Asmodeus System: Stealing My Bully's Mother

​The night wind tore through the Frozen Pine Forest, carrying shards of snow as sharp as razors.

​In the dead of night, the thunderous galloping of hooves shattered the silence. Ten elite knights clad in silvery-white armor spurred their magical steeds at breakneck speeds.

​They were the Light Guard. The Palace’s Shadow Unit operating directly under the command of Prince Edward.

​Each of them was a Silver Knight (Rank B). Silent killing machines who had never failed to carve out a bloody history.

​"Maintain formation! We must breach the Eastern Borderlands before dawn!" the Captain roared from the vanguard.

​Their horses’ breaths plumed in thick white steam. Their destination was locked: the Barony von Valen. Searching for any loophole, weakness, or dirty secret the Prince could exploit to ensnare the academy’s grand champion.

​Unfortunately, they were completely unaware. Death had already sprinted far beyond the speed of their horses.

​In a narrow pass bottlenecked by giant pine trees, the shadows of the branches suddenly vibrated unnaturally. The darkness atop the snow seemed to melt, swirling wildly to form a pitch-black vortex.

​[Abyssal Stride.]

​From the heart of that shadow vortex, a figure stepped out without a sound.

​Ethan Valen stood dead center in their path. His crimson eyes glowed brightly in the darkness. Radiating an absolute terror that sent the magical steeds rearing onto their hind legs, whinnying in sheer panic.

​"Who goes there?! Attack!" the Captain shouted reflexively.

​The ten elite knights drew their swords in unison. A blinding glow of holy light erupted from their blades. Forming shields and aura slashes absolutely designed to eradicate all forms of dark magic.

​However, the one standing before them wasn’t some two-bit dark mage.

​Ethan didn’t chant a spell. He didn’t draw a weapon. The young man merely stepped forward, letting his Rank B Sin Mana explode outward. Transmuting the surrounding snow into a blood-red vapor.

​WHOOSH!

​The arcs of light from the two leading knights slammed into Ethan’s body. Yet the holy light shattered into a million pieces the moment it collided with the razor-thin layer of Sin Mana coating his skin. The Bypass Defense effect operated with absolute certainty.

​In the blink of an eye, Ethan vanished. He utilized the shadows of the trees to blink instantly to the left flank of their formation.

​Squelch!

​Ethan’s hand, encased in pitch-black ice, punched straight through a knight’s chest plate. The silver armor tore as if it were made of wet paper. The knight’s heart froze solid before he could even scream, and his body slumped onto the snow.

​The nine remaining knights froze in abject terror.

​There was no battle that night. What transpired was nothing short of a one-sided slaughter.

​Ethan moved like a vengeful spirit. He didn’t waste time with cliché dialogue or flashy displays of power. Every single movement was calculated with lethal precision to extinguish lives as swiftly as possible.

​The holy light of the Light Guard was snuffed out one by one by the darkness devouring the Pine Forest. Heads were severed, chests were caved in, and fresh crimson blood froze over the blanket of white snow.

​In less than five minutes... nine of the kingdom’s elite Silver Knights had been reduced to frozen corpses.

​The Captain was violently thrown from his horse, crashing into a pine trunk hard enough to shatter his ribs. He coughed up blood, trembling as he tried to retrieve his sword, which had now been snapped in two.

​Ethan walked slowly toward him. His boots crunched against the blood-soaked snow.

​At that exact second, inside Ethan’s head, a voice he hadn’t heard in a while suddenly echoed.

​A woman’s voice. Husky, incredibly provocative, and dripping with mockery.

​"Ufufu... What’s with that terrifying face, My Master? It is so rare to see you panic to the point of losing your mind..."

​Ethan’s steps halted for a moment. He clicked his tongue softly. He recognized this presence all too well. The Asmodeus System manifesting her personality once again.

​"You only just remembered to check the ’Shop Feature’ notifications today? And here I went through all the trouble of unlocking it after you siphoned Alaric’s mana last night," the System’s voice continued. Her tone sounded like a woman pouting coquettishly, yet it carried a lethal edge. "Those notifications had been piling up on your retinas, but alas... My Master was far too busy having fun subjugating his two new servants behind closed doors to even notice me~"

​Shut up, Ethan commanded internally with a tone as cold as a glacier. I am not in the mood to joke around with you.

​The System chuckled softly. "Very well, very well. Finish your business, my Demon Lord. Destroy whoever dares to disturb your little angel’s peaceful slumber."

​Ethan refocused his gaze on the Light Guard Captain, who was now scrambling backward. The man’s face was utterly drained of blood. The Captain had just realized that the F-Caste boy who was the target of their investigation... was a completely illogical monster.

​"Y-you... Devil... Prince Edward will—"

​"Your Prince will know absolutely nothing," Ethan cut in coldly.

​He crouched down. He roughly grabbed the Captain’s jaw, forcing his mouth wide open.

​"If I just kill you, the palace forensics specialists will track my mana signature from the residual memories in your brain. So... let’s wipe the slate clean," Ethan whispered.

​A highly condensed, blood-red liquid of Sin Mana flowed from Ethan’s palm. Dripping straight down the Captain’s throat.

​Gulp... ARGHH!

​The man’s eyes bugged out of his skull. His body convulsed violently on the snow.

​The Sin Mana didn’t kill him directly. The demonic liquid melted his neural circuits and memories, reducing his memory center to a formless mush.

​In just a few seconds, the Captain’s breathing stopped. Leaving behind a corpse with a vacant, drooling expression.

​Their deaths now looked exactly like an attack by a high-tier Abyss monster starved for mana. No traces of pure ice magic. No sword wounds. Perfect.

​Ethan stood up, looking down at the ten scattered corpses. The first warning to the Prince had been delivered, even if that idiot Prince would never know who the sender was.

​[Sin Concealment: Activated]

​[Abyssal Stride.]

​Ethan stepped back into the shadow of a pine tree, leaving the slaughterhouse to be swallowed by the silence of the snow.

​Thirty kilometers away, at the edge of the Eastern Borderlands.

​An old brick building with classical church architecture stood atop a quiet hill. It was the Holy Sanatorium. A specialized care clinic owned by the church that housed patients with rare magical afflictions.

​Ethan stepped out from the shadow of a massive oak tree outside the sanatorium walls.

​Instantly, all the killing intent, the cruel smirk, and the crimson glare on his face vanished without a trace.

​The young man walked toward a small frozen stream nearby. He broke the layer of ice on the surface, then used the bone-chilling water to wash the stench of death from his face and hands.

​Using the Ice Mana manipulation he stole from Isolde, Ethan froze the lingering blood splatters on his shirt and coat. With a snap of his fingers, the frozen bloodstains shattered into crystal dust, flying away on the night wind. Leaving his clothes flawlessly clean.

​Ethan closed his eyes. He regulated his breathing rhythm.

​He suppressed his Rank B Sin Mana all the way down to 0%. He refused to let even a single drop of demonic aura leak out. In its place, he called upon his original magic—the lowest-tier Aroma Magic he had possessed since birth.

​The warm, comforting scent of spring pines and morning dew wafted faintly from his body.

​The mask of the Demon Lord had been taken off. Now, the one standing there was merely Ethan Valen. A protective older brother from a fallen baron family.

​Ethan vaulted over the sanatorium wall with ease, slipped past the patrolling church knights, and landed flawlessly on a second-floor balcony he knew all too well.

​The corner room, numbered 204.

​Ethan pushed the glass window open slowly so it wouldn’t creak. The night breeze slipped in, blowing the thin white curtains inside the room.

​The room was simple, yet incredibly clean. Illuminated only by the moonlight piercing through the darkness.

​On a rocking chair near the bed sat a young girl who looked so incredibly fragile.

​She was about fourteen years old. Her pale brown hair cascaded softly down her shoulders. Her skin was as pale as alabaster from never having been directly exposed to sunlight.

​The girl, Elara Valen, wore a white wool nightgown. Her beautiful eyes, clouded by a milky-white film—a sign of blindness caused by her paralyzed mana circuit—were "staring" straight toward the open window.

​Even though she couldn’t see the physical figure entering through the window, an incredibly sweet and pure smile blossomed on Elara’s face.

​"Brother Ethan?" Elara called out. Her voice was incredibly soft, like the chiming of glass bells caught in the night wind.

​Ethan walked closer. He made his footsteps as light as possible. A genuinely sincere smile painted the young man’s face.

​"Yes, El. It’s me," Ethan answered. He crouched down beside his sister’s rocking chair.

​Elara reached out her two thin hands. Groping the air, searching for her brother’s presence. Ethan swiftly caught her hands, pressing them against his own cheeks so Elara could feel his warmth.

​"You’re so late," Elara murmured. She stroked Ethan’s cheek with her cold thumb. Her smile grew wider. "I can smell your scent. Always as warm as the morning sun... But today, the wind coming through the window carries a bit of a chill. Is there a blizzard outside?"

​Elara’s sharp instincts, despite her blindness, could almost sense the lingering remnants of "death" clinging to Ethan. Yet to this pure girl, it was merely the cold of winter.

​"Yeah, it’s snowing pretty heavily on the roads," Ethan lied.

​His voice was incredibly gentle and warm. He didn’t sound at all like the devil who had just reaped the lives of ten elite knights fifteen minutes ago. "I’m sorry I only had the chance to visit you now. The academy’s tournament just ended, and there were a lot of matters I had to take care of."

​Elara giggled. A laugh that made all the burdens on Ethan’s shoulders feel as though they evaporated into thin air.

​"I heard the news from the head Sister! She said a student named Ethan Valen became the Grand Champion at that prestigious academy. My brother is so amazing... I am so proud of you."

​Ethan gently stroked his sister’s brown hair, letting the softness of the strands soothe his dark soul.

​"It’s all thanks to your prayers, El. And from now on, the cost of your mana crystal medicine won’t be a problem anymore. I got a full scholarship and VIP access."

​Elara’s expression turned slightly somber. Her small hands squeezed her brother’s hand tightly.

​"Brother... are you pushing yourself too hard? That academy is full of high-ranking nobles, right? The Sister said powerful people are usually very cruel. I’m scared they might hurt you..."

​Ethan’s heart fluttered hearing such genuine concern.

​"Don’t worry, El," Ethan whispered, softly kissing the back of his sister’s hand. "My friends over there... they are all ’good’ people and respect me very much. Not a single one of them would ever dare to hurt me."

​"Really?" Elara’s blind eyes seemed to sparkle with relief. "Thank goodness... Sometime, when I’m healthier, could I meet your friends? I want to thank them for keeping you company."

​"Of course. Someday, I will bring them here to keep you company," Ethan promised.

​And I will make sure my servants bow with the friendliest smiles in front of you... or I will sever their heads, Ethan added in his dark mind.

​Elara smiled contentedly. She slowly rested her head against Ethan’s arm. Drowsiness began to overcome her again due to the magical painkillers she consumed.

​Ethan lifted his sister’s feather-light body with extreme care. Moving her to the bed and tucking her in thickly. He sat on the edge of the bed, continuously stroking Elara’s head until the girl fell asleep with steady breathing.

​After ensuring his sister was fast asleep, Ethan slowly stood up.

​He turned his body, gazing out the window toward the night sky, far in the direction of the Valois Royal Capital.

​The warmth on Ethan’s face faded instantly. Hardening into the absolute mask of a monster. His brown eyes once again refracted a bloodthirsty crimson glint.

​All this time, Ethan had only thought about how to survive and enjoy the suffering of his enemies at the academy. But tonight, Prince Edward had slapped him with one indisputable fact.

​As long as he remained under the power of others, Elara’s life would always be a target.

​System, Ethan called out. His voice was as cold as eternal ice. Make a new calculation. Controlling the academy is no longer enough.

​The husky woman’s voice echoed in his head with a deeply satisfied tone, "As you command, my King. Where shall we direct our gaze now?"

​Ethan smirked faintly.

​"We are going to seize this kingdom’s throne. And destroy anyone who dares to call themselves King."