Dirga kept moving forward, step by step.
Nothing too dangerous crossed their path—no twisted beasts, no more monstrous Butchers. Just the slow rhythm of walking beside the river, the trees parting gradually as the dark, cursed forest began to thin.
Kaela had finally awakened.
Still weak, her body hadn’t recovered enough to walk long distances, so Dirga continued to carry her, secured to his back with the Crimson Core’s shifting bands. The warmth of her breathing on his shoulder was a quiet reminder—she was alive. And that was enough.
But when Kaela’s voice broke the silence with a simple question—
He glanced at Saelari. His throat tightened. Delivering bad news had never been his strength—and this was a wound too fresh, too raw.
Saelari understood the look. She stepped closer, her voice soft but steady.
She explained everything.
The battle within Theryn.
The desperate jump from the top of the castle tower.
And how Theryn had veered off course—alone, into a different direction.
Kaela was silent at first. Shocked. Then confused. And then, slowly, the understanding sank in.
"She left us... to protect us," Kaela whispered, voice hoarse.
No one corrected her.
Because she was right.
Kaela grew stronger by the day. Her steps became steadier. Her spirit brighter. Today, for the first time since the battle, she walked on her own again—unaided, head held high.
The mood lightened with her recovery.
Saelari’s playful energy returned in bursts, her jokes flying left and right like sparks from a fire. Kaela laughed. Dirga smiled. For brief moments, they let themselves forget the blood, the pain, the shadows they left behind.
They still spoke of Theryn. Not as a ghost—but as a friend they would find again. A sister still out there.
Dirga didn’t say much. But in his heart, he swore a silent promise:
"We’ll bring her back."
Two weeks since their fall.
The cursed black forest—the Dusk Forest—finally came to an end.
The transition was slow at first. Less black on the trees. Then greener moss. Then soil that wasn’t soaked in Zarion and death.
Dirga stood still, blinking against the sudden change. The dark canopy above had given way to clear, open light. The air felt different. Not clean, exactly—but breathable. Alive.
The Eye in the sky still loomed above—a crimson star staring from beyond the clouds—but everything else...
Real grass. Rolling hills. Dirt roads. Sparse woodland scattered with wind.
And far ahead, nestled between the river and distant cliffs...
"There it is," Dirga muttered, barely believing the sight.
Nestled beyond the hills and stretching across the land like a sleeping beast, Ortheva rose into view—vast, armored, and alive. From what Saelari and Kaela had told him, the city was colossal—less a city and more a country in itself, divided into sprawling sectors labeled from A to Z. Sector Z marked the very heart of the city. Sector A, the farthest edge.
According to Saelari, Ortheva was just one of four megacities in Hell—each governed by a Devil of a different suit. Hearts. Spades. Clubs. Diamonds.
And Ortheva belonged to the Ace of Diamond.
The very one who created the tournament.
Dirga’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the horizon. The outer wall of the city gleamed like tempered steel, embedded with diamond-shaped ornaments that shimmered faintly under the red Eye in the sky.
The wall itself was layered.
The first section towered ten meters high. Behind it, a second wall reached twenty meters. And at the back, the final defense loomed a full thirty meters tall. Three tiers of fortress wall, stacked like jagged steps into the sky—silent, imposing, unwelcoming.
"Why build walls that massive?" Dirga asked, squinting at the structure. "What are they trying to keep out? Are they at war?"
He turned to Saelari.
She’d become something like a living encyclopedia during their journey—quick with answers, rich in history. If anyone knew, it was her.
Saelari tilted her head, thoughtful. "From what I’ve read... the ancient Devils warred constantly. It was chaos—territory, pride, old blood grudges. But some texts say the real reason for these defenses wasn’t each other."
She paused, her voice sharpening.
"They built these walls in case of a war with Heaven."
Dirga’s expression darkened. The sky above seemed to press heavier.
"They made sure their borders could withstand anything."
Beside them, Kaela took a deep breath, her eyes closing as the breeze passed through her Chesnut hair. The wind carried the scent of oil and iron—machines groaning in the distance. Her golden irises fluttered behind her lids before she opened them with a soft smile, just for a moment forgetting they were still in Hell.
"Let’s go!" she grinned—and took off running toward the city gates.
Dirga and Saelari followed at a more even pace.
A massive line had formed outside the gate. Creatures and vehicles of every shape and era waited to enter—some on mounts that resembled horses, others riding massive beasts like striped tigers with tusks. One group sat atop a bulky, metal-plated transport that puffed out black smoke, while another hauled wagons like something out of a medieval fairytale.
The diversity was staggering.
Red-skinned warriors with horns. Small, pale figures with glowing eyes. Blue-skinned like Saelari. Some with tails, wings, antlers, gills, hooves. Some barely humanoid. Others indistinguishable from Earth’s humans—save for a subtle gleam in their gaze or the extra heartbeat Dirga could hear if he listened closely.
"Wow..." Kaela breathed, eyes wide as she turned to Dirga and Saelari. "So many races. It’s like a whole world in one place."
Dirga nodded slowly. Even with everything he’d seen in Hell so far, this was different. This was civilization—Hell’s version of it. Organized. Controlled. And... alive.
They took their place in the line. From afar, Dirga could see two guards stationed at the main gate, scanning each group one by one.
"Can we even get in?" he asked, eyes narrowing.
"Of course," Saelari replied. "Anyone can enter the city. But there’s protocol. These guards are here to catch criminals or detect cursed individuals. Just act natural—unless something goes wrong."
She leaned closer, whispering, "If they do start trouble... just leak a little of your aura. Show them you’re not someone to mess with."
Dirga raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"
Saelari gave him a confident nod. "You have a Concept. Just like a Devil. The moment they feel that pressure, they’ll back down."
"...Got it." Dirga gave her a thumbs-up.
An hour passed, though it felt faster thanks to the sheer variety of creatures around them. Eventually, the three of them reached the front of the line.
The guards were... intimidating.
One had crimson skin, short horns curling back from his temples, and a muscular build. A long, whip-like tail coiled behind him. The other looked more human—until Dirga noticed the third eye pulsing in the center of his forehead.
Both men looked them up and down with suspicion.
It wasn’t hard to see why.
After two weeks in the forest, they looked like ragged travelers at best—criminals at worst. Their clothes were torn, dusty, and soaked in faint stains. Kaela and Saelari’s beauty gave them a noble presence, but even that couldn’t completely erase the suspicion clinging to them.
"...Where are you from?" the red-skinned guard asked, voice gruff.
"We got lost in the Dusk Forest," Saelari replied calmly. "Been stuck there for a month. Just found our way out."
The guards didn’t look convinced. One of them tightened his grip on his spear.
Saelari gave Dirga a discreet nudge.
Dirga inhaled—then let his aura leak out. Just a flicker of his Concept. Just enough for them to feel it.
The air thickened. The ground pulsed. Space seemed to bend faintly around Dirga’s presence, like the world was being pulled inward.
The two guards stumbled back, startled. Their hands shot to their weapons.
"Stand down!" a new voice barked from above.
A figure dropped from the upper wall—landing with a thunderous crash that sent dust exploding outward.
An older man stood there, tall and proud. Red-skinned like the guard, but leaner, more refined. His hair was medium-length, jet black, and streaked with gray at the temples. A full beard framed his sharp jaw. He wore ornate guard armor etched with runes—clearly someone of authority.
A tail curled behind him, steady and still.
Pointed ears. Sharp black pupils.
A high-ranking Devil, no doubt.
The man stepped forward, scanning Dirga with narrowed eyes.
He didn’t flinch under the pressure of Dirga’s aura. He simply examined him, as though weighing something invisible.
"...They can pass," the man said.
The guards froze, blinking.
"I said," the officer cut in, "they can pass."
With that, he turned and walked back toward the gate, cape fluttering behind him.
The guards stepped aside.
The gates of Ortheva groaned open.
Dirga, Kaela, and Saelari stepped forward, crossing the threshold into the Devil’s city.