The Heroine Must Die

“You dare deny it? Didn’t you collude with that Demon Dragon to steal this scale and stick it on me?”

…Ah.

“No,” she said immediately, shaking her head. “I seriously don’t know anything about that scale. Don’t frame me.”

Her expression was so sincere that even the disciples behind her believed her. A member of the Demonic Cult trying to stir shit in righteous territory? Of course he was making things up.

And technically, Lauren wasn’t lying. Edmund had never told her about the dragon scale.

So that’s why those three had chased him like rabid dogs, she thought. He actually left scales behind as a trap. The bastard was ruthless.

“You—!” The Demonic Lord’s aura surged violently. “Stubborn as hell. Call your master out!”

“My master is busy. Go talk to our sect leader.” She casually stepped aside, exposing Gerald.

Gerald nearly choked. He faced the shadowy figure and said calmly, “Demonic Lord, you’ve violated the agreement by entering righteous territory to provoke us. Aren’t you afraid of starting a war between our two races?”

“Gerald, don’t you dare preach to me!” the Demonic Lord roared. “You led those three into my Dark Castle and destroyed half my city. Shouldn’t I settle that score?”

“What does that have to do with us?” Gerald said smoothly. “We don’t even know those three.”

That part was actually true. “You shameless hypocrites!” the Demonic Lord spat. “Since that’s how it is, why should I waste words with you?”

Gerald shrugged. “Exactly. What’s the point of talking? What do you want? Say it.”

“…” Lauren leaned closer to Gerald and whispered, “Is it really okay to provoke him like that?”

Gerald transmitted his voice back to her. “Relax. If he could actually do something, would he be yelling outside the array like this? He’s just pissed and came here to vent.”

“Call Drake out!” the Demonic Lord roared again.

Gerald replied lazily, “You’re lucky Mr. Drake is busy. Otherwise, do you think you’d still be standing there?”

The black mist churned violently.

“Fine. Then I’ll wait. I’ll settle this account with Drake when he’s free.”

Logan leaned closer to Gerald and muttered, “Letting that kind of demonic pressure hang outside our gates isn’t smart. If Mr. Drake senses it, it might interfere with whatever critical shit he’s handling.”

Gerald’s expression darkened.

“Yeah,” he said grimly. Then he cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted toward the black mist, “Bah, Morgan, you shameless bastard! Blocking our gates like a stray dog—do you really think I’m afraid of you?”

He slapped a command token into Logan’s hand and shot into the air.

A surge of golden light burst from his body, sweeping downward like a falling sun. The overwhelming demonic fog surrounding the sect hissed and thinned as it was forced back. Thousands of golden rays spilled across the earth, bathing the disciples below in radiant light, turning every face gold.

Within the black mist, Morgan sneered. “Heh. You think you can take me?”

The golden brilliance lasted three breaths. Then the demonic energy surged like a tidal wave and swallowed it whole.

The collision of domains shook the sky.

For Lauren, it was like witnessing divine scripture unfold before her eyes. She didn’t blink.

Gerald’s golden domain was being crushed, inch by inch. His shoulders trembled as he resisted the suffocating pressure.

Veins bulged along his temples. His face flushed crimson. “Three thousand disciples!” he roared downward. “Lend me your strength—slay the demon!”

Below, countless Golden Spirit Root disciples formed seals in unison. Three thousand streams of golden light shot into the sky. The momentum shifted instantly.

The golden domain, which had been teetering on collapse, surged violently outward. Instead of being crushed, it began pushing back—grinding against the demonic domain with blinding intensity.

Morgan’s face darkened.

Gerald straightened in the sky, emboldened. “In my territory,” he said coldly, “even if you’re the Demonic Lord, you don’t get to act like you own the place.”

A piercing whine filled the air.

From within the golden domain, countless slender golden needles condensed, raining down like a lethal storm straight toward Morgan.

Morgan’s fury flared. He whipped his black robe up to shield himself, deflecting the deadly rain of light. “You Thunder Sect idiots are about to face a great calamity,” he spat. “Let’s see how arrogant you are then.”

“Save the bullshit!” Gerald roared.

The golden radiance intensified severalfold. With a thunderous blast, Morgan was hurled backward, vanishing into the distance in a streak of black light.

The sky gradually cleared. The golden brilliance faded.

Gerald descended amid cheers from the disciples below. Logan hurried over and returned the command token. “He won’t come back, will he?”

“He’s injured,” Gerald replied coolly. “We’ll notify the leaders of the other sects. Morgan openly violated the agreement by crossing into Thunder Sect territory to provoke us. If he doesn’t want to ignite a full-scale war between the two races, he’ll tuck his tail and crawl back to his Dark Castle.”

Lauren had already told Gerald about being hunted by the Demonic Lord when she rescued Tarot. Fortunately, men from above had arrived in time, and with a bit of calculated maneuvering, she’d managed to redirect Morgan’s rage toward the three upper-realm cultivators instead.

Technically, both races had signed an agreement forbidding anyone from crossing the Demon River boundary.

But over the years? Plenty of people crossed in secret. As long as they weren’t openly stirring shit, everyone turned a blind eye.

Morgan had crossed the border himself. He couldn’t even stop those three at the Demon River, and he still had the nerve to complain? If he got dragged into a mess because of it, that was on him.

That was Gerald’s explanation to the junior disciples.

But…

Lauren frowned. “What did he mean by that last sentence?” she muttered. “Could those three have sent some kind of message to their superiors before they died?”

Logan’s expression shifted instantly. “Then we’d better prepare.”

“Yes,” Gerald said quietly.

.......

Four months—or perhaps only four hours. Time had become meaningless. Either way, the next move was coming.

Gerald and the peak masters began moving openly. Other sects made their own quiet preparations.

Then the day arrived. And it was exactly the worst-case scenario everyone had feared.

A violent storm erupted over the Thunder Sect. The heavens split open, revealing a gaping black maw, as if the sky itself had been torn apart.

Gerald’s heart sank. “Logan!” he shouted. “Activate the Mountain Protection Array immediately!”

Within a single month, the array was triggered twice.

Disciples poured out of their caves and courtyards, staring up at the monstrous rift in the sky.

“What the hell are you all standing around for? Trying to die?” Gerald bellowed. “Dante! Take every disciple below Nascent Soul to the forbidden area!”

“Yes, Master!”

Cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage were practically ants in a catastrophe like this. A single wave of spiritual pressure could wipe them out by the hundreds. Keeping them outside would only increase casualties.

Under Dante’s swift command, the lower-level disciples were escorted toward the sect’s forbidden grounds.

The forbidden area lay deep within the mountains—a sanctuary that had rarely been used since the Thunder Sect’s founding. Now it was no longer optional.

Lauren found Tarot and Wayne immediately. “Briar,” she said, “escort Wayne—and him—to Dante.”

Tarot bristled. “What the hell am I supposed to do hiding with a bunch of kids below Nascent Soul? Let Wayne go. I’m not going.”