Vergil stepped through the stone arch without hesitation, and the sensation of passing through was unlike that of an ordinary portal. There was no tunnel of light, no smooth distortion, no gradual transition. Space simply shifted around him. One step was still in the Amazon rainforest; the next touched another land, another air, another dimension. The portal closed behind him with a dry sound, like a heavy door locking.

Sankaria immediately revealed itself as something ancient and arrogant. It wasn’t just a hidden kingdom. It was a world built to assert superiority. The first thing that caught the eye was the sheer size of everything. The trees weren’t as large as those in the Amazon. They were monstrous. Trunks as wide as entire buildings rose hundreds of meters, with roots that resembled natural walls and branches as thick as bridges. The canopy formed an almost complete ceiling, leaving the environment in constant twilight. Between the trunks there was low mist, stones covered in ancient symbols, and paths too wide to have been made by humans.

The air smelled of wet earth, old blood, and animals. Not the smell of an ordinary forest. It smelled of territory occupied by predators for thousands of years. Distant sounds echoed among the trees: long howls, heavy footsteps, chains dragging somewhere, wood breaking under excessive weight.

Vergil stood still for a few seconds, just looking around. His face remained neutral, but his eyes were already calculating space, distance, energy, and movement. There were presences scattered everywhere, some close, many far away. Most observing. None approaching yet.

He let out a short sigh.

"Finding these werewolves is going to be a pain."

The comment came out without any drama. Then he tilted his head slightly to the side, as if reconsidering the search method.

"Fuck it."

The decision came simply.

In the next instant, he released his aura.

Not little by little. Not in controlled waves. Not in a reasonable quantity.

All of it.

The pressure surged from his body like the explosion of a black star. The ground around him cracked first. Stones rose and then shattered in the air. The nearest trees tilted violently as if a hurricane had sprung from nowhere. The wind was pushed in all directions and returned in whirlwinds.

The sky over Sankaria reacted immediately.

The clouds, once gray and heavy, began to spiral. Their natural color was drained and replaced by a deep red, like living flesh illuminated by distant fire. Lines of black light crisscrossed the clouds like open veins. The entire atmosphere took on a menacing hue in seconds.

Then came the lightning.

Not ordinary lightning. They were thick, violent black discharges that fell from the clouds with a dry thud. Wherever they struck, they exploded gigantic trees, tore through hills, and set entire fields ablaze with dark flames. A row of centuries-old tree trunks was pulverized kilometers away by the mere indirect impact.

Vergil remained motionless in the center of the chaos.

Energy continued to emanate from him as if without limit. The very air vibrated around his body. Small cuts appeared in the nearby space, fine cracks unable to withstand the density of that presence.

Far away, inside fortresses of stone and black wood, thousands of werewolves froze simultaneously.

In watchtowers, sentinels dropped their weapons.

In deep caves, ancient beasts opened their eyes.

In villages scattered throughout the kingdom, mothers clutched their pups and retreated into their homes.

In the outer forests, entire patrols knelt, not understanding why.

Pure instinct.

Pure fear.

Vergil closed his eyes for a moment and expanded his senses even further. The presences appeared to him as points in all directions. Thousands. Then tens of thousands. Then more.

He smiled slightly.

"Thousands..."

The perception deepened further.

"No."

Further on, hidden cities. Entire clans. Subterranean caves. Fortresses in the inner mountains. Tunnels beneath colossal roots.

"Millions."

He raised his face to the red sky and spoke.

But he didn’t speak only with his throat. He used energy to charge his voice and transform it into absolute order. The sound spread throughout Sankaria like conscious thunder, piercing through trees, stone, soil, and buildings.

"BRING ALEXA WYKES TO ME NOW."

The echo bounced off distant mountains and returned.

Black lightning struck in sequence as the voice still spread.

"BEFORE I START THE GREATEST BLOODBATH IN ALL OF HISTORY."

Silence.

Then chaos.

Throughout the kingdom, thousands began to run at once. Some toward him out of duty. Others away out of fear. Clan chiefs shouted orders. Gates were closed. War drums echoed in military areas. Creatures bound in chains were hastily freed. Messengers traversed trails at absurd speed.

Vergil simply waited.

The first to arrive came from the nearby woods. About fifty warriors in hybrid form, light armor of bone and leather, long spears, exposed claws. They leaped between branches and landed, surrounding him in a semicircle. All large. All strong by common standards.

None strong enough.

Their leader, a gray-haired male with one blind eye, pointed his spear, trembling only slightly.

"You invaded Sankaria!"

Vergil looked at him.

"Yes."

"Dare to lower your energy and surrender!"

Vergil observed the man for two seconds.

"No."

The leader growled and made an attack signal.

The fifty advanced.

Vergil didn’t draw his sword.

Nor did he move his feet.

The aura around him expanded in a single pulse. All fifty were thrown back like toys. Some struck trees and pierced thick trunks. Others exploded in the air in a mass of blood. The leader lost half his body upon contact with a spatial rift opened by the pressure.

Vergil continued waiting.

More groups came.

Hundreds now. Archers on natural platforms fired black arrows from the treetops. Ground troops surged forth, rushing among the roots. Beasts mounted by werewolf knights broke through the undergrowth.

Vergil raised his hand.

The arrows stopped in mid-air.

All of them.

Then they turned and returned.

The archers died without understanding.

The mounted beasts leaped within his reach. A black lightning bolt fell from the sky and instantly extinguished three of them. The rest retreated in panic.

Vergil looked at a distant hill filled with gathering soldiers and snapped his fingers.

The hill sank.

Earth, stone, and hundreds of warriors vanished into a circular crater.

"Pathetic."

He sensed another presence, more significant, approaching quickly from the right. Very quickly. A general, perhaps. A local alpha. The creature surged forward, tearing through trees in its path, four meters tall, with white fur, metal plates attached to its body, and an enormous jaw.

It leaped, aiming for his throat.

Vergil finally moved.

One step to the side.

The creature passed right by.

Vergil grabbed its nape in mid-air with one hand and smashed it into the ground with such force that he carved a twenty-meter-wide valley.

Its body was still moving when he released it.

"Next."

In the heart of Sankaria, inside a fortress built around a colossal tree, the clan council watched the red sky through the open windows.

An elder with black fur slammed his fist on the table furiously.

"Who brought this monster here?"

Another answered, trembling.

"He asked Alexa Wykes."

The name brought immediate silence.

A scarred female gritted her teeth.

"I told you messing with that person would bring trouble. Why did you ignore me?"

Another advisor growled.

"Did we hand over the traitor?"

Before anyone could answer, the outer wall exploded with the impact of a black lightning bolt. Molten stone flew across the hall. Shouts began.

Outside, Vergil continued walking.

Each step crushed roots and cracked ancient ground. No army could organize itself for long enough. Whenever large groups appeared, a lightning bolt struck or the very pressure of the aura brought them down.

He was being patient.

Which, for Sankaria, was the worst part.

Because this was still not a real effort.

Vergil stopped atop a natural elevation and observed miles of forest burning in scattered spots. Thousands ran between the trees. Some gathered courage to attack him. Others fled to caves.

He spoke again, now without maximum amplification, but still audible across vast areas.

"Last chance."

The voice carried weariness more than anger.

"Bring Alexa."

On the west side of the kingdom, chains snapped within an underground arena.

In the center of a bloodied examination room, a white-haired woman slowly raised her head as she heard the name echoing through the structures.

Alexa Wykes spat blood onto the floor and smiled even though she was injured.

"...I know that voice." Above her, guards exchanged terrified glances. She laughed, like a madwoman awakening so much hatred that she let her aura leak through the seal she had received; she felt so much rage that the seal began to break.

To prevent her escape, she had received a seal that sealed her aura and her transformation, but Vergil’s energy reached her, so...

On the west side of Sankaria, beneath ancient roots as thick as walls, the subterranean arena trembled. Dust fell from the stone ceiling, chains swayed on their own, and symbols carved into the walls flickered erratically. The echo of Vergil’s voice still rang through the place like distant thunder. Werewolf guards rushed through the narrow corridors, bumping into each other, unsure whether to protect the prisoner or flee from the presence that had invaded the entire kingdom.

In the center of the main chamber, Alexa Wykes remained kneeling within a containment circle. Black chains bound her wrists, ankles, and waist. Deep whip marks, bites, burns, and old cuts covered her arms, back, and legs. Her white hair was stained with dried blood and mud. Even so, she kept her head held high.

The seal on her chest glowed in cracks.

Her aura leaked in small, uncontrolled waves, making the ground vibrate around her. Each time she took a deeper breath, the chains creaked. Each time she smiled, a guard took a step back.

"Hold her!" shouted a captain, trying to sound firm.

No one approached.

Then the elders arrived.

They came through three different entrances at once. Seven old figures, covered in cloaks of leather and polished bones, carrying staffs marked with runes. Some limped, others had scars so ancient they seemed part of their skin. All exuded raw power. They were responsible for the kingdom’s seals, those who kept monsters imprisoned when claws and fangs weren’t enough.

The oldest of them pointed his staff at Alexa.

"Reinforce immediately."

The seven spread out around the circle. Runes were lit on the ground. Extra chains emerged from the walls like metallic serpents. Burn marks reappeared on Alexa’s skin, crossing her arms, neck, and abdomen.

She trembled once.

Then she laughed.

One of the elders frowned.

"Why are you laughing?"

Alexa slowly raised her bloodshot eyes to him.

"Because you took your time."

The seven raised their energy simultaneously. The light of the runes intensified, forming a dome above her. The chains tightened so much that fresh blood flowed from their wrists. The seal on her chest was forcibly recomposed, closing part of the cracks.

For a few seconds, it seemed to work.

Her aura vanished.

Silence fell over the room.

The guards breathed a sigh of relief.

Then the space behind the circle tore open without warning.

There was no beautiful portal, no glow. The air simply opened in a dark line, as if an invisible blade had cut through reality. The crack widened a meter, then two. Something walked through.

Vergil entered the cell as if doors had never meant anything.

His presence caused all the torches to go out at once. The elders froze.

The guards instantly lost their composure.

Vergil glanced around once. He saw blood on the floor. Torture tools scattered on side tables. Chains attached to the ceiling. Claw and whip marks on the walls. Then his eyes stopped on Alexa.

"What happened here?"

The voice came out low.

Even so, every wolf in the room felt their chest tighten.

Alexa raised her head higher. Her whole body cracked as she moved. Shoulders out of place creaking. Broken ribs readjusting under the skin. She showed no pain.

She only smiled.

"It’s good to see you, husband~"

The world seemed to stop for a moment.

The elders didn’t understand the word.

The guards understood even less.

Vergil stood motionless, staring at Alexa. Something passed through his gaze. Not ordinary surprise. Not shame. Not simple irritation. It was as if the phrase had entered his mind directly and decided something for him.

He let out a small sigh.

"Okay."

He turned his face toward the elders.

"I will kill them all."

The first to react tried to cast a containment seal. The staff raised blue light and runes surged through the air. Vergil moved only two fingers.

The elder’s arm fell to the ground, severed from the shoulder.

He still looked at his own stump before dying, shattered into six pieces.

The other six shouted orders simultaneously. Magical chains shot from the walls, ceiling, and floor. Vergil took a step forward.

The chains passed through him.

Not because they missed.

Because he was already behind the elders.

The second had his spine ripped from his body before he understood. The third lost half his torso in a clean horizontal cut. The fourth tried to transform and his head slammed against the ground with such force that he sank up to his neck into the cracked stone.

The guards ran.

Vergil reached out his hand.

All the chamber gates closed at once.

The sound of metal crushing echoed through the corridors.

"Stay," he said calmly.

Total panic began.

Guards pushed, scratched, climbed on top of each other trying to escape. One of them hit the gate and turned to a pulp of flesh upon touching the spatial barrier covering the exit.

The fifth elder tried to escape by crawling. Vergil stepped on his back and continued walking, dragging the body on the ground as if it were a carpet.

The sixth raised both hands.

"Wait! We can negotiate—"

Vergil pierced his chest with his bare hand and ripped out his still-beating heart. He looked at the organ for a second and squeezed until it turned to liquid.

The seventh, the oldest, trembled so much he could barely hold his staff.

"She... she came back of her own accord... we only enforced the laws..."

Vergil approached slowly.

"You tortured someone of mine."

The old man’s eyes widened.

"She’s a traitor!"

Vergil held his face with one hand.

"It would have been better to say nothing."

He pushed.

The head sank into the chest. The body fell limp.

A short silence.

Then came the screams of the remaining guards.

Vergil turned to them.

The sword emerged from his hand.

Yamato emerged from its sheath with a thin, clean, and deadly sound.

Alexa watched everything, smiling from within her chains. "Beautiful," he commented.

Vergil vanished.

What came next didn’t look like a fight. It looked like a cleanup.

Blue lines cut across the room at impossible speeds. Each step left dismembered bodies. Arms flew before claws struck. Heads spun in the air, still showing surprise. Half the troop fell without even seeing who killed them.

Two enormous wolves advanced together from the side. Vergil passed between them, and both split vertically into perfect halves.

Three archers appeared on a high platform. He pointed his sword upwards. The entire platform descended in cubes.

A captain in beastly form roared and leaped directly into Alexa’s circle.

Vergil appeared in front of her before impact.

He grabbed the creature’s snout with one hand.

He spun.

He used the captain’s body as a weapon to crush four other soldiers.

Then he dropped what was left.

Alexa let out a hoarse laugh.

"You came fast."

Vergil didn’t answer. He cut the chains from her left wrist without touching her skin.

The runes tried to react. He cut the seal in mid-air before it formed.

More guards descended the side corridors in dozens. Vergil glanced over his shoulder.

"Wait a minute."

"Of course, husband."

He vanished again.

In the outer corridors, the massacre continued without any living witnesses for a long time. Screams echoed through entire tunnels. Thick doors were opened along with whoever was behind them. Staircases were red-hot. Armory rooms were cut in half. Every unit sent for reinforcements found only pieces of those who had arrived before.

On the surface, parts of the tree-fortress began to collapse.

Werewolves outside saw blood seeping through cracks in the stone and didn’t approach.

Inside the cell, Alexa moved her free arm slowly. Bones cracked as they snapped back into place. She pulled a chain and broke the link with brute force now that the seal had weakened.

Two more chains fell.

She stood for the first time in weeks.

Her legs trembled.

She laughed at herself.

"What a horrible phase."

Vergil returned covered in someone else’s blood. His sword was clean.

"Can you walk?"

Alexa took two unsteady steps and fell forward.

He caught her by the waist before she hit the ground.

"I can be carried."

Vergil stared at her face for a second. Bruises, a cut above her eyebrow, a torn lip. She was still smiling.

"Idiot."

"Did you miss me?"

He cut the last chain and effortlessly lifted her into his arms.

Around them, the chamber was unrecognizable. Bodies everywhere. Cracked stone. Destroyed tables. Runes erased in blood.

Alexa rested her head on his chest.

"I liked the speech outside."

"Did you hear?"

"The whole kingdom heard."

She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed better.

"Are you really going to kill everyone?"

Vergil started walking towards the destroyed exit.

"Depends on my mood."

"I hope it gets worse."

They climbed the corridors while the rest of the fortress trembled. Some survivors appeared hidden behind columns or broken doors. When they saw Vergil carrying Alexa, they dropped their weapons and immediately knelt.

He didn’t look at any of them.

At the main exit, the sky of Sankaria remained red. Black lightning still struck in the distance. Entire clans waited in open fields, thousands gathered without the courage to advance.

When they saw Alexa in his arms, the murmur spread like a disease.

She weakly raised her hand and waved.

"Hi, family."

Vergil took another step forward.

Silence returned. "She’s coming with me," he said.

No one answered.

"If anyone disagrees... great."

His hand landed on the hilt of his sword.

Thousands recoiled at the same time.