The Demon’s shadow, after dissipating deep within the Dungeon, reformed in a more hidden darkness.
And at this very moment, seated before it, was a proud-faced youth in the Galwin Magic Academy uniform—Divine Son Hain.
When he sensed its appearance, Hain let out a cold snort and raised his hand to cast magic, but the Demon quickly stopped him.
“Wait, wait, I’m not here to fight, Divine Son.”
“Then you are…”
The Demon chuckled. With a wave of its hand, the scene of it beguiling that group of Rose Knights appeared before Hain, and soon after, it crushed these images.
“You saw it too. Those so-called Humanity’s Hope are so stubborn and foolish!”
The Demon’s voice carried the frustration of defeat, but it quickly adjusted its strategy, and its tone became coaxing.
“But you’re different, Divine Son.”
“As the descendant of a god, you’re like a caged bird, shackled by so-called ‘Responsibility’ and ‘Destiny’. They revere your power, yet still want to use you. Tell me… is that fair?”
A ripple flickered in Hain’s eyes, but he did not answer.
Within the Preston Family, the title of Divine Son or Divine Daughter was more than a mere name. At crucial times, they still had to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of the family.
Yet even so, they still fell short of the elders of the clan.
As the Divine Son, Hain had not lacked “guidance” from those elders.
“And I know this: many people disdain your status, think you’re a thief—so-called Divine Son, nothing but a stealer of others’ Divine Grace. But what they don’t understand is that this world is a world where the strong prey on the weak.”
“She merely lost to you in the struggle. How could you be a thief? You are the true Divine Son, a genuine descendant of the gods. The Preston Family should rightfully be under your control!”
“They do not understand you, but we do.”
At this point, the ripples in Hain’s eyes grew even stronger, but he still did not reply.
The Demon pressed on while the iron was hot: “Join us. When the Abyss descends, when the Old Order collapses, you will no longer be a tool, no longer a symbol, but the true god of the New World!”
“You will possess absolute Freedom, able to shape the world according to your own Will. No one will ever again be able to boss you around, forcing their expectations onto you!”
Freedom… Will…
On the surface, the Divine Son seemed calm, but inside he had long since been shaken by these two words.
Before becoming the Divine Son, he was just an unremarkable junior within the Preston Family, with a free childhood and a rather happy life.
But after becoming the Divine Son, though he began to shine, he also felt an invisible shackle on his body, restricting his freedom.
He could not understand why the strong could not oppress the weak, why he had to be pleasant to those who disliked him. In his eyes, the weak had no right to exist in this world.
He deeply wanted to tear apart these shackles, to live freely.
Yet he also knew that the Demon’s words could not be trusted.
“No.”
Hain’s voice was soft, with a tremor of uncertainty, but in the end, he still shook his head.
“My existence is to protect, not to destroy.”
The Demon stared at him intently, noticing that moment of hesitation and wavering. Unlike with the Rose Knights, it did not become furious. Instead, it let out a low, meaningful laugh.
“Hehehe… To protect? That Saintess may not think so.”
“You know well, she’s already a member of the Rose Knights. All that you did to her, she will repay in kind. I hope, when that time comes, you can still hold onto your beliefs.”
As it spoke, the Demon’s figure began to slowly fade.
“But, when you begin to doubt, to feel lost, you’ll remember my words… We are destined to meet again, Divine Son.”
With a burst of eerie laughter, the Demon vanished, leaving Hain alone in the darkness.
Behind him, the students of Galwin Magic Academy sat around a campfire, chatting and laughing.
……
Outside the Dungeon, after completely resolving the Aos Empire’s internal turmoil, Isavel returned here, immediately entering the camp to find Academy Master Robert.
“How’s the situation?”
Stroking his beard, Robert’s face was full of praise: “The Rose Knights truly are the saviors chosen by the goddess. Not even my best students can compare to them.”
“And the Dungeon? There must be a Demon manipulating things behind the scenes here.”
At this, Robert’s expression darkened and he said worriedly, “Yes, a Demon found them and tried to beguile them. But so far, this attempt has not succeeded.”
Although Abyssal Magic prevented them from entering the Dungeon, they could still use magic to observe what was happening inside. Thus, they knew exactly who the Demon had contacted.
Unfortunately, they had no way to relay information to those inside.
Upon hearing this, Isavel’s eyes flashed coldly. She then turned and walked toward the edge of the camp.
“Saintess?”
“Try to find a way to control the Dungeon through the Abyssal Magic. Don’t underestimate those Demons.”
Robert was silent for a moment, then sighed and hurried after Isavel.
This Saintess really was especially attentive to her Rose Knights.
……
On the fifth floor of the Dungeon, due to the appearance of an extremely rare monster, the Rose Knights and Divine Son Hain’s team ran into each other.
This monster looked, at first glance, like a giant spider, but it could control space, weaving a special, invisible field that slowed everyone’s movements.
Moreover, its core was protected by layers of spatial folds, making it extremely hard to break through.
It was this monster that blocked Hain’s team, allowing the pursuing Rose Knights to catch up.
“This isn’t looking good.” Leanna quickly assessed the situation. “Relying on us alone, it’s very difficult to break its blockade. Its spatial abilities are too troublesome.”
The monster’s magic level was at 43—clearly not something a single team could handle.
At this point, the best option was to cooperate.
But… the Rose Knights and the Academy’s team, cooperating?
Divine Son Hain stood at the front of the Academy team. When he saw Teresa, a trace of disgust and murderous intent flickered in his eyes.
He understood better than anyone the source of his own power. In fact, he could say that everything he’d achieved was thanks to the Divine Grace within Teresa.
If it weren’t for him, the one standing at the head of the Academy’s team should have been Teresa.
But time would not flow backward; he was the victor, and would remain so.
As for Teresa… it would be better if she, like her parents, was buried underground as soon as possible.
Even though murderous intent surged in his heart, Hain knew that turning against the Rose Knights right now would be incredibly foolish, so he forcibly suppressed his thoughts and tried to maintain a calm appearance.
“Let’s cooperate. We’ll join forces and break through first.”
He found Leanna, captain of the Rose Knights, while Teresa, having keenly sensed the fleeting malice from Hain, chose to remain silent.
Leanna agreed to Hain’s request.
The battle plan was simple: the Rose Knights would pin down the spider and draw its attacks, while Hain led the Academy elites to look for an opportunity to attack the core and slay it completely.
Hain originally thought that giving the distraction task to the Rose Knights would allow him to watch them make fools of themselves.
However, the moment the battle began, they showed an astounding degree of coordination and tactical discipline.
Attack, defense, weakening, reinforcements… In every aspect of the fight, they performed nearly perfectly. No matter what the spider tried, it couldn’t hurt them in the slightest.
Seeing this, Hain unconsciously clenched his fists.
The Rose Knights’ abilities seemed to surpass his expectations…
And it wasn’t just him; even the other students instinctively gaped, finding it incredible. Some even felt a wave of doubt and defeat inside.
Before the Rose Knights arrived, they had tried to slay this monster themselves—with disastrous results.
Not only did they fail to injure the creature, many of their own had been wounded.
The Rose Knights’ performance made them question not only their own abilities, but also their Academy.
Was Galwin Magic Academy truly the best Magic Academy?
With the Rose Knights restraining the spider, the battle appeared to be turning in their favor.
Yet just as the monster, tormented by the Rose Knights, began to roar in fury and its core defenses faltered for an instant—
A cold gleam flashed in Hain’s eyes!
Now was the best chance to kill the monster. But instead of joining the attack as agreed, he barked a sharp order at his own team:
“Now! Go!”
With the monster lured away by the Rose Knights, a tunnel to the sixth floor was exposed behind it. After giving the order, Hain gathered his Divine Grace and rushed for the exit!
The Academy team members froze. One of them instinctively called out, “Hain! They’re still—”
“Shut up! Follow orders!” the Divine Son interrupted harshly, his tone brooking no argument, even carrying a hint of madness. “They can handle it! We need to save ourselves first!”
With that, he dashed into the tunnel without looking back.
The other Academy members, after a moment’s hesitation and struggle, eventually followed Hain and fled, leaving the Rose Knights to face the now-enraged monster alone!
“Bastard!”
Aixi roared. The monster, driven mad by its prey’s escape, lashed out even more furiously.
But Aixi held nothing back, her weapon Morning Radiance glowing ever brighter, beating the monster back again and again.
“Stay calm!” Leanna slashed away a web and her face darkened. “Deal with what’s in front of us first!”
Teresa gazed in the direction Hain had vanished, cold light flashing in her eyes.
She thought of her promise to Isavel, and of her own desire for revenge.
Sooner or later, she would personally kill the Preston Family’s Divine Son!
……
Sixth floor of the Dungeon, at the temporary encampment.
Hain led the Academy team “successfully” back, but his face showed no joy—only a gloom from his plan’s incomplete success.
Because when he fled to the sixth floor, he realized the Rose Knights hadn’t been instantly overwhelmed; in fact, the monster was being steadily beaten back.
Could they really kill it?
That thought took root in his mind, making his whole body tremble.
There was a blood feud between him and Teresa. If they could kill that monster, it meant their strength surpassed his own…
He would die!
Right now, unease spread through him like a spider’s web.
At the same time, the news of his betrayal and escape spread through the camp like a plague.
“Hain, we need an explanation.”
The brown-haired youth was the first to confront him, his face livid.
“To abandon comrades fighting by our side, especially when they’re holding off the monster for us! No matter how you spin it, that’s cowardly and vile! Hain, this goes against everything the Academy stands for!”
He finished with a hint of mockery in his smile.
“Principles? Don’t forget, this isn’t just a Dungeon raid—it’s an Academy challenge match!”
Hain forced himself to stay calm, but his voice still trembled. “If they’re taken out by the monster, isn’t that in our best interest?”
“Our interest? Are you saying that we, students of Galwin Magic Academy, need to use such dirty, disgraceful tactics to beat our opponents?” The brown-haired youth sneered.
Another member who had fled looked ashamed and scared, whispering, “But I clearly saw the Rose Knights create the perfect opening… We could have fought together…”
“You dare question my judgment?!” The Divine Son glared at him, his expression turning more twisted.
The surrounding students—including those who once worshipped Hain—now looked at him differently.
Their gazes no longer held pure admiration, but disappointment, confusion, even contempt.
The “Divine Son” halo around him now bore a sharp, visible crack.
Galwin Magic Academy’s magical prodigy was supposed to be proud, but now the others only found him ugly.
For the sake of stupid “interests” he’d abandoned his comrades—a most disgraceful act in the eyes of these young men and women.
Hain wanted to explain further, but seeing their scornful looks, he clenched his fists and fell silent.
He believed he was acting for their own good, preserving the Academy’s honor—but they were too foolish to understand.
Fine. The strong are always alone.
As he comforted himself thus, on the Dungeon’s fifth floor, after a bitter struggle, the Rose Knights emerged through the spider monster’s tunnel, battered but sharp-eyed.
The sixth floor—they had arrived.
And more than that…
A colder glint flashed in Teresa’s eyes.
Divine Son Hain?
It was finally time to settle accounts.