5:00 AM.

  At a European-style mansion nestled within a secluded residential zone in District 7—the home of the righteous elven bloodline—an urgent knocking shattered the quiet dawn.

  – “Master, madam! Please wake up! Something serious has happened!”

  Outside the bedroom door, Anna—the tall, slender housekeeper with silver hair tied into a neat bun—stood pale-faced in her nightgown, a thin wool robe hastily thrown over her shoulders.

  Mrs. Tam was the first to wake. Wrapping herself in a scarf, she hurried to the door.

  – “What is it, Anna? What’s going on?”

  Anna didn’t respond. Instead, she held up her phone. The screen displayed viral headlines from Facebook, TikTok, and Google News:

  “Unbelievable Phenomenon: Mansion in District 2 Covered in Snow Amid Saigon’s Summer Heat!”

  “Residents Panic as Real Snow Falls Overnight—Koi Pond Completely Frozen.”

  “A Scene from a Sci-Fi Movie: Arctic Temperatures Hit Southern Vietnam in May!”

  Mr. ??c, the family patriarch, reached for his own phone. His expression darkened as he scrolled through images of Mr. D?ng’s mansion—his son-in-law’s family estate—now engulfed in thick snow and glacial stillness. Trees were encased in frost, and the koi pond had turned into a sheet of crystal ice. The entire courtyard looked like a cursed winter realm.

  – “My heavens… D?ng’s house is really frozen in midsummer. What kind of force could’ve done this?”

  Anna nodded, her voice trembling:

  – “And it’s not just snow. Our arcane detection system traced a wave of energy from that location... It’s at a Lord-Class level, sir.”

  Mrs. Tam gasped, her hands gripping Anna’s shoulders:

  – “Lord-Class?! But... Satan is the only one we know at that tier. His power is about punishment, karmic balance, and mental dominion—not weather control. This Arctic-level cold... where is it coming from?”

  Anna frowned:

  – “Exactly. Satan’s punishment magic doesn’t leave behind this kind of physical aftermath. And besides Satan and Erion—the Black Diamond—there’s no record of any other Lord-Class demon in global archives. This is... something new.”

  Mrs. Tam’s voice trembled further:

  – “Last night... besides Satan and Erion, the spy pixies said they detected a third energy wave. Lord-Class. But there’s no entry in any classified registry matching it.”

  Mr. ??c, now fully dressed in his ceremonial robe, marched toward the door:

  – “We can’t wait any longer. We’re heading to D?ng’s house immediately. No matter what, we need to know what’s going on.”

  Mrs. Tam nodded, eyes still glued to the chaotic online comments:

  “What kind of witchcraft turns a whole house into a freezer?”

  “This looks like something out of a Hollywood movie.”

  “Is this Saigon’s summer… or the Arctic Circle?”

  To the rest of the world, D?ng’s frozen mansion was a viral anomaly—an internet sensation.

  But to the Elven Clan... it was a dire warning. A sign of a rising power no one had ever seen before.

  At a traditional Vietnamese townhouse in District 3—decorated with ancient Han-inspired furnishings and the gentle scent of sandalwood in the air—the slow tick-tock of a rosewood pendulum clock echoed in the serene, temple-like silence.

  In his private chamber, Master V?nh was preparing for a geomantic mission to stabilize the southern ley lines of Saigon. On the table lay his arcane tools: a bronze bell, a bagua mirror, cinnabar-inked wooden talismans, a L? Ban compass, protective incense... each piece carefully arranged inside a lacquered box adorned with hidden dragons in the woodgrain.

  Suddenly—

  Rrrring… Rrrring… Rrrring…

  The phone rang. He answered.

  On the other end, his disciple Thi?n—a digital feng shui practitioner and part-time lawyer—spoke in a rushed voice:

  – “Master! I just saw the news—remember the villa in District 2, where you and Uncle Trúc Di?n cast the protective ward yesterday? It’s completely frozen! The whole neighborhood is fine, but that one house is buried under snow like a Scandinavian winter!”

  Master V?nh froze mid-motion, his expression darkening.

  – “You said it’s completely frozen?”

  – “Yes! Even the koi pond, trees, the front gate—everything’s iced over. Social media’s going crazy right now!”

  – “Understood. I’ll look into it. Come see me around noon—I need your help with something.”

  – “Yes, Master. I’ll be there.”

  He hung up and immediately began searching online. A few keywords were all it took.

  There it was: clear, high-resolution images—frozen koi pond, snow-covered bonsai, the entire villa encapsulated in icy silence under the blazing Saigon sun. From a neighbor’s second-floor video, the house number was unmistakable—it was C?u D?ng’s villa.

  Master V?nh’s face darkened. His brows furrowed tightly.

  – “That’s… exactly where Trúc Di?n and I established the arcane seal yesterday. But how did it… freeze?”

  Without another word, he walked quickly down the red tile corridor and knocked on a door.

  It opened immediately.

  Trúc Di?n—still in his ceremonial robes—was mid-meditation, his aura flowing like a subterranean spiritual river.

  – “Senior brother, is something wrong?”

  Master V?nh didn’t reply. He simply held up his phone.

  Trúc Di?n stared at the image. Silence fell heavy in the room.

  He quickly zoomed in on each detail. His face changed.

  – “The seal’s broken. But… there are no traces of magic. No energy shockwaves, no lingering curses, no demonic residue.”

  – “Exactly,” Master V?nh said grimly. “It doesn’t match any magic we’ve studied—nor the typical sorcery of demon clans. It was pierced through… without disturbing the flow of spiritual energy. As if it simply evaporated.”

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  Trúc Di?n exhaled slowly. His eyes turned a bright emerald green, pupils narrowing into the slitted shape of an ancient white serpent.

  – “Do you think it was Satan?”

  Master V?nh nodded slowly.

  – “He’s the only confirmed Lord-Class entity we've studied in depth. But even Satan... his powers center on punishment, karmic balance, illusions, mind control. Never anything related to weather or elemental cold.”

  – “Then something’s off,” Trúc Di?n muttered. “If it wasn’t him, then it must’ve been one of the other two Lord-Class presences we sensed last night.”

  He reached out, touching his yin-yang compass. The needle spun gently… then stopped, pointing directly south—toward the frozen villa.

  Trúc Di?n looked out the window. The moon was pale behind the mist.

  – “Maybe Satan didn’t act directly… but he’s shielding or partnering with another entity—one just as strong. Or maybe... one of equal origin.”

  Master V?nh said nothing. His gaze grew heavy.

  – “No matter who it is, we can no longer stay on the sidelines. I’ll reach out to the Southern Circle of Grandmasters. You—get ready.”

  Trúc Di?n nodded.

  – “I will. I have a gut feeling this is vengeance. And the D?ng family… they’re directly tied to it. We must move fast—this isn’t over.”

  Above them, the red lantern flickered faintly.

  Outside the window, an unseen cold wind swept past in silence.

  6:30 AM.

  A sleek black Mercedes-Benz slowly rolled to a stop before the grand villa in District 2.

  What greeted Mr. ??c and Mrs. Tam was a world entirely unlike the Saigon they knew.

  Every branch, every blade of grass was buried under a thick, glistening blanket of snow. Icicles hung from rooftops, balconies, and railings—glistening like cut glass in the soft morning sun. The koi pond was frozen crystal-clear, a mirror of the pale sky above, with the koi swimming slowly beneath the transparent ice. The garden’s prized bonsai trees now resembled frozen sculptures—eerie and hauntingly beautiful. Cold fog drifted like breath made visible, shrouding the entire property in a fairytale-like aura of a Nordic winter dream.

  And yet—this surreal scene stood in stark defiance of Saigon’s climate. It was the physical imprint of a power far beyond human comprehension.

  Mr. ??c stood still, eyes narrowed.

  Mrs. Tam grasped her husband’s arm, voice lowered:

  – “This isn’t just ice. This… isn’t natural. You feel it too, don’t you?”

  Just then, another car pulled up—a silver Innova, stopping a few meters from the gate. The door swung open.

  Two figures emerged.

  The first: a sharp-eyed middle-aged man carrying a weathered fabric bag filled with tools—bagua mirrors, bronze bells, and spiritual wards.

  The second: a young man in a flowing blue ao dai, walking with the grace of the wind. His gaze was cold and ancient.

  Mr. ??c took a step back instinctively, his elven eyes glowing faintly.

  – “A sacred beast... a millennia-old White Serpent,” he muttered.

  Trúc Di?n glanced briefly at the couple. His emerald green eyes, slit like a serpent’s, shimmered with recognition.

  – “Elves… aligned with the Light Path. The parents of Anh Tú.”

  A subtle tension spread between the four.

  Then Master V?nh stepped forward, his voice calm:

  – “We know who Anh Tú is. We mean you no harm. But we are currently investigating a matter… that directly involves Mr. D?ng and his family.”

  Trúc Di?n turned fully to face the couple, his tone firm but respectful:

  – “If possible, we ask that you—and Anh Tú—cooperate with us. Everything must remain silent. This cannot reach Mr. D?ng’s ears, or anyone in his household.”

  Snowflakes drifted like whispers. The winter silence thickened.

  After a long pause, Mr. ??c nodded solemnly:

  – “We will cooperate. But I must say this—what’s happening here may lie beyond the reach of spellcasters and even the elven clans. According to our scouts, there are three known Lord-Class demons. Satan, Erion… and a third. But the records hold nothing on that last one.”

  Trúc Di?n’s brow furrowed. His eyes glowed faintly within the mist.

  – “Erion? Who is he, exactly?”

  Mr. ??c looked around, then leaned in, voice low:

  – “He’s also a Lord-Class demon. According to our archives, he has no origin. He is a Black Diamond forged from the Dark Core of a dead planet—one that falls under the dominion of the Demon King, Satan.”

  Master V?nh and Trúc Di?n exchanged glances.

  – “A demon born from a planet’s core…” Trúc Di?n whispered. “Master, this is the first time I’ve ever heard of a being not born of parents.”

  The cold air around them seemed to freeze even further.

  A new weight settled over the morning—the realization that Erion was something else entirely.

  Not just a demon.

  But a cosmic anomaly.

  A living weapon from the void.

  Inside the frozen villa.

  From the grand double doors, C?u D?ng hurried out, panting as he shoved open the frost-covered gate.

  – “You should've told me you were coming! I would've prepared—wait, Master V?nh and young Trúc Di?n are here too? Please, come in!”

  Trúc Di?n glanced sideways at Mr. ??c and Mrs. Tam. His emerald slit pupils instantly faded, shifting into a calm silvery-black hue. His voice dropped:

  – “He’s out. Don’t reveal your identities.”

  Mr. ??c nodded subtly:

  – “He still doesn’t know about our bloodline. Don’t worry—we’ll keep it that way.”

  Then, switching seamlessly into character, he smiled at C?u D?ng:

  – “We saw the news this morning. Your villa… it was on every site imaginable. So we thought we’d drop by to see it for ourselves. This is… truly bizarre.”

  C?u D?ng looked visibly embarrassed, still stunned by the sight of his summer home turned into a frozen cathedral:

  – “I can’t explain it either. It’s a phenomenon beyond me. But since Master V?nh and Trúc Di?n are here, would you two mind taking a look?”

  Master V?nh gave a brief nod. Everyone followed C?u D?ng through the icy courtyard. Their footsteps crunched softly over a thin frost-covered gravel path.

  As they neared the main entrance, Master V?nh suddenly stopped.

  His eyes locked onto the center of the courtyard—the exact spot where he and Trúc Di?n had cast the protective ward just yesterday. Now, the grass was buried under a thin sheet of greenish ice, translucent like emerald crystal, glowing faintly and eerily.

  The old mage took a step back, his fingers tightening on the sandalwood talisman fan:

  – “Impossible... the energy field has been completely frozen.”

  Trúc Di?n knelt beside him, brushing his hand along the icy outline of the magical barrier. Cold vapor curled up in twisting wisps under the morning sun. His pupils shrank again into narrow slits.

  – “This isn’t just physical ice. It’s something else…”

  – “It’s a form of suppression. A full shutdown of magical systems—Lord-class freeze magic. It doesn’t just seal—it nullifies.”

  Master V?nh’s expression paled as he stared down at the crystallized ward.

  – “I’ve never seen anything like this. Not in any arcane records from the last thousand years.”

  Mrs. Tam placed her hand on her husband’s arm, whispering:

  – “Could it be Satan?”

  Master V?nh shook his head slowly, voice steady but grim:

  – “No. Satan’s abilities are psychological—punishment, karmic law, illusion, mental dominance. He doesn’t alter the environment physically like this.”

  – “I believe this connects to the two unidentified Lord-class energy waves we detected last night.”

  C?u D?ng stood frozen—figuratively and almost literally—inside what used to be his home, now turned into a winter crypt.

  – “I… I don’t understand what you’re talking about. But that’s not all. Something else strange happened in my house last night.”

  Mr. ??c narrowed his eyes, his tone curious:

  – “Is it about my daughter-in-law’s hallucination?”

  C?u D?ng exhaled slowly:

  – “It’s not just her anymore. Last night, my wife said she saw a severed human finger floating in the water jug, bleeding into it. But I looked. So did Tú. It was just regular drinking water.”

  Trúc Di?n stared deeply at the man, his voice quiet and foreboding:

  – “If our theory is correct… you’re standing inside the eye of a storm. One that you haven’t even realized has begun.”

  At the ?à L?t stronghold, the early sun pierced through the veil of cold mist that clung to the antique French chateau. Beyond the illusion barrier, the mansion appeared as a crumbling, ivy-covered relic of time—an illusion masking a fortress of arcane power.

  Outside, parked at the edge of the pine forest, two sleek black Bentley Bentayga SUVs gleamed under the fading dew. Several lesser demons—disguised in human forms—were busily packing the trunks with gear: modern tech devices, sealed black-inked artifacts, wooden chests, and rune-inscribed luggage.

  Din, calm as always but unable to mask a flicker of unease, turned to Erion:

  – “General, you should conceal yourself carefully. That diamond-black skin of yours and those ruby-red eyes... will attract more than just demons. And Saigon… isn’t just Satan’s territory anymore.”

  Erion said nothing. He merely stepped back—one, two, three paces.

  A sigil of time-space magic flared beneath his boots, spiraling outward like a miniature event horizon. Shades of violet and pale black swirled as if opening a portal into the void.

  Then, his form began to shift.

  His obsidian-diamond skin transformed into fair, flawless European-toned flesh—smooth, radiant. His ruby-crimson eyes melted into warm, deep amber, glowing faintly like autumn embers.

  His build remained the same—1.88 meters tall, with sculpted muscle and sharply defined facial lines, as if carved from divine marble.

  One of the demons swallowed hard, whispering:

  – “Holy hell… the General’s now just as handsome as Count Din…”

  Another reached for a stealthy snapshot but froze as Din’s razor stare sliced the air.

  – “Watch your tongues. This isn’t a sightseeing tour to Paris.”

  Erion finally turned. Though his amber eyes glowed gently, they held the depthless chill of an abyss.

  – “Let’s go. I want to see how the wielder of that Black Flame chooses to fight.”

  – “I don’t pull punches—regardless of her gender.”

  Din eyed the smirking demons nearby.

  – “Let’s just hope when you see her, you don’t blush... or have a cardiac episode.”

  A ripple of stifled laughter swept the group. Erion’s eyes flashed amber fire:

  – “The next one who laughs... will become a living fossil. Move it. We’re not here for a picnic.”

  Immediately, the two Bentleys roared to life, their engines humming low and powerful through the misty ?à L?t morning. The convoy surged forward, disappearing down the mountainside road—heading straight for Saigon.

  A collision loomed.

  An entity born of abyssal ice was about to confront a flame from the heart of cosmic darkness.

  Hell would tremble.

  The stars would turn.

  And mankind…

  would learn a truth it was never meant to know.