The underground chamber was never meant to be used.
Its walls were carved from obsidian stone veined with crimson mana, sealed centuries ago by the Empire's founders. Ancient runes pulsed faintly, reacting not to magic—but to demonic intent.
Risha stood at the center of the chamber, barefoot on the summoning circle.
She was shaking.
Not from fear.
From restraint.
"Are you sure about this?"
Rocky's voice echoed from the edge of the chamber. He looked worse than before—bandaged, exhausted, eyes shadowed by sleepless nights. Happy stood behind him, wings folded respectfully, her gaze sharp and wary.
Risha didn't turn around.
"If the Cabrarra generals attack again," she said quietly, "the empire will fall. You felt their pressure. I did too."
Rocky clenched his fist.
"You don't have to become this."
Risha finally looked back at him.
Her eyes were already changing—irises glowing faintly red, pupils slit like a predator's.
"I was never not this," she replied. "I was just unfinished."
Risha's True Nature
Risha had always been different.
Even before the invasion.
She healed too fast. Survived wounds that should have killed her. Her mana felt wrong—hotter, heavier, layered with something ancient.
The truth had come out only after the first Cabrarra general attacked.
Risha was a Demon Seed Bearer.
A rare existence born when demonic blood fused with a mortal soul—not a demon pretending to be human, but a human growing into something more.
The system had confirmed it brutally.
Hidden Trait Revealed:
Dormant Demon Core
Status: Incomplete
Evolution Path: Blocked
Blocked—until now.
The invasion had shattered the seal.
And the choice was hers.
The Evolution Ritual Begins
Risha stepped fully into the circle.
The runes ignited.
The chamber trembled as mana flooded inward, drawn not from the environment—but from Risha herself. Her heartbeat echoed unnaturally loud, each pulse syncing with the runes.
⚠️ SYSTEM ALERT ⚠️
Unique Evolution Detected
Subject: Risha
Evolution Class: TRUE DEMONESS
Risk Level: Extreme
Happy tensed. "If she loses control—"
"I won't," Risha said, teeth clenched. "I refuse to."
Her body lifted slightly off the ground.
Pain ripped through her like wildfire.
Her back arched as something broke inside her—not bones, not flesh—but limits. Horns pushed through her hair, curved and obsidian-black. Wings erupted from her back in a spray of dark feathers and crimson energy.
She screamed.
Not in agony.
In defiance.
The demon core inside her ignited.
Facing the Abyss
The chamber vanished.
Risha found herself standing in a vast, endless void.
Before her loomed a colossal silhouette—an ancient demoness, crowned in flame and shadow, eyes like burning stars.
The Origin.
"Kneel," the entity commanded.
"Accept your place as my vessel."
Risha laughed through bloodied lips.
"No."
The void shook.
"You are nothing without me."
"I am not your continuation," Risha snarled.
"I am your successor."
She reached inward—not for borrowed power, but for her memories. Her pain. Her bonds. Rocky's stubborn hope. Happy's reluctant loyalty. The empire burning—and still standing.
Her demon core changed shape.
The Origin reeled back.
"Impossible—"
Risha thrust her hand forward.
"I don't inherit demons," she declared.
"I redefine them."
The void shattered.
The Birth of a True Demoness
Back in the chamber, a shockwave exploded outward.
Rocky was thrown back. Happy dug her talons into the floor to stay upright.
The summoning circle cracked.
Then—silence.
Risha landed softly on the obsidian stone.
She stood taller now. Horns elegant rather than monstrous. Wings vast, feathered in black and crimson. Her presence alone bent the air around her—but it was controlled.
Her eyes glowed—not with rage.
With clarity.
⚠️ Evolution Complete ⚠️
Risha – True Demoness
Demon Core: Sovereign-Class
Alignment: Self-Defined
Authority: Demonic Law (Limited)
Happy stared.
"…She didn't become a general," the harpy whispered.
"She became a queen," Rocky finished.
Risha looked at her hands, then at Rocky.
She smiled—softly.
"I'm still me," she said. "Just… no longer weak."
A New Balance of Power
Far above the empire, one of the Cabrarra generals suddenly stiffened.
Vaelrix's wings twitched.
"That presence…" he muttered. "A new demon authority?"
Another general laughed. "The empire breeds monsters now?"
Vaelrix smiled slowly.
"Good," he said. "Then this war will be worth remembering."
Oath of Fire and Shadow
Risha walked toward Rocky.
"I won't let them take this world," she said. "Not while I exist."
Rocky met her gaze, steady despite the pressure she radiated.
"Then we fight smarter," he said. "Together."
Happy folded her wings and bowed—just slightly.
"A Summoner," she said to Rocky.
"A Demoness," she said to Risha.
"…This party is becoming terrifying."
Risha laughed.
Outside, the empire licked its wounds.
Inside, something far more dangerous had been born.
And for the first time since the invasion began—
The Cabrarra were no longer the only monsters on the battlefield.