Chapter 264
It wasn’t the look of someone resigned to defeat—it was the look of someone calculating, planning, waiting.
A predator looking down at its prey.
A peculiar feeling stirred within her as memories from her past resurfaced.
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She recalled the incident of her past when she was just a child. Their home was atacked by human exorcists and she was with her uncle at that time who was fighting with the humans.
Her uncle was the commander of their estate and the head of the local army, the humans didn’t stand much chance against his sinister powers and fell one by one like leaves of an old tree. Just as he was slaughtering the humans like pigs, she noticed something.
Amid the carnage, she noticed a woman among the humans—a woman who was glowing.
The memory flashed vividly in her mind, the woman’s silhouette surrounded by a radiant aura that seemed to pierce through the blood and darkness of that day.
At least, that’s how it appeared to her unique vision.
Since birth, she had been different, she could see what others could not.
She was able to see the “glow” of individuals—a manifestation of their strength or potential. Her uncle’s glow had always been the brightest among the demons she knew.
But the glow of that human woman was unlike anything she’d ever seen.
Far far greater than her uncle who had the best glow among all the demons around the castle.
It was overwhelming, drowning out everything else in her vision. It wasn’t just strength—it was something absolute, something otherworldly.
It was vast and boundless, like a mountain spreading endlessly. The brilliance filled her vision, surpassing everything she had ever encountered.
It was the epitome of extraordinary.
That woman was the strongest among all… Her presence alone seemed to reshape the world around her, commanding it to bend to her will. Sera felt there could not be anyone in the world who could compete with her.
She was mesmerised by that woman, the seemingly vast glow attracted her to that human woman. It was beautiful and terrifying, making her lost in it.
It wasn’t merely light—it was a force that seemed to pull her in, like gravity itself. It was both beautiful and terrifying, leaving her utterly lost in its radiance. Her childish heart, filled with both fear and admiration, couldn’t look away.
She was snapped out of her distraction only when the woman stood in front of her uncle. The glow seemed to fade slightly, replaced by a sharp intensity as the woman faced her target. Even as her uncle loomed over her, sneering and exuding power, the human woman stood completely still, unshaken.
Sera wanted to warn him, to tell him something as he boasted about his might, unaware of the foe he was facing.
But she didn’t. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came. Fear, or perhaps awe, chained her voice. Deep down, she felt her uncle deserved to die at the hands of that woman. It wasn’t just inevitable—it felt right.
It was almost an honor for her despicable uncle to be graced with death by someone so extraordinary.
To her, this fate was better than a mundane end. Her uncle was a vile man—disrespectful and cruel to all around him. He ruled through fear and chaos, a tyrant even among demons. His death, she reasoned, would also pave the way for her parents to seize greater power within their family.
She watched as her uncle was effortlessly slain.
The moment passed so quickly she almost doubted her eyes. It took only one strike—a bright flash of green light.
It was entirely one-sided. The glow she admired so much condensed into a single, decisive stroke that sliced through the air as effortlessly as water. The woman barely moved a hand or foot before her uncle was beheaded in an instant.
Was that all the strength of the head of their army amount to? Just one strike?
As she stood frozen, staring at the scene, the human woman turned and looked directly at her from the great distance between them.
Her eyes—cold as frost and beautiful as the stars—met her own childish gaze. It felt as if the world had stopped. Her body refused to move, as though those piercing eyes had frozen her in place. She felt insignificant beneath their piercing stare.
It was the last thing she remembered before she passed out on the spot. The overwhelming pressure, both physical and emotional, crushed her. Darkness swallowed her consciousness. Later, the servants who had fled the territory carried her away. The humans, as expected, eventually captured the land.
Since that day, she had always wished to meet the woman again.
Not for revenge. Not even for answers. She simply wanted to feel that radiance once more, to stand in its presence and understand what made it so incomprehensibly vast.
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Now, in this moment, she felt an uncanny sense of déjà vu. When she looked into his eyes, they were different from that woman’s, yet they carried a strange familiarity.
The same piercing clarity, the same weight that felt far older than it should have. It wasn’t the exact same, but it was close enough to make her breath hitch.
‘Is this boy related to that woman somehow?’
As this thought crossed her mind, the ground began to tremble, and all the demons nearby felt a suffocating pressure descend upon them. They looked at their captain in fear.
The air grew thick, almost tangible, pressing down on their shoulders like an invisible hand. Some stumbled backward, others froze in place, their breaths coming shallow and quick.
Oliver, too, felt the weight pressing down on his shoulders. His knees nearly buckled under the force, and a low groan escaped his lips, though he quickly gritted his teeth to stifle it. He kept his focus on her, sensing that she was about to strike again.
Was she enraged by his flames? He did damage her sword after all.
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