A minor demon standing behind them swallowed hard, his voice low but unable to hide his curiosity:

  – “This subordinate remembers… on the Dark Planet, there was once a demon who possessed extreme speed. When he moved, those around him almost couldn’t react in time. He could change anyone’s posture without causing injury. So… how is that different from the current situation?”

  Charles, the physics professor, replied calmly, his voice steady and precise:

  – “It’s different. Very different. The one you’re talking about moved so fast that his personal time advanced ahead of others, but the overall timeline was still flowing. Everything still existed within the same stream of motion — people simply couldn’t keep up with him.”

  The minor demon frowned:

  – “Meaning… he could still touch them?”

  Charles nodded:

  – “Yes. That’s why he could change positions, postures, even the weapons in his opponent’s hands.”

  Only then did Erion speak, his voice low and cold, as if laying down a law:

  – “But not here. The space around us has been isolated, and time… has been locked.”

  His gaze swept over the shards of glass frozen in midair:

  – “When time is frozen, all matter becomes a fixed mass. Any applied force will rebound directly onto the internal structure.”

  Erion paused for a beat, his eyes sharp and icy:

  – “Pulling that girl’s finger isn’t ‘movement.’ It’s breaking her bone, in the very instant when time does not allow deformation.”

  The minor demon went pale, murmuring:

  – “Like… being frozen in a lake?”

  Din nodded lightly:

  – “Exactly. When the water hasn’t frozen, you can still move. Once it’s solid… any change is destruction.”

  Erion concluded, his tone decisive:

  – “Extreme speed and time freeze are two completely different concepts. Never confuse them. Make that mistake once… and you pay with your life.”

  On the other side of the banquet hall, Phong Túc stood before My, his fingers gliding across her stream of memories as casually as scrolling a smartphone. There was no burst of light, no dramatic phenomenon — only absolute silence, where memories were being peeled away layer by layer, ruthlessly yet with surgical precision.

  Lita watched with her arms crossed, her voice carrying both irritation and a hint of concern:

  – “She’s been obsessed with handsome men since birth. After this… who knows what’ll happen if she runs into Trúc Di?n again.”

  The corner of Phong Túc’s lips curled upward, his gaze cold and sharp like a memory surgeon’s scalpel:

  – “I’m known as an editor of memories.”

  He continued slowly:

  – “I’ll blur Trúc Di?n’s image and implant it into her subconscious layer. No matter how many times she sees him again, not a single image will remain in her brain.”

  The surrounding space trembled faintly.

  Members of the Serpent Clan exchanged looks, shock clearly written in their eyes. None of them had expected Phong Túc’s ability to reach so deeply — altering even perceptual reflexes, something nearly equivalent to a living being’s survival instinct.

  Only Erion remained indifferent. There was even a trace of cold disdain in his eyes:

  – “To others, that might be terrifying.”

  He shrugged:

  – “But to me, that ability is useless.”

  Phong Túc cast him a sidelong glance, the curve of his lips openly provocative:

  – “Are you sure?”

  His voice dropped lower:

  – “I could erase your memories right here. Might help tone down that arrogant voice of yours.”

  The air instantly tightened, taut as a drawn bowstring. Yet contrary to expectation, Erion merely smiled. He leisurely sat back down, crossing one leg over the other, his composure so relaxed it was almost infuriating:

  – “Try it.”

  His gaze was deep, utterly devoid of any trace of caution:

  – “I’d like to know what it feels like… to have someone else tamper with my memories.”

  That calm was not an act. It was the absolute confidence of someone who knew — there were memories that, even for an editor, could never be touched.

  When Phong Túc finished editing My’s memories, he slowly turned around. The space around him seemed to stretch taut in a suspended breath. His heterochromatic eyes flared brightly — one blazing ruby red, the other icy sapphire blue — like two opposing stars colliding in the void.

  From the tips of his fingers, razor-sharp claws silently emerged, their cold metallic gleam slicing through the air like a surgical scalpel just withdrawn from a flawless operation. Atop his head, a pair of wildcat ears stood upright, every strand of fur quivering with the absolute instinct of a predator.

  At the center of his forehead, a golden dragon crown inlaid with deep sapphire blue and dark crimson ruby emitted a faint halo of spiritual energy, pulsing rhythmically like the breath of an ancient god newly awakened. Phong Túc’s entire stance carried no violent killing intent — only the silent pressure of one who had just reached into the flow of another being’s memories.

  Chen’s face went deathly pale, his voice trembling:

  – “Someone… do something…”

  Yin merely shrugged, calm to the point of cold indifference:

  – “Since we have the chance, let them face off once.”

  H?u K? nodded in agreement:

  – “Personal grudges should be settled by themselves. No one interfere.”

  On the opposite seat, Erion still bore the appearance of a refined gentleman: Fair skin, warm amber-brown eyes. He curved his lips into a cold smile.

  In the blink of an eye, those eyes shifted completely into blazing ruby, radiant like molten metal freshly pulled from hellfire. As Erion raised his right hand to his head, a pair of spiraled horns slowly emerged, each curve deeply carved as if bearing the marks of ancient pressure.

  The surrounding space caved inward, warping as though collapsing into a black hole under invisible gravitational force. Light shattered, scattering sharp sparks—crack… crack…—like glass being crushed between two diamonds.

  Between the horns, a black diamond crown materialized, radiating a gloomy violet glow intertwined with black flames—not burning, but devouring every source of light that touched it. Illumination was drained away, leaving behind dense patches of darkness, thick as matter itself.

  His once fair skin rapidly turned pitch black, smooth and glossy like solid obsidian, so cold it distorted reflections of the world around him. Every line of muscle stood out clearly — not ostentatious, but bearing the pressure of a body once compressed within a planetary core for billions of years.

  Without lifting a finger, Erion made the air unbearably heavy, as if all of space were bowing before an existence beyond any conventional scale of life.

  Erion lightly stroked the horn on his right. When he spoke, his voice echoed like it rose from a bottomless abyss:

  – “You look fairly impressive.”

  A brief pause — killing intent spread like an undercurrent.

  – “But I already told you. Your ability… is useless against me.”

  Space itself seemed forced into slow motion, as if compressed into a cinematic frame. Light contracted, shadows thickened, and everyone watching felt their chests tighten.

  For the first time, Bách Di?n and the members of the Serpent Clan beheld Erion’s true form beneath the disguise. No one could utter a word.

  Even Charles couldn’t hide his astonishment:

  – “So that’s it… the black diamond of the universe.”

  Erion tilted his chin slightly, his tone casual to the point of arrogance:

  – “Begin.”

  He leaned back in his chair, with no intention of standing up.

  – “I’ll sit right here. Strike as you please.”

  The minor demons erupted in panic:

  – “General! How can you just sit there and let him attack?!”

  Bách Di?n narrowed his eyes, speaking in a low voice:

  – “For him to be this confident… he must already have total control of the situation. I wonder if Phong Túc can actually win.”

  Phong Túc stared straight at Erion, murderous intent surging in his heterochromatic eyes, cold as a scalpel freshly sharpened. He rose onto his toes.

  Slash.

  His figure vanished.

  Not by charging forward — but as if the frame itself had been torn apart, leaving behind a blurred distortion like a visual glitch. No wind.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  No shockwave. All movement was stripped away, leaving only the concept of motion.

  In an instant, Phong Túc appeared right before Erion.

  Claws raised high, their cold metallic sheen slicing through space, aimed directly at the deepest layer of memory — the place that had never been touched.

  The air froze.

  No one dared blink.

  No one dared breathe.

  Heartbeats seemed stretched into infinity.

  Thud…!!!

  Erion looked up.

  His ruby eyes narrowed slightly.

  At that very moment, Phong Túc’s hand halted — not blocked, but as if it had struck an invisible plane. His entire arm froze in midair, every joint tightening instinctively.

  The claws stopped.

  They could not advance even a single millimeter.

  Spiritual energy collided and erupted into distorted ripples, spreading outward like frozen water cracking from within. Space trembled lightly, emitting a dull, heavy sound—like glass under extreme pressure.

  Erion remained seated.

  He didn’t dodge.

  He didn’t counterattack.

  He simply existed — like an immovable anchor within reality itself.

  The corner of his lips curled upward, his low voice resonating:

  – “Physical attacks… are ineffective against me.”

  His gaze locked onto Phong Túc, brimming with cruel amusement:

  – “I’m waiting to see… what you’ll do next.”

  Bách Di?n stared wide-eyed at the scene before him, his voice unable to hide his astonishment:

  – “Why is it that Phong Túc’s attack… can’t even touch him?”

  Din, Erion’s right-hand man who was always at his side, spoke in a low voice as he explained. A trace of reverence flashed through his eyes toward his master’s power:

  – “Whenever any physical attack comes close, the surrounding space automatically compresses, like an invisible shield. It doesn’t just block the attack — it also nullifies the magical wave layer.”

  He paused briefly, then continued:

  – “Time itself is the second layer of defense. It freezes every movement, trapping the opponent inside it.”

  Nh? Phu inhaled sharply, realization dawning on her:

  – “So… Phong Túc’s hand right now is no different from being plunged into a block of hardened concrete. It can’t move at all.”

  Erion glanced at Phong Túc, his ruby eyes flaring like embers in the night. His voice was low, laced with absolute arrogance:

  – “Well? Have you given up yet?”

  The corner of his lips curved into a cold smile:

  – “No matter how fast you are, you can’t surpass the speed of time.”

  Yin nodded, letting out a sigh as if stating an obvious truth:

  – “All of our existence… is governed by space and time.”

  Phong Túc ground his teeth, struggling to pull his hand back, but his entire arm remained locked within the invisible layer of frozen space:

  – “Damn it… I can’t lose!”

  Erion remained unhurried, his tone calm, as if chatting casually:

  – “Then what do you intend to do?”

  His gaze was deep, like a cosmic black hole:

  – “When every movement you make affects time itself… and I am the one who controls it.”

  At that moment, ??i Ng?c suddenly noticed Trang’s face turning pale, her breathing growing rapid. She cried out in alarm:

  – “Princess… what’s wrong with the Princess?!”

  Erion immediately rushed over to support her, while Din moved in just as quickly:

  – “The Princess is maintaining a time-freeze state,” Din said rapidly. “But her ability isn’t fully under control yet. She’s overexerting herself.”

  Without hesitation, Erion instantly activated his power, completely taking over the time freeze in Trang’s stead. The pressure within the space eased at once.

  – “Everyone, return to your original positions immediately,” he ordered. “Adjust your appearances quickly. I’ll let time resume right away.”

  Phong Túc still refused to accept defeat:

  – “We’ll fight again another day.”

  Erion’s eyes flashed with killing intent as he answered curtly:

  – “Fine. I’ll meet you at the nearest date.”

  Everyone dispersed at once, returning to their places as if they had never moved. Layers of disguise swiftly reappeared.

  Erion helped Trang sit back down on her chair, his voice lowered, carrying a rare trace of concern:

  – “Are you okay?”

  Trang smiled, though her complexion was still pale:

  – “I’m fine. It’s just… I’m not used to maintaining my power steadily for such a long time.”

  The eye colors of Bách Di?n and Phong Túc gradually returned to hazel brown. Erion also restored his refined, gentlemanly appearance, as though the black-diamond demon from moments ago had never existed.

  He snapped his fingers lightly.

  Crack…

  Time immediately began to flow again. Sound rushed back in — laughter, chatter, the clinking of knives and forks rang out lively once more. The wedding banquet continued in a joyous, bustling atmosphere.

  Not a single guest knew… that just a few seconds earlier, amid this scene of happiness, space and time themselves had once been bent.

  At Nicolas’s villa, the atmosphere in the living room was so heavy it felt suffocating. Nicolas paced back and forth, his eyes never leaving the laptop screen on the table. On it was the only photo that remained —Trang standing beside a girl with red-highlighted hair, smiling brightly, her gaze proud, her presence strikingly radiant.

  He stopped, his voice dropping low:

  – “Why is there only this one photo left? Could it be… someone has already cleaned everything up?”

  Grimm, standing to one side, nodded with a grave expression:

  – “Very likely. I just checked the red-highlight girl’s personal page — every post from this afternoon has been completely deleted.”

  Kane swallowed hard, a chill running down his spine:

  – “Then does that mean… she’s connected to some kind of force?”

  Grimm frowned, thinking:

  – “If it were a force within this region, there’s no way the boss wouldn’t know. But if it’s not…”

  Before he could finish, Nicolas cut in, his eyes darkening:

  – “…then it can only be a force from outside Earth.”

  The room instantly fell silent. Kane felt his throat go dry:

  – “Outside Earth… that’s far too broad. There are countless planets with different civilizations. Right now, we still can’t determine that girl’s true identity.”

  Lowering his voice, Grimm cautiously proposed another possibility:

  – “Boss, could it be that… this is merely a character created by artificial intelligence?”

  Nicolas knit his brows tightly and rejected it at once:

  – “Impossible. I analyzed the image very carefully—there are no signs of editing or compositing. That girl… is real.”

  He fell silent for a few seconds, his sharp gaze fixed on the screen. Seizing the moment, Grimm spoke up:

  – “I have a suggestion. Have our people conduct a sweep, especially in Vietnam — specifically Saigon. Check how many extraterrestrial forces are living in hiding. From there, we can filter them step by step. We’ll definitely find a lead.”

  Nicolas nodded slowly:

  – “That’s one way to do it. But when it comes to living in hiding, there are countless possibilities — we’ll have to eliminate them gradually. Just one look at this girl tells you her background is anything but ordinary. We can immediately rule out the lower and middle classes.”

  Grimm muttered as he began listing names:

  – “If that’s the case, only the upper echelon remains. In Saigon, the suspicious figures I know of include: Count Din — a tycoon who owns banking systems, casinos, real estate, and even chains of high-end wine cellars. Next is Yin, a Chinese vampire from Ch? L?n, the owner of luxury restaurant–hotel chains and a multinational food conglomerate. And of course… we can’t not mention the Demon King Satan, who owns mineral mines measured in… planets.”

  At that, Kane’s face darkened:

  – “Just hearing that list is enough to raise my blood pressure. Especially the Demon King Satan… get involved with him and you’ll be thrown straight into hell — at best imprisoned, at worst never to reincarnate.”

  Even Nicolas felt a flicker of unease. He knew exactly who the Demon King Satan was — the ruler of Hell, the one who held the scales of justice, with no concept of mercy for wrongdoing. To provoke him was to risk imprisonment for an eternal span of time. But he quickly steadied himself, refusing to show any hesitation in front of his subordinates.

  – “Then we need to be even more careful,” he said coldly. “Avoid touching places with unwritten rules.”

  Grimm and Kane immediately bowed their heads:

  – “Yes, sir. Understood.”

  ***

  Back at the wedding banquet, the atmosphere was still lively with music, laughter, singing, and nonstop dancing. Yet at the table where Erion and Trúc Di?n sat, the mood was unusually subdued.

  Erion subtly observed Trang’s complexion, his voice lowered with concern:

  – “If you’re not feeling well, we can leave. Your health matters more than anything.”

  Trang smiled faintly, her gaze calm:

  – “Let’s stay a little longer. I want to see how My reacts… now that her memories and subconscious have been edited.”

  Hearing this, everyone simultaneously turned their attention to My’s table. Bách Di?n blinked, his tone half-joking, half-serious:

  – “If you want to test it, it’s simple. Just let Trúc Di?n appear in front of her.”

  Arian nodded in agreement:

  – “Good idea. Let’s see how it turns out.”

  Master V?nh spoke up:

  – “My brother and I will go over.”

  The two senior brothers walked toward My’s table at an unhurried pace, completely natural. Master V?nh smiled and took the initiative to strike up a conversation, his gaze shifting to the nearby table where Huy and Anh Th? were greeting guests:

  – “You two really are a perfect match. Wishing you a hundred years of happiness.”

  Anh Th? hurriedly bowed in thanks. C?u D?ng immediately stood up, warm and friendly:

  – “Master V?nh, Trúc Di?n, it’s been a long time since you two came by the house.”

  Trúc Di?n offered a polite smile, his tone steady:

  – “Lately my senior brother and I have been swamped with work, traveling to many places to do feng shui consultations for clients.”

  At that moment, My — true to her nature of being infatuated with handsome men — tilted her head to look at Trúc Di?n and asked curiously:

  – “Hey, are you an acquaintance of Mr. D?ng? May I ask… what’s your name?”

  The entire table froze.

  Everyone’s eyes widened as they looked at one another, unable to understand what was happening. Mr. Quy turned pale and hurriedly scolded her softly:

  – “What are you talking about? This is Trúc Di?n — you’ve met him so many times!”

  My shook her head decisively, her expression utterly innocent:

  – “No way. Today is the first time I’ve ever met him.”

  Deep spoke quietly, half-joking, half-worried:

  – “Could it be she just got discharged from the hospital and now needs to be admitted again?”

  Ti?n frowned in confusion:

  – “That’s really strange… My has met Trúc Di?n countless times. How could she not recognize him?”

  Anh Tú fell silent, a faint glint flashing in his eyes — he had understood:

  – “So someone has already made a move.”

  He let out a soft breath:

  – “But in a way, that’s good. At least… she won’t cling to or disturb other people’s happiness anymore.”

  From a distance, as they observed the conversation at My’s table, the entire group showed clear satisfaction. The outcome was exactly what they had hoped for — if anything, even more thorough than originally expected.

  Lita was the happiest of them all, the corners of her lips curving up in complete satisfaction:

  – “So she won’t be able to bother Trúc Di?n anymore. Phong Túc really is impressive.”

  H?u K? also let out a quiet sigh of relief:

  – “If she’d kept indulging in her delusions and then done something crazy, the consequences would’ve been far worse.”

  Chen looked at My from afar with an expression mixed with contempt and cold indifference:

  – “She once had hackers dig up information, determined to track down Trúc Di?n and Princess Lita no matter what.”

  Bách Di?n spoke in a low voice, cold as metal:

  – “For someone so obsessively deluded, erasing her memories is already the most humane solution.”

  While everyone was talking, Erion continued to quietly watch Trang’s expression. Seeing that she looked a little tired, he gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders, his voice lowering:

  – “Let’s go home. This is enough.”

  Din nodded in agreement:

  – “Everyone head back to the Gothic villa. Yin will coordinate with the restaurant staff.”

  Yin replied while operating his phone:

  – “I’ve already told them to get everything ready.”

  Arian stood up, his tone calm but his eyes full of calculation:

  – “There’s a model casting tomorrow morning. This centipede demon has already been placed on the board — we can just take our time and keep playing this round.”

  H?u K? stood up first:

  – “I’ll go inform His Highness and Master V?nh.”

  He walked straight over to C?u D?ng’s table, where Trúc Di?n and Master V?nh were standing. H?u K? spoke softly:

  – “Let’s head back.”

  Trúc Di?n nodded lightly, then turned to C?u D?ng with polite courtesy:

  – “We’ll take our leave now. We have an appointment with clients tomorrow.”

  Master V?nh added:

  – “Thank you to you and your wife for the invitation. Until we meet again.”

  C?u D?ng replied cheerfully:

  – “It’s already a pleasure that everyone came. There are some small gift packages on the table for guests — don’t forget to take one.”

  M? Linh immediately called over the service staff:

  – “You all, bring the gifts for the guests. Make sure no one is missed.”

  Master V?nh greeted everyone once more:

  – “We’re heading out. Goodbye, everyone.”

  After that, they returned to their table and, together with the others, left one by one. The staff politely handed each guest a small gift — tokens of thanks from the bride and groom.

  Anh Tú stood nearby to do a final check on the gift packages. Trúc Di?n spoke quietly to him:

  – “Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up. See you at the Serpent Clan headquarters.”

  Anh Tú looked slightly surprised:

  – “The Serpent Clan headquarters? Send me the address, okay?”

  Din spoke up calmly:

  – “That day, just come with us. All the headquarters are covered by illusionary barriers — if you go alone, you won’t be able to find your way.”

  Nh? Phu smiled brightly:

  – “That day everyone will decorate together, enjoy all kinds of Ch? L?n delicacies, then stroll around the lantern streets of District 5. It’s really fun.”

  Inside, C?u D?ng noticed how close his son-in-law Anh Tú seemed with Erion’s and Trúc Di?n’s group, and he felt somewhat pleased:

  – “That Anh Tú is quite capable. Knows how to ingratiate himself with tycoon businessmen. That’s how you expand a business network in the future.”

  M? Linh nodded in agreement, then glanced sideways at Huy:

  – “He comes from a business family, after all — not like the other son-in-law.”

  Anh Ph??ng muttered softly, his tone full of sarcasm:

  – “Poor but overly ambitious, and still wants to cling to his wife’s family.”

  C?u D?ng gave a half-smile, his gaze turning cold:

  – “We’ll see if he really has what it takes — or if he ends up being used by his father as a substitute pawn.”

  Meanwhile, Huy was immersed in excitement. His mind was filled with one calculation after another. The first step — becoming the son-in-law of a wealthy family — could be considered a success. Next, he would need to gradually seduce his wife Anh Th?, so he could eventually have his name jointly registered on his in-laws’ assets.

  What he didn’t realize was that C?u D?ng and M? Linh were seasoned foxes of the business world. Touching their assets… was equivalent to signing his own death sentence.