A cold wind suddenly blew.
The crisp autumn air carried the scent of fallen leaves, making them flutter.
Ha…! Haha!
At that moment, Lunox broke the silence with a hysterical laugh. His laughter, like that of a madman, showed no sign of stopping. Edmund’s dry gaze shifted toward me.
“Sorry for being late, Etricia.”
“You arrived just in time. I wasn’t bored at all, thanks to our little chat.”
“I’m glad you weren’t bored, though I despise your conversation partner enough to want to kill him.”
I smirked.
“Oh my, are you jealous even now?”
“I’m jealous even of the breaths you take and release—because they pass only through you.”
As I tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear, I noticed his sharp gaze shift. He had seen my wrists, bruised and wounded from being tied up.
I quickly hid them behind my back and gave a sheepish smile.
“It’s nothing.”
“Nothing, my ass.”
Edmund growled, his voice dangerously low, his eyes flashing with a cold glint.
Like a predator cornering its prey, he slowly advanced.
Haha… Lunox, who had just stopped laughing, suddenly tensed, his blood-red eyes widening in alarm. He took a step back, sneering at me.
“Etricia, I never expected you to betray me.”
What?
Annoyance flared, and I frowned.
“Get your facts straight. I was never yours to begin with, so it’s not betrayal. Though, I suppose I did deceive you.”
I smiled slyly and held up the purification stone.
Lunox was still smiling, but beads of sweat trickled down his temple, revealing his unease.
Then, suddenly—
Seeing Edmund approaching him leisurely, Lunox raised his hand. His sharp claws burst through his skin, tearing it open.
Ping— He pressed his razor-sharp black claws against his throat, tilting his chin up. As the claws dug into his flesh, droplets of violet blood beaded at the edge.
“Kid, if you don’t want her dead, don’t take another step.”
Edmund stopped abruptly as if his feet were chained to the ground.
Feeling triumphant, Lunox chuckled.
“You remember, don’t you? Etricia is also one of the contract targets. And her contractor… is me. If I die, she dies too—”
Clang—!
In a flash, Edmund lunged and struck Lunox’s claws away with his spear.
With a swift spin, he gripped his weapon tightly and stepped back, growling.
“You’re only speeding up your own demise.”
As soon as he said it, he charged with burning red eyes.
Whoosh—!
As Edmund swung his spear wide, a fierce gust of wind sent leaves swirling through the air.
“Damn it!”
Lunox leaped into the air, grabbing a tree branch to avoid the attack.
His crimson eyes darted around frantically, searching for an escape route.
Finding none, he clenched his teeth and glared at me from where he hung.
“Just as you said, I enjoy destroying things I can’t have—like Leticia. This time, I truly want to die with you.”
Crack, snap.
Suddenly, something black and chitinous burst through his skin, devouring his human form in an instant.
Gah!
As Lunox made a move to dig his claws into his own throat again, Edmund sprang off the tree, slashing at his hand with his blade.
Thud!
Lunox crashed to the ground, and blood spurted like a fountain from his severed arm.
Drip, drop.
Chunks of his amputated limb tumbled onto the ground, and a few drops of violet blood splashed onto my foot.
Ugh.
The sight of the severed flesh sent a wave of nausea through me. I covered my mouth.
“Let’s see who dies first—your lover or you.”
Lunox sneered, digging his remaining hand into his severed arm and smearing himself with his own blood.
Monster blood.
When mixed with human blood, it became a deadly poison.
The thought of losing Edmund again sent chills down my spine. I gripped the purification stone tightly, glaring at Lunox.
Suddenly, whoosh—
Lunox swung his massive arm like a whip, and in the blink of an eye, an intense battle erupted between the two.
Edmund blocked his self-inflicted attacks while keeping an eye on me.
“Etricia!”
It was the signal.
‘I need to complete the seal while Edmund buys time.’
I nodded and clasped the purification stone in both hands, closing my eyes.
My sight faded, heightening my other senses.
The crunch of leaves underfoot, the sound of suppressed groans, and the sharp wind slicing through the air brushed against my skin.
Even without looking, I could tell Edmund was struggling.
My hands trembled as sweat made the stone slip. I clenched it tighter.
‘Don’t open your eyes, Etricia.’
The moment I did, I’d lose focus, and time would slip away. That would only make things harder for Edmund.
If only killing the opponent was an option, it would be simpler. But Edmund had to prevent the demon from taking its own life while avoiding attacks. A frustratingly impossible battle.
He was doing it all to protect me—someone who might be bound by a contract with Lunox.
If Edmund got hit by the monster’s blood…
‘I have to heal him quickly.’
For a brief second, my thoughts wavered.
“Etricia!”
Edmund’s thunderous shout snapped my eyes open.
A demon lunged at me.
Before I could react, strong arms wrapped around me. Edmund leaped high into the air, gripping me tightly.
“Ugh, let go!”
I struggled fiercely, clutching the purification stone. But Lunox’s grip on my waist was unyielding.
The moment I briefly opened my eyes, jagged branches scraped across my forehead.
A few seconds later—
With a loud splash, I opened my eyes to the sound of crashing waves.
We had emerged from the forest onto a low coastal cliff.
Regaining my senses, I kicked Lunox and shoved his disgusting face away, but I couldn’t break free.
Whoosh—!
It was at that moment.
A spear flew swiftly like a hawk and pierced through the arm of Lunox, who was holding me.
In the blink of an eye, Edmund jumped out from the forest. With one hand, he caught me as I fell, and with the other, he grabbed the monster’s neck as it was trying to slip behind the cliff.
“Edmund…!”
Looking up at Edmund with joy, I suddenly felt like all the blood in my body had drained out.
His hands were full of veins, and his arm muscles were twitching with many cuts.
There were red scratches on his cheek and neck. And finally, I saw his shoulder—part of the flesh was torn, and his shoulder bone was sticking out. The moment I saw that, my eyes widened and anger surged through me like hot lava.
“Lunox!”
At my shout, which came from deep within, Lunox glanced at me and let out a raspy, scratching laugh. Then, with both arms cut and hanging helplessly, he gave a lazy sigh and looked up at Edmund.
“If I die here with your woman, I guess I’ll have taken everything from you… except your sister.”
“Shut your mouth.”
“Just kill me, kid. Isn’t that why you’ve been chasing me all this time? Hm?”
At his mockery, Edmund clenched his teeth, and a rough grinding sound came from him.
Lunox narrowed his eyes like thin red threads.
“Want to know something, kid? Heh…!”
Cough! Suddenly, Lunox spat out a lump of blood. It oozed thickly down his chin and chest.
He began to gasp, as if he was about to stop breathing, and looked at me with clouding eyes.
“Actually… I didn’t make a contract with Etricia. Even if I die, she’ll be fine.”
“What?”
“You want to kill me, right, kid? Cough, kill me! Kill me!”
His twisted eyes flared as he said that. Strangely, I could see sadness in the shaking look in his eyes.
Edmund silently tightened his grip.
‘No, not like this…’
I quickly stepped between them and looked up at Edmund.
“Edmund, look at me.”
He glared at Lunox with a fierce face and tightened his hand again.
“Don’t fall for his provocation. Even if he’s not my contractor, like he said, you still have to think about the knights who made contracts with the monster. The only way to break their contracts is to seal Lunox and then completely destroy him.”
Gush—! The monster vomited blood. Edmund had strengthened his grip on Lunox’s neck.
My heart dropped.
“Edmund!”
But thankfully, my desperate cry reached him. The fierce wrinkles on his forehead eased, and his eyes turned to me. When I saw the wild beast-like glare in his eyes soften, I let out a relieved breath.
I gently patted his forearm.
“Just a little. Just wait a little longer.”
Then I glared at Lunox once more and closed my eyes while holding the purification stone. I lightly touched the powerful energy swirling inside me, like a spinning top, and my breathing gradually became heavier.
Hoo— Finally, a warm wind blew through my hair, and the purification stone began to tremble softly. As I opened my eyes slightly, I saw the monster’s form beginning to fade, like it was being sealed. The scenery behind him shimmered through his now translucent body.
“Etricia, you were wrong.”
At that moment, Lunox’s horribly low voice rang in my head like a hum.
His eyes, leaking a mad laugh, sparkled like the surface of a jewel.
“I never wanted to become a human like Leticia.”
Then, like taking off a mask, his expression turned cold and stiff as he muttered.
I must not be like that.
“I said I’m not!”
With a final scream like a death cry, Lunox twisted his body and lunged at me.
