(An hour before the Resurrection of the Demon Lords.)

  High above the vibrant pnet of Asmodai, a grand circur ptform floated gracefully among the shimmering stars, illuminated by the soft, celestial glow of ethereal light. This magnificent gathering pce served as a sanctuary for all the gods and goddesses of the realm, where they congregated to share in the divine experience of unity. The air was alive with ughter that danced like the tinkling of crystal bells as divine beings engaged in animated conversation, their voices intertwining like sweet melodies woven through the cosmos.

  Tables, elegantly adorned with intricate carvings and lush silks, overflowed with sumptuous feasts: plump, glistening fruits, roasted delicacies exuding tantalizing aromas, and goblets brimming with sparkling ambrosia that caught the light in a cascade of colors. The atmosphere was thick with a sense of joy and camaraderie as the deities celebrated their collective power and vibrant connections beneath the vast, star-studded sky that stretched infinitely above them.

  This spectacur assembly, a weekly ritual of the divine, was a time for the deities to draw strength from their worshipers and followers, basking in the adoration that sustained their formidable energy. Yet, amid the revelry, the Three Progenitor Gods—the ancient architects of Asmodai, who had breathed life into the world at the dawn of time—remained in a deep slumber after their st great intervention. These mighty beings alone held the power to summon heroes to face the looming threat of the Dark Entity’s Demon Lords with each cycle of awakening.

  As the merriment of the 7th generation gods and goddesses thrummed vibrantly around the outer circle of the ptform, a small group remained in the center, huddled around a rge, ornate table. The 5th-generation deities, their expressions listless and bored, exchanged gnces filled with a mix of impatience and ennui, feeling distinctly out of pce amidst the jubint atmosphere of their more youthful peers.

  "So, have your people finally destroyed the st of the demon remnants yet? It's been over a thousand years since the st Demon Lord fell," the Goddess of the Sun, Dayana, asked with a weary sigh, her long, golden hair shimmering in the starlight.

  The God of the Moon, Zepar, let out a snort of disgust, his cold blue eyes flickering with contempt.

  "Hardly," he replied curtly, his deep, resonant voice echoing across the ptform. "Those foolish mortals are trying but are failing miserably, as always. I think they'll finally rid them in a hundred years or so."

  "Meh, I don't see the need to rush. Besides, we have about 5000 before that jerk, Dark Entity, resurrects his Demon Lords," the Goddess of the Stars, Viduana, said in a singsong voice, her violet eyes twinkling with amusement.

  "Hmph. I guess you're right," the Goddess of Wisdom, Eir, said softly, her delicate features betraying her apprehension. "But still, I can't help but worry..."

  "Rex, Eir. We have nothing to worry about," the God of the Sky, Aero, replied, his powerful voice rumbling through the ptform, his massive form towering over the rest of the deities.

  "But we lost the st of the 4th generation gods during the st Demon Lord incident. That's nearly half our number," Eir continued, her slender form trembling slightly.

  "We let our guards down st time. I mean, we took care of the 5th and 6th cycles of the Demon Lords with no problem. How were we supposed to know that the 7th cycle would be different? If it wasn't for that one hero, the Demon Lord, Baal would have become the Demon King. But it didn't happen because of the Primordial Gods who always come through for us. And we won't make the same mistakes this time," Aero retorted, his deep blue eyes fshing with determination.

  "Yeah, yeah, we get it," Zepar said dismissively, rolling his eyes. "It was a total fluke. No need to worry about the 8th cycle."

  "But the Heroes had a harder time than usual. They seemed weaker compared to the previous ones. Maybe we shouldn't rely on the Primordials and come up with our own strategies," the Goddess of the Earth, Terra, chimed in, her dark green eyes gleaming with concern.

  "Are you serious?" Viduana scoffed. "Without the Primordials, we'd all be dust."

  "I'm with Viduana on this," Aero said. "Let's just do our jobs and leave the rest up to the Primordials. Besides, the 8th cycle isn't coming anytime soon. We have plenty of time to pn for that."

  Sera, the Goddess of Light, was sitting quietly for long enough and was growing tired of her comrades compining about small, unimportant things. She was more annoyed with her worshipers committing sins, which she saw as a blight to her perfect, angelic image. She cleared her throat.

  "That's enough about pointless things!" she said, her melodious voice cutting through the chatter, her piercing blue eyes sweeping across the gathered deities. "I just wish the people on my continent would stop trying to ensve one another, especially the elves and humans."

  "Oh, stop whining," Zepar snorted. "We all know you love those little human-elf wars. Don't think we didn't hear about your 'accidental' blessing on the Elven Queen's newborn child a few hundred years ago. It's bad enough that the demons were wiped out. Do you really need to interfere in the wars, too? I can't stand their constant bickering. The other races are much better off."

  "And you're one to talk," Sera shot back. "How many times have you tried to create new life forms by using humans and animals?"

  "It was an experiment! Plus, the foxkins are a good addition. At least they don't wage wars and are more intelligent than humans," the God of the Moon countered, his pale blue eyes fshing with irritation.

  "And the werewolves are a nuisance. I swear, they are the worst," the Goddess of the Sun excimed, her golden hair glinting in the starlight.

  "Well, it's better than those filthy goblins," Viduana said.

  "Fine! Some mistakes were made. But the fact remains that my continent is a cesspool of sin. How is that even possible with me around? I am the embodiment of perfection!" the Goddess of Light, Sera, said, her voice rising in indignation.

  "Hah! Please, the only thing perfect about you is your vanity," Aero retorted. "The people on my continent are living in peace, and I have nothing to compin about. Maybe you can learn a thing or two from watching me."

  Sera huffed and turned her head. She didn't need to learn anything from the likes of Aero, a brutish, over-muscled oaf who only knew how to fight. The other deities continued their bickering, each one trying to outdo the others with their achievements.

  In the vibrant continent of Jormongia, a new goddess emerged to cim her pce in the cosmic order: Sera, the radiant Goddess of Light and Life. Following the tragic demise of the previous God of Light at the hands of a formidable Demon Lord, Sera arose to bring hope and renewal to the nd. Among her many domains y the Kingdom of Delinora, the very pce where the soul of Chase was about to be reborn.

  With her flowing golden hair that cascaded like rays of sunshine, Sera captivated all who beheld her. Her fwless skin glowed with ethereal light, and her slender figure was accentuated by the elegant long dress she wore, adorned in hues of gold and white that fluttered gently as she moved. Atop her head, a golden circlet glinted, featuring a dazzling diamond at its center, a symbol of her divine authority. As one of the newest deities in the sixth generation, Sera embodied not only beauty but also the promise of life and light, lighting the way for those who dared to dream in the shadow of darkness.

  During the long history of Asmodai, they never expected a Dark Entity to take a liking to the Primordials' creations. This was due to the fact that the cosmos aligned perfectly between natural and supernatural elements, which allowed the Demon Lords to exist. And over the millennia, the 1st generation gods fell to the first cycle of the Demon Lords, leaving the 2nd generation gods to thwart them off just long enough until the Promirtial Gods created the Heroes to end the threat once and for all.

  However, this event wasn't the st time the Demon Lords appeared.

  With each subsequent cycle, the Demon Lords grew more powerful, eventually succeeding in killing all but the 5th, 6th, and 7th generation gods, who were able to narrowly escape the brink of oblivion. Over time, the heroes' offspring became weaker as the gods and goddesses failed to offer sufficient guidance, resulting in the rise of a more independent generation of mortal souls capable of thinking for themselves. And they didn't know how to create the 8th generation gods. It was something that the Primordial Gods knew how to do, but they were still in the middle of their slumber.

  "I don't see why you're compining, Sera. My people are having a bst," Geb, the God of the Land and the Underworld, chimed in, his dark green eyes glinting with amusement. As the fifth-generation god presiding over the vast continent of Tartarus, he commanded the mightiest realm, a true sanctuary for all races. With a deep bronze skin tone and cd in a simple loincloth and sturdy leather boots, his lean, muscur physique exuded strength and vitality. The vibrant energy of his people thrummed in the air, a stark contrast to his sister's unease.

  "They're having a bst by waging war on each other," Sera retorted. "Don't think I haven't heard about your 'accidental' bestowing of the Dragon Blood upon a certain young man a few centuries ago. The war between the humans and the dragonkin has been raging ever since."

  "Jees... Someone can't take a joke," Geb whispered to Nammu, the Goddess of the Seas, who giggled behind her hand.

  "If you have such a problem with your followers, then use some of your divinity to appear in the flesh and lead them," Aero said.

  "You mean, waste my divinity! It would take me 500 years just to get back all the divinity I'd lose if I were to descend and take form. No thanks," Sera scoffed. "The st thing I need is a bunch of mindless sheep following me around."

  "Haha! I knew you didn't have the guts to go down to the mortal pin—"

  They were interrupted when one red beacon shot up into the air from the pnet below.

  The merriment of the younger Deities behind the 5th generation came to a sudden halt as they stared in shock at the beacon.

  'This is just a joke, right?' Sera thought to herself as she watched the burning meteor taking to the sky.

  Then another one, and another, until all seven of them started streaking through the heavens like shooting stars.

  'I'm dreaming. Yes, this is all a dream. There's no way that the 8th cycle is starting.'

  A strange sense of dread crept over her. Her heart pounded in her chest, and a cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

  "What is going on?!" Dayana demanded, her normally calm demeanor repced by one of panic and fear.

  "This is the Cycle! The Demon Lords have RETURNED!" Zepar shouted.

  "I don't believe this! It's not even been 10000 years. Are we sure it's the 8th cycle and not just some freak accident?" Aero said, his voice filled with disbelief.

  "I-It's real," Eir stammered, her usually cool composure completely shattered.

  "But how—"

  "IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW! THE DEMON LORDS ARE RISING, AND WE HAVE TO ACT NOW!" Geb bellowed, his face twisted with rage and fear.

  "R-Right! We must notify the Primordials immediately by assembling the Council and starting the ritual! They can summon the 8th-generation heroes," Viduana said with a slight quiver in her voice.

  "But isn't it too soon to wake them? They said not to disturb them unless it is an emergency," Terra pointed out.

  "Well, if this isn't an emergency, then I don't know what is!" Sera snapped. "Those fools should've known that the 8th cycle would be upon us sooner than ter. I don't care how important their nap is; they need to get their zy asses up and do something. Or we'll be doomed." Sera ordered as she stood up from her chair.

  "Gab! You and the other gods that are watching over their realms need to get eyes on our shrines to see where these Demon Lords are spawning from. If they are already at a high enough level, then we will need to act fast," Sera said with authority.

  "Got it! I'll tell the other gods to get to their realms and start searching. We need to find these bastards and end them before they gain too much power. We can't afford to lose any more gods," Gab replied with a curt nod.

  "Aero! You need to gather the rest of the 5th Generation Gods and start the ritual to wake the Primordials," Sera said.

  "You don't have to tell us twice. What are you going to do? Go to your domains and see if one of the Demon Lords is there?" Aero asked.

  "Yes, and if I find one, I'll try to end him if possible. How long do you think it will take to wake up one Primordial?"

  "If we're lucky, it will take about a year. But who knows how long it will take to get the soul of the next Hero to Asmodai. They may need a few hundred years to collect enough energy before the next summoning can begin," Eir said.

  "Fine, just do your best. We need all the help we can get," Sera replied.

  The 5th and 6th generation gods nodded and quickly left the gathering ptform, leaving the 7th generation gods stunned at the turn of events.

  ***

  Sera soared through the inky night sky, cutting through the darkness like a brilliant shooting star. Her translucent, ethereal wings shimmered in the moonlight, spreading wide as they caught the gentle night breeze. The delicate fabric of her flowing dress whipped behind her, trailing like mist in her wake as she propelled herself forward with a sense of urgent determination. Below her, the vast ocean shimmered like a bnket of restless diamonds, blurring past in a rapid fsh. Soon, her gaze fell upon her magnificent isnd fortress, perched high among the clouds. With a graceful descent, she nded softly at the entrance of the grand temple, the ancient stone pilrs rising majestically before her in the silvery light.

  "My dy, did you see the Dark One's beacon from the mainnd?" her priestess asked with worry in her voice.

  "Yes. I came to investigate it," Sera answered as her wings faded away and she entered the temple.

  The temple was massive, built of solid white marble, and illuminated by countless candles that burned with a warm, soft glow. At the far end was a grand statue of Sera, towering majestically over a holy fountain.

  "What do you need me to do?" the priestess asked as she followed behind the goddess.

  "Send out messengers to my other temples and tell them to keep an eye on things. We can't let the Demon Lords reach the mainnd, or they will become too powerful," Sera instructed.

  "You mean to say the war for the world has returned?" Another Priestess questioned, her voice trembling with urgency as she looked to her goddess.

  "Indeed," Sera replied, her gaze steady. "The 8th cycle has commenced sooner than we anticipated."

  A deep frown creased the High Priestess's brow. "The Dark One is truly vile. We cannot allow him to seize our realm. I will rally the other Priestesses and soar across the nd to alert every temple," she vowed her expression a mask of fierce determination.

  With a flick of her wrist, the few Priestesses gathered on Sera's isnd bowed respectfully to their goddess before dashing to the stables. They leapt onto their pegasi, wings spreading wide like clouds against the sky, and set off in different directions, ready to spread the urgent word.

  The Goddess Sera was focused on her fountain, which showed the continent as if she were looking at a zoomed-in satellite image highlighting all the temples and churches scattered throughout her domain.

  'Alright! All my Temples and Churches are fine right now. So, once this bastard destroys one, I'll know which direction he's going. Then, I can prepare an ambush and stop him before he gets too close,' Sera thought as her mind worked quickly to pn ahead.

  Sera leaned closer to the enchanted map that shimmered in her fountain's waters. The intricate yout was composed of neatly arranged squares, each bursting with rich details of her domain. Lush green dots marked the thriving cities she ruled, vibrant and alive with the pulse of her people's activities. In contrast, the other squares stood stark and empty, neutral territories that neither revered her nor recognized her reign. The map was a tapestry of her ndscape, depicting meandering roads that snaked through the rolling hills, clear rivers that glistened under the sun, towering mountains that guarded the horizon, serene kes that mirrored the sky, and vast oceans that whispered secrets of distant nds. Each element breathed life into the map, a compelling testament to the world she oversaw and the nds still untouched by her influence.

  And so, the Goddess of Light waited with bated breath. Hoping her temples wouldn't be wiped out too fast for her to recover her divinity.

  After an hour of nothing, Sera was starting to get frustrated.

  'Come on. Do something! NO! This is what he wants you to do. He must be toying with me to lose my patience. But you're smarter than him,' she told herself.

  And so she stood strong and continued to be vigint.

  It was another three hours of waiting for something, but it never came. She didn't know if this one Demon Lord was pying some type of game or if he was stupid as she frowned at her fountain.

  "Did my continent get the Demon Lord of Sloth? Or is he just zy?" Sera wondered out loud.

  She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples as it occurred to her that she needed to search for the Demon Lord the old-fashioned way, which consisted of listening to her worshipers or astral connecting to her idols to look around.

  'Alright. Let's do this,' Sera thought as her divinity opened up the channels to hear her worshippers.

  The voices came in a flurry, an endless stream of prayers and pleas, and Sera felt her head starting to throb.

  "...O Goddess, please grant me the strength to pass this exam..."

  "...O Goddess, please help my mother recover from her illness..."

  "...O Goddess, please make sure that my brother will survive the upcoming battle..."

  "...O Goddess, please help me swindle these merchants out of their money..."

  Sera let out an exasperated groan, her fingers digging into her temples as she attempted to sort through the cacophony of voices swirling in her mind. She concentrated on those fervently praying for protection from the Demon Lord while others desperately sought guidance in their quest to track him down.

  But all she could pick up were scattered whispers—a sea of anxious humans and elves chattering about a beacon, yet not a single soul seemed to be pleading for their lives in this desperate moment.

  “Gah... This makes no sense!” she hissed under her breath, frustration gnawing at her resolve. “Focus, Sera. You can’t give up now.”

  Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself and plunged back into the chaos, hoping for clearer insights. Yet, as the same voices droned on, her desperation deepened. After what felt like an eternity of fruitless searching, she finally severed the connection, her heart heavy with the weight of unspoken fears that she was too slow to listen to her worshipers' prayers.

  'What the hell is going on?! Is this a prank?'

  She knew it wasn't a joke since the Dark One's beacons were still glowing brightly across the night sky.

  "Okay, so most of the prayers about seeing the beacon were in the west. I should see if a new volcano or something has risen there," Sera said out loud to herself as the map zipped around in her fountain as she manually searched the west coastline for any changes. "I don't know what game you are pying at, but I'll find you. And when I do, I'll smite your ass."

  Sera paced anxiously around her fountain as her eyes scanned the map, but it remained unchanged, stubbornly refusing to yield any clues. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, the frustration building within her like an inferno as she painstakingly pored over the map, hoping to find the slightest hint. It was by her tenth p around the fountain that she spotted something.

  "Wait. What's this?"

  In the middle of nowhere in a frontier vilge of Ars on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Delinora, half the mountain was blown off, and va flow was coming down from the peak.

  "There! That's where the bastard is!" Sera said, pointing at the area. "I bet the people of that vilge have been sughtered, and now he's dispyed them in a way to get the Dark Entity's favor."

  She connected to her idol to see if she could hear any prayers from the people, but it was dead silent.

  "Haah... I was too te. I need to see what he's done to the people. I just hope he hasn't gotten the ability to see me in my astral form. Or maybe he wants me to come down there. Hmm..."

  Sera closed her eyes and sent her astral form down to her idol. The image was distorted for a bit before settling down to a crystal-clear view of the front stairs of the church. And what she saw confused her.

  "T-The people are dead... He killed them and left my church standing? Why didn't he destroy it? Did he do this on purpose?"

  Sera looked around at the corpses and realized they weren't dispyed in any barbaric manner, but instead, they were neatly arranged and lined up with care.

  "What the hell is going on here? What is the bastard pnning?" Sera said out loud as her invisible form went through the streets of Ars.

  The town was in disrepair, but it seemed like it was damage that was inflicted by its own people, and the giant ship in the middle of the market street confused her more.

  "This doesn't make any sense. Is this a trap? I mean, I haven't seen him or any of his minions," Sera said, trying to piece together the mystery.

  "What is his pn? Does he want me to see what he did to intimidate me by dragging the ship innd? Seems like he could have used it to get away without me finding him. Ugh, this is driving me crazy."

  As her astral form walked the streets, searching the vilge for the Demon Lord and his minions. But again, all she found was the dead neatly organized in neat rows.

  'He's doing this on purpose. I know he is. He's mocking me by leaving my churches standing and not even trying to attack them. But why?' Sera thought, feeling angry and frustrated at her ck of knowledge. "Maybe I should check to see if he did anything inside the church... I just wish my church’s divinity could have been enough to stop him... But from what I remember, the previous Gods told me about Demon Lords entering a church; it only feels like a slight burn to them," she said aloud.

  She went from the empty streets to inside the church, and what she witnessed made her jaw drop. She wasn't sure what to expect, but this was the farthest thing she had in mind.

  In her church y the slumbering Demon Lord, accompanied by three of his minions, along with two untainted humans who were also asleep.

  'Is he using them as bait or maybe for some sacrifice ter?' she thought as she eyes that dark-haired girl sleeping happily at the feet of the Demon Lord and his two succubi.

  Sera readied herself as she looked at Chase who was peacefully sleeping with his three beautiful women. 'No time like the present to try and strike the Demon Lord down,' she thought while walking slowly up to them through the Cathedral. And as she stared at Chase, she couldn't help but notice that he was a little pleasing to her eyes. 'Well, he's a little handsome. Not really my type, but I can't deny that he's a good-looking—Gah! Stop it, Sera! Don't let his charms sway you!' she thought, shaking her head.

  She drew closer to him, her eyes fixed on his sleeping form. Up close, she could feel his power radiating off him like a bzing furnace, a dangerous aura that warned everyone to stay away. However, a part of her was excited, and her heart raced as she got a really good look at his face. Her cheeks flushed slightly.

  'Stop, Sera! Focus on the task at hand. You can't let his good looks distract you. Remember what you're doing!' she thought. She decided to observe other parts of him in hopes that it would get her mind out of the gutter.

  His long bck hair fanned out around his head, framing his face perfectly. His white skin was smooth and unblemished, with a light dusting of freckles across the bridge of his nose. His lips were narrow and strong, and she had to fight the urge to kiss them. His muscles were toned and defined, and his body was covered in a yer of lean muscle. He looked like a god, and Sera couldn't help but wonder how soft his hair would feel between her fingers or how his arms would feel wrapped around her waist.

  It was making her hot and bothered. She couldn't understand why. He was a demon, for crying out loud.

  "What is wrong with me," she asked herself while shaking her head, "I-I've seen better."

  She lied to herself, knowing full well that the Demon Lord was the most handsome male specimen she had ever id eyes on.

  "I just need to kill him and end his reign of terror."

  As Sera was about to raise her hand when she noticed the three women who were transformed into demons.

  'Y-Yeah! He corrupted the Primordials' creations. He's bad!... I'm sorry, my children... Only in death are you free from the Demon Lord's chains,' Sera thought.

  She inhaled deeply, summoning her divine energy, ready to unleash a spell that would smite him where he y. But as she focused, an unsettling realization dawned on her: the cries of his minions weren’t echoes of agony in response to her celestial power radiating through the church. A chill crept down her spine, and a sense of dread began to take hold. Something was deeply wrong.

  'Did he deface my image to weaken my presence? Or did he somehow remove my presence?'

  Sera looked at the altar and found that both her mural and statue were untouched.

  "So why are his minions not suffering?" The Goddess couldn't understand it. The church was designed to kill anyone and everyone evil, both in body and spirit. Yet these three women were fine and weren't even screaming in pain.

  Then she turned to the sleeping beauties and saw a faint halo glowing around their heads, protecting them from her divine presence.

  'Wait, I don't sense any darkness in them. What the hell is going on?!' Sera screamed in her mind as she tried to wrap her head around the situation.

  What made her worried was if they weren't in pain from her holy presence, then what good was her holy magic against them? And not only that, the Demon Lord should have killed her people in gruesome dispys, defaced her image, and made her presence weaker throughout the nds. So, to weaken her defenses in future battles against the divine. That's how all the other Demon Lords acted in the past, but this one was different.

  "He's not acting the same way. What is his goal?" Sera asked out loud.

  Her question echoed in the empty cathedral, yet she couldn't shake the sense that someone was listening in on her. A shiver ran down her spine, and her palms were sweaty. She was getting nervous.

  'Calm down, Sera... I'm just overthinking things, that's all. This Demon Lord is a fool. He has made it easier for me to defeat him. I-I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, right?' Sera thought to herself as she tried to regain her composure. "Maybe I can focus my divinity on his darkened soul and crush him while his guard is down. Because I don't think I can hurt him physically. Yeah, that's a good idea," she said, trying to calm herself down. She understood all too well the immense challenge ahead—shattering a Demon Lord's soul with spiritual damage was no easy feat. Her church's divine power was designed for purification, not annihition. The thought weighed heavily on her, a daunting realization that sometimes, even light must harness darkness in order to overcome the most formidable of foes.

  With renewed resolve, she raised her hand toward the Demon Lord, her palm glowing with a blinding light as her divinity surged within her. She gathered all her strength, preparing to unleash a bst that would purify one hundred million souls.

  'Okay... Let's see how hard it is to damage him.'

  Her energy began to form into a ball of light in the palm of her hand, and she could feel it pulsing and growing stronger as she fed it her holy power. She was determined to wipe him out of existence.

  'This is for everyone that you killed. For those that are dead and are still waiting for a chance to live. For those that are lost, I will guide you home. And for those that are suffering, I will ease your pain. I am the Goddess Sera, the Light of the World, and I will save everyone from you and the Dark One. Your reign ends here, Demon Lord,' Sera said, her voice steady as she steeled herself. She then released her magic, the orb of light soaring toward the sleeping Demon Lord, and when the ball of light hit him square in the chest. The ball of light looked liked it got absorbed with nothing to show.

  "Huh? What the hell was that?"

  Sera tried to gather her energy once more, her mind racing as she struggled to process what had happened. She fired it once more only to see the orb get absorbed into him again.

  "No... T-this can't be!" Sera stammered. "I-I can't believe it. Nothing I'm doing is working!"

  She then felt an intense energy emanating from the Demon Lord's body. Unbeknownst to her, she had charged the holy water within Chase's body, strengthening his soul to the point where he was immune to all Divine and Holy attacks and could also travel to the spiritual pne.

  Before she could react, a bright fsh erupted from the Demon Lord's chest, and a floating projection of Chase's astral form hovered above his sleeping body with its eyes closed.

  "W-what just happened?!"

  She didn't understand. What kind of monster this Demon Lord was. He shouldn't be able to do that.

  Chase's astral projection was nude, and his eyes were still closed. He had a significant bulge hanging between his legs and a pair of bck horns on his forehead. However, his skin and hair glowed white as if he were a deity. After a couple of seconds, he slowly opened his glowing purple eyes, which locked onto Sera's shocked face, who tried not to show any panic in front of him.

  'God damn... Even in my dreams, I think about beautiful women... Haah... Maybe I need to rex and enjoy my fantasies for once. I've been through enough shit being reborn as a demon, so I deserve some harmless fun,' Chase thought as he didn't realize he was outside his body and awake in his astral form.

  His eyes raked over Sera's body, admiring every inch of her. He took his time, taking in every detail as if it were his first time seeing her. Then, he smiled, and his eyes twinkled with excitement.

  Sera was poised to unch an attack, her heart racing with determination, but a chilling echo of the Demon Lord's voice reverberated in her mind, halting her in her tracks. 'You are a gorgeous Goddess...'

  A flush of crimson spread across Sera's cheeks, contrasting sharply against her radiant form. In that moment, it struck her how woefully unprepared she was for this confrontation. Panic fred within her as the gravity of the situation settled in. She needed to escape. Admitting defeat was an unbearable thought, yet the realization dawned on her: if the Demon Lord could effortlessly withstand her divine onsught, she was far outmatched.

  'H-He's too powerful! I must retreat. I can't possibly triumph against him now.'

  As Chase's ethereal form reached out towards her, his presence almost tangible, Sera instinctively summoned her powers to teleport away. The air crackled around her as she vanished from the cathedral.

  Unfortunately for her, a tear in time and space from her portal was lingering in the air.

  'Hmm?... This is a cool-looking tunnel.' Chase marveled as he peered into its depths. Curiosity ignited within him. 'I wonder where this leads.'

  With an eager leap, Chase's astral form slipped into Sera’s portal slipstream, and in an instant, he was whisked away to her enchanting isnd fortress floating serenely among the clouds.