Andrey straightened, katana still raised, his brown eyes steady behind his cracked glasses. "It changes everything."
Hope stepped to his side, greatsword blazing. "He's right. You're not so untouchable now, are you?"
The demon's golden eyes darted from one to the other, sharp and calculating. A long pause followed, heavy with unspoken tension. Then, his lips parted into a slow, genuine smile.
"Interesting," he murmured, touching the gash on his wrist. Golden ichor smeared across his fingertips. "You're the first humans to draw my blood in decades." He straightened, his posture shifting from casual to something more focused. "Perhaps I underestimated you."
He raised his chin, his golden eyes gleaming with renewed interest. "I am Etos. Warlord of the Crimson Legion, servant of the Primordial Demon Laplace. And you, little humans, have earned the right to know my name before you die."
Hope's grip tightened on her greatsword. "Warlord? Laplace's servant?"
