When the plot-skips players into the game world

Beneath Aiwass, something was slowly emerging from the spreading shadows.

It was a woman with her legs crossed, sitting askew as if upon a throne, exuding an aura of imposing royalty.

This was also a form the Shadow Demon had never shown to Aiwass before—

She had pitch-black hair that fell straight like shadows, with each strand merging into the next. On the outside, it was pure black, while the inside bore a dark red, like fresh blood.

Her face was not adorned with glasses, but her murky green eyes seemed even more wolfish than Beyard's.

Other than that, she looked exactly like Beyard. Even their apparent ages showed no difference.

After appearing, the Shadow Demon let out a deep sigh, though what she was fretting over was unknown.

She first turned her head and carefully fastened Aiwass's open shirt, one button at a time, then extended her slender yet strong fingers to tidy up the collar of Aiwass's clothes, which had become somewhat crumpled in Beyard's embrace. Only after smoothing out Aiwass's attire did she embrace her and turned her ordered head back again.

She and number 14 both had black hair and green eyes, their features somewhat resembling each other. At this moment, the two embracing one another resembled a sister holding her younger sibling.

The bats scattered and suspended on the threads of shadow merely rustled, making no move.

As if they were spellbound.

"What's wrong, Beyard?"

The Shadow Demon displayed a mocking smile, "Lost your tongue upon seeing me?"

Her left arm around Aiwass was already propping up her chin, her thumb absentmindedly playing with Aiwass's earlobe. And now, more provocatively, she thrust the index and middle fingers of her left hand roughly into Aiwass's mouth, pulling out her tongue.

Aiwass gave her a sidelong glance.

Seeing that the Shadow Demon seemed to want to show off, Aiwass decided to humor her for the time being.

—We'll talk when we get back.

With her movement, the Shadow Demon's right hand also lifted absently.

The threads of shadow that had covered the entire room and pierced through the bats suddenly sprouted countless uneven spikes.

The bats impaled by them instantly turned into clusters of blood without organs.

These pools of blood, like liquids in zero gravity, clumped together and floated upward.

They converged in the center and took on human form again. Only her glasses fell to the floor, but they didn't break due to the soft carpet.

The web of shadows that had just dissipated now reformed—originally threading through the room, now it became an orderly spider web, hanging the airborne Beyard up once more.

Beyard was not, by any means, incapable of tearing through the spider web's constraints.

But the sight before her caused her to frown deeply, her heart pounding—

The shock welling up from within left her at a loss for what to say at this moment.

This was the scene she had seen countless times in her nightmares.

—As if on either side of a mirror, two nearly identical figures faced each other.

One sat on the bed, holding the girl, her expression wild… while the other hung in the dark web of shadows above, her face a swirl of complexities.

"Hmph."

Shadow Demoness chuckled sarcastically, seeing that Beyard still remained silent, "Did you not anticipate this situation? I don't think that's right. If it were me, I would've considered such a possibility a long time ago… and even dreamt of it in dreams.
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"To die with such resentment, how could it not turn into a Demon? And if my soul has become a Demon, what does that make you?"

As she spoke, she subtly slid her fingers, which had been toying with Aiwass's tongue, out of Aiwass's mouth.

She took a deep breath beside Aiwass's face, her playful gaze now on the silent Beyard suspended in the air.

"Say something, Miss Beyard. Give me some reaction at least, don't be like a corpse… oh, sorry, you are but a corpse. Or should I do something in front of you that you wanted to do but failed to achieve?"

"…So, have you recognized me as your master?"

Beyard finally spoke, "Such a weak master?"

Her first sentence seemed aggressive but betrayed an inexplicable paleness.

Because she dodged the Shadow Demon's question. This already revealed the turmoil in her thoughts. Of course, Aiwass's performance might have played a role too.

Shadow Demon only laughed. It started with a sneer, followed by a loud, hearty laugh.

It was the first time she laughed genuinely in front of Aiwass—the laugh was sharp and aggressive, exuding an air of haughty arrogance.

"Indeed,"

Shadow Demon abruptly stopped laughing, responding seriously, "So weak. Yet, no one could please me more.

"My dear master, at her weakest, when she was about to shatter at a touch, she uttered threats to kill the Celestial Marshal. It wasn't just tough talk, but a plan with a tangible chance of success.

"And, in such a state, she dared to ask for power from that Celestial Marshal. What does that mean? It's because she didn't even see the Celestial Marshal as an archenemy—without hatred, without caution, even treating him as an equal.

"Was it ignorance that bred fearlessness?"

Shadow Demon looked at Beyard, speaking softly, "Of course not. It is the ambition that advances despite known dangers, the courage to seriously challenge an unbeatable opponent.

"—Just like us, isn't it?"

When Shadow Demon spoke these words, the hostility in her voice had already dissipated.

She was the one who had her name and identity taken away, yet she was the first to put aside animosity.

It was definitely not gentleness or forgiveness—"Beyard" and such words were never related. Even when she was still human, she had already learned how to seize power by stepping over the corpses and pain of others.

Legend has it that humans are the children of the Eternal Self and the Serpent Father.

Hence, humans possess the adaptive qualities of the nine Paths, but transcendence and love are the most widespread and profound.

—Ambition and desire.

That was precisely the driving force behind the entity known as the "Beyard Group." And what restrained her actions was not morality or law—it was pride in her heart.

The "Miss Beyard" before them was nothing but a fabricated soul concocted by the Pillar God.

Whatever hatred she had in her heart, there was no need to direct it at her. It would be meaningless, just a false comfort.

Miss Beyard, who was let down by Shadow Demon, rubbed her slightly reddened wrists from being hung up and countered:

"...You don't want to devour me?"

Shadow Demon just looked at her with mockery, silent.

She hugged Aiwass even tighter to her chest. Leaning forward, she pressed her cool, ample body onto Aiwass and propped her chin on her shoulder.

Although Shadow Demon's touch was cold and piercing like the snow of a winter night, Aiwass did not push her away.

She was gradually realizing what had transpired in the past.

—Shadow Demon is a formless, asexual demon, its true form just a clump of smoke that never sees sunlight.

Any shape it takes on is the result of devouring another.

Just as she had taken the voice and body of Assassin Miss Croix.

Shadow Demon could never return to her previous life, for she was already dead. She was just a shadow stripped of everything, consuming corpses to no avail.

And now that Shadow Demon could take on the form of Beyard, emitting a voice indistinguishable from Beyard's...

It meant that the reborn Shadow Demon had successfully devoured Beyard, the Son of the Moon.

Only if the "corpse was transformed into the Son of the Moon", could Shadow Demon possibly take on the appearance of her past life.

But even though Shadow Demon could revert to her old self, speak in her own voice... and just like the Son of the Moon Beyard, she had memories of a past life. In this respect, she even acquired the immortal life and tremendous strength.

Yet, she clearly did not resume overseeing the mundane "Beyard Group" like the Son of the Moon once did; instead, she returned to the Dream Realm, waiting quietly and alone in the realm of shadows.

The Beyard Group, which had lost its leader, had long since vanished into the dust of history.

—She disdained stealing the name of Beyard.

Even though it was once hers, it was now of no relation to her.

"What would I kill you for? What use would it be?"

Shadow Demon finally spoke, her voice cold and lucid, "You are not the real Beyard. Neither am I.

"Unlike you, demons no longer dream."