"Tap, tap..."

Tears suddenly fell onto the photograph. Lilith couldn't help but panic a little. She hurriedly wiped the tears from its surface and whispered, "Mother, good night."

Lilith hugged the photograph tightly against her chest, closed her eyes, and drifted asleep. In the photo, a young girl smiled radiantly, clinging to a woman whose face and hair were nearly identical. They were mother and daughter. Yet, for some unknown reason, the mother had died, and Lilith had never received the affection of a father.

All the little girl wanted was to be loved and acknowledged—so much so that she believed in a godless world of gods. Whether she truly sensed him, or whether she was merely yearning for a spiritual anchor to soothe her, even she did not know.

Silvanus thought that he too should rest a little at this moment. However, this world did not permit him the luxury of idleness.

In a flash, the scene shifted. The grand hall, bathed in dazzling light, cast eerie shadows across everyone seated upon the long benches.

Each shadow seemed to twist and writhe, baring grotesque, gaping mouths, warping into countless bizarre shapes.

"Oh, Lord Zarukel, is this your daughter?"

"So beautiful—just like her mother, ha ha."

Their large, bloated forms seemed to melt, turning into foul sludge that crept ceaselessly toward Lilith.

Uneasy, Lilith clenched the fabric of her dress as though she could tear it apart in her grasp.

"Lilith, you will do everything for the Zarukel family, won't you?" Lord Zarukel's voice rang out. At that moment, he looked like a venomous serpent, its tongue flicking again and again toward his daughter.

The two young masters smirked, excitement gleaming as they watched. No one paid Lilith any attention. No one noticed the despair in her gaze, nor the tears brimming at the corners of her eyes.

Mother, Mother, I want to go with you. Why haven't you taken me yet? I'm so scared... I'm afraid I won't become the person you always hoped I would, Mother...

Countless pitch-black hands, like demons crawling out of hell, reached endlessly toward Lilith. Her mouth opened—she wanted to scream, to cry out—but now, any struggle felt meaningless. She was far too small, far too powerless. She was only a child.

This world... why is this world so ugly? This world was never meant to be a fairy tale.

And then—Lilith suddenly felt her hand being seized. A powerful force pulled her upright, yanking her away from the demons. Blinding light burst forth, scattering all ugliness in its brilliance.

"Crack!"

It sounded like something had shattered, like a thin sheet of glass unable to withstand the impact.

Lilith stumbled forward, dazed, staring ahead. The sky before her shone so brightly it was nearly impossible to keep her eyes open. Yet, unmistakably, the hand gripping hers was so warm, so immense.

"Is it you? God, have you truly appeared to save me? I want to see my mother... I miss her so much... will you allow me that?"

Silvanus remained silent, saying nothing. He could feel the small hand clutching his own, holding on tightly.

At this moment, light surrounded them. The castle behind them shattered into countless fragments, dissolving like the nightmare had never existed.

Silvanus did not know whether this was Lilith's past or an illusion she had conjured to deceive him. But this little girl… she was truly pitiful.

What would have become of Lilith if he hadn't appeared just now?

Or perhaps this was only the past—yet no matter the nightmare, Lilith had been trapped deep within it...

Silvanus pressed his lips together, his eyes cold. Lilith was right: this world was no fairy tale. But still...

Lilith opened her eyes wide. A warm embrace enveloped her, like a mother's embrace. The god was immense—yet also indescribably gentle.

"Everything may be ugly... but you are beautiful, Lilith. One day, you will have a fairy-tale world of your own."

"Really?"

Lilith's eyes widened, shimmering with innocent light, believing wholeheartedly in the words of this unfamiliar god.

"Yes. A sunflower field will surround your candy house. Fairy-tale creatures will adore you. No one will ever harm you again."

Even if you never became the good person you wished to be, even if you have killed so many people, Silvanus would never think Lilith was right. She had once been innocent, yet among those she had killed, there were many innocents, too. Still, at this very moment, the girl standing before him was nothing more than a child.

"Is that... my future?" she asked, her eyes glistening like gemstones.

"Yes."

"Thank you... for coming."

Her voice was barely a whisper. Silvanus felt warmth against his neck—her tears sliding down, like words she could not bring herself to say.

Silvanus sensed something then.

When he lifted his hands, countless cracks had already spread across them. It felt like he was about to shatter, vanish from this place.

Lilith remained whole, unchanged, but the blinding light had already engulfed them both. In the end, Silvanus could hardly keep his eyes open.

He shut them tight, and the faint scent of sunlight's last breath lingered at the tip of his nose.

.

"Boom!"

A massive serpent was cleaved apart, its body slamming into the colossal wall.

The snake was undeniably giant, yet the ancient castle still did not collapse—towering, like the phantom of a bygone era. What made it worse was the horde of serpents that refused to die.

Like now, the serpent whose head Drake had just severed, collapsing onto the ground, had already sprouted a new one. It slithered upward once more, the old heads piling upon each other, as though they meant to fill the castle to the brim.

"Graw!!"

The serpent roared, its maw splitting wide as if to tear itself apart, razor-sharp fangs gleaming with a chilling light.

Two smaller serpents were no less fierce, lunging toward the others!

But while they regarded humans as prey, some also regarded them as prey.

Leonard's not-so-large figure suddenly leapt into the air, his long bangs swept back, revealing a pair of blood-red, murderous eyes.

One of the smaller serpents opened its mouth wide and swallowed Leonard whole. It let out another roar, writhing forward to attack again.

But it had no time for another move... The serpent's eyes bulged, its massive body thrashing violently, coiling uncontrollably, as though some terrible force was tearing it apart.

"Grawwww!"

The serpent's roar echoed thunderously as its neck suddenly arched upward, stretching more than four meters tall. Then, its throat began to bulge.

A hand suddenly burst out—then another. With both hands braced against the opening, the figure within tore the serpent's body apart, ripping it cleanly in two!

The shockwave shook the entire castle.

Leonard landed intact on the ground as the serpent's two halves crashed down on either side of him. Blood poured like rain, drenching everything.

Drake couldn't help but whistle, his crimson eyes burning brighter with bloodlust as he watched with delight. For the first time since meeting him, he found Leonard truly pleasing to the eye. At the very least, this was how one should fight—bathed in blood, waging battle in madness!

[Damn, that's badass! Drake's sorry, but I'm switching sides!]

[Without the "heart" theory, these monsters are mosquitoes in front of Leonard!]

[Honestly, Drake and Leonard aren't that different—both lunatics. Leonard likes to put on a show, pretending to be weak, while Drake prefers flaunting strength. Not that it isn't a real strength.]

[Well, Nerio's taste is clearly for maniacs who can act, ha ha ha.]

[Exactly, Nerio likes people who can perform with him.]

Leonard slowly straightened up. He lowered his gaze to his blood-soaked hands, dripping with shredded flesh, then suddenly smirked. Raising his hand, he began tearing into the serpent's raw meat and blood as though savoring some delicacy. His face was smeared with gore, the stench of iron thick, his eyes even watering from the disgust—yet he kept eating.

[Oh my god, poor thing—stop eating monster flesh already, eat mine instead, for heaven's sake!]

[I'm curious... if I went to bed with him, would he bite a chunk of my flesh too while we're at it?]

[Damn, these comments are revolting. Where's the moderation system? It only shows up when someone harasses the gods!]