Chapter 134 - First Aid
Standing like an ancient monolith, a demon of imperial presence watched over the silence of the cave. He wore intricately crafted armor of silver and gold, gleaming even under the faint glow of the magical stones embedded in the cavern walls. In his right hand, he held proudly the banner of the Demon Empire—a blood-red standard that fluttered subtly despite the absence of wind.
His beard was thick, golden like the sunrise; his wild hair fell to his shoulders, partially obscured by two massive brown horns that rose like the twisted branches of an ancient tree. His eyes did not move, but his body—rigid with muscle and laced with scars hidden beneath his armor—radiated strength, as if the very weight of the cave was contained within his presence alone.
At the center of the small underground space, a crystal spring bubbled gently. Modest, no wider than fifteen meters, it reflected the glow of the three silver moons shining outside the cave entrance—a perfect night wrapped in the silence of stars.
But the silence was torn.
The purple rift at the back of the grotto, quivering like the dying eye of a beast, began to tremble. A second later, a shockwave of indescribable force exploded outward from the portal.
The world broke.
An explosion of fury, as vast as a nuclear detonation, erupted from the earth, swallowing dirt, stone, and everything that lived nearby. The vegetation, the animals, the very base of the mountain—everything was reduced to dust.
A half-kilometer-wide crater yawned open where life had once thrived. And from the center of that newly born abyss, ashes still danced in the air. The sky, once a silent witness, now stared down upon a world reshaped by the fury of the dungeon. And the demon, unmoving as ever, finally opened his eyes.
Sales was no ordinary demon.
He was the captain of the royal guard of Queen Selene’s castle, one of the most respected figures in the entire Empire. His name carried weight, his presence demanded silence, and his loyalty was absolute.
He had been assigned to a seemingly simple mission: to guard the newly discovered dimensional rift embedded deep within a forgotten cave. A post many of his rank would have considered a waste of talent. But Sales was not like the others. He was a demon of principle. A creature of discipline.