Chapter 10

The red-haired girl stared at the being before her with a gaze cold enough to freeze the sun. She extended her spiritual senses, sweeping over every inch of the man. And with that, she searched for any trace of power.

Because if this being was responsible for bringing her to this place, then he surely couldn't be ordinary. At the very least, he should be on a level not far below her own. She even cursed herself for not being on guard. If her mind hadn't been clouded by murderous intent, she would've reacted—and wouldn't have fallen into the trap.

However...

"Huh...? How is that possible?"

She found nothing. Not a hint of aura.

Faced with that revelation, the girl—Jasmine—was stunned. Could this man actually just be a normal human?

"It doesn't matter."

Regardless, what she had to do remained unchanged.

"This princess demands to be returned immediately to her realm. Otherwise..."

"Otherwise?"

The girl, who called herself a princess, narrowed her eyes and sneered with disdain.

"Either send me back or... I'll kill you."

"Haha. Seriously?"

The response Jasmine got was a smile. A smile that didn't reach his eyes.

A smile that treated her like a child.

That insult—worse than any slap to the face...

"You... dare disrespect this princess?"

Jasmine's blood boiled.

The air around her began to tremble, and her aura erupted like a furious volcano.

"This princess is no child. I am one of the most powerful beings in the Primal Chaos Dimension. But of course, an ignorant and insignificant creature like you wouldn't know that."

She was only thirteen, and in her realm, that meant little. She had grown up watching her brother practice divine arts. She had inherited the powers of the former Heavenly Slaughter Star God. And she had learned techniques capable of destroying entire worlds.

Despite being a child, she had experienced things most adults could never endure. A painful journey that led her down the path of blood and vengeance.

"..."

In the silence that followed, the sound of her footsteps echoed as she advanced. Her crimson eyes locked onto the boy before her, filled with fury and arrogance.

But in the face of that overwhelming gaze and pressure, he didn't flinch. He remained standing—calm and composed. To Jasmine, that stillness wasn't bravery. It was the ignorance of someone who didn't understand what they were about to face.

"You should feel honored," she said in a frosty voice. "To be eliminated by this princess is far more than a cultivation-less human like you deserves."

She had fled from a fate as a sacrifice, seeking the Heretic God's Legacy. A portal had dragged her to this strange castle.

She had already been furious—and now a stranger dared to treat her like a brat.

She was not someone who forgave that kind of insult.

"Aren't you going to beg for your life? Well, no matter."

An oppressive energy surged through her body and flooded the castle. She raised her dagger, and soon her crimson aura flowed onto the curved, razor-sharp blade. The ground beneath her feet trembled, and the ceiling let out a screech. In her world, that little blade could slice mountains, part seas, and, if she willed it, erase an entire planet.

What could an ordinary human do against that? Absolutely nothing.

'Wait... why am I using so much power to deal with a simple human…?'

Then...

Pushing that thought aside, she closed the distance between them at a speed so overwhelming that the space before her collapsed, piece by piece.

At that very moment, her dagger descended toward the man's neck. The concrete trembled, and a dense fog emerged, shrouding the scene in a thick, white veil. Everything fell silent—except for the faint screeching sound, like metal grinding against something.

"In your next life, make sure you're not born so weak," the crimson-clad girl—who had slain millions—said softly.

She cared far too little for an ant's life for its death to stir any emotion in her.

―Swoosh!

The wind from the impact exploded, sweeping the fog aside. And then, the result was revealed.

The girl was sure there would be no head left. However, something was wrong. Her eyes, which just seconds ago were cold and confident, widened with disbelief. The dagger she had swung with such certainty wasn't moving. It had been stopped—held in place by a single finger from the boy.

"What...?"

The boy, who hadn't said a word until now, looked up at her. There was no rage in those golden eyes. No mockery in that faint smile. Only calm.

But that calm seemed far more dangerous than any rage she'd faced before.

"Is that all?"

Jasmine stepped back, still gripping her dagger tightly. She couldn't believe it. No, she refused to believe it.

"How...? This is impossible!"

The boy's finger lightly pressed against the dagger's edge, as if tracing the edge of a piece of paper. A metallic click echoed as the blade shattered, crumbling into a thousand fragments before crashing to the ground. The girl held her breath. That divine-grade dagger... Her hands trembled. And fear surged through her body.

"Impossible? Do you truly believe your Primal Chaos Dimension is the only place where gods and demons exist? Don't you think there might be something even more terrifying beyond what your eyes can see?"

He stepped forward. She stepped back—but her spine hit a cold wall.

"When...?"

She hadn't even noticed the castle had changed. The windows now showed a night sky filled with crimson constellations. And those constellations were weeping blood.

"I don't care about your titles or your thirst for blood."

―Shhhsss!

The sound of a hiss.

It wasn't the wind or creaking wood. It was a deep sound—like earth being dragged.

She looked up.

The 'wall' she leaned against wasn't made of stone. It was cold, damp—and it moved.

Slowly, she turned her head... and looked beyond.

Scales. White as freshly fallen snow, but streaked with gold that shimmered beneath the glow of the red constellations. She followed the shape of those scales upward until her eyes met two vertical, golden pupils—burning, watching her from above.

A white dragon. No. It didn't look like a dragon. It looked more like a white serpent.

Its body encircled the entire dimension, like a ring of snow.

Aegis's head lowered toward Jasmine. And he said slowly:

"I'm interested in you, Xing tong."

That was when she realized something.

"Who in the world are you..."

She realized that, in her current state, she couldn't even touch a strand of his hair—let alone defeat him. If only she'd obtained the Heretic God's Legacy... the outcome today would've been completely different.

That's what she thought.

And when she turned to look at him, the boy was already seated once more on the throne, legs crossed, fingers intertwined.

The boy glanced at them, one by one. First, his eyes settled on Jasmine, who now watched him warily. Then his gaze shifted to the other two dazed girls—whom he had shielded from the chaos of the massive collision of power. If not for him, they'd probably be nothing more than piles of flesh and blood scattered across the floor.

With a calm smile, the boy spoke, enunciating each word slowly:

"I am Aegis, the Aeon of the Beginning and the End. I am the cycle that never ceases. The universe may tremble or be reborn, but it will always know that Aegis is here. You may address me as such."

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