The world inside the domain was no longer reality—it was a twisted theater where every corner pulsed with Layla's will.
The sky bled crimson, the air was thick with the scent of cursed roses, and the ground responded like a living beast. The altar still stood behind them, Noah's spectral form calmly watching as if the gods themselves bore witness to the battle.
At the center of it all—Layla and the queen clashed.
Clang!
The queen's sword, pulsing with veins of demonic corruption, met Layla's massive scythe midair. The collision sent shockwaves across the twisted garden, making the thorned vines tremble and the black moon above flicker with cracks of cursed lightning.
"You dare to imprison me inside this… nightmare?" the queen snarled, her voice layered with multiple tones. "You're just a mortal girl drunk on power."
Layla tilted her head, her eyes gleaming. "Drunk?" she repeated, her voice silkier than poison. "No, sweetheart. I'm addicted."
She vanished.
Shadow Blink.
The queen barely had time to parry as Layla appeared beside her—scythe spinning, slashing with graceful madness. A whirlwind of cursed energy trailed each strike, like a deadly storm fueled by her emotions.
Clang—Crash—Slash!
The queen retreated, flipping midair, but a dozen thorns erupted from below, trying to ensnare her limbs. She sliced through them with desperate precision, but for every vine she destroyed, two more bloomed.
She howled, raising her corrupted mana.
"Demonic Bloom – Wither Rain!"
Above, the cracked moon pulsed—and dozens of thorned petals rained down. Each one radiated pure rot. When they struck Layla's domain, the roses on the ground withered instantly.
Layla narrowed her eyes.
"So… you want to kill my garden?"
Her aura spiked.
She raised one hand to the sky and whispered:
"Love Devourer's Bloom—Second Layer."
The cursed rose altar pulsed, sending tendrils of Layla's blood-colored aura skyward. Her vines caught the raining petals mid-descent, absorbing them. The corruption tried to infect her domain—
—but her will was stronger.
The petals were devoured.
The withered roses rebloomed—twice as strong, twice as large.
The queen gasped. "You're absorbing my attacks…?"
Layla grinned.
"Your mana is dirty," she said softly, stepping forward with a sway of her hips, "but I've already consumed worse things in this cursed world. Do you know what feeds my garden?"
She stopped in front of the queen, eyes gleaming.
"Devotion."
Her scythe began to glow.
Not with corruption. But with crimson warmth—like a heart overflowing with madness, love, and wrath.
Noah watched from the altar, his real body now standing outside the core. Even injured, he could feel her domain—feel her.
"Layla… is beautiful right now," he whispered, eyes wide.
The queen lunged, screaming, sword extending with black tendrils.
Layla's body twisted midair, elegantly dodging. As she spun, her wings spread, and her scythe carved a bloody arc through the space between them—
SLASH!
The queen's sword-arm was severed.
She screamed.
Blood sprayed, but the pain only enraged her. She summoned black roots from her back, attempting to form wings.
Layla didn't wait.
"Cursed Reflection."
A mirror of shadow appeared behind her.
The queen's roots tried to form—
And then suddenly turned inward, piercing her own back.
"W-What?!"
Layla twirled the scythe again, licking her lips.
"You tried to bloom inside my garden," she whispered. "But the only flower allowed to grow here—is me."
[System Notification]
[Demon Queen's Mind is Fracturing]
[Cursed Domain Pressure Reaching Critical Threshold]
[Chance of permanent corruption: 87%]
[Warning: Layla's mental state is becoming unstable]
-----
Outside the domain, Olivia and Scarlett stood at the edge of the corrupted bubble, watching the twisted red glow pulse like a living heart.
"Should we interfere?" Scarlett asked, uneasy.
"No," Olivia said firmly, hand over her chest. "That's her battlefield. No one can reach them now… not unless the domain falls."
Back inside Layla's Domain -
The queen dropped to one knee, blood leaking from every pore. Her sword arm was gone, her mana unstable. Her breathing ragged.
"You… you insane—creature."
Layla walked slowly, steps elegant, scythe dragging across the ground with a metallic screech.
"I'm not a creature," she said softly.
"I'm a bride."Layla added
The queen spat blood. "What…?"
Layla raised her hand. A vow circle formed in the air—two names etched into it: Layla Silvermoon and Noah Von Augustus.
"You mocked my feelings," she said. "You hurt him. You made him bleed. You wanted to consume the man I've devoted my soul to."
She stepped into the circle. The vow burned black, then white.
"And now…" she whispered.
"I return the favor."
The circle exploded.
[Final Domain Skill –Vow of Annihilation]
A single rose bloomed beneath the queen—its petals made of black fire.
It pulsed once.
Twice.
Then—
BOOM.
"Aaaahhhhhh"
The queen was consumed in a sphere of cursed light. Her screams were lost in the explosion as her body and soul were ripped apart by Layla's obsession made manifest.
When the light faded, nothing remained.
Just falling petals.
Domain Collapse Imminent.
Layla fell to one knee. Her body trembled. The price of her domain's power was heavy. Her blood dripped onto the obsidian ground, roses wilting as her mental stability fought to stay intact.
"Noah…"
And then—
Arms caught her.
Noah knelt behind her, wrapping her trembling body into his.
"Layla. It's okay. I'm here."
Her eyes widened.
"Noah…? But you…"
He smiled softly.
"I'm fine now. You saved me."
Her hands gripped his robe. She trembled, tears welling up.
"I… I almost lost you."
"You didn't."
The world around them began to fade. The domain slowly crumbled, the petals burning into ash, the sky returning to normal.
Noah leaned forward.
"I am here with you right now and always ."
[System Notification]
[Boss Defeated: Demon Queen Liora – S+Rank]
[Layla Silvermoon: S+ Rank Confirmed]
[Domain Mastery: 87% Synchronicity with Host – Noah Von Augustus]
[Reward: ??? – Awakened Cursed Core Obtained]
[Layla has gained a New Title: Bride of Madness]
[Noah has gained a New Title: Beloved of the Damned]
As the domain shattered fully, and the battlefield outside was bathed in soft dawn light, Olivia and Scarlett rushed forward.
Scarlett sighed in relief. "They're alive."
Olivia's eyes softened. "More than that… they're together."
And in Noah's arms, Layla smiled faintly, her head resting on his chest.
"I love you."
He looked down, eyes full of sincerity.
"I know."
To be continued…