

Moving through shadows, she slipped past the fortress guards unnoticed.

Spreading her senses, she felt nothing familiar from these Abyssal Demons.

Only weakness.

Extreme weakness. Extreme chaos. Extreme impurity.

In terms of rank, it was as if a monarch stood before ants.

A wave of disgust rose within her.

Yet that revulsion seemed rooted in more than just the chasm of status.

"Enough."

Luyi shook her head in the shadows, dismissing the thought.

After what she came to do, she’d have no further ties to these Abyssal Demons.

With that, she stepped slowly through the fortress gates.

*

Inside the stronghold—

"Have Father and my elder brother still not returned?"

By the window, a crimson-haired girl sighed, her gaze fixed on distant mountain ranges.

"Rest assured, Your Highness. His Majesty and the Prince will be unharmed," a maid bowed beside her.

"And the humans’ movements?"

"The Sacred Court’s attention remains fixed on Blackstone Citadel," replied a gaunt man standing nearby. "Azurewind’s leadership hasn’t noticed the lost sanctuary yet. Still, we must stay cautious and hold this position—"

"Cautious? Hah. Or perhaps the princess’s personal guard is simply too weak to uphold our race’s dignity."

The maid and gaunt man stiffened, glaring at the hulking figure leaning against the wall.

"Kurus, you—"

The gaunt man started to reprimand him, but froze as Kurus’s eyes narrowed.

"I state facts," Kurus said, stepping toward him. His shadow swallowed the smaller man as he blocked the lamplight. "Had the Crown Prince and Duke not left with our main forces for those mountains, we’d have crushed Azurewind City by now."

"You dared scold me moments ago. Now I stand before you—and you can’t even squeak?"

Kurus sneered, clamping a hand on the man’s shoulder. Bones groaned under the pressure. The gaunt man bit back a cry, his face flushing beet-red.

"Kurus. Enough."

The crimson-haired princess cut in, her voice sharp. "Even as my brother’s lieutenant, your conduct is unacceptable."

"Yes, Your Highness," Kurus drawled, shoving the trembling man aside.

"Though... you might practice more composure," he added, his tone edged with mockery. "Not just with me. Earlier, with that insolent Champion too."

*Champion.*

At the word, the princess flushed crimson again—not from affection, but fury.

"That bastard Champion..." she hissed.

Yes. *That* Champion.

The most disgraceful, despicable Champion she’d ever seen!

That morning, while patrolling with her retinue, they’d crossed paths with a Champion’s squad. And then—

"Fair demoness, may I know your name?"

"Your battle stance is exquisite. Care to spar... *adult-style*... outside the city tonight?"

"You’re the second most beautiful I’ve seen in Azurewind. The loveliest, gentlest is the Holy Court’s Lady Luyi, of course."

...

*Why*—why did such a scoundrel become a Champion?!

And why did this trash possess terrifying strength?!

"Spewing filth is bad enough..."

"...but obsessing over ‘Lady Luyi’ this and ‘Lady Luyi’ that! What’s so special about some Virtuous Maiden?!"

The princess fumed.

"I believe you were looking for me?"

A soft, unfamiliar voice cut through the room.

Silence shattered. Every head snapped toward the throne—where a human girl now sat, as if she’d always belonged there.

*Human?*

*When did she—?*

The princess’s pupils trembled.

The tension clashed violently with the girl’s appearance—

Beneath flowing golden hair, her face held a timeless gentleness in the moonlight.

A white shirt. A plaid skirt. She looked like a schoolgirl who’d wandered home late, perched incongruously on the iron throne. No aura of power—just a rabbit strayed into a wolf’s den.

"Let me introduce myself. I’m Luyi."

*Luyi!*

This girl was *her*?

The princess’s gaze turned icy.

"No need to panic. I came here today simply—"

***BOOM—***

The blast of aura cut her off.

Kurus vanished from his spot, blurring into a streak as he lunged at Luyi!

"Fascinating! A human girl dares invade our den?!"

His roar tore through the wind. Luyi remained seated, unmoved.

She merely... closed her eyes slowly.

"Let me taste you first, little girl!"

Kurus howled, fingers outstretched to seize her throat.

"Futile."

Luyi’s voice was cold.

Her eyes opened.

In that instant—

Crimson flared deep within her pupils. It devoured candlelight. Devoured moonlight. Devoured... the wills of every Abyssal Demon in the room.