Gargoyle Supremacy

Carn ordered Rosa back to the facility to persuade the other entities to cooperate. She left without showing her anxiety over the chaos she had already caused.

By the time night fell, Han returned home exhausted. He locked the door behind him and sealed all windows as if he was afraid of something.

At the kitchen table, after a quiet dinner, Wong, Han, and Carn gathered for a serious discussion.

Han broke the silence with a deep sigh. He then gave Carn a meaningful look.

"It seems some of the ECD's pets have escaped. One of them must have been the stone monster at your school… the one that killed your teacher."

Wong raised an eyebrow and glanced at Carn. Meanwhile, Carn leaned back in his chair and snickered.

"Told you it wasn't me. Those detectives sure have a wild imagination."

Han's stare lingered on Carn for a moment, pursing his lips. He had plenty on his mind, especially Barney's case, but he chose to keep it to himself. Instead, he shifted the conversation to the more immediate threat.

"I want everyone to sleep with the lights on tonight. A dangerous monster has escaped the facility and is on a killing spree. It only appears and ambushes people in darkness. As long as there's light, it cannot harm us."

Carn raised an eyebrow, but he didn't react further, keeping his thoughts to himself.

'Only appears in the dark? Ah… didn't Inquisitor say something about a female Grim Reaper? This reminds me… that backstabbing wench?' The corners of Carn's mouth slightly curved up. He was amused.

Wong's face showed confusion. "Are you saying we're dealing with some loose rift monsters?"

Han nodded, "Something like that. Whatever it is, it hunts in the dark. We just need to stay vigilant until the authorities handle it."

Carn exchanged a quick glance with Wong but said nothing. His mind raced with plans, knowing full well what they were up against. Yet, for now, he played along with Han's warning, keeping his deeper knowledge about the true nature of this entity to himself.

At 9 PM, Carn glanced at the clock. Humming a low tune, he calmly drew the curtains shut, sealing the room from the outside world. He locked the door with a faint click and, without hesitation, flipped the light switches off, plunging the room into darkness.

Sitting cross-legged on his bed, Carn allowed the silence to envelop him. He was waiting for someone. He recalled the rumors, the tales of a certain ghostly entity that only manifested in darkness.

Hours crawled by. Carn yawned and reached for his phone, its screen illuminating the room in a soft, pale light. The sudden brightness stung his eyes, and he reflexively pushed the device away, blinking rapidly.

The dim glow cast a shadow that shifted with the phone's movement. But as Carn rested the phone beside him, the shadow did not stop moving.

The stillness shattered as an ominous mass emerged from the darkness, its form spreading through the room like ink spilled into water. A fluttering cloak of blackness filled the air, transforming into a towering figure cloaked in a grim reaper's robe.

The entity had no discernible face, flesh, or bones—only a dense mass of pure, unblemished Aether shaped her being.

The figure floated silently behind Carn. Her hand stretched forward, reaching for the back of his head.

Carn snorted in irritation. He uttered with a voice devoid of fear. "Trying to backstab me again, Demon Lord Fleur?"

The entity flinched, recoiling as if stung by the accusation. Slowly, she floated around him until she hovered in front of Carn. She then cross-legged as though she seated on an invisible throne. A portion of her robes parted, revealing an emptiness within.

Her voice, raspy and laced with derision, broke the silence. "And here I thought I found prey. Who could have guessed the infamous Stone Mausoleum Guardian would be reduced to this? Stupid gargoyle, why are you so weak?"

Carn smirked, his tone cutting as he replied, "The same could be said for you, Miss 'Invincible.' Tell me, how did the Aetherless humans of this world manage to capture you?"

He had already deduced the truth. Rosa's rambling description left little room for doubt. Fleur, the rogue entity labeled ECD-4, was none other than a former Demon Lord, aka a wraith who had once governed vengeful spirits. Her greatest weakness was bright light, and Mother Tree and her branches were the bane of her existence.

Fleur crossed her arms, annoyed. "None of your business, gargoyle. My turn. What are you doing here? I thought you and Ariel died together."

Carn shrugged. "It just happened that I had a spare vessel. Now, my turn. I heard you and my subordinate had a misunderstanding. Care to explain?"

"Misunderstanding? That stone bitch stole my Aether!"

Fleur hissed, and a menacing red light flared from her unseen eyes, coalescing into twin orbs of fire glowing malevolently within the shadowy folds of her robe. Her voice dripped with disdain.

"Come to think of it, you're no different from the humans of this world now. You're no longer the feared rogue Demon Lord of the Stone Mausoleum. You've got flesh, blood… and fragile parents!"

At the mention of his parents, Carn's expression darkened, narrowing his eyes into cold slits. Negotiation had been his plan, but Fleur's taunt erased any thought of diplomacy.

Fleur let out a cruel cackle, ascending into the air as she conjured a jagged black sword. Its edges were wreathed in shadowy tendrils. The weapon pulsed with malicious energy as she leveled it toward Carn.

"All vengeful spirits' Aether belongs to me! Surrender every shred of it, or I'll start killing everyone, starting with those fools hiding in the bright room of this house!"

BOOM!

Without hesitation, Fleur unleashed her fury. A violent spell rippled outward, shattering every light bulb in the house. Sparks flew as Carn's phone and other electrical devices erupted. The streetlights outside flickered once before succumbing to darkness, plunging the entire neighborhood into an oppressive, shadowy void.

The air grew thick as the darkness became Fleur's domain.

Carn's smirk faded, replaced by cold fury. "You said a similar thing before you betrayed the coalition to the Lich King. Now the undead legions are back, and you're making threats again. Do you think I'll spare you this time, wench?!"

"THEN, DIE!! YOU FOOLISH ROCK!" Fleur swung her blade, aiming to behead him in one swing.