Chapter No.3 HOW. DARE. YOU!!!

[Damien Nacht's POV]

I took a deep breath, the weight of my newfound reality pressing down on me like an iron shackle. My fingers twitched slightly as I stared at the system's glowing text.

Prince of Darkness… The Devil.

This wasn't the class Damien Nacht was originally supposed to receive. This wasn't part of the script. I was meant to awaken as the Shadow Sovereign, a powerful but ultimately mortal existence tied to the darkness. Instead, I had been forced onto a path that placed me far beyond the realm of mortals—on the level of something divine… or cursed.

And the system had made it clear: the more I used this power, the more I would lose myself.

A slow chuckle escaped my lips.

"Heh... Losing myself, huh?"

I lifted my right hand, feeling the dark energy within me pulse in response. The shadows in the room trembled, stretching toward me like eager servants awaiting their master's command. The air itself had become heavier, saturated with an unholy presence.

"Let's be real. Damien Nacht was doomed from the start. But me?" My smirk widened. "I refuse to be shackled by fate."

If the world wanted to push back, I'd push even harder.

If the hero grew stronger in response to me, then I would make sure he never had the chance to catch up.

I wasn't just here to survive. I was here to win.

Still, I needed to be cautious. The Correction Forces were already watching. Divine Will, Plot Anchors, the ever-growing protagonist—I couldn't afford to act recklessly.

I needed information. Allies. A plan.

First Priority: Testing my new powers.

I looked outside the window, seeing it was still noon with evening approaching just beyond the horizon. The estate training grounds would be full of guards and knights honing their combat skills. If I wanted to test my abilities without drawing too much attention, I'd need to find a more secluded area.

'The underground training hall should do.'

Damien Nacht's memories provided me with useful knowledge. Deep beneath the Nacht Estate, there was a personal training chamber designed for high-level combat practice. It was enchanted with powerful reinforcement spells, ensuring that even destructive magic wouldn't damage the structure.

I stood from my chair, flexing my fingers. A faint ripple of shadow curled around them before dissipating. My power was still in its infancy, but I could feel its potential coursing through my veins.

Exiting my study, I strode down the dimly lit corridors of the estate. The mansion's gothic architecture loomed around me—towering pillars, arched windows, and velvet carpets absorbing the sound of my footsteps.

The servants I passed bowed their heads deeply, avoiding eye contact. It was expected. Damien Nacht, even before my transmigration, was feared. And now?

I will turn this fear into reverence and worship, effectively eliminating the chances of betrayal—

But before I could think further.

Smack!

Thud!

A commotion from down the hallway caught my attention. My steps slowed, my eyes narrowing as I turned toward the source of the noise.

Smack!

Another sharp sound of flesh meeting flesh echoed through the corridor. Then, a muffled cry—one of pain echoed through the hall, making my brows furrow.

I followed the sound, my footsteps silent against the plush carpet, my expression darkening with each passing second. As I turned the corner, my gaze landed on the scene unfolding before me.

A young maid lay sprawled on the floor, her face bruised and tear-streaked. Standing over her, a knight from the estate, his uniform marked with the sigil of House Nacht, sneered down at her. His hand was raised, clearly the one responsible for the blows.

Sophia!

Just as I saw my personal maid on the floor with a burning handprint on her cheek, rage bubbled up from within me.

Pure. Unrestrained. Anger.

With a swift motion, I stepped forward, my shadow stretching unnaturally as it responded to my fury. The knight didn't even have time to react before I was upon him.

"How dare you."

My voice was cold, like the wind before a storm. I barely had to raise my hand—just a flick of my fingers. Shadows surged from the ground, wrapping around the knight's body, binding him in place with crushing force. His arms and legs were locked in place, his breath coming in shallow gasps as he struggled against the darkness constricting him.

Sophia, trembling on the floor, looked up at me with wide eyes, fear and confusion in her gaze. But I wasn't looking at her. I was focused on the knight, his form writhing against my dark energy.

"You... You dare touch what's mine?" I growled, the anger in my chest a smouldering pit of wrath. The shadows around the knight grew tighter, squeezing the air from his lungs.

I could feel the heat of Hellfire bubbling under my skin, a flame born from the very depths of the inferno. But I wasn't going to burn him—not yet. I wanted him to feel the terror first. To understand who he was dealing with.

The knight's eyes widened in panic as he felt the weight of the darkness pressing on him. I could see the sweat dripping down his brow, but upon seeing me a haughty expression remained on his face, despite the fear creeping into his eyes.

He must have thought he could withstand my power, or perhaps his master's name might save him from my wrath. That thought only made my grip on him tighten further.

I leaned closer, my voice low and filled with venom. "You may think you're protected by House Nacht, but in my eyes, you are nothing but a worm. A pawn whose life is forfeit the moment you dare disrespect me, or anyone under my protection."

His struggle became frantic, but the shadows held firm, their grip unyielding. The fear in his eyes was palpable now, his arrogance crumbling beneath the weight of his terror.

"Please, I... I didn't mean to!" he gasped, his voice cracking. "I was only following orders—"

I unconsciously activate 'Devil Face' due to my growing anger due to my back turn to the servants watching no one saw the moments of my transformation which revert back in just one second, but I could feel the change inside me. My face twisted in ways that were beyond human comprehension, sharp angles forming as my skin darkened with an ashen hue. The fire within my eyes blazed brighter, and the air around me thickened with an oppressive force that seemed to push everyone back. It wasn't just power—it was my identity, my curse, and my advantage all at once.

The knight's breath hitched as he saw the full scope of my demonic nature. I could see the struggle in his eyes—the desire to beg for mercy, the disbelief at what was happening to him.

But it was too late.

"You dare to blame your actions on 'orders'?" I sneered, my voice dripping with contempt. "If you were truly loyal to House Nacht, you would never have laid a hand on someone who serves me."

I stepped forward, my shadows twisting and lashing out, wrapping tighter around him. The air felt colder, charged with the burning essence of Hell itself. "I will make you understand what happens to those who dare harm what I value. A lesson you won't forget."

The knight's pleas grew more frantic, but my mind was already made up. His life had no value in my eyes. Not anymore.

"Sophia." My voice softened as I turned my gaze to the trembling maid on the floor. She was shaking, still stunned by the scene unfolding before her. "Get up."

Sophia's wide eyes locked with mine, confusion still clouding her gaze, but she obeyed without question. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and slowly rose to her feet, her body trembling, but she held herself together.

I gestured for her to give me a random sword—one of the many weapons that lined the walls of the estate.

Sophia hesitated but quickly obeyed, her movements still shaky from the shock. She retrieved a sharp, finely crafted sword from its place on the wall, handing it to me with trembling hands.

I took it, the cold steel almost a welcome contrast to the heated anger boiling inside me. It was time to make this knight understand the price of his disrespect.

Turning back to the knight, who was now gasping and struggling beneath the shadows, I raised the blade slowly. The point hovered over his trembling body, a final judgment poised to fall upon him.

"You will pay for your insolence." My voice was icy, devoid of any warmth or hesitation. There was no mercy in my words, no chance for redemption. The knight had sealed his fate the moment he laid a hand on Sophia.

As I prepared to end his miserable existence, I felt a presence—faint, but unmistakable—approaching from behind. I didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

"Damien," a voice called out, sharp and commanding.

I froze. The familiar voice—one that carried a weight of authority and power—reached me like a distant echo, pulling me from the brink of finality. It was my father, the head of House Nacht, Lord Nacht himself.

But my gaze never left the trembling knight who seems loss control of his bluder from utter fear when he saw my 'devil face' earlier.

I could hear my father's heavy footsteps as he approached, but my focus never wavered from the knight, whose body was now trembling uncontrollably. The shadows that held him were suffocating, unrelenting—his eyes wide with a mixture of fear and desperation.

"Damien—"

Slash~

Splash~

Thud! Thud!

With a one swift swing, the blade I held sliced through the knight's neck, severing it in a single motion. His head rolled to the side, his body crumpling like a ragdoll beneath the weight of my power. Blood splattered against the polished floor, the crimson liquid staining the stone as his lifeless form crumpled forward.

The room fell into a tense, suffocating silence. The servants in the hallway gasped, their faces pale and filled with dread. Even Sophia, who had flinched at the violence, now stood frozen in place, her eyes wide with shock.

I felt nothing.

I hadn't even registered the action. It had been instinctive, a reaction to the overwhelming anger and disgust that had consumed me when I saw that knight strike Sophia.

Turning slowly, I finally acknowledged my father, Lord Nacht. His gaze was sharp, and his presence loomed over me like a dark cloud. The very air around him seemed heavy with authority. But for the first time, I didn't feel the usual respect or fear that I had grown up with. Instead, all I felt was a strange calm—a knowing that this confrontation was inevitable.

"Damn you, Damien," Lord Nacht growled, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the body of the knight. "What is this madness? You kill without hesitation? Without reason? That man was loyal to our house!"

"He was loyal to his own arrogance," I replied coldly, my voice still thick with the remnants of anger. "He deserved to die the moment he laid his hand on what's mine."

My father's brow furrowed as he stepped closer. His piercing gaze never left me studying me as though searching for something, anything. But all he saw was a stone-cold expression, the same one I had worn countless times in my past life, though now it had deeper meaning. My eyes met his—unblinking, unwavering.

"You have no right to kill him over a servant," my father continued, his tone shifting from anger to something darker, more foreboding. "This... this recklessness will ruin us. You are the heir to House Nacht, and I will not let you squander that with impulsive actions driven by rage—"

"I will do it again."

"WHAT?!"

.

..

...

[To Be Continue]

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