A few months ago, Valen and Kaelion arranged a secret meeting with Darius. Their purpose was clear—to persuade him to side with Valen in the upcoming successor ritual.

Darius listened but remained unmoved. "Why should I help you?" he asked, his tone unreadable.

Valen leaned forward, desperation flickering in his eyes. "Because you’re from the Vex family, a branch of the Valehn bloodline," he pleaded.

Darius scoffed. "That connection was severed long ago. My family has no ties to the Valehns, nor do I need them. I'm strong enough on my own."

Valen hesitated, then played his next card. "You care about your niece, Alice, don’t you?" He watched Darius closely. "You know how this works. The winner of the deathmatch will be her fiancé. If I win, I swear to treat her like a queen."

Darius remained silent for a moment before exhaling. "What exactly do you want from me?" he asked. "You know as well as I do—I wouldn’t dare defy Lord Sovereign."

Valen exchanged a glance with Kaelion before lowering his voice. "I know about the Heavenly Demon class."

Darius narrowed his eyes. "A myth-grade class," Valen continued. "It can push its user to ascended-class, but It can only be fused under two conditions: either through an expert-class evolution or upon reaching ascended-class. To awaken the primordial crystal containing it, a sacrifice is required. Five demonic acolyte classes... or one thousand expert-class souls."

Valen's lips curled into a thin smile. "What I want, Lord Darius, is for you to tamper with the primordial crystal. Instead of sacrificing five demonic acolyte classes, I want you to use one thousand expert-class souls—and then hand it over to me."

For a moment, silence stretched between them. Then Darius threw his head back and laughed. "You want my help? Fine. Bring me a thousand expert-class souls, and I'll do it."

Valen didn’t hesitate. "Consider it done."

---

Valen stood in silence, lost in thought. The deal with Darius—he hadn’t forgotten. Now was the time to claim the Heavenly Demon class for himself.

Steeling himself, he made his way to Darius’s office room in Valtheran's manor. Upon entering, he bowed slightly in respect. "Lord Darius," he greeted. "I’ve come for the primordial crystal."

Darius leaned back in his chair, the faintest smirk on his lips. Without a word, he raised his hand, revealing the crystal—a dark, pulsing gem brimming with power. "I’ve awakened it," he said, his voice calm. "One thousand expert-class souls were sacrificed."

Valen’s breath hitched. His eyes locked onto the crystal, hunger gleaming in them. He stepped forward. Just as he reached out, Darius closed his fingers around it, making it vanish from sight.

"It wasn’t you who provided the souls," Darius said.

Valen scratched his head, letting out a small sigh. "I lured the Order of Stormguard into the trap," he admitted. "I just didn’t expect the Heralds of the Skyfather to interfere. Aveline’s arrival was unexpected, but she didn’t stop you. In the end, you still succeeded in gathering the required souls."

"That’s true," Darius said, nodding. "But the fact remains—you didn’t complete your part of the job... and that’s a problem."

Valen clenched his fists, his expression shifting. "Please, Lord Darius," he urged. "Give me the crystal. I swear, I’ll take good care of Alice."

Darius studied him for a moment, then let out a low chuckle. "I’m still not convinced you’re worthy of this class," he said. "So let’s make it simple. If you can defeat Arayn—the one who’s already eliminated two participants—then I’ll hand over the crystal."

Valen exhaled sharply but didn’t hesitate. "Fine," he said. Without another word, he turned and left the room.

Valen reached into his pocket, pulling out a communication crystal. Holding it close, he spoke in a low voice. "Kaelion, there's something I need you to do."

A brief pause, then Kaelion’s voice echoed through the red stone. "What is it?"

Valen's expression darkened. His grip on the crystal tightened. "Find Arayn—and kill him."

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A short chuckle came from the other end. "No need to search," Kaelion replied. "I’m already in position to ambush him."

Valen's eyes narrowed. "Where is he?"

"At a tavern near the neutral area," Kaelion answered. "Waiting. He doesn’t know it yet, but his time is up."

---

Arayn sat on the throne, his chin resting on his hand, eyes half-lidded in boredom. Then, from above, knives rained down, cutting through the air.

He didn’t flinch. Instead, he raised a hand and uttered, "[Infernal Aegis]."

A crimson barrier flared to life around him, the blades clashing against it before falling uselessly to the ground.

Kaelion landed before him in a blur. Without hesitation, he hurled a fresh wave of knives, aiming to shatter the barrier. The moment cracks formed, he lunged.

Arayn didn’t move. He simply smirked.

The fractured barrier erupted. Its shattered remnants turned into blazing projectiles, tearing through the air and slamming into Kaelion. The force sent him hurtling back, his body crashing against the wall. Blood dripped from his lips as he staggered to his feet.

Arayn rose from his throne, dusting off his sleeve. "You're not as good as Lyssa when it comes to ambushes," he remarked, his voice almost amused.

Kaelion's gaze locked onto Arayn, his grip on his knife tightening.

Without warning, a knife shot toward Arayn from behind. He tilted his head slightly, letting it whistle past.

Kaelion had anticipated that. In the same breath, he flung another knife straight at Arayn’s chest.

Arayn drew his sword in a flash, deflecting the knife midair. The knife spun wildly as Kaelion lunged, aiming for Arayn’s throat with a stabbing strike.

Arayn moved faster. His hand shot out, seizing Kaelion’s wrist. With a sharp twist, he hurled him over his shoulder—straight into another Kaelion waiting behind him.

Turning gracefully, Arayn extended his hand, crimson energy swirling at his fingertips. "[Inferno Torrent]," he muttered.

A blazing red beam erupted from his palm, tearing through the air toward the two Kaelions.

The second Kaelion reacted instantly, his leg snapping out in a kick that sent the first Kaelion flying out of harm’s way. He barely had time to smirk before the beam consumed him, his body disintegrating in an instant.

Arayn dusted off his sleeve, his gaze cold. "You're working with Valen," he stated. "Where is he? You’re not much of a challenge on your own."

Kaelion smirked. "I alone am not enough? Then how about dozens of me?"

At his words, the tavern doors burst open. More Kaelions flooded in from the front and back, surrounding Arayn in a perfect formation.

Arayn chuckled. "Clones? I can do that too."

He murmured in an ancient demonic tongue, the air around him darkening. A shadow twisted beside him, shaping itself into a second Arayn, a clone wreathed in black energy.

Kaelion tensed.

Arayn smirked. "Don't be so tense. I just used [Ancient Demons Language] to manipulate my [Demonic Step]."

The clone swelled grotesquely, its body expanding, pulsing with unstable energy. Then, it detonated. A violent blast filled the tavern with thick black smoke.

Reacting instantly, every Kaelion hurled their knives into the center of the room, aiming for where Arayn had stood. However, he was gone.

Above them, the roof creaked. Arayn floated in the air, standing on a razor-thin fang. A [Cursed Fang] kept him aloft.

He raised a hand. More fangs materialized around him. With a flick of his fingers, they shot downward.

The moment they struck the tavern, the explosion ripped through wood and stone, shattering the building in a storm of fire and splintered debris.

Arayn sensed a faint shift in the air behind him. Without hesitation, he conjured a barrier and spun around.

Knives cut through the night as they flew toward him.

He plunged downward, evading them, but more were already coming toward him.

His barrier held, deflecting the barrage, but his eyes narrowed as he caught sight of Kaelions on the rooftops of a nearby house.

"I see. You can teleport to another clone."

The knives tore through his barrier, forcing Arayn to parry them with his sword mid-fall, but a few knives still managed to graze him.

As his shattered barrier turned into bullets, they shot toward the Kaelions, striking them mid-throw. Their assault wavered for a moment.

Taking the chance, Arayn extended his hand. A crimson beam erupted from his palm, lancing toward them. The force of the blast propelled him sideward, accelerating his fall. He hit the ground hard, landing in a skid, dust and debris swirling around him.

Arayn cut off the beam and leaped away with [Demonic Step], vanishing just as knives sliced through the space he had occupied. Mid-motion, he caught a glimpse of the Kaelions behind him. They had teleported again.

Weaving through the streets, he barely had time to register the movement above before a Kaelion dropped from a rooftop, knife flashing. Arayn met the strike with his sword, deflecting the blade before driving a kick into his attacker’s chest, sending him crashing into the alleyway.

More Kaelions were closing in.

He darted from one street to another, twisting through the paths. The Kaelions pursued, but his [Demonic Aura] pressed against them, slowing their movements the closer they got. It wasn’t much, but it gave him the edge he needed.

Arayn wasn’t running. He was leading them.

The destroyed tavern came into view. Smoke still curled from the wreckage, embers glowing in the rubble. Everything had been reduced to ruin.

Except for the throne.

It stood untouched in the center of the devastation.

The Kaelions burst into laughter, their voices overlapping in a chorus of mockery.

"Why are you coming back?" one sneered.

"Do you want to die sitting on that throne?" another jeered.

Arayn smiled. "Perhaps."

The laughter stopped. All at once, the Kaelions' expressions darkened, their synchronized voices cutting through the air.

"Who do you think you are? You’re just an ant with insane arrogance!"

Arayn didn’t answer. He just smiled. Then, in a single motion, he turned and slashed.

[Soul Rend]!

A Kaelion had crept up behind him. Now, the assassin staggered back, eyes wide in shock as blood spilled from the fresh wound. At that moment, a message echoed in Arayn’s mind.

[Your lifespan has increased by two minutes.]

"What the fuck!" Arayn exclaimed. That was the first time he was surprised by Kaelion.