I. The Academy in Flames
The screams didn't stop.
Black Heaven Academy burned—crimson flames licking at the ancient pagodas, their glow painting the night in shades of blood. The air reeked of charred flesh and spilled Qi, a metallic tang that clung to the back of Xiao Chen's throat.
Around him, students fought and died. Some battled the Fiend-marked cultists. Others turned on each other, their eyes glazed with panic.
Leng Xueyi stood at his side, her frost blade dripping gore. "This isn't just an attack," she hissed. "They're performing a ritual."
Xiao Chen crushed a cultist's windpipe, his Abyss-Shell Predator devouring the man's Fiend-marked Genome whole.
[6/10 highborn lives consumed.]
"Where's the headmaster?"
"Gone." Her jaw tightened. "Mo left to suppress the Fiend Gate beneath the academy. If it opens—"
A deafening roar split the sky.
The central courtyard shattered, stones hurtling upward as a massive claw tore through the earth.
Something was crawling out.
II. The Third Genome
The creature that emerged was neither Genome nor Fiend.
It stood three stories tall, its body a grotesque fusion of dragon and insect, covered in pulsing black veins. Six compound eyes locked onto Xiao Chen, and a voice like grinding bones echoed in his skull:
"Sovereign's blood... I smell it."
Leng Xueyi staggered back, her Frost Phoenix shrieking in terror. "An SSS-rank Fiend... How?!"
Xiao Chen's Void Fox bristled, its tiny fangs bared.
Then—his inner space quaked.
A third presence stirred, something older than the academy, older than the Fiends themselves.
A voice, deep and resonant, whispered:
"Call my name."
Xiao Chen gritted his teeth. "Who the hell are you?"
"Yours."
Pain.
White-hot agony split his meridians as a searing light erupted from his chest. The ground cracked, the air itself screaming as a massive figure materialized behind him.
A man.
No—a god.
Clad in obsidian armor, his face obscured by a horned visor, the being radiated apocalyptic pressure. His four arms ended in blade-like fingers, and his very presence warped reality.
[Heavenly Demon Genome (???-rank) - Bonded.]
The Fiend screeched, its wings beating frantically.
The armored figure tilted its head.
"You dare stand before your king?"
Then—it moved.
A blur of darkness, too fast to follow. The Fiend's head tumbled, its body dissolving into ash before it hit the ground.
Silence.
Then—the armored figure turned to Xiao Chen.
"You are weak."
And vanished.
III. The Aftermath
Dawn came, but no sunlight pierced the smoke.
The academy was half-destroyed, its once-proud towers reduced to rubble. The surviving students huddled in the ruins, their eyes hollow.
Headmaster Mo returned at noon, his robes soaked in black blood.
"Xiao Chen," he rasped. "My office. Now."
IV. The Headmaster's Secret
The office stank of herbs and old blood.
Mo slumped into his chair, his veins black with Fiend corruption. "That thing you summoned... do you know what it is?"
Xiao Chen said nothing.
"A Heavenly Demon," Mo whispered. "The ancient enemies of the Fiends. They were sealed away eons ago." His fingers trembled. "And you... you are the key to their return."
A scroll slid across the desk.
"The Vermilion Bird Empire is sending an envoy. They've heard of your... performance."
Xiao Chen unrolled the scroll.
A single line:
"The Emperor demands your presence."
V. The Poison Maiden's Revenge
Night fell.
Xiao Chen returned to his ruined dorm, his body aching.
A dagger pressed against his throat.
"You killed my sister."
Mei Ling.
Her lynx was dead, its corpse slung over her shoulder. Her eyes were red with tears and hate.
Xiao Chen didn't move.
"She was a cultist."
"She was forced!" The dagger drew blood. "Now you'll pay—"
His Abyss-Shell Predator sank its fangs into her wrist.
Mei Ling collapsed, convulsing as the venom took hold.
Xiao Chen caught her, his grip iron.
"You want vengeance?" He leaned close, his breath hot on her ear. "Then get stronger."
Her pupils dilated.
Then—she kissed him.
Chapter 4 End