Chloe could not believe her eyes.
One moment the Dark Witch had been a living nightmare — the creature that had bound her, drugged her, and spoken of turning her into a vessel. The next, that same nightmare lay broken on the ground.
The massive abyssal beast had approached with almost lazy steps. Every spell the witch hurled simply bounced off its crystal-covered hide like sparks. Then, with a single contemptuous swipe of its enormous paw, it crushed the witch's upper body into the dirt.
The wet crack of bone still echoed in Chloe's ears.
As if that wasn't enough, the beast lowered its head and began tearing into the corpse, chewing with a clearly dissatisfied expression — as though the witch had not been worth the effort.
Lucas sighed quietly.
"There goes my precious corpse…"
His voice was low, almost regretful, but there was no real anger in it. He adjusted his hold on Chloe, one arm still firmly around her waist, keeping her pressed against his side. The warmth of his body stood in sharp contrast to the cold night air of Pandemonium.
Chloe finally seemed to remember where she was. Her hands, which had been hanging limply, suddenly tensed. She looked down at the arm locked around her waist, then up at Lucas's calm face.
"…You," she said, her voice still slightly hoarse from the gag. "You're Lucas."
It wasn't a question.
Lucas glanced down at her, a faint, unreadable smile on his lips.
"And you're Chloe Bennett. Alex's girlfriend." He tilted his head slightly. "Funny how we finally meet like this."
Chloe's cheeks flushed — not only from the lingering effects of the drug, but from the sheer absurdity of the situation. She was being held against the side of the man her boyfriend openly disliked, while a giant abyssal bear casually ate a witch a few meters away.
She tried to push away from him, but her legs still felt weak. Lucas didn't tighten his grip, yet he also didn't let her fall.
"I can stand," she muttered.
"Can you?" Lucas asked mildly. His blue eyes flicked over her torn uniform, the raw marks on her wrists, and the residual flush still coloring her skin. "You were tied up and drugged. Forgive me if I'm not entirely convinced."
Chloe bit her lip. Pride warred with the honest weakness in her body. After a moment, she stopped struggling and simply looked away.
"…Why did you save me?"
Lucas's smile didn't change.
"Does it matter?"
"It does to me."
Before he could answer, the Nyxclaw suddenly lifted its massive head from the remains of the witch. Its violet eyes locked onto the dense forest beyond the clearing. A low rumble built in its chest before it threw its head back and roared.
The sound shook the air.
Lucas tensed and turned toward the trees.
For a moment there was only silence. Then the forest shifted. Distant footsteps — hundreds of them — began to echo through the undergrowth. The ground trembled.
A wave of primal, hungry intent rolled outward like physical pressure. The scent of wet fur, blood, and rage thickened in the air.
From within Lucas's shadow, the Imp's voice came sharp and urgent.
"Master, you need to run. Now."
Lucas didn't ask questions.
In one smooth motion, he bent down, hooked an arm around Chloe's waist, and lifted her onto his shoulder as if she weighed nothing. Chloe's eyes widened. Heat rushed to her face as she felt how effortlessly he had picked her up.
"Hey—! What are you doing?! Put me down!"
Lucas ignored her. He sprinted the short distance to King and vaulted onto the beast's broad back in a single leap. He set Chloe down in front of him, one arm locking securely around her waist, while his other hand gripped the thick fur along the Nyxclaw's neck.
King needed no command.
The massive abyssal beast turned and exploded into a full sprint in the opposite direction, its powerful legs tearing across the cracked ground.
Behind them, the forest erupted.
Werewolves poured out of the trees in a black-and-gray tide. Not a dozen. Not fifty.
Hundreds.
Their howls rose into a single, deafening chorus that chased the fleeing Nyxclaw through the night. Claws scraped against stone. Eyes burned with feral light. The ground shook under the weight of the pack.
Lucas glanced back, his expression hardening.
For the first time since entering Pandemonium, he clearly understood how badly he had underestimated this place.
King did not simply run. The Nyxclaw fought while fleeing. Whenever a faster werewolf managed to close the distance, the beast swung its crystal-covered limbs in brutal arcs. Bodies were smashed aside. Bones cracked. Dark blood sprayed across the pale grass.
Yet the numbers were overwhelming.
A particularly large werewolf leapt from a higher ridge and slammed into King's side. The impact nearly threw Lucas and Chloe off. Another managed to rake its claws across Lucas's left shoulder, tearing through the fabric of his coat and drawing a thin line of blood.
Chloe's face had gone pale. Her hands gripped Lucas's arm tightly as the world blurred around them.
"They're not stopping!" she shouted over the wind and the howls. "There are too many!"
Before Lucas could reply, a sharp, searing pain exploded through his right shoulder, ignoring his armor.
Thunk!
A throwing knife buried itself deep into the muscle. Lucas let out a short, involuntary shout of pain. He twisted around and saw one of the faster werewolves grinning at him with open mockery.
"Run all you want, little human! We'll still tear that soft flesh off your bones!"
Lucas's expression hardened. He finally understood the truth.
Even with King, they could not escape this pack forever. Dragging the chase deeper into the forest would only attract stronger demons. The longer they ran, the higher the chance something far worse would catch their scent.
His eyes flicked to the right.
There — the river and the waterfall they had spotted when they first arrived at the clearing.
"King! The waterfall!"
The Nyxclaw obeyed without hesitation. At the same time, it activated one of its innate skills.
[Gravity Suppress]
A heavy, invisible wave of gravitational force exploded outward. The nearest werewolves suddenly found their bodies crushing downward. Many of them stumbled and collapsed, their limbs pinned to the ground as if an invisible mountain had dropped on them.
That single moment of disruption was enough.
King put a significant distance between them and the pack in only a few powerful strides. The moment they reached the rocky edge of the river, Lucas gave another mental command.
King's massive form dissolved into pure abyssal shadow and vanished into Lucas's pocket space.
Lucas landed hard on the slick stones, still holding Chloe tightly against him. Cold mist from the waterfall sprayed across their faces. The roar of falling water filled the air, drowning out most other sounds. Behind them, the frustrated howls of the werewolves were growing closer again.
Chloe looked up at him, her expression tight with understanding.
"What's your plan?"
Lucas met her eyes. His breathing was heavy, blood dripping steadily from the knife still lodged in his shoulder. An exhausted, almost reckless smile tugged at his lips.
"Here goes nothing."
Without another word, he tightened his hold on her and jumped.
The icy water of the waterfall swallowed them both.
The current dragged them down hard, spinning their bodies through the white chaos of foam and rock. Chloe's breath was ripped from her lungs as the force of the water pulled them under and forward.
Above the waterfall, the werewolf pack skidded to a stop at the edge. Dozens of glowing eyes stared down at the raging river.
A particularly large leader among them gritted his teeth, claws scraping against the stone as he sniffed the air repeatedly.
"…They lost their scent."
The current finally spat them out into a calmer stretch of the river.
Lucas dragged Chloe toward the rocky bank, both of them coughing and gasping for air. Cold water streamed from their clothes and hair as they collapsed onto the stones. Chloe's body shook from the chill and exhaustion. Lucas gritted his teeth, one hand pressed against the knife still buried in his right shoulder. Every movement sent a sharp pulse of pain through his arm.
They had only a few seconds of relative safety.
A distant chorus of howls rose from the forest on the other side of the river. The sound was still far away, but it was growing closer. The werewolves had not given up. They were spreading out, searching the banks for any trace of their scent.
Lucas forced himself to his feet. His blue eyes scanned the rocky wall beside the river until they locked onto a dark opening partially hidden behind a cluster of large stones and hanging vines.
"There," he said, voice rough. "Move."
Chloe didn't argue. She pushed herself up and followed him as he limped toward the cave entrance. The opening was narrow and low, forcing them to crouch as they slipped inside. The air within was damp and cold, carrying the faint mineral scent of wet stone. Water dripped steadily from the ceiling somewhere deeper in the darkness.
Outside, the howls grew clearer.
Lucas turned back toward the entrance. A large, partially detached boulder sat near the mouth of the cave. Ignoring the burning pain in his shoulder, he braced his good side against it and shoved with everything he had left. The heavy rock scraped across the ground with a low, grinding sound before finally settling into place, blocking most of the entrance and leaving only a thin gap for air.
Darkness swallowed them.
Lucas took a small mana lamp from his ring and set it on the ground. Soft blue light filled the narrow space, revealing just how small the cave truly was. The walls pressed close on either side, and the ceiling hung low enough that neither of them could fully stand. The air was cold and damp.
Chloe sat a short distance away, arms wrapped around her knees as she tried to steady her breathing. Wet hair clung to her face. Her torn outfit offered little protection against the chill.
With a quiet sigh of relief, Lucas reached back and carefully pulled the knife from his shoulder. He gritted his teeth as the blade came free, then tossed it aside. Blood flowed more freely. He removed his ruined coat, then his shirt, exposing the wound. From his spatial ring, he took a healing potion and drank a small amount.
Chloe noticed the discarded knife and picked it up. Her eyes narrowed as she examined the blade.
"…Hey. This looks coated with poison."
Lucas tried to look at the wound on his back but couldn't see it clearly. Chloe's expression tightened with reluctant concern.
"Turn around. Give me the potion."
Lucas looked at her. The water, the torn outfit, and the residual flush still coloring her skin made her appear far more vulnerable — and striking — than usual. A faint heat touched his face.
Chloe caught the direction of his gaze. Her cheeks flushed deeper. She quickly patted his uninjured shoulder.
"Turn."
Lucas chuckled and obeyed, handing her the potion.
"Sit," she ordered.
He did, resting his hands on his thighs. Chloe knelt behind him and carefully poured a portion of the healing potion over the wound. Under normal circumstances, a poisoned injury would not begin healing so quickly without a proper antidote. Yet the flesh around the cut was already slowly closing.
Chloe frowned.
"It's healing… but the blade was clearly coated with poison," she muttered.
Lucas understood. The Undead Resilience trait he had absorbed earlier was giving him a degree of resistance. He turned his head slightly to look at her. The sudden closeness made Chloe's face flush again.
"Why do you sound disappointed that I'm not poisoned?" he asked lightly.
Chloe opened her mouth.
"A little…"
The words slipped out before she could stop them. Her eyes widened in horror. She clamped her mouth shut, unable to believe she had spoken aloud.
Lucas's eyes sharpened with quiet interest. A slow, knowing smile spread across his face.
"You're aroused, aren't you?"
Chloe's expression turned to pure shock. She tried to deny it — but her mouth moved on its own.
"Yesss."
The admission hung in the cold air of the cave.
Lucas's smile turned distinctly devilish.
"You can't lie."
****
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