Chapter 450: Dreg Clan

Near the borders of the capital stood one of the city’s residential districts, a quieter part of Velmora that felt strangely detached from the grandeur of the royal quarter. The streets were lined with small gardens and neatly arranged trees, while tall street lamps illuminated the paved roads with a soft violet glow.

Beautiful flats occupied both sides of the streets, each building possessing its own modest courtyard and carefully maintained entrance. It was here that Candice lived, and for the past several hours since she left the palace, her home had become one of the most heavily watched residences in the district.

A Royal Guard stood directly in front of the building, his face completely hidden beneath the hood of his black and purple uniform. He remained motionless, his hands resting near his weapon while his perception constantly swept across the surrounding streets.

Two more guards stood outside the second door on the first floor, positioned close enough to intervene instantly if anything happened inside. To the ordinary residents passing through the neighborhood, their presence was enough to make the situation obvious. Whatever Candice had become involved in, the Royal Palace considered her important enough to warrant constant protection.

Inside the apartment, Candice stood before a small mirror while slowly combing her long blond hair. Her expression was strange, almost distracted, and every few seconds her eyes drifted toward her own reflection without really seeing it. She had spent several hours trying to return to normal after being taken to the palace, but normal had become surprisingly difficult to define after experiencing Damian’s world firsthand.

Her eyes wandered around her bedroom. Only then did she truly appreciate how small it was.

After waking up inside the Prince’s palace, how could she not notice the difference?

Damian’s private quarters alone had been larger than her entire apartment, and the bedroom where she had awakened was easily four times the size of her own. His bed could comfortably accommodate several people, while hers was only large enough for two. Her room had one window for ventilation, a modest cupboard, a small shelf and a single chair pushed into the corner.

Even the walls looked plain compared to the elaborate decorations inside Damian’s residence.

Candice sighed and continued combing her hair then Damian’s image suddenly flashed through her mind.

She could remember his relaxed expression and the purple smoke curling around him. The way he had spoken to her as though she wasn’t even a suspect despite having been dragged into an assassination investigation.

And that scent.

Candice’s cheeks slowly turned red. Even now, she could still remember his fragrance. She unconsciously lifted the back of her hand toward her nose as though trying to recall it more clearly, then immediately realized what she was doing and lowered it with embarrassment.

"Gosh... His wives and concubines are soooo lucky.... Oh my God, I’m jealous of them." She sighed, resting the comb against her shoulder.

She stared at herself in the mirror for several seconds before shaking her head.

What was wrong with her?

She had met the man for barely any time, and yet somehow her thoughts kept drifting back to him. It wasn’t even simply his appearance. There was something about being near Damian that made her feel strangely safe despite knowing perfectly well that he was one of the most terrifying beings she had ever encountered.

She was still thinking about him when the lights suddenly flickered.

Candice’s smile disappeared as the light above her head buzzed once. The entire room briefly dimmed before the lamp returned to normal.

Candice slowly lowered the comb.

"What’s going on?"

The lights flickered again, this time several times in rapid succession. A faint vibration passed through the walls, and Candice felt the air around her become heavier. She instinctively looked toward the door, expecting one of the Royal Guards to enter, but nothing happened.

Then she noticed something forming around the room.

A thin, nearly transparent barrier was spreading across the walls, ceiling and floor. It shimmered faintly whenever the light struck it, enclosing the entire bedroom like an invisible dome.

Candice’s breathing stopped as she slowly turned around. Something had moved in the corner of her vision.

Her eyes immediately snapped toward the darkest corner of the room.

At first, there was nothing, then the wall moved.

Candice’s eyes widened as something slowly faded into existence from within the stone itself. A pale figure emerged inch by inch, almost as though it were being pulled out of another dimension. Its skin was ghostly white and stretched tightly across a disturbingly thin body. A bald head rested above sunken features, while two ghostly white eyes stared directly at Candice. Its mouth slowly opened, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth.

The creature wore tattered robes that hung loosely from its skeletal frame, and its long, overgrown fingernails looked more like claws than anything belonging to a humanoid being.

Candice’s blood ran cold.

"A Dreg..." she gasped.

Her entire body froze.

Among the countless demonic races that inhabited the Underworld, Dregs were among the ones most people instinctively feared. They possessed a high tier bloodline, but they sat near the bottom of that tier, far beneath the great races that possessed equally powerful bloodlines.

That did not make them weak. Quite the opposite, Dregs were feared because of what they lacked in overwhelming physical strength, they compensated for with abilities that made them extremely difficult to detect and even harder to defend against.

Even some of the dragon race was wary of them and one was standing inside Candice’s bedroom.

The Dreg tilted its head.

"Wooooman... Come here."

Candice instinctively staggered backward.

Her legs struck the edge of the bed, causing her balance to disappear. She fell backward onto the mattress, her hands trembling violently as she stared at the creature approaching her.

"Help me..." she tried to scream.

Only a weak sound escaped her throat. The Dreg’s lips slowly stretched into a grotesque smile.

"Nooooo one will hear your screams."

Its clawed hand extended toward her.

Candice pressed herself against the headboard, desperately trying to create distance that didn’t exist. Her mind screamed at her to run, but her body refused to respond. Every instinct she possessed was overwhelmed by the terrifying presence standing before her.

"Noooooow come here!"

The Dreg’s eyes suddenly erupted with violent emerald light.

Candice’s pupils reflected the glow. For a single instant, her consciousness began slipping.

Then something roared.

It wasn’t a human voice. It was the thunderous roar of a fox.

Candice’s shadow suddenly expanded across the floor.

The darkness beneath her feet surged outward like liquid before rising behind her, forming the enormous silhouette of a monstrous fox. Seven enormous tails erupted from the shadow, spreading across the room as a terrifying demonic aura descended.

The Dreg’s expression changed instantly as a voice filled the room.

"LITTLE RAT. I’VE CAUGHT YOU!"

BOOM!

The shadow fox lunged and the impact tore through the bedroom wall. Stone and debris exploded outward as the entire first floor shook violently as a portion of the building collapsed beneath the force, sending fragments of masonry scattering across the street.

The Royal Guards outside immediately looked upward.

"What the hell was that?"

Before they could react, a pale figure blasted through the damaged wall and shot into the night sky like a projectile.

The Dreg twisted its body in midair, desperately attempting to escape across the rooftops.

The Royal Guards stared upward in shock. However before he could act Damian’s voice exploded across the capital.

"LEAVE? NO, NO... NO ONE LEAVES UNTIL I SAY SO!"

The voice carried far beyond the residential district, shaking windows and drawing the attention of demons throughout the surrounding streets.