The world was burning.
Screams echoed across the battlefield as the town struggled to hold on. The sky was dyed in streaks of blood and fire, the air thick with the scent of smoke and the metallic tang of blood. Monsters—twisted abominations of flesh and corruption—crawled and soared across the streets. Every corner of the city was under siege.
Amid the chaos, three figures stood as bulwarks against destruction.
Olivia hovered above a crumbling tower, golden wings of pure light spread behind her, her emerald eyes alight with determination. Light magic surged from her hands in waves, incinerating the demonic horde that threatened to break through the western flank. Her divine aura illuminated the night like a second sun.
Beside her, Lyra danced across the ice-covered rooftops, her pale form a blur of elegance and destruction. Ice lances shot from her fingertips, impaling shadow beasts mid-leap. With a flick of her wrist, a glacier wall rose to protect a group of fleeing villagers. The cold radiating from her form froze corrupted blood in mid-air.
On the eastern gate, Scarlett stood alone—no, not alone. Her shadow army surged like a tidal wave, a hundred monstrous forms fighting under her will. Her crimson eyes glowed beneath her hood, and every movement of her hand commanded shadows to rip, tear, and protect. Her blades spun in an elegant dance of death, while her summoned beasts tore into the approaching enemy forces.
Everyone was fighting.
Everyone was surviving.
But in the northern district, where the town had already fallen into ruin, a different battle was unfolding.
Noah stood alone, his breath heavy and ragged. His white hair clung to his forehead, matted with sweat and blood. His crimson eyes stared down the demon queen in front of him—a towering figure clad in robes of corrupted silk, her beauty only adding to the dread she radiated. Her skin shimmered with veins of dark green and black, her blade—a long, snake-like sword infused with pulsating corruption—danced with serpentine movements.
She laughed, her voice sultry and wicked.
"You've grown, boy," she said. "But you're not strong enough to stop me."
Noah didn't respond. His body was battered, soaked with dark miasma. The queen's sword had pierced him multiple times, and her corruption was slowly eating away at his mana pathways.
He summoned his sword again and charged.
Their weapons clashed, and the sound of steel meeting corruption echoed through the destroyed buildings. Sparks flew. A burst of fire erupted from Noah's blade as he used Phantom Edge, but the queen countered with a wave of corrupted mist, swallowing the flames and sending him flying through a ruined bell tower.
He coughed blood, body barely able to move. Yet, even as the corruption surged through his veins, his eyes remained defiant.
Far away, in the depths of the ruined chapel at the northern edge, Layla stood still.
Her black hair fluttered wildly, her fallen bridal gown torn but eerily elegant. Her cursed scythe hovered at her side, and corruption swirled around her like a living storm. Her amber eyes were wide, locked on the battlefield where Noah struggled to even stand.
She gritted her teeth. Her hands clenched.
"Don't die… don't die, you idiot…" she whispered, her voice trembling.
She had been absorbing the corruption for hours now. The air itself was poison, yet it filled her with knowledge, understanding, and power. She could feel it whispering secrets of destruction—of death—of eternal obsession. And in those moments of silence, she remembered.
A memory…
Layla: "Noah… how do you use a Domain?"
Noah, without looking up: "You don't use it. You accept it."
Layla: "Huh?"
Noah: "A domain is your soul made real. Don't force it. Don't bend it. Just feel it. Understand your element—accept it as a part of you. Let it flow. Only then will it answer."
Tears shimmered in Layla's eyes.
And now, as the corrupted blade was raised to finish Noah once and for all, she whispered:
"I accept it."
A ripple spread across her soul. The corruption she absorbed began swirling violently, not consuming her—but becoming her. Her aura flared like an exploding star, the cursed scythe trembling in anticipation. The air bent around her as her wings of shadow and corruption unfurled—massive, tattered, and beautiful in their decay.
And just as the demon queen's sword descended toward Noah—
Layla vanished.
Then—
BOOM!
A shockwave cracked the earth.
The queen's blade never touched Noah.
Instead, a figure stood between them—her bridal gown torn and flowing like a curtain of black roses, her wings pulsing with unholy power.
Layla.
Her black eyes glowed with hatred. "Don't touch my man, you bitch."
Before the demon queen could react, Layla's foot connected with her gut.
CRASH!
The demon was sent hurtling through a stone tower, debris flying as her body crashed into the remains of a ruined chapel. The earth shook.
Layla turned to Noah, dropping to her knees. "You idiot," she muttered. Her hands gently cupped his cheeks. His skin was cold, corrupted.
Without hesitation, she pressed her lips to his forehead and drew the corruption out.
A violent swirl of black and green mist surged from Noah's body into Layla's, but she didn't flinch. The energy fed into her, spiraling like a vortex until her aura consumed it all.
She took out a vial—Noah's healing potion—and uncorked it with her teeth, gently tilting it to his lips.
Before she could finish, a clawed hand ripped through the smoke behind them.
The queen was back.
But Layla didn't flinch.
She stood, turned—and smiled.
Her aura pulsed.
And then—
[Domain Expansion]
"Eternal Devotion – Garden of Twisted Vows"
Reality shattered.
The sky turned crimson. Dark petals fell like ash, swirling gently in a phantom wind. The earth became a blackened altar, adorned with obsidian roses dripping cursed nectar. A massive cracked moon loomed above, glowing with the light of tragedy.
Thorns of white bone and black shadow twisted upward, encasing the area in a beautiful nightmare. A spectral figure of Noah stood at the altar, chained in shimmering black bindings, eyes closed—peaceful.
The queen blinked, stunned. "What… is this?"
Layla floated above the twisted garden, her wings spread wide. Her scythe now pulsed with a heartbeat. Her aura was no longer unstable—it was focused. Refined. Beautiful.
She whispered:
"You entered my world."
– Cursed Vows (Passive): The queen's movements slowed. Every attack she threw at Layla felt… heavier, like her own body resisted the intent. The weight of eternal promises bound her like invisible chains.
– Thorns of Possession: Black vines erupted from the ground, latching onto the queen's limbs. They glowed with sigils of Layla's own design—twisted hearts and ancient runes. Every moment she resisted, she bled mana.
– Undying Obsession: Layla's body healed instantly every time she took a hit. The more the queen fought back, the stronger Layla became. It was a domain of pure willpower. Pure love. Unbreakable madness.
– Love-Devourer's Bloom: A rose bloomed beneath the queen's feet, glowing with cursed light. It exploded upward in a burst of black flame, devouring her mana reserves and infecting her body with Layla's curse.
Noah, now healed and conscious, watched from the altar.
His mouth parted.
"…Layla?"
He looked at the system prompt flashing in front of him.
[System Notification]
[Layla Silvermoon has broken through S-Rank]
[Unique Domain Formed: Eternal Devotion – Garden of Twisted Vows]
[Domain Type: Corruption – Curse – Obsession]
[Power source: Excess Corruption absorbed + Emotional Resonance with Host (Noah)]
[Warning: Host's name is etched into Domain Core]
[Strength: Currently surpassing S+]
He exhaled deeply, watching her.
Even in her magic, she never forgot me.
The queen screamed, wings torn and blackened by Layla's scythe.
"HOW DARE YOU—!?"
Layla only laughed.
"You touched what's mine."
"Now I'll touch your soul."
She spun her scythe, the blade elongating with spikes of bone and shadow, and brought it crashing down.
The ground shook.
Outside the domain, Scarlett and Olivia paused.
A ripple of energy swept over the battlefield.
"What was that?" Olivia asked, her voice shaky.
Scarlett grinned. "That's Layla."
Inside, the battle raged like a dream turned nightmare.
Layla's laughter echoed.
Noah stood at the edge, smiling faintly.
"…She really is crazy," he whispered.
"But she's my crazy."
To be continued…