[Music recommendation: Ciara - Paint It, Black]

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Until now, they had only heard ancient stories of what happened when Gavriel’s eyes did not merely turn a bright blood-red, but when the slits within them narrowed. It was the unmistakable indicator that the beast within him had fully awakened.

Anyone ever responsible for triggering that change had never lived to tell the tale.

That was why the shock that swept through the crowd was so palpable when they saw the ultimate devil standing before them, looking down upon them as though he had personally come to deliver judgement.

Those who had been running their mouths just moments ago felt their tongues turn to heavy lead, rendering them utterly incapable of uttering a single word to him.

They did not even notice Reve’s presence right behind Gavriel, as his master’s sheer aura alone was too overwhelming to process.

Seconds ticked by as his menacing crimson eyes slowly swept across the faces of every single person gathered on the second floor. As if he were savouring the taste of their immense fear.

Only after thoroughly drinking it in did his gaze finally settle on the three high-level demons sitting before him.

The low click of his footsteps filled the echoing silence as he took slow, lazy steps toward their table, eventually looming over them like a physical shadow.

After a short pause, his deep, chilling voice reverberated through the air.

"What were you saying about my future wife?" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

His question was like lightning crashing over their heads. Their pupils dilated in unbridled fear as a single, horrifying thought seeped into their stunned minds....

’Did he hear us?’

Upon seeing their pale complexions, a dark chuckle vibrated through Gavriel’s chest. Even though the sound was intoxicatingly enticing to the women in the room, it was still terrifying enough to make their hearts shudder, knowing that nothing good ever followed his amusement.

When the sound finally subsided, a sinister, icy smile curved across his lips as he took another step forward.

"What’s wrong?" he asked softly. "Didn’t you all have so much to say just a few minutes ago?"

The first demon who had started the conversation began trembling in his seat. Realising that the other two demons beside him were likely beyond saving so he desperately attempted to save himself.

Parting his lips, he stuttered, "Y-Your H-Hi-"

Before he could even complete his sentence, Gavriel moved with a speed that no eye could track.

The next thing everyone saw was the demon sitting there with his head missing. Blood gushed from his neck like a fountain, splattering across the table and floor.

A collective gasp swept through the establishment.

Without the slightest hint of emotion, Gavriel casually tossed the demon’s severed head onto the table where Diana and the others sat.

Sharp screams immediately escaped several lips while the remaining two demons scrambled backwards in pure terror, nearly falling from their seats in their desperate attempt to get away from him.

Several droplets of blood landed on Gavriel’s perfectly handsome face.

Completely unfazed by it, he nonchalantly clicked his tongue, looking down at the mess. "I’ve always disliked those who carelessly run their mouths."

At the sound of the women screaming, Gavriel finally turned his head. He cast a sharp, icy look over the table and asked, "Didn’t you hear? I said I dislike those who carelessly run their filthy mouths."

With just those words, every single woman instantly shut up, as if they had stapled their lips shut with their own teeth to prevent even the faintest whimper from escaping.

By now, Diana was shaking like a dried leaf caught in a storm.

She had thought the murderous look Gavriel had given her the previous night, when she had dared to get ahead of herself, was terrifying. Yet the man standing before her now was nothing like the one she had seen yesterday.

His bright crimson eyes radiated a cruelty so chilling.... a menace so overwhelming that it felt as though death itself was staring directly at her.

At that moment, Diana knew with absolute certainty that if she so much as breathed a little too loudly, she would be torn apart far more brutally than the demon whose head Gavriel had just ripped off.

Upon seeing silence settle over the establishment once more, Gavriel slowly turned his attention back to the two men before him.

He began advancing towards the brute demon and said, "It seems my decision to remain in the shadows has given you all the wrong impression. I thought a little peace in life would be better for both me and everyone else. But now I understand..."

A cold smile slowly appeared on his lips. "Peace is not what you seek, is it? Some people will always choose the path of blood, daring to reach for things and people that are solely... mine to begin with."

Gavriel came to a halt directly in front of the scaled brute demon.

The demon did not dare make the same mistake as his dead companion by speaking. Instead, he frantically shook his head, his trembling eyes begging for mercy.

But the beast within Gavriel only saw red, only craved more blood. Without waiting another second, he grabbed the brute by his hair and whispered sinisterly, "Since you disliked me being in the shadows so much, let me fulfil your wish."

With a sickeningly swift movement, he clamped his hands onto both sides of the demon’s jaws, twisting the creature’s head a full three hundred and sixty degrees before harshly ripping it completely from the body.

As a fresh wave of blood gushed out, the onlookers were forced to clamp their trembling hands over their own mouths to keep from screaming. All too terrified to do anything that might attract Gavriel’s attention.

He let the decapitated body fall carelessly to the ground, splashing into the widening pool of deep red blood.

Then, without another word, Gavriel turned his head to look at Reve. In a blur, Reve seized the third demon who had dared to spew disgusting words about Aliana and dragged him across the floor before forcing him onto his knees, facing the shocked and horrified crowd below.

The man struggled desperately to escape, but Reve had already secured his arms tightly behind his back. Just then, thick darkness seeped out of Gavriel, coiling around the struggling demon’s body like a serpent and prompting Reve to finally let him go.

The man began to beg, his voice cracking with panic. "M-My lord, f-forgive me. I-I was wrong."

Before he could utter another word, the darkness wrapped around him crept higher, covering his mouth completely and smothering any further trembling pleas before they could escape his lips.