A demon lets out a roar; his skin turns into a light shade of red, horns begin to protrude out from his head, and his body expands to become two meters tall, causing his clothing to stretch and rip.

“Come get some! Human pigs!” He shouts before pouncing and engaging one of the royal guards.

Seeing the demon come at him unarmed, the royal guard decisively takes a swing as he watches for what gave the demon such arrogance.

The demon swings out with an open hand to defend himself, and a clang of steel resounds as his hand deflects the sword away. The royal guard’s eyes widen in surprise and he hurriedly backs away as the demon’s other hand comes for him like a snake pouncing towards an opportunity.

The royal guard manages to escape the demon’s palm and falls back to his partner to reassess the situation. He gazes at the remaining demons who had completed their transformations and shed their human skin; four of them remained, their red eyes examining the two guards like predators gauging their prey.

“Careful, friend; three of these demons are mature, and the last one looks bat-shit crazy,” the guard says, gesturing to the impish demon with long, scattered hair and three eyes on its head, staring with wild intensity.

“Should we fall back?” The other royal guard asks, his sword raised with caution.

One of the demons lets out a laugh. “Since you’ve come, we might as well play till our hearts are content; and I assure you, my heart is not even close to content,” A slender and attractive demon says with a smile as he takes out a long sword and aims it forward. “I prefer to satisfy myself with my other sword, but this will have to do,” he says with a smirk.

One of the other demons lets out a smile, exposing rows of sharp teeth. “Cultivator meat has always been tasty,” he says, scanning the two guards from their heads to their feet.

“Are we going to do this or what!?” The last demon with the third eye says with a high-pitched voice.

“Wait a moment!” The black-haired teacher calls out. “Let me just get this bumbling idiot out of the way first,” She says before walking over to the still-chanting Siyu and picking him up by his robes, before dragging him off to the side of a room.

She drops Siyy to the ground before looking to the two groups facing off against each other. “You may continue,” She says with a gesture of her hand.

“Fuck it,” One of the guard says as he takes out a knife and makes a deep cut to his arm. “Let’s go all out,” He says; his skin slowly turning golden as blood flows out of his body.

The demon with the third eye lets out a screech. “Heaven Path, by Blood! How disgusting!” He says with revulsion.

The other royal guard also resolves himself as his eyes cloud over to become a shade of grey. He raises his sword and a heavy pressure envelops the demons. “My sword has not failed me yet, so why not? Here’s hoping we see the sun rise again,” He says with a steady voice.

“Ah! They’re both Master level Heaven Path cultivators! Fuck this; I’m out of here,” The demon with a third eye says before his figure becomes a blur and he disappears out of the window.

“Whatever; more meat for me,” one of the demon says before patting his belly and jumping into the fray, releasing the taut tension in the air as the two sides charge into battle.

...

...

Ignoring the progressing battle, the black-haired teacher observes Siyu as he stands up from the ground, no longer chanting.

Siyu watches the battle with a distraught expression. While he watches the demons being attacked relentlessly, something within the depths of his mind began to struggle, its seal doing its best to keep it suppressed. Siyu immediately felt it, a deep hunger, urging to be released into the world. “Fuck. It’s here.” He says as he closes his eyes and bows to clutch at his aching stomach. His consciousness begins to grow dim... Ah, it's here... the emptiness...the freedom... it's crushing me...

The black-haired teacher raises an eyebrow and grabs onto Siyu’s shoulders. “Siyu? Are you okay?” The teacher asks with worry. As she continues to watch, a red glow suddenly appears from under Siyu’s eyelids, and the teacher’s eyes widen in shock. “Siyu! Siyu!” She exclaims as she shakes Siyu’s shoulders. Worried and suspicious, she suddenly delivers a sharp slap to his face.

**SLAP**

**SLAP**

**SLAP**

“Ah,” Siyu says absentmindedly, before opening his tired eyes.

Siyu sees the teacher looking at me through my hazy vision. “Siyu, are you...?” She asks, caution in her voice.

Siyu smiles. “Not quite,” He says before turning his attention to the battle. “But indeed, I am very hungry.” He says, trying his best to ignore the aching urge demanding satisfaction.

The teacher looks at him with stern eyes, hoping to hear more, before giving up and shrugging.

Whatever. You do you, Siyu. You do you. She thinks as she watches the battle unfold.