A rustle in the trees.
Then silence.
Lucifer's eyes stayed locked on the shadows, glowing faintly like two coals in the dark. His posture was relaxed, but his presence? Heavy. Like gravity itself bent slightly around him.
A leaf fluttered down from above. He caught it without looking.
And that's when she moved.
Dera stepped into view from the edge of the courtyard, her boots tapping softly against the pavement. Her black jacket flared slightly with each step, and the glowing runes on her book pulsed as she opened it mid-stride.
She stopped a few feet away from Lucifer, flipping to a page without breaking eye contact.
"Lucifer," she said calmly. "Half vampire. No clan. No allegiance. No registration in any system. You're a rogue."
Lucifer tilted his head, almost amused. "You've been watching me?"
"For days," Dera replied. "And the teleporting girl too, though she's a harder read."
Lucifer let out a soft laugh, scratching his head. "Damn. You hunters are getting sneakier."
"No," she said, her tone flat. "You're just getting sloppy."
She flicked her wrist, and the book snapped shut—bang!
The moment it closed, a series of glowing chains burst from the runes on the cover, whipping toward Lucifer like snakes.
He didn't even flinch.
Whoosh—CLANG!
The chains struck where he stood—but there was nothing.
Dera's eyes widened—just a fraction—before she twisted around.
He was behind her now, one hand in his pocket, the other casually scratching his neck.
"Chains, huh?" he said. "Didn't expect that. Thought you'd throw a dagger or something."
"Fast…" she muttered, already spinning to strike.
She reached into her jacket, pulling out a slim blade etched with silver symbols and slashed upward—only for it to be caught between two fingers.
Lucifer's fingers.
"You know, you're kinda hot for a hunter," he said with a smirk. "But you're aiming at the wrong monster."
Dera yanked the blade free and jumped back, landing in a crouch. Her book floated beside her now, pages flipping on their own as spells activated one by one.
Glowing circles formed beneath her boots—one after another—layering enchantments around her.
"I'm not here for flirts, rogue," she said. "I'm here for justice."
Lucifer stretched again like this was all just a warmup. "Right. Justice. Sure."
Then he vanished.
A blink—and he reappeared right in front of her, fist already pulled back.
Dera's spell triggered just in time—a glowing barrier popped up between them.
Boom!
The impact shook the ground, sparks flying as her shield cracked, but held.
Her blade lunged forward, slicing across his chest—but it passed through black mist.
An afterimage.
Behind her.
His voice.
"I gotta admit…"
She spun.
"You're kinda fun."
His knee came up, catching her side before she could raise her arm.
Crash!
Dera flew backward, slamming into a tree with a grunt. Her book flared, softening the impact just enough to keep her conscious.
Lucifer approached slowly, footsteps crunching the leaves.
"This is cute and all," he said, brushing a leaf off his shoulder, "but I've got someone waiting for me at home, and she's gonna be pissed if I show up with blood on my shirt."
Dera wiped the corner of her mouth, eyes narrowing.
"You think this is over?"
Lucifer just smiled.
And from the rooftops above—another presence appeared.
A figure in a black hood, masked, glowing eyes staring down at them both.
Lucifer stopped walking.
Even Dera looked up, confused.
The figure whispered something that neither of them could hear.
Then—
Boom!
The streetlight above exploded, plunging the path into darkness.
Lucifer's eyes narrowed as the wind howled around them, carrying the stench of rot and something... wrong. The thing that had come through the gate stood still, its disguise melting away like burnt cloth—revealing its true form.
Its limbs were too long, stretched unnaturally, with pale gray skin pulled tight over twisted bones. The head was tilted sideways, mouth hanging open with rows of jagged, twitching teeth. Black fluid dripped from its sunken eye sockets, and its claws scratched the ground like it was sharpening them on stone. Its presence felt like mold growing inside your mind—quiet, spreading, choking.
Lucifer stepped back slightly, voice low.
"…What the hell is that thing?"
Dera's breath hitched. She didn't need to see it to feel it. But she still asked, fast and sharp, "Describe it. Now."
Lucifer didn't take his eyes off it. "It's tall. Real thin. Its skin's gray like ash. Eyes leaking black. Mouth looks like it's been screaming for years. Claws... too long. It's—"
Before he could finish, the creature let out a piercing screech—directed right at Dera. It didn't move. Just screamed, like it recognized her.
Dera froze for a second, then muttered under her breath, "Shit…"
She gritted her teeth, pulling her blade into a ready stance. "It's a Ghul."
Lucifer glanced at her. "A what now?"
"A Ghul," she repeated. "Corpse-eater. They wear human skins to walk among the living. But that one… that's not a normal one. It's a Hollowbreed. Older. Starving."
The creature let out another shriek, saliva flying from its mouth like acid. The shadows around it writhed.
Lucifer cracked his knuckles. "Well, it looks like it's hungry."
Dera gave him a quick side-eye. "Then don't let it eat you."
They both moved at the same time—the ground cracking beneath their feet as the Ghul lunged forward, its claws slicing the air.
Tch… this is gonna suck.
Lucifer's eyes stayed locked on the Ghul as it crept forward, twitchy and silent. His fingers twitched. No real attack skills... just support and debuffs. Guess that's the Half-Vampire thing showing again.
He rolled his neck with a quiet pop.
Doesn't matter. I'll make do. You… you'll do just fine as my test dummy.
Without a word, he opened his stat window mentally and dumped his last three points into Strength.
Something shifted. A low hum rippled through his limbs—like his body just clicked into a higher gear.
Then he was gone.
A blur.
The Ghul didn't even get the chance to react.
Lucifer reappeared behind it mid-motion, fist already cocked back. The punch connected square in the creature's spine with a bone-crunching BOOM—sending it flying like a broken mannequin, slamming into a tree with a sickening crack.
Leaves rained down. Dust scattered.
Dera blinked.
"…Clean hit," she said under her breath, almost impressed. Her pen moved without her looking, jotting something into her glowing notebook. "Mental note: don't hold back next time I fight this guy."
Lucifer stood calmly, his breath steady. The Ghul was already getting up.
"Damn… thing's tougher than it looks," he muttered, smirking just a little.