Amid a violent blast, dust billowed from the outer wall, and a human-shaped hole instantly formed. The monster with elongated horns and wisps of red-black flame pouring from its pores let out a suppressed growl, turned, charged out of the courtyard, and vanished into the vast night.
Oh no, something had gone wrong—it was Barghest!
The sudden change left Samael stunned for a moment before he reacted at once. He sprang to his feet and chased after the direction in which the black shadow had disappeared.
Inside the bedroom, waves of Aether Tide erupted, followed closely by several arcs of different colors.
Under the cold moonlight, a figure staggered along in a secluded shadow, bracing herself against the wall. With every step, a hollow rumble came from her stomach. An uncontrollable hunger filled every cell and every inch of muscle.
So hungry... Want to eat...
The Black Shadow turned her head, her nostrils flaring as she stared fixedly at the source behind her that gave off such a sweet scent. Clear saliva slid from the corner of her parted lips, and the trembling of her body became nothing but a craving to feed.
The ones I love... Delicious things...
Gradually, the instinct rooted in her bloodline seeped silently into her mind, beginning to twist and alter her consciousness.
The next instant, the incarnation of calamity—whose mismatched eyes seemed to burn with red and blue flames—swung her head into the stone wall. Using the pain to stimulate herself, she desperately clung to the last of her clarity.
No... No!
I absolutely cannot hurt Father and the others!
Her powerful will overwhelmed the surging restlessness within her, and she forcibly twisted her head away from where she had been looking.
But... I'm so hungry...
Yet that brief moment of clarity gradually became