"Now, activate Summoning Magic, {Demon Summoning}!" Kaede anded, her voice ringing through the air.

  A massive bck magic circle formed before her, intricate runes glowing ominously along its edges. Red lightning crackled violently across its surface, illuminating the surroundings with an eerie glow.

  "Prove that you be of use to me!" Kaede decred, her voiwavering as the summoning circle expanded, its radius growing wider and wider.

  The sky darkened in response, an unnatural gloom swallowing the sun. Bck winds howled through the air, swirling around the ritual site, ruffling the clothes of everyone present.

  The sheer force of the winds forced the gathered onlookers to brace themselves, struggling against the storm-like pressure.

  Everyone except Kaede.

  She stood calmly beside the growing summoning circle, hands casually tucked into the pockets of her coat. The violent winds tugged at the fabric, sending it billowing dramatically behind her, but Kaede herself remained unmoved.

  Then, without warning,

  BOOM!

  A massive pilr of crimson lightning struck the magic circle, smming into the ground with a deafening roar. The impact sent a powerful shockwave rippling outward, kig up a blinding cloud of dust and f everyoo shield their eyes.

  When the dust finally settled, breaths hitched.

  Eyes widened.

  T over Kaede was a colossal figure.

  And the very air trembled with its presence.

  The demon stood ht meters tall, a t mass of pure muscle. Each of its four arms looked powerful enough to shatter mountains with a sirike. A thick red mane ran down its back, adding to its already imposing presence.

  Even Ari, who rarely showed , felt a flicker of unease in the creature’s presence.

  Then, Kaede’s voice cut through the tension.

  "Hey, it’s you! From that quest, the Benevolent Knight quest!"

  Towa turo Kaede in disbelief. She spoke so casually, as if addressing an old acquaintaher than a being capable of annihiting her entire kingdom in mere moments.

  And then there was the other question burning in Towa’s mind. "How did she even summon a demon? She used no sacrifice..." she murmured under her breath.

  The demo out a low, rumbling sound before suddenly dropping to one knee.

  "It seems you have finally summoned me, Master."

  A ripple of shock spread through the crowd.

  Kaede blinked, clearly taken aback. "Master?" She scratched her head, frowning. "Wait… didn’t I already kill you? How are you even here?"

  Though she left the st part unsaid, her thoughts ran deeper. 'And why are you here, outside of the game?'

  The air shifted again as everyoed differently.

  The people of Raja gaped at Kaede in stunned silence. She had killed a demon of this magnitude? The revetio whispers rippling through the gathered crowd.

  Meanwhile, Ari and the rest of Kaede’s panions exged knowing ghey wore expressions of quiet pride, their gazes practically saying: As expected of our ruler.

  The demon lifted its head slightly, each of its six eyes sing the area with slow, deliberate movements.

  "...It seems you have found yourself far from home, Master," it rumbled, its deep voice reverberating through the air. "I do not... reize this pne..." Its gaze returo Kaede, its many eyes narrowing. "...of existence."

  So it remembers the game? Kaede thought, carefully studying its rea before responding.

  "Yes," she said at st. "I was summoo this world by some idiots who thought they could... bind me." Her voice dipped with disdain as she spat out the word bind. "They couldn’t."

  The demon’s lips curled into a grin, wide, toothy, and ulingly predatory. It was both amused and menag, a horrifying smile that sent shivers down the spines of those present.

  "Oh?" It chuckled, its deep ughter rumbling like distant thunder. "To think they believed they could summon someone as... powerful... as you."

  Kaede remained posed, her mind already rag through possibilities. "What exactly do you remember?" she asked, her tone measured.

  The demon exhaled, as if reminisg. "I remember a great many things," it said. "The war... with the angels. My seal. My impriso. And then you." Its many eyes glowed with a strange mix of curiosity and amusement. "I remember you eating me alive. An odd sensation, to say the least. Of course, seeing the world through your eyes wasn’t something I particurly enjoyed... but what I say?"

  Kaede’s brows furrowed slightly. "What do you mean by that? Seeing the world through my eyes?"

  The demon tilted its head, sidering its words. "Demons ruly die when they are sin... most of the time. When we are killed, we lose our physical forms, and our spirits are sent back to the Demon Realm. However..." It leaned forward slightly, a glint of amusement flickering in its six eyes. "You did not simply kill me, Master. You devoured me whole. You ed my body, my spirit, and my very soul. I had no escape. urn. For years, I remained within you, trapped."

  A slow, eerie smile spread across its face. "But the tether that ects me to the Demon Realm never fully broke. Through that e, I found a way to observe the world... through your adventures, Maple."

  The air around them shifted. Though Kaede herself showed ion to the he atmosphere grew colder.

  "It seems we have a lot to discuss," she said, her voice even. "But for now, I need you to take a look at something."

  The demon straightened. "Yes, go ahead."

  Kaede poioward the spinning magic circle at the heart of the kebed. "What you tell me about that?"

  The demon turo study the circle, its many eyes fog ily. After only a moment, it let out an amused huff.

  "Quite colorful, I must say," it mused. "This was either created by a Progenitor... or one of their desdants."

  Kaede’s eyes narrowed slightly. "How you tell?"

  The demon chuckled, gesturing toward the glowing formation. "Because the will behind this circle has a purple tint to it. Bae, only the Progenitors possessed wills so powerful they became visible to the eye. Each Progenitor bore a different color, uo them. Their desdants i that color, whether they are aware of it or not, and if you know how to look... you see it ihing they do. My guess is, the same hold true in this pne of reality."

  Kaede g the glowing purple formation, unimpressed. "Are you sure it’s not just because the magic circle is literally purple?"

  The demon ughed, a deep, reverberating sound. "Oh, please. Anyone make a purple magic circle, Master."

  With a casual wave of one massive hand, a new magic circle formed in an instant, an enormous, intricate struct glowing in brilliant purple. It expanded outward at an arming speed, quickly enpassing the ey of Raja. The t walls of water reflected the dazzling light, amplifying its overwhelming presence.

  And then...

  A flicker of movement.

  In the instant, multiple bdes pressed against the demon’s body, their owners appearing in perfect syny.

  Shifu stood at its side, his katana raised, its edge h just above the demon’s thieck.

  Kaori had positioned herself behind it, her twin katanas gleaming as they hovered mere inches from its spine.

  Delta perched atop its head, her cws poised at its face, ready to strike at the first sign of aggression.

  Ari stood directly in front of it, her bck sword aimed forward, unwavering.

  Meanwhile, below the demon’s feet, a golden magic circle fred to life as Hachi’s body glowed with radiant energy.

  The demon did not move. Its six eyes flickered between the warriors surrounding it before settling ba Kaede, amusement still gleaming in their depths.

  "How fasating," it mused, its voishaken. "Your retainers are full of energy, aren't they."

  "Choose your a wisely." Shifu growled.

  "Calm down guys. He isn't going to do anything." Kaede sighed.

  "Haha. It's not as if I do anything right now. This body isn't strong enough to hold all my power to begin with. Settle down pups." The demon ughed.

  "I don't like you." Ari stated, narrowing her eyes.

  "Ari." Kaede called, causing Ari and the others to sheathe their ons, moving away from the demon. "So, either the primordial purple or their desdants created this circle huh. That narrows it down, but it's still not all that helpful to know." She sighed.

  The demon chuckled once more. "If you want to know who created this circle, why not just ask her? Primordials aren't that hard to find, after all they don't really bother hiding in the first pce, if you know how to look. As it is, a ether ects me to the demon realm of this world. Shouldn't take me long to find her."

  Kaede nodded. "I see, then that's what you'll do. Locate the primordial purple and if possible, ask about the magic circle. O thing." She looked at the demon. "What colour are you?"

  The demon smiled, "I am not a desdant of a primordial. I am simply one of many, born from the SATURATING CHAOS. You should know."

  Kaede internally noted, "That's the name of my Ultimate Skill." Then, shifting her focus back to the t demon before her, she spoke. "I see. That answers one of my questions. Now, you need a name."

  The demon tilted its head slightly. "A name? I don’t follow."

  "In this world, monsters don’t have names uhey’re given one," Kaede expined. "And names hold incredible power."

  The demo out a deep, rumbling chuckle. "A… I already have a..." It paused mid-sentence, eyes narrowing in thought. "How peculiar…"

  "Exactly my point." Kaede smirked. "If yoing to meet one of the most powerful demons, you ’t afford to be g."

  Shifu let out a long-suffering sigh. "I don’t know why I expected anything else. You’d think I’d be used to this by now."

  Kaori chuckled behind her metal fan. "Never a dull moment."

  Kaede’s smile widened. "Well then, good lu your mission… Tomokashi."

  The sky darkened in an instant, red lightning crag across the heavy storm clouds above. The moment the name left Kaede’s lips, a pulsing pitch-bck orb formed around the demon, obsg its massive form.

  The orb shrank, pulsing with an eerie energy, gradually pressing until it reached the height of an average human. Then, with a deafening crack, it shattered, releasing a burst of energy.

  From within the remnants of the sphere, a new figure emerged.

  She was tall, around six foot two, with long, flowing red hair that cascaded down to her waist. She wore a fitted bck dress over dark trousers, the ensemble atuated by a luxurious red fur cape draped over her shoulders, nearly brushing the ground. Her features were sharp and refined, carrying an almost ethereal beauty. In fact, she bore an uny resembo Ari, though with a more devilish allure.

  Kaede blinked in disbelief. "...Wait. You're a girl?"

  Tomokashi examined her new form, flexing her fingers before stretg her arms with a satisfied smirk. "Fasating… I feel my power flowing more freely now."

  Theuroward Kaede, a pyful glint in her crimson eyes. "It seems my new form was influenced by my master."

  Kaede crossed her arms, her expression ft. "I know bullshit when I hear it, Tomo."

  Tomokashi only ughed, her rich, melodic cackle eg through the air. "Oh, Maple, you’re just adorable."

  Before Kaede could retort, Tomokashi vanished in an instant, leaving only a fading trace of her presence behind.

  Silence reigned for a moment, before Ari spoke. "I really... Don't like her."

  Kaede chuckled. "Don't worry about it." She turned her gaze toward the glowing magic circle embedded in the kebed. "Well, we don’t anymore."

  [Devour]

  A thick, pixeted smoke erupted from her hand, surging forward like a liviy. It swallowed the intricate magic circle in an instant, ing the ptform along with it. The swirling mist tracted, pulling the remnants inward until nothing remained, erasing all traces of the poisoning ritual.

  With a sihought, Kaede transported herself and everyone else away from the kebed.

  In the blink of ahey reappeared on the shoreline.

  Then, the t walls of water colpsed.

  A deafening roar filled the air as thousands of tons of water came crashing down, rushing bato the kebed. The impact sent powerful waves rippling outward, their force shaking the very earth beh them. Water surged and foamed, colliding with the surfa a thunderous cascade. A fine mist rose into the sky, carried by the wind, and for a brief moment, it was as if Raja itself was being showered in a gentle, shimmering rain.

  Towa blinked, disoriented. One moment she had been in the depths of the ke, the she was standing on solid ground. "What just happ..." She stopped mid-sentence, her breath hitg as she took in the sight before her. The oill waters ned with renewed life, waves crashing and swirling as they settled bato pce. Droplets of water sparkled in the air like scattered diamonds, desding upoy as if the heavens themselves had opened.

  Kaede turo her with a casual smile. "Well, Queen Towa, noait. In the meantime, let’s finalize that treaty, shall we?"

  Towa, still dazed, could only nod absently, falling in step behind Kaede and her panions as they made their way back toward the pace.

  Yet, beh her posed exterior, her thoughts raced.

  'They kept speaking of a demons and Primordials, beings of legend. If Primordials truly exist… and if one of them is responsible for the huing my kingdom… we even hope to survive?'

  Her gaze flickered toward Kaede’s back.

  "Lady Kaede will protect me. I know she will. After all, she is quite possibly… the stro.'

  None of them noticed the faint red glow that momentarily enveloped Towa.

  Nor did she hear the whispered words of the Voice of the World. For it didn't speak of a skill.

  << Title Acquired: Follower of the Faith of ######## >>

  SaberGlory