The Scandinavian-style mansion nestled deep within the secluded District 7 stood cloaked in a tense, stifling silence. Home to a family of high elves—parents of Anh Tú—it had become the epicenter of mounting unease.

  In the center of the living room hovered a sphere of arcane magic, glowing with an ethereal violet light. Pulses of energy flickered wildly across its surface, responding violently to some distant, powerful force.

  Surrounding it stood Mr. ??c—the patriarch of the elven clan, Mrs. Tam—mother of Anh Tú, and Anna—their stoic Northern elf stewardess, once a royal chambermaid in the courts of the Elven Kingdom.

  A young elven scout, draped in a cloak of moon-silk, bowed before them, his voice calm but urgent:

  — “My Lords… our kingdom’s surveillance network has just detected a third wave of chthonic energy—one of sovereign class.”

  — “Beyond the already-registered entities—Demon King Satan and Erion, the Black Diamond Overlord—there now exists a third source. However… no data in our global encrypted archives can identify this new demon.”

  Mr. ??c wiped the sweat beading on his furrowed brow, the weight of centuries heavy in his voice:

  — “Satan alone was enough to plunge our clan into generations of peril… And now, not only him, but Erion, and another Lord-class being?”

  Mrs. Tam spoke firmly, the weight of maternal instinct lacing her words:

  — “We must warn Tú immediately. He’s staying at his wife’s home… If he gets caught in this whirlwind unaware, he could be in grave danger.”

  Anna stepped forward, hands calmly clasped behind her back. Her lavender eyes gleamed with subtle fire, though her voice remained gentle:

  — “I’ve already reinforced the mansion’s warding barrier to maximum protocol. While it won’t fully repel Lord-class demons… it should stall them, if only slightly.”

  She tilted her head, pupils glowing faintly violet:

  — “And I trust… Master Tú has already sensed this distortion. As a true-blooded high elf aligned with the light, he’s more sensitive to dark fluctuations than anyone.”

  Mr. ??c nodded grimly:

  — “Tú mentioned that his wife’s family had summoned a warlock, and that there’s a sworn brother assisting. They’ve constructed their own protective circle around the estate. That… eases me somewhat.”

  Mrs.Tam, her voice tinged with concern, placed a hand gently over her heart:

  — “Let us pray that the warlock is powerful enough to contain some of this energy… and may our son, his bride, and their kin remain untouched by this storm.”

  Mr. ??c grasped his wife’s hand, steadying her:

  — “We’ll visit his in-laws tomorrow morning. I can’t shake this feeling… something’s escalating far too fast.”

  Just then, the sphere of magic flared violently.

  A new surge of spatial energy had just been activated.

  A storm was coming.

  At precisely 3 a.m., the grand citadel of Bình Chánh lay draped in a somber silence. Within its vast fortress—an opulent fusion of Eastern mysticism and Western gothic—Trang, now awakened as the Dark Empress, sat cross-legged atop a throne carved from ancient red ironwood, its intricate engravings whispering tales of forgotten bloodlines.

  Resting delicately in her hand was the Velkhanis Mirror, its wooden frame thrumming with dormant power. The mirror’s surface reflected the image of C?u D?ng and his wife’s bedroom, every detail illuminated beneath her blood-red gaze.

  She reached toward the mirror.

  A slight resistance—a whisper of defiance—interrupted her touch, momentarily disrupting the flow of her dark magic.

  The Grand Matriarch, seated nearby with timeless poise, lifted a porcelain teacup. Her voice, like autumn wind rustling dead leaves:

  — “The interference comes from the boundary wards cast by Warlock V?nh and the White Serpent, Trúc Di?n.”

  Trang turned her head slowly, eyes narrowing toward her father and the Matriarch:

  — “A warlock… and a serpent?”

  Satan gripped his obsidian scepter, a gleam of intrigue breaking through his infernal composure:

  — “The warlock V?nh treads the path of balance, while Trúc Di?n is an ancient beast—a white serpent spirit who has cultivated for over a thousand years. They do not pledge allegiance to any faction, but they meddle nonetheless.”

  Trang let out a thin, razor-edged smirk:

  — “No matter... My Black Flame transcends physics. It freezes not only space and time... but seals all forms of arcane energy.”

  Her right hand began to lose its physical structure—dissolving into a thick, black inferno. The air around her cracked with microscopic fractures as light was swallowed inward, and tendrils of flame curled around her fingers like marionette strings made of ash.

  She pressed her burning hand against the surface of the Velkhanis Mirror.

  Instantly, the warding circle surrounding C?u D?ng’s villa trembled. The once-luminous boundary shimmered violently—then collapsed. Time, space, and energy—each were simultaneously frozen, like petals caught in a moment of absolute stillness. Even the nearby trees, pavement, and atmosphere crystallized into minuscule frost shards, robbed of all warmth.

  — “This barrier... is trivial to me.” Her voice was ice—not from tone, but from the essence she carried: the cold of Hell’s core.

  Satan leaned back, laughter rolling from deep within his chest:

  — “Excellent, my daughter. This power... it defies logic, bends the laws of creation. You are truly my heir.”

  The Grand Matriarch narrowed her eyes, gaze flickering with a glint of unease. Within her ancient wisdom stirred both admiration... and caution. A being who wielded Lord-tier energy and the intangible Black Flame posed both a weapon and a threat—if ever untethered.

  At exactly 3:15 a.m., in the pastel pink princess-themed bedroom on the second floor of a villa in District 2, Anh Tú—a righteous elf—was lying next to Anh ?ào when he suddenly bolted upright.

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  A Lord-tier energy wave had just brushed past the atmosphere—striking his spiritual sensors like a lightning bolt. His skin erupted in goosebumps, and his heart pounded in a rhythm not born of fear... but of instinct. A coldness had entered the world—not of weather, but of lethal intent.

  From beneath the covers, Anh ?ào murmured sleepily, tugging the blanket over her head:

  — “Honey… can you turn down the AC? I’m freezing.”

  Anh Tú glanced at the thermostat: 26°C. Perfectly normal.

  He frowned and walked toward the window. The glass pane had fogged slightly, but upon closer inspection, he noticed ice crystals forming along its edges. He flung the window open—

  —and was instantly struck by a wave of glacial air so sharp, so piercing, it could have come straight from the heart of Antarctica. His breath became visible, curling out into the night as wisps of pale smoke.

  Outside, the scene was nothing short of a winter fairy tale—except this was Saigon.

  The entire courtyard had been blanketed in snow. The green lawn was now a sheet of shimmering ice. Under the silver moonlight, the frost glistened like a field of crystal shards. Every tree—whether decorative palms or yellow melaleuca—was encased in a thin shell of ice, as if turned into glass sculptures, unmoving in the deathly stillness.

  In the very center of the yard, a portion of the protective arcane boundary had been frozen solid. The icy ring glowed with a pale blue light, etching a barrier between this home and the world beyond—like a line drawn by a hand from the underworld.

  Anh ?ào appeared beside her husband, eyes wide in disbelief:

  — “Oh my God… Snow? We’re in Saigon… how is this even possible?”

  Just then, a scream erupted from downstairs—it was M? Linh.

  The couple rushed down. C?u D?ng had just emerged from the bathroom and quickly flipped on the lights.

  There, on the tiled floor, M? Linh sat collapsed in terror, pointing a trembling finger at the wooden tea table where a glass water dispenser and some drinking cups had been placed.

  — “That… that bottle… It’s soaking a human finger! The blood—it’s leaking into the water!”

  Anh Tú rushed over, examining it closely.

  — “There’s nothing here, Mom. It’s just filtered water. I can see it clearly.”

  C?u D?ng narrowed his eyes, his voice turning grim:

  — “You’re seeing things now, too? Just like ?ào… Same twisted hallucinations.”

  Anh ?ào clutched her mother’s frozen hands. Her palms were like ice.

  Outside, the frost spread silently, inch by inch. Snowflakes continued to fall—but they did not land. They hovered, suspended in the frozen fabric of space itself.

  Was this an illusion... or a warning whispered straight from Hell’s core?

  Anh Th? and the housemaid Dì T? rushed to the first-floor bedroom after hearing M? Linh’s piercing scream. Still in a wool cardigan, the old maid winced at the biting chill:

  — “What in heaven’s name? It’s colder than ?à L?t in the middle of winter!”

  That was when C?u D?ng finally noticed something was truly off. He stormed to the front door, twisted the heavy wooden latch, and flung both doors wide open.

  A gust of glacial wind surged inward, forcing everyone to shield their faces. What lay outside was no longer Saigon.

  The villa courtyard had been swallowed by a deathly fairytale winter.

  A thick blanket of snow covered every stone step, every bonsai tree worth millions, every patio chair. All had been reduced to frozen still-life, as though sealed in a time-stopped fairytale garden.

  The koi pond out front was entirely frozen—but the koi inside still swam, suspended beneath the ice, moving slowly like ghosts beneath crystal glass.

  From the second floor, the enchanted ice boundary was now clearly visible—a perfect magic circle of frost, its edges glowing faintly blue. A definitive sign of Lord-tier ice magic.

  C?u D?ng, Anh Tú, and Anh Th? stood frozen in place.

  Suddenly, a shout echoed from across the street:

  — “Dear Lord! What the hell am I seeing?!”

  It was Mr. Tài, the neighbor from across the road, staring in disbelief from his second-floor balcony. His teenage son stood beside him, already recording with his phone:

  — “Dad, if I post this on TikTok, it’s gonna go viral!”

  It wasn’t just the Tài household—lights were flicking on in every villa nearby. Neighbors emerged in confusion and awe, murmuring about the impossible weather. The temperature had dropped below freezing, yet out of the entire gated neighborhood, only one villa was encased in ice.

  A phenomenon unseen in the history of Saigon.

  ---

  Meanwhile, at the Black Diamond Citadel in ?à L?t…

  Erion and Din were preparing for their trip to Saigon. Inside the war room, low-ranking demons bustled about, checking gear: encrypted laptops, magical navigation maps, energy scanners...

  Din, glancing through his enchanted spectacles, spoke matter-of-factly:

  — “We should bring two Obsession Filters and one Chrono-Illusion Neutralizer. If this is truly Lord-tier sorcery, our senses might get severely distorted.”

  Erion stood silently, his gaze intense. Suddenly, he raised his right hand—and his fingers began to lose their physical form, transforming into flames of black fire that gave off no light.

  The surrounding air froze instantly. The wooden floor beneath him cracked and splintered from the spreading frost.

  His voice, low and icy:

  — “She’s made her move... That black flame... it’s exactly like the core where I was born. The black heart of Hell.”

  He clenched his burning hand into a fist. A flicker of violet-red fire glinted in his crimson eyes.

  — “I will meet her. And when I do… we’ll fight. For real.”

  Din tossed a dossier into his leather satchel with a theatrical flair:

  — “Damn, you’re acting like this is a wedding proposal instead of a battle.”

  A low-ranking demon whispered to his colleague, eyes gleaming:

  — “Do you think Erion’s about to fall in love for the first time… in a thousand years?”

  A ripple of soft chuckles followed.

  Erion’s eyes narrowed to slits, sharp as demon blades:

  — “Focus on the mission. Or I’ll freeze you into rose-shaped shards and crush you like brittle glass.”

  The lesser demons immediately snapped to attention, checking their gear in silence—though they bit their lips to stifle grins.

  Din, still inspecting equipment, muttered through a tight-lipped smile:

  — “Better not tease a demon in love. They're extra fragile inside.”

  Erion shot a deadly glance toward Din and the others:

  — “One more word, and I’ll turn you into a nitrogen-frozen rose. Then I’ll crush you with my fingers.”

  Black frost spread quietly across the floor.

  The summon for departure had begun.

  At the Black Citadel in Bình Chánh, a chilling aura of dominance and satisfaction hung heavy in the air.

  Trang, now the Dark Queen, sat with one leg draped over the other on a grand limwood throne adorned with beast hide. Her blood-red eyes glowed coldly as she stared into the Velkhanis Mirror. Reflected within was the full view of the District 2 villa, now completely blanketed in snow and ice—trees frozen mid-bloom, koi pond turned crystal tomb.

  Beside her, Grand Sorceress Thái S? sat fanning herself with a phoenix-feather fan as a knowing smirk crept across her lips:

  — “They’ve forgotten one thing... Who Satan truly is. Those petty barriers cast by a neutral sorcerer and a white serpent? They're nothing more than a playground for baby demons learning spellwork.”

  Satan chuckled, tapping a finger against the mirror’s surface. The reflection trembled briefly, then stilled:

  — “I am a Lord of Lords. Born of darkness. Forged in chaos. Their barriers… are spider webs in a winter gale.”

  Suddenly, Thái S?’s eyes narrowed. She raised her hand, whispered a quick calculation, then frowned deeply:

  — “I sense… the approach of the Black Diamond Lord. And a hint of vampire blood rides with him.”

  The room fell into a tense, heavy silence.

  Trang’s eyes narrowed. She turned sharply, her voice cold and razor-edged:

  — “Who is this Black Diamond Lord? And why is he approaching?”

  Satan remained composed, his hand idly stroking his spiral black horns:

  — “He and you… are not born of man and woman. You are both Black Diamonds—crystals formed in the heart of eternal cold, deep within the cores of ancient planets from the Andromeda Galaxy—the largest spiral galaxy in the Local Group, opposite the Milky Way.”

  He stepped closer, voice dropping lower, steadier:

  — “One of those planets is the Dark Planet, over which I reign. The other… rests on the distant edge of Andromeda. That planet… was your origin.”

  He gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

  — “You are the Black Flame Phoenix—your body burns with sub-zero heat. He is the Invisible Black Dragon—formed from the stillness of annihilation. The only difference between you two… is gender and the moment of formation.”

  Trang’s crimson eyes widened in shock. She stepped back, her voice cracking:

  — “But… I had parents. They died in a car crash when I was five. They were human... weren't they?”

  A moment of silence passed before Satan stepped forward again, shadows dancing in his eyes:

  — “They were merely guardians—a shield against unwanted attention. Now that you’ve awakened, the veil must fall. The time has come, my queen.”

  — “In time, I’ll tell you everything. The truth of your blood… and why I never killed you, but instead nurtured you from the shadows… year after year.”

  Trang’s hands trembled. The black flame began to seep out once more, devouring the light around it. The very air froze, sound itself muted by the icy grip of her energy.

  From across the room, Thái S? narrowed her gaze, her thoughts spiraling:

  — “I once believed the princess to be ordinary—a human infused with demonic power. But now… no. She is something far beyond.”

  Her amber eyes gleamed as a sharp smile crept across her face:

  — “The blood I gave her… was merely a catalyst. It didn’t transform her. It awakened her true self.”

  Then, a deep, cold laughter echoed through the chamber—timeless and prophetic.

  — “The great war of a thousand years… never ended. It merely paused—awaiting the moment when two Black Core entities would either collide… or unite.”