Xue Yu was walking down the stairs when Tongxi suddenly grabbed his thigh. Off-balance, his back foot faltered—he tumbled head over heels.

No pain. The floor beneath felt neither icy nor warm, like a surface stripped of all temperature.

Slowly, Xue Yu opened his eyes. A blurry figure swam into view.

Petite, yet hauntingly familiar. A young girl, gazing down at him.

“Ugh… What just—” He rubbed his temple. His nerves still buzzed with the shock of the fall. “Didn’t I fall down the stairs? Where… is this?”

He wasn’t in his living room. Not in Gaelkani either. Confusion tightened his chest.

Somehow, he’d arrived in a strange realm. No buildings. No mountains, trees, or grass. Not even soil or concrete beneath his feet. Only endless violet.

The dreamlike purple expanse shimmered with golden specks drifting like fireflies. Pink-tinged clouds drifted lazily across the sky.

His gaze snapped back to the small figure.

Though unharmed, Xue Yu sucked in a sharp breath—the little girl was straddling him.

Stunning light-purple hair flowed into neat twin spiral ponytails. She wore the black-and-white maid short skirt Xia Mo had given her, snug over-the-knee socks hugging slender, fair legs resting against his waist. Curved demon horns crowned her head. Behind her, a lively purple heart-shaped tail swayed gently.

At first, he blinked in disbelief. *Am I seeing things?* But she was undeniably real.

He’d mistaken her for Demon Empress Zili—until he noticed her childlike height. Eight? Nine? His mind reeled.

“Oh dear~ Can’t you stop staring just because I’m pretty?” she cooed.

Yes—the Succubus Curse girl straddling him, calling herself “me” in that coquettish tone, was none other than Zila!

Cupping her cheeks, she twisted slightly, feigning flustered delight.

Before she could savor it—a shadow of a massive fist descended toward her face.

*Thud~*

Instantly, Zila reacted. Her necklace glowed faint purple. As she crossed her arms, a shimmering barrier flashed into place.

The barrier blocked the punch, but the impact shoved her back.

“Hey! What was that for? Why’d you hit me?!” Zila stomped a foot, voice tinged with hurt.

“Demon! Do I need your permission to strike you?” Xue Yu brushed himself off, rising with a glare sharp enough to cut.

Zila tilted her head, eyes wide with innocent confusion. A tiny finger tapped her chin. “But… I *am* you. You shouldn’t hurt yourself, silly~”

“I’m *not* a demon! I’m human!” Xue Yu snarled, fists clenched until his palms stung.

“How can you deny it? You *are* me. Haven’t you accepted your true self yet… ‘me’?”

“Stop spewing that filth! I’m *not* you! If it weren’t for that damn Succubus Empress—” His knuckles whitened.

This demon insisting she was his “true self” made bile rise in his throat. As a human knight who loathed demons—especially Succubus Curses—he remembered it all too clearly: the war lost, comrades fallen, his dearest friend slain by Zi Li’s blade. Every death etched into memory. Hatred burned hot. *If she appeared now, I’d kill her—any cost, any method.*

Being twisted into a Succubus Curse… called *her* granddaughter? A torment worse than death. If told he’d never change back, he might have ended it right there. But hope held him. *I will learn magic. I will break this curse.*

“Why won’t you accept me?” Zila pouted, voice small. “I’m cute and pretty… Does ‘I’ think I’m not pretty enough?”

She turned the blame inward—completely off-topic. Rage boiled over. Unarmed, Xue Yu charged.

“Die!”

As he lunged, golden light flared in his palm. A sword emerged from the glow.

The radiance faded—revealing a golden blade etched with crimson patterns.

“Split God: Hurricane! Unsheath!” He drew the sword.

The silver-white blade swept wide. Golden magic surged into a crescent wave aimed at Zila.

She didn’t dodge. Didn’t flinch. Eyes closed peacefully.

*Boom!*

Sparks and dust erupted. A faint smirk touched Xue Yu’s lips—*hit her*.

“Does hurting me… hurting *yourself*… really make you happy?” Her voice drifted through the smoke.

Purple magic burst outward, clearing the haze. Zila stood untouched. Unshaken.

His eyes locked on her glowing necklace. *Again—the barrier.*

“Fine!” Zila chirped, raising a hand. “If fighting calms you, I’ll play! But no hurting me, okay? I won’t hurt you either~”

Childlike. Naive. The necklace unclasped itself, glowed violet, shifted shape—then solidified into a blade. *Jue Mo.*

Xue Yu froze. *The necklace… was Jue Mo?!* He’d never have guessed—not even if he’d stuffed his head in a toilet. The very blade that slaughtered his friends… had hung on *his* chest. Revulsion twisted his gut. His hand flew to his chest—a wild urge to tear it open. He forced it down. *Not now.*

“‘I’ am coming now, ‘me’!” she declared.

Two vast demon wings erupted from her back, blotting out the sky. A single flap—she shot forward.

Xue Yu swung Sudden Sever sideways. *Clang!* Purple-and-gold sparks exploded between blades.

He blocked—but her strength stunned him. A child? A Succubus Curse? This force felt like battling a brute-force demon lord. *It’s the blade. Jue Mo is that strong.*

His focus sharpened. He deflected her strike, pivoted the pommel, and tapped her wrist—*precise*. Her grip faltered. Defense became her only option. He thrust. Jue Mo flew from her hand. Sudden Sever lunged onward.

Zila flapped her wings—evading by a hair’s breadth.

“Hey! You *really* tried to kill me?! I said no real fighting!” she complained, hovering midair.

“Why hold back against a demon like you?” Xue Yu’s voice cracked with fury. “I *will* defeat you!”