In the central region of the Anqieka Continent, within a small kingdom...
Deep inside a mountain stronghold hidden in the forest—
“Hahaha! We really struck it rich today! Who would've thought those merchants were carrying more than eight thousand Origin Stone Coins? We made a killing!”
“Yeah, Boss! We won't have to worry about food or clothes for the rest of the year!”
“Exactly! Oh, Boss, give me that outfit we looted earlier! Those idiots fought back and tore my clothes to shreds!”
“Hm? The clothes? Take them if nobody else wants them.”
“Boss, I want that sword!”
“Boss, let me have that warhorse...”
...
...
Dozens of men dressed in ragged clothing, armed with all kinds of weapons, and radiating vicious killing intent were making their way through the mountain forest. Even the ferocious beasts lurking nearby instinctively avoided them.
They were the Black Wolf Stronghold.
The most feared bandits in the region.
Today, however, every one of them was in unusually high spirits. After all, they had just robbed a merchant caravan and walked away with an enormous haul.
Even Makale, the bandit chief, could not stop grinning. As he chatted merrily with his men, he eagerly anticipated dividing the spoils once they returned to the stronghold.
However—
The moment he arrived before the entrance, his smile froze.
Not only him.
Every one of his men did the same.
Something was wrong.
The stronghold was eerily silent.
A thick stench of blood drifted from within.
The men who had remained behind to guard the base—who should have come out to greet them—were nowhere to be seen.
?!
Were they attacked?
An intruder?!
"Damn it! Who the hell dares attack us out here?! Brothers! Weapons out!"
Having his home raided instantly sent Makale into a furious rage. He drew the massive saber at his waist as brown battle aura erupted from his body.
His subordinates immediately followed suit, drawing their weapons and unleashing their own power.
The next instant—
The entire group charged into the stronghold, ready to chop the intruder into pieces.
However...
The moment they entered—
Every single one of them froze.
An indescribable chill surged through their bodies.
'W-What... what happened here...?'
The interior of the stronghold had become complete devastation.
It was practically half destroyed.
Blood.
Chunks of flesh.
Scattered internal organs.
Human remains littered every corner of the ground.
Even the spirit beasts they had raised had been torn into pieces.
Not a single intact corpse remained.
"D-Did some magical beast invade this place...?"
That was the only explanation anyone could think of.
Then—
Makale noticed something.
At the entrance of the granary, crouching on the ground and seemingly eating something...
...was a pink-haired little girl.
"A little girl?!"
He had no idea why a child had suddenly appeared inside his stronghold.
But...
She was the only living person left.
The only one who could possibly know who had attacked his base.
Without hesitation—
Wrapped in brown battle aura, Makale transformed into a streak of light and shot toward her.
He grabbed the girl's collar without mercy, trying to yank her off the ground.
"Hey! You little brat! What the hell happened here?!"
?!!
"Huh?!"
Why...
Why can't I pull her?!
The instant he exerted force, Makale discovered something utterly unbelievable.
No matter how hard he, a Fifth-Tier powerhouse, pulled—
The seemingly frail little girl did not move even the slightest bit.
'W-What is going on?!'
As Makale frowned in confusion and pulled even harder—
The pink-haired girl, who had been quietly chewing on a piece of black bread, slowly lowered the bread in her hand.
Then—
In an unnaturally eerie motion—
She slowly twisted her head around to look directly at him.
?!
"W-Who... who are you?"
That bizarre movement—
Combined with those terrifying red-and-blue heterochromatic eyes—
Instantly sent a bone-chilling sensation through Makale.
Cold sweat rolled down his forehead.
He immediately leaped backward, creating distance between himself and the girl before raising his saber toward her.
"Who the hell are you?! Why are you in my stronghold?!"
Makale roared viciously.
His men hurried to his side, surrounding the pink-haired girl from every direction as they stared at her with wary expressions.
To be honest—
Although the strange aura surrounding the girl made them uneasy, and her frightening physical strength unsettled Makale...
With the overwhelming advantage in numbers—
He still had the illusion that...
Victory was theirs.
The instant the group completely surrounded the girl—
Feeling the battle aura, mana, overwhelming hostility, and killing intent emanating from every one of them—
A savage glint suddenly flashed through the girl's eyes.
The next moment—
Before Makale or anyone else could react—
"BOOM!!"
An overwhelming torrent of Shadow of Silence Power erupted violently.
An unstoppable pressure crashed down upon everything.
Black light exploded outward.
Countless spikes formed from writhing black liquid burst from every corner of the stronghold.
In an instant—
The bodies of dozens of bandits were impaled.
Then—
They were violently torn apart.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!! HELP!! SAVE ME!!"
...
...
Within the blink of an eye—
Piercing screams echoed across the sky.
Makale himself stood frozen in place.
'W-What just happened?! T-That girl... she's an Abyss Demon?!'
No.
Run!
Run now!!
The instant he witnessed the horrifying scene before him and felt the destructive power contained within the black light—
Every thought of resistance vanished.
Overwhelming terror spread through his heart.
Without another thought—
Makale threw away his weapon and fled for his life.
He had only just stolen more than eight thousand Origin Stone Coins.
How could he possibly die now?!
No!
He couldn't die!
However—
Whether he wished to die or not was no longer his decision.
The moment the black light erupted—
Everyone present had already placed their lives in the pink-haired girl's hands.
And clearly...
She had no intention of sparing anyone.
The next instant—
A black sword forged from Shadow of Silence Power shot forward.
It pierced straight through Makale's body.
Amid his desperate screams and frantic pleas for mercy—
Countless streams of black liquid surged over him—
Instantly tearing him into pieces.
Within only a few seconds—
Not a single bandit remained alive.
Fresh blood and shredded flesh dyed the entire stronghold crimson.
—
?!
Eh...?
I... I'm...
After a brief haze, Yuan'er's consciousness gradually returned to her body.
The thick smell of blood immediately caught her attention.
When she turned her head and saw the hellish landscape around her—
Her entire body trembled.
An overwhelming wave of nausea rose inside her.
'N-No...
D-Did I... do this?'
'A-Again...
Did I lose control again?!'
Looking at the unfamiliar corpses scattered everywhere—
An indescribable terror slowly filled Yuan'er's heart, making her whole body tremble uncontrollably.
At the same time—
A strange sensation stimulated her sense of taste.
'What...
What am I eating?'
She lowered her gaze toward the bloody chunk of meat in her hand.
Her pupils instantly contracted.
After staring blankly for several seconds—
Yuan'er let out a hysterical scream.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
In panic, she hurled the piece of flesh away.
Then she clutched her head with both hands.
"W-What...
What...
What am I doing?!"
On the verge of a complete mental breakdown, Yuan'er stumbled backward again and again until she finally collapsed helplessly into a corner.
Tears streamed endlessly down her face like strings of broken pearls.
Within the enormous stronghold—
Only the girl's sobbing could be heard.
Looking at the blood-soaked scene surrounding her—
An overwhelming sense of remorse flooded her heart.
She had only wanted...
To find something to eat.
So why...
Why had everything turned out like this?
And yet...
Even after eating...
'I'm still hungry...'
Despite devouring every bit of food stored in the bandits' granary—
The hunger remained.
As that unbearable starvation once again overwhelmed her mind—
Madness and bloodlust gradually surfaced within Yuan'er's heterochromatic eyes.
Her gaze slowly settled upon someone's severed thigh.
Driven by instinct—
She unconsciously reached toward the piece of flesh.
?!
No!
No!
I can't!!
Her heart suddenly trembled.
Yuan'er's consciousness briefly regained clarity, barely suppressing the bloodthirsty impulse raging inside her.
"I...
I can't do this!
I can't!"
She shut her eyes in agony.
Becoming an Abyss Demon...
Being attacked by her own grandfather...
Had already plunged her into despair.
Now—
After realizing she truly had become a bloodthirsty monster—
She felt even more hopeless.
"Why...
Why did this happen...?"
"How...
How did I become... an Abyss Demon...?"
"Could it be..."
"Was it that black-haired big sister...?"
"If I find her..."
"Can she... turn me back...?"
...
However—
Just as Yuan'er continued struggling to suppress the violent impulses inside her while muttering to herself—
A sudden emotionless voice drifted into her ears.
"You can't change back."
?!!
"W-Who's there?!"
Following the direction of the voice, Yuan'er looked upward.
Only then did she realize—
A woman dressed in a long robe had somehow appeared atop the stronghold's watchtower.
She sat there quietly—
Watching her in silence.
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