After the summon, Caelen panted, wiping sweat from his forehead as the tiger's corpse is collapsed at his feet. His demon form flickered faintly around him, on the edge of fading. Just as he caught his breath, a warm light shimmered behind him — and in the next moment, arms wrapped tightly around his body.
"Are you alright?" Emma's voice whispered close to his ear.
He blinked, then glanced back at her, smiling despite the cuts and bruises all over his body. "Yeah… I'm good now."
But Emma didn't miss the deep gash running across his ribs or the claw cuts on his arm. Her eyes narrowed. She took a step back, raised both hands, and a soft golden glow formed in her palms.
"You're full of wounds," she said softly.
Before Caelen could say anything else, a surge of golden light rushed out from her hands and wrapped around him like a veil. His body glowed for a second before the energy seeped into his skin — the wounds stitched shut instantly, the pain vanishing.
Caelen looked down at himself, amazed. "Thanks…" he murmured.
Emma folded her arms, clearly trying to look unaffected, but her face betrayed her.
"No problem," she mumbled, cheeks slightly pink. "I just… didn't want to see you hurt, okay?"
Caelen raised an eyebrow at her reaction, but didn't press it. He stretched his arms slightly, testing the now-healed body, and gave a contented sigh.
Emma stepped back, but didn't walk away. Her eyes flicked toward the dungeon's glowing wall near them. "Even if I'm here with you now," she said, "we should probably still follow what Evelyn said."
Caelen looked at her, confused. "What exactly did Evelyn say?"
Emma hesitated. "She said the three of us — me, you, and her — should enter a private room… and do the same thing you're going to do here in the dungeon with Lucy. You know… to deepen the bond."
Caelen's smile faded.
"I don't have Lucy's loyalty," he said quietly. "Not her love either… but this dungeon? This place feels right for something. It's more real and might give me an advantage."
Emma didn't know how to respond.
Caelen turned to the hallway ahead. "You'll see what I mean. Now let's go."
He walked toward the glowing entrance that led to the sixth floor. Emma followed closely behind, watching him quietly.
They stepped through the gate and found themselves in a darker, colder cave. The ground was smoother here, man-made stone and torch sconces burned with a blue flame along the walls. The air felt heavier. Oppressive.
As they moved forward, Caelen instinctively drifted toward a corner, keeping his back to the wall. Emma mirrored him, her eyes scanning.
They didn't have to wait long.
Footsteps echoed down the stone hallway heavy, deliberate, followed by a faint humming sound.
From the shadows emerged ten figures. At first glance, they seemed human but only by shape.
Each of them wore worn black armor, cracked in several places, but still solid. A faint blue glow leaked from every fracture, including the eye sockets of their helmets.
Some carried axes, others swords, and two held bows. They didn't speak. They simply marched forward like silent soldiers.
Without warning, one of the archers released an arrow, and the projectile screamed with blue energy.
A translucent golden wall appeared just in time, blocking the arrow mid-air with a soft ping. The glow faded.
Emma stood in front of Caelen, both hands raised.
"Be careful," she said without turning.
Caelen gave a cocky grin. "Cool."
He shot forward, flying low toward the incoming group. As one of the armored enemies raised an axe to intercept him, Caelen swung his sword to parry — but the moment their weapons collided, his blade shimmered strangely, becoming almost see-through.
His eyes widened. "The hell…?"
The axe nearly cut through him, barely missing as he jumped back. It clicked instantly — the blue aura around the enemies was phasing through material. That wasn't normal.
"These guys aren't normal kobolds or goblins…" he muttered.
Back near the wall, Emma's hands shimmered again.
"My demon energy is running low," she said sharply.
She didn't wait for a response — she thrust her hands forward. From above, a dozen golden needles formed in the air and shot down like divine punishment.
The attack hit instantly.
Seven of the armored beings were impaled and collapsed, their bodies twitching before vanishing into blue light. The remaining three turned translucent, phasing through the next wave of needles.
"Crap," Caelen cursed. His demonic aura faded completely, and his silver hair returned to its natural black.
Emma saw it too.
"Don't worry," she said quickly. "I'll take care of the rest."
She stepped forward, her hands shaping another spell — this one forming a long, glowing golden blade. With a burst of speed, she dashed toward the three remaining armors.
The first swung its sword, but Emma moved faster. Her blade met the armor's side and cleaved it cleanly in two.
Caelen watched carefully.
"These things…" he thought. "They're dangerous… but their phasing only happens once. It has a cooldown…"
Emma, without missing a beat, destroyed the second, then the third armor unit, finishing the fight cleanly.
Caelen stared. "You had a spell like that?"
Emma panted slightly, wiping her brow. "Yeah… I learned it recently."
Caelen tilted his head. "Wait, so magicians can just get sword spells like that? Doesn't that make them close-combat fighters too?"
Emma shrugged. "They can, but most don't bother. If you miss with a blade spell, you're wide open. A real warrior will cut you down before you can cast again. That's why."
Caelen frowned. "Then… why'd you learn it?"
Emma looked away. "I don't know."
Caelen opened his mouth to say more, but a sound stopped them both.
Heavy footsteps. Slower. Heavier. More deliberate.
They turned.
From the far tunnel, something emerged.
It wore armor too, but this set was darker than pitch. The cracks in the plating hissed with smoke, black shadows leaking from within. And the eyes… blood red. Pure malice. It didn't walk like the others.
It stalked.
The boss.
Emma's expression hardened. She raised both hands immediately.
"Golden Pincer!"
Light flared. This time, golden needles didn't fall from the sky — they surged sideways, like lances forming from her arms toward the target.
The boss raised a giant shield, absorbing the attack with a loud crackle of sparks.
Emma frowned. She didn't hesitate — she rushed in with the golden blade spell again.
Caelen flew just behind her, supporting her approach.
But the boss moved fast — faster than its size suggested. It raised a massive black greatsword and swung horizontally.
Emma was ready, expecting it to phase through her — but it didn't.
The blade struck her golden weapon with a brutal clang — real impact, no phasing.
The armor screamed — a haunting, ghostlike wail — as Emma pushed back against the blow.
Caelen hovered nearby, stunned.
"It didn't phase through…" Emma muttered. "It's using dark magic now… That's why…"
She gritted her teeth, twisted her blade, and stabbed forward into the armor's core.
The scream echoed again.
Caelen, eyes wide, watched her land the finishing blow.
And for the first time, he understood something else — something deeper.
Demons… they're at a disadvantage against enemies who use light magic. Just like that… maybe Angels and demons were meant to be different and fight each other after all.
After they were done, Emma said calmly, "We finished it. Let's go," the golden light still dimming around her fingers as she let out a breath of relief. Caelen gave one last look at the broken armor scattered across the cave floor before following her toward the exit.
As they walked side by side down the passageway, Caelen couldn't help but glance over at her. She was strong. Far stronger than he remembered her being in the past. Her calmness, her precision with the blade of light, her ability to protect and kill in a heartbeat—it all made him realize how far he still had to go.
But as they neared the portal gate at the end of the floor, Caelen's mind wandered elsewhere. They were going to meet up with Lucy soon. He never really checked how strong she had become, not properly.
Curious, he pulled up his system screen and browsed through the limited information it granted him about her status. As the numbers loaded, his eyes widened.
Lucille Status (Demon Form) – Overall
Intelligence: 45 (135)
Strength: 52 (156)
Agility: 63 (189)
Endurance: 70 (210)
Resistance: 46 (138)
Demon Count: 10 000
"Damn..." he muttered under his breath.
Emma, who had slowed to match his pace, raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
Caelen looked over at her, hesitating for a moment before speaking. "It's Lucy... her stats in demon form are insane. I'm just wondering if I can even use the Link Command skill on her when her loyalty is still kind of low."
Emma let out a soft sigh, then smiled gently. "Don't worry," she said, brushing her fingers lightly against his arm. "She'll love you. She's just... adjusting. Trying to understand her new self. It'll come with time."
Caelen nodded, though his expression remained serious. "I hope you're right. I know it's a little selfish, but I want her to enjoy being part of this... to find some meaning in all of it. I want her to like being with us—and not just because she's bound or awakened."
Emma gave a soft chuckle. "You've changed, you know?"
That caught him off guard. "Changed?"
"Yeah," she nodded. "You used to avoid responsibility. Always preferred watching things happen rather than stepping into them. Now you're talking about making someone you barely know feel accepted... you're fighting, risking yourself, leading."
He fell silent for a moment, digesting that. She wasn't wrong. At the church, he never volunteered for anything unless forced. Deliveries, errands—he only did what he had to. But Lucy... what happened to her felt like it was his burden. He didn't know why, but he felt responsible. She had awakened to something terrifying, something buried, and he was not there when it happened. It didn't matter if people thought he was acting noble—he knew it wasn't about heroism. It was guilt, responsibility... maybe even a bit of fear.
As they stepped into the portal to the next floor, silence settled over them again. The scenery shifted, and once again, they were in a dimly lit stone cave.
They made their way toward a corner alcove, a tactic that was starting to become a habit now. Stay hidden, listen, wait.
But the moment they stopped, they heard something—heavy footsteps echoing through the cavern.
Caelen turned his head sharply, eyes narrowing at the sound. It was familiar. Too familiar.
And then he saw them.
Orcs.
A group of them stepped into the cavern. Their green-gray skin was bruised and cracked, covered in patches of leather armor and jagged iron weapons. But it wasn't just their appearance that triggered him.
It was the memory.
A flicker of Lucy's bloodshot face, that moment she awakened and full of rage, pain, and hate. These orcs had done something. He didn't know what exactly... but he knew they were connected to it.
His fists clenched tightly, his breathing shifted, and something within him stirred violently.
He didn't even realize it, but he was already stepping forward, his demon energy simmering at the surface.