William's face remained calm despite the pain. He pressed one hand against the wound, and pure white light flared, burning away the demonic corruption. "You'll regret that."The air around him changed. The casual pressure he'd exuded before became suffocating, oppressive. His eyes began to glow with silver light, and when he spoke, his voice carried the weight of absolute authority."Divine Says: Solidify."Reality itself froze. Lydia's eyes widened in genuine shock as she found herself unable to move. The space around her had become harder than diamond, locking her in place like an insect in amber."Impossible," she whispered, struggling futilely. "That's... that's divine power! You haven't even completed your Fourth Transformation!"William's expression was cold, merciless. "I warned you."He raised both hands above his head, and the sky itself seemed to tear open. Pure white light poured through the rift, coalescing into an enormous blade of compressed space—a weapon that hummed wi

"Damn right I hit you!" Marco's face burned crimson with embarrassment and rage. "I wake up to find some creepy woman groping me! What's wrong with you?!""Creepy?" Lydia's eyes flashed dangerously despite her weakened state. "I'll have you know I'm—" She caught herself, remembering she needed to hide her identity. "I mean, I wasn't groping you! I was checking if you were alive!""By feeling me up?!" Marco grabbed his discarded shirt and yanked it on furiously. "That's the worst excuse I've ever heard!"Lydia pushed herself to her feet, swaying slightly. "Listen here, you ungrateful brat. I just fell from the sky and nearly died. The least you could do is show some compassion!""You fell on me!" Marco jabbed a finger at her accusingly. "I was minding my own business, taking a bath, and you crashed into me like a damn meteor! I could've died!""Well, excuse me for not controlling my trajectory while falling unconscious from a dimensional rift!" Lydia shot back, her voice dripping with

He slammed his sword into the ground. The earth erupted in a massive spray of razor-sharp particles, engulfing all four demons. They screamed, clawing at their eyes as the sand tore into their exposed flesh.Marco was already moving. His blade swept in a devastating arc, catching the first demon across the throat. Black blood sprayed as the creature's head tumbled free. The Darkblood Demon Sword pulsed, and Marco felt a surge of vitality flow into him—the weapon's Blood Drain ability activating.The second demon lunged blindly, claws extended. Marco sidestepped smoothly and drove his blade through its chest, twisting viciously before ripping it free. Two down in as many seconds.The remaining demons, still half-blinded, tried to flee. Marco's lips curled into a savage smile. "War Challenge!"His voice boomed across the battlefield, infused with Fighting Spirit. The skill forced enemies to focus their aggression on him, overriding their survival instincts. Both demons spun and charged

"It's fine." She straightened her shoulders, composing herself. "I should go. My power's mostly restored, and staying near you is dangerous for both of us."She turned to leave, then paused. "One question before I go. Do you want to kill me? Claim the glory of defeating a Hell Sect Vice Hierarch?"Marco's hand tightened on his sword, and for a moment, Lydia thought he might actually draw it. Then he shook his head."Get out of here. Before I change my mind."A genuine smile crossed Lydia's aged face—warm and real. "Thank you, Marco. For everything."She walked away, her form gradually fading into the crimson mist of Hell. Marco watched until she disappeared completely, then cursed under his breath."Why do I keep getting into these situations? I just wanted a simple life with Isabella. Is that too much to ask?"Shaking his head, he headed toward a nearby stream to wash the blood and grime from his body. The water ran black with demon ichor as he scrubbed his skin clean, trying not to

When Dean Harrison returned to the students, he found them engaged in a bizarre activity. They'd spread out across the area, collecting strange items from Hell's landscape—rotten-looking fruits, foul-smelling preserved fish, crystallized sulfur formations."What in blazes are you all doing?" he asked, genuinely baffled.Rocco looked up from stuffing a particularly disgusting purple fungus into his pack. "Collecting Hell specialties, sir. These things don't exist in the human world. We figured they might be valuable—or at least interesting to study."The Dean wrinkled his nose at the smell. "That smells like something died and came back to haunt its own corpse.""Exactly!" Peter said enthusiastically. "Totally unique to Hell!"Marco appeared beside the Dean, arms loaded with the grotesque Hell fish. "Got room in that fancy Space Ring of yours, Dean?"The Dean's hand instinctively moved to the silver ring on his finger—a rare magical artifact capable of storing vast quantities of items