《Living as I please, As a loli Demon King》 1: Prologue – Betrayal, Death and a Second Chance It was, an infinite darkness. As far as the eye can see, there was only darkness. No matter where you went, no matter how long you waited, there were no signs of light at all. In the middle of that darkness there was a single bluish flame floating. One could say it was the size of a candle flame. This flame was me. Ryusei Homura. Or what was left of me. I was confused as in this form it was like having 360¡ã vision. Of course I knew this wasn¡¯t my true form. I was a human. Was! My memory started to come back to me. I started to recall what happened. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó ¡°Oh, brave heroes, you have come!¡± Yeah, you heard it right. The typical line you would find in manga and light novels. Those same words were addressed to me. Well, not to me alone. It seems myself and all my classmates have been transferred to another world. It all happened on a Monday morning. I remember how fast I ran to get to school on time. I overslept. When I opened the door of the classroom, I felt a lot of hateful glares were directed at me. Usually I just try to ignore them and go to my seat. But¡­ It wasn¡¯t quite that simple. ¡°Sup, otaku freak! I bet you stayed up all night reading porn and playing video games!¡± The boys laughed at the statement and the girls kept looking at me as if I was trash. The student who approached me was Ren Takeda. The class idol and the worst bully in all of history. His father was the principal of the academy so this guy usually gets away with whatever he wants. If there is something he doesn¡¯t like, he squashes it. And the reason he is so hostile towards me is¡­ ¡°Good morning, Ryu-kun! You barely made it on time. You really should try and put more effort into waking up.¡± The owner of that voice was the only person in the entire school that treated me with kindness. Her name is Shiori Watanabe. And she is my neighbor and childhood friend. She¡¯s also one of the most popular girls in school. She had long blond hair that went down all the way to her waist, deep blue eyes filled with kindness and a smile that would make any man fall for her on the spot. And did I mention her breasts? She was a proud G cup owner with a bust size of 96. How do I know this? It¡¯s because one day she dragged me along when she went shopping for a bra. I overheard when the clerk measured her size. She¡¯s probably the only reason I¡¯m still coming to school. Oh, yeah, me and Shiori are on a first name basis since we know each other for so long. ¡°Looking after him like always, Watanabe-san. The kindness you show him truly is admirable. Such a shame it¡¯s wasted on a person like him!¡± Another sharp remark from the no-good Ren. Of course, Shiori completely ignored him. Then, just as class was about to start, the whole floor started to shine. It became so bright that everyone had to close their eyes. And when the light faded away and I opened my eyes, I was no longer in the classroom. The place I was currently in looked like a church. When I recovered from the shock I noticed that I wasn¡¯t the only one. All my classmates were here too. And then¡­ ¡°Praise to the Goddess! The summoning ritual worked! Oh, brave heroes, you have come! Please help us to eliminate the Demon Kings!¡± When I looked in the voices¡¯ direction I saw an old priest. He was probably in his late 60¡¯s given the wrinkles on his face and the long white beard he had. He was also holding a shiny gold scepter in his hand. But I didn¡¯t pay too much attention to him. My eyes were drawn to the figure next to him. It was a beautiful woman. She wore quite an elegant dress. The types you¡¯d see in medieval books or movies. The dress had a cut style to the side so you steal a glance at her bare legs. As my eyes started to scan her upper part I notices she had silky long black hair and not even a trace of wrinkles. Her skin was really smooth and would make a lot of modern day women jealous. But the thing that stood out the most was her breasts. They were huge. When looking at her chest it was as if her breasts were overflowing from her dress. Anyone who would see a pair as big as hers would probably label them as World cup. The woman took a few steps forward and then she spoke: ¡°Please, don¡¯t be scared. We will make sure to explain everything to you. I am ¨¦clair Olympia, Empress of the Olympia Empire, and this is Archbishop Frederic the II, a priest of the Holy Church!¡± The Empress then turned towards the priest and continued speaking: ¡°There are some preparations and matters I need to attend to now. Take care of them.¡± At those words the priest nodded and the Empress made her way out of the church. I thought that was a bit rude. I mean, you summon someone without their consent and then just brush it off like it was nothing. Although I couldn¡¯t help not noticing her eyes. Maybe it was just my imagination, but it felt that those eyes were empty. No traces of emotion could be seen in those eyes. It¡¯s like she was a robot just following a speech. I didn¡¯t give it too much thought at that time. After the Empress left, the Archbishop once again looked towards us and started giving us an explanation. The continent we were in was called Palmira. The old priest brought up a map of the world. https://imgur.com/eprnzs8 Basically, this world was divided between humans, elves, dwarves and demons. But apparently the human empire and the whole continent was in danger. They were being attacked by the demon race. The cause of attack is unclear, but the empire has no choice but to fight back to protect the human race. Negotiations have failed so the only thing they can do is eradicate the Demon Kings and the demon race so that peace can be established. Honestly at this point I just wanted to ask the old geezer to send us back home but¡­ ¡°Of course we¡¯ll help! The wicked must be vanquished. We will gladly lend you a hand!¡± Big-mouth Ren stepped forward and acted high and mighty. And since Ren was the one that took the initiative, everyone soon followed and decided to stay and help. There was no way I could retort at this point. And with that, the priest clapped his hands. Soon after a number of nuns came and handed each one a blank piece of paper. These papers were cards that are supposed to measure our powers and stats. We were instructed to focus on the cards and text should appear on them. ¡°All right!¡± Again, Ren raised his voice. It was like he just won the jackpot. And in some way, he did. Name: Ren Takeda Age: 16 Race: Human Class: Hero Strenght: A Agility: B+ Endurance: C Magic: A Luck: B Overall Rank: A ¡°Oh! You seem to have quite the talent, young man. I expect to see great things from you!¡± The Archbishop let out a smile as he praised Ren. Afterwards, everyone kept checking their status. Of course, I looked at mine too, but was rather disappointed. Before I could put my card in my pocket, idiot Ren came behind me and took it from my hand. ¡°Hey, otaku freak, why don¡¯t you let me have a look?¡± Name: Ryusei Homura Age: 16 Race: Human Class: Enchanter Strenght: F Agility: E Endurance: A+ Magic: D Luck: F Overall Rank: E ¡°Whoa! Your stats are trash, just like I expected. But this job¡­ Excuse me, Archbishop, but what¡¯s an enchanter?¡± ¡°An enchanter? It¡¯s a non combat class specialized in enhancing weapons and physical strength. If I were to summarize it, it offers a small boost to abilities, but once you pass basic training, the boost it offers often becomes meaningless. It¡¯s probably one of the worst classes known.¡± After finishing his sentence everyone started to laugh at me. I could hear voices like ¡°as expected of the freak otaku¡± or ¡°even another world can¡¯t change trash like him¡±. It was vexing. Even I felt like punching myself. ¡°Mou! That¡¯s enough already! We¡¯re all in this together. We need to support one another and be united, not pick on each other!¡± The owner of that voice was obviously Shiori. After her sharp remark, everyone felt silent. She came close to me and whispered: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Ryu-kun. I¡¯m not a combat class either, but I¡¯ll make sure to do my best and protect you.¡± Shiori lifted her card and showed it to me. Name: Shiori Watanabe Age: 16 Race: Human Class: Healer Strenght: D Agility: B- Endurance: B+ Magic: A+ Luck: C Overall Rank: B In that moment I kind of felt relieved. Knowing that Shiori was watching my back. And that was also the moment that ticked Ren off the most. After everyone confirmed their status, the Archbishop once again spoke: ¡°Please follow these nuns. You will be assigned with rooms and we shall start your training tomorrow!¡± -------- And so each day the holy knights of the church would take turns into training us. The purpose of the training for the past week is for everybody to control their great power. The people who couldn''t shoot magic at first are now already a splendid magician. With the given power their growth is very fast. Those who were labeled as melee fighters turned out to be quite skilled in handling swords and other weapons. After today, I just wanted to go back to my room, but when I return, there¡¯s a guy who joined shoulders with me familiarly. ¡°Yo, otaku freak, let¡¯s review today¡¯s lesson together.¡± Yup, you guessed it. Ren the bully. I desperately endure myself from sighing, and went to the usual spot to endure a beating. ¡°Oraa!¡± ¡°!¡­¡± Ren¡¯s punch enhanced with magic hit my belly. Here is the back of the castle, it¡¯s dark and there¡¯s hardly anyone passing here. Just think of it like the back of the modern day gym. I was sent flying a few meters. The pain was quite strong. After I landed I placed my hands on my belly and groaned. ¡°I guess your endurance is your only good feature! You really make such a good punching bag!¡± This guy really is a jerk. But all I could do was endure his assault. Of course, I couldn¡¯t tell anyone about this either. Shiori might be worried for me, but I can¡¯t let her know so I always do my best to hide my bruises. Ren would make my life even more of a hell if anyone found out, and I¡¯m scared that he might even try doing something to Shiori. And that¡¯s how I endured my days. Until the holy knights decided it was time to take us to have an actual combat experience. We were taken from the capital city to a cave in order to slay some goblins. Goblins were the weakest monsters on the continent so they were good for target practice. It was supposed to be an easy job. But the knight in charge made one fatal mistake. ¡°Wolves! These goblins have cave wolves! Kids, be careful. They are too fast to handle at this level. We have to retreat or else we¡¯ll be surrounded. Shit! Why is this colony so big? There shouldn¡¯t be this many! Fall back everyone! Fall back now!¡± The truth was, we were overwhelmed by goblins. When we started out, everyone was doing good. But they soon turned the tide and overwhelmed us with sheer numbers. The holy knight was right. Even if we are stronger, we can¡¯t match their numbers. Escape was the only option. I turned my body around and prepared myself to run. I think I was only able to take 5 steps. A blade had pierced my chest. It wasn¡¯t a goblin blade. Goblins only used wooden arrows and clubs as weapons. It was¡­ Ren¡¯s blade. I was in complete shock. I knew Ren didn¡¯t like me, but I didn¡¯t think he would go as far as killing me. Ren had a huge grin on his face. He drew closer to my ear and whispered. Even though everyone was screaming, I could hear him clearly. ¡°You¡¯ve been a pain in my ass for too long. We don''t need to look after trash like you. You''re just a burden, so die!¡± As Ren pulled his blade out of my chest, blood was gushing out. I wanted to scream. I wanted to call for help. I wanted to tell everyone that this bastard stabbed me. But I couldn¡¯t. All I could do was cough blood. Because of the wound, blood started filling my wind pipe. I felt like I would drown in my own blood. I couldn¡¯t stand up anymore and fell on the ground. Ren kept smiling as he looked at me. Even know, I still remember his final words. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll be sure to take good care of Watanabe-san!¡± Then he turned around and shouted: ¡°Captain! They got one of us! We need help over here!¡± It was like he put on a mask. He changed from an evil smile into someone who looked like he was concerned about me. ¡°NOOOOOOOOOOO!¡± The one who shouted from the depths of her lungs was Shiori. She desperately tried to come to me. But the knight stopped her. He grabbed Shiori and lifted her over his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s truly tragic, but we can¡¯t waste any more time. We have to leave now, or else we are going to end up like him.¡± With those words the knight started running alongside the rest of the students to the exit. Although Shiori struggled and wanted to be released, the knight didn¡¯t let her go. Of course, Ren, who was classified as a hero easily caught up with the group too. Hero my ass. If this is the work of some God, that God is clearly a lunatic. Ren isn¡¯t a hero. He¡¯s an evil murderer who only cares about himself. I couldn¡¯t keep my eyes opened any longer. I knew¡­ my life had ended. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó And that¡¯s when I realized that I¡¯m nothing more than a bluish flame sitting in the middle of darkness. Was this my hell? Is this my afterlife punishment? All sorts of thoughts went through my mind. It felt that I¡¯ve been waiting for ages in this sea of darkness. Suddenly a light turned on. It¡¯s like someone had turned on a reflector at a theater right after the curtains were pulled. And in that spot, there was a throne that floated within the darkness. A dark shadow that had the shape of a person sat on that throne. I felt as if it wasn¡¯t its true form. But, at the same time it felt like it didn¡¯t have a true form at all. ¡°Now then, I guess I¡¯ll first take an appearance that would be easy for you to talk to.¡± When the shadow said that, it searched through Ryu¡¯s soul. It arranged itself into an appearance that Ryu would fear the least, and would most easily hold a favorable impression of. ¡°¡­¡­I see. So this kind of thing is to your liking.¡± After who knows how much time, the figure of a young lady appeared on the throne of darkness. Her pink hair grew down to her waist, and her forelocks were cut to the length of her shoulders. She had red eyes that had a bit of an intense impression. With her light red lips bent into the shape of a smile. What covered the girls¡¯ body was a gothic dress with black and red color schemes. And a pair of horns were attached to the girls¡¯ head. ¡°Now then, I will explain the situation to you. I am the Demon God and you, have already died.¡± I was aware of my death. But this person in front of me that calls herself the Demon God¡­ does that mean I¡¯m gonna go to hell? ¡°It seems that you truly lived a worthless life. However, you are quite fortunate.¡± Expressing a hypocritic-like smile that seemed like it would be expressed by a human of unscrupulous business practices, the Demon God stood up from the throne. ¡°I can give you a second chance. I will make you a Demon King. I will give you power. You will be able to get revenge and live your life as you please!¡± To become a Demon King... That would actually mean to become the villain. No. Thinking of it, I never considered myself to be a good guy. It¡¯s true I always had desires. But I was afraid to let people see my true nature. Just like a black sheep wouldn¡¯t be accepted in a flock. ¡°Let me point out that everything those church bastards told you is one big lie! The humans are the ones that started this war. Of course that doesn''t mean the demon race is made from a bunch of saints either. If they eradicate the demon race, I will cease to exist as well.¡± I listened carefuly to the Demon God. It seems that we weren¡¯t summoned here to save the humans. We were summoned and viewed as war potential. A weapon that could help them conquer the demons. ¡°And don''t you think they will stop there. If they will eradicate the demons, the elves and dwarves will be next. The church has gained so much credit that the shitty popes¡¯ word is heavier than even the Empress. She who worked so hard to unite humanity under a single banner is nothing more than a puppet in the eyes of the church. I¡¯ll say it straight. The church is rotten to the core.¡± A million questions popped into my head. Why is the church doing this? Is world domination really that important for them? Do they really not care about all the blood their shedding? ¡°Now, let''s get back to your situation. Time is short. In the demon kingdom there are 12 Demon Kings. That number helps maintain balance. If a Demon King is killed by another demon, then that demon will take his place as the new Demon King. But if a Demon King dies by the hands of a human, then I am in charge to create a new Demon King. But that pseudo-Goddess of the church is blocking my Origin magic. So I can''t create a new Demon King. And that''s why you are so fortunate. When you died I brought your soul here. I will put your soul in a body that has all the qualifications required for a Demon King.¡± Since I was just a floating flame I had no mouth. I couldn''t talk. I could only listen to her words. ¡°Right now I can see the very core of your soul. Your true self. You''re twisted and perverted. A deep anger boils inside you. You act nice on the surface but you wanna let your true nature to the surface. As a Demon King you will be able to. I shall give you power. As long as you nurture that power you can do whatever you want. You can take revenge on the ones that betrayed you, you can enslave humanity, or you can just fuck it all, ignore it and do whatever you want. It will take a while until the humans will invade the continent. So until then, I suggest you try to get on your feet. And because your soul has quite an appeal to me, I¡¯ll even give you a small gift to help you on your journey!¡± There was no reason to refuse her offer. In the eyes of humans I will be seen as a villain. But right now I feel that the humans are the true villains. They summoned me to fight in a war I didn''t want to get involved into. And then there''s Ren. I will never forgive that bastard. If I leave Shiori around that guy she¡¯ll only suffer. If I had power I would kill that bastard over and over again. I would make him suffer the way I did. But most importantly, I would get to do whatever I wanted. Freedom. There is no way I¡¯m throwing a chance like this out the window. Give me power! Power to burn everything to ashes! ¡°It seems you are ready. Maybe we¡¯ll meet again some day. I look forward to seeing your impact in this world.¡± The Demon God snapped her fingers. That snap signaled the end of the existence known as Ryusei Homura. The bluish flame dissapeared. Most likely the Demon God had sent it to meet its new body. Its new life. ¡°I wonder what face you¡¯re going to make when you wake up, my cute little Demon King!¡± 2: The day I became a loli I slowly opened my eyes. It¡¯s like everything that happened was just a dream. But I remember everything. The summoning, the pain, my death and even the meeting with the Demon God. There¡¯s no way that could have been a dream. When my vision returns to me I notice an elegant chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Instead of lightbulbs, it had candles. I try putting some strength into my body and slowly started to get up. I started to look around the room. The room I was in was similar to a library. Lots of bookshelves packed with books. The room had a rather dark feeling to it. I noticed that I was standing on a table. And around the table there was a strange pentagram drawn on the floor. It gave quite the sinister feel to it. ¡°I guess this truly is the¡­ demon¡­ kingdom¡­ What¡¯s¡­ going on with my voice?¡± I was startled. When I spoke out loud the voice that came out wasn¡¯t my own. But that isn¡¯t the reason I was shocked. The Demon God did say she will put my soul in another body. So I wasn¡¯t expecting to have the same voice. What shocked me the most was that the voice that came out sounded like a girl. It had a high pitch to it. I began to tremble. In a corner of the room I noticed that there was a large mirror. I went straight for it, wanting to see my new body. The moment I looked in the mirror my brain froze. The blow I¡¯ve been dealt was huge. In the mirror there was a girl. A little girl. Her height was roughly around 145cm. She had long red hair that reached all the way to her butt. Her eyes were also died in a deep crimson-red color. She wore some sort of black dress that exposed the belly. Rather than calling it a dress it was closer to a swimsuit. Her bust size was rather small, but she wasn¡¯t completely flat either. She did have a bit of breasts developing. Her legs were wrapped in black stockings that seemed to have merged in some way with her shoes. She had a rather simple pair of high heels. Right above her chest there was some kind of jewel attached to the dress. At first glance it looked like a ruby. But probably the most abnormal part was that the young girl had wings. They weren¡¯t dragon wings, nor were they devil wings. They resembled the wings of crow. Pitch black feathers and 3 eyeballs on each wing. They were actually pretty scary. The wings alone would have shocked anyone. But that wasn¡¯t the reason I was shocked. ¡°WHAT!? Why the hell am I a loli?!¡± I suddenly shout as hard as my lungs could allow me. ¡°What did that Demon God do to me? Couldn¡¯t she find a male body? And if it had to be a female body, why a loli? Are you telling me I am supposed to live the rest of my life in this body? You gotta be shitting me!¡± I started cursing and yelling at the reflection in the mirror. Because I was talking to myself I didn¡¯t hear a pair of footsteps that were running towards this room. The door suddenly opened with a BAM. ¡°Halt, intruder! No matter who you are I will stab your¡­ heart¡­¡± A loud clang followed shortly after. The person that barged in dropped the long scythe it was holding. Tears started to form in her eyes. She took a few steps forward. ¡°Is it¡­ really true? Have you¡­ finally awakened¡­ after all these years?¡± I wasn¡¯t sure how to reply to that. I was still kinda in shock. The only thing my brain told me to do was to at least great the person before me. ¡°Uhm¡­ hi.¡± I was taken aback by her reaction. Only now did my brain start working properly again and I realized the person in front of me was a female. After my greeting she quickly took a knee and lowered her head. ¡°Mistress Milla, I can not express the joy I feel right now. I¡¯m glad that you finally awakened. Your faithful servant is ready to follow your orders!¡± I didn¡¯t know how to react. I have no idea in whose body I am. Another million questions popped into my head. But it was hard to think right now, since my eyes were drawn to this woman¡¯s breasts. As I begin to analyze her from top to bottom, she was a full fledge adult. She was taller than me. I think my head only reached her chest. She wore a frilly maid dress. The upper part of her chest was exposed. She had a nice pair of breasts. I would say they were around the same size as Shiori¡¯s. Her skirt reached to around her knees. She also had a maid headdress. She had short lime hair. It only reached her shoulder, but it had quite the volume. A pair of horns circled her head. The most curious part about her attire was that her gloves and boots were basically armor. Metal gloves that reached all the way to her elbows and metal boots that went all the way to her knees. The more I stare at her, it feels as something wants to obstruct my vision. I try focusing a bit and above the maids¡¯ head I manage to see the following: Name: Grace Age: Unknown Race: High Mazoku Class: Battle Maid Strenght: SS Agility: S+ Endurance: SS Magic: S- Luck: B Overall Rank: SS Amazing. I could see her stats without a card. Was it maybe due to the fact that I¡¯m supposed to be a Demon King now? Her stats left me speechless. This woman was OP. In the first 2 days the church tried to feed us as much info as they could. I remember a part that said ¡°an SSS human is equivalent in strength to an S class demon¡±. If that was true then it would take at least 10 SSS humans to beat this woman. But it''s said that the heroes summoned are supposed to be an exception and should be stronger. The other important part was her class. Battle Maid. I read about it in a book. Battle Maids, were women skilled at doing maid duty but at the same time have mastered high combat skills. They are extremely rare but they are famous for being strong war potential. But a Battle Maid was special. Their loyalty can''t be bought. Their services can''t be employed. The thing about Battle Maids is that they choose their master. Kings would often lay before them riches to gain their favor, but no matter what they are presented with, if they do not deem that person worthy they will turn down every offer. And such a person is calling me mistress. "Uhm¡­ Grace, could you please stand up for now?" "As you wish, mistress." She quickly stood up and picked up the scythe she dropped when she barged in the room. Now, I wonder what am I supposed to do next. How should I choose my words? If the Demon God was telling the truth and everything the church told us was a lie, then I need to know the situation over here. Well the Demon God did tell me to live as I please. If that''s the case I will just go with my gut. "Grace listen carefully. My memory is hazy. I don''t remember anything. I can''t recall why I was sleeping, I don''t know were we are and I don''t know much about the demon race either. So I''m asking you to answer all my questions!" "Developing memory loss¡­ That truly is unfortunate. It might be an after effect caused by the seal placed on you. But I understand. I will do my best to teach you everything you wish to know. Please follow me to a more appropriate room." It seems like she wasn''t that bothered by my explanation. There are a lot of things I want to ask. For now I should just follow her. Now that I think about it I never checked my own status. I tried looking at my hands to trigger the words to appear. It was then when I also noticed that I had 2 jewels on the back of my palms. It felt as though they were merged into my skin. A part of my body. After a few tries and errors, I managed to see my stats. Name: Milla Walpurgis Age: 228 Race: High Mazoku Class: Demon King Strenght: SSS Agility: SS- Endurance: SSS+ Magic: SSS- Luck: A Overall Rank: SSS My jaw almost dropped when I saw my own stats. I thought Grace was OP. Seriously now, how can such a little girl have so much power? I mean, I feel completely normal. And what the fuck is with that age? 228 years old? Does that make me a lolibaba? I guess I am legal at this age. No! Why am I even thinking about stuff like this? I better just keep up the pace with Grace for now. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó Back in the Olympia Empire, Ryu¡¯s classmates were trying to get over their first defeat. Even if everyone saw Ryu as an otaku freak, a pervert, losing someone was a shock for many. It was the moment that they realized they can actually die. The church held a burial ceremony for Ryu. It was a ceremony to calm down all the students. They prayed that Ryu¡¯s soul might find peace on the other side. After the ceremony was over, the Archbishop was preparing to go to his office. On his way, a young man was waiting for him. ¡°Well, Ren-dono, I must say, that went pretty well. You truly know how to hide your true intentions. If you weren¡¯t a hero, you probably would have made an excellent politician.¡± Ren Takeda. Right now he had a creepy grin on his face. Just moments ago he looked gloomy during the ceremony, but right now he showed his true face before the priest. ¡°Still, I didn¡¯t expect for you to come to me and ask for a way to kill that loser.¡± ¡°I can read the mood. It was clear after a week that you hated him too. You didn¡¯t like that he was weak and that you had to spend resources on a trash like him. I knew you wanted to get rid of him too.¡± What Ren said was true. The priest only saw Ryu as an annoying maggot. He wanted to get rid of that filth as there was no merit in nurturing the likes of him. Although he was shocked at first at Ren¡¯s proposal to kill him, he took quite a liking into Ren. A hero who is pure has no price. But a hero with desire can be easily reasoned with and most importantly manipulated. Hence the Archbishop approved of Ren¡¯s idea. He made sure to pick a cave that they weren¡¯t ready to face. Ren¡¯s job was to use the commotion and panic so he can kill Ryu without anyone noticing and blaming his death on the goblins. ¡°I hope that you don¡¯t forget our deal.¡± ¡°Of course not, young hero. Continue to assist me and in a few months time you shall have what you desire. I will see to it personally.¡± ¡°I¡¯m glad we¡¯re on the same page then.¡± -------- After the sun had set, Momoyo Nakano went to check up on her friend, Shiori Watanabe, who was still sleeping. Ryu''s death had a big impact on her so since the students returned, she had been asleep for 2 days. Momoyo was the class president. She had long black hair wrapped in a simple ponytail style. Her eyes were like a gem. A pure amethyst color could be seen in them. Unlike a knight she didn''t wear any metal armor. She had leather clothing with a green cape that reached around her butt. This gear was more suited for her class. Name: Momoyo Nakano Age: 16 Race: Human Class: Archer Strenght: C+ Agility: A+ Endurance: B- Magic: A- Luck: B Overall Rank: A Momoyo was an archer. Her stats were comparable to Ren. But since Ren was labeled hero, she didn''t want to make a fuss over it. The last thing the students needed was "Who''s stronger? Ren or prez?" Yes, she wanted to avoid such a situation. Momoyo had known Shiori for quite some time. Although she didn''t get close to Ryu, she always admired Shiori when she was defending him. She had a deep respect towards Shiori and became close friends. When she opened the door to the bedroom she noticed that Shiori was awake. Tears were dripping along her cheeks. Momoya got closer and took Shiori''s hand. "Momo-chan¡­ is it true? Is Ryu-kun¡­" "Yes." "Lies¡­ it can''t be true¡­ he can''t be¡­" "Shiori, he''s dead." Momoyo didn''t know how she should comfort her friend. Shiori was affected by Ryu''s death the most. "I wasn''t strong enough. I promised I would protect him, yet I did nothing. I shouldn''t have left his side!" "Shiori, it wasn''t your fault. What would Homura-san say if he saw you like this? If you feel you aren''t strong enough, then you just have to get stronger." After a few minutes, Shiori finally stopped crying and pulled Momoyo into her embrace. Momoyo went along and accepted her hug. "Hey, Momo-chan, will you help get stronger? I have to. I don''t want to see anyone else die." "Of course I will. I will always watch over you." After the heart warming scene, Momoyo bid Shiori goodnight and let her rest. As she returned to her room, there was one thought that crossed her mind. She didn''t share it with Shiori. When Ryu''s body was brought back and buried, she noticed the wound on Ryu''s chest. It was clearly caused by a blade. The goblins they fought only used arrows and clubs for weapons. So how did Ryu get that wound? She gave it some thought, but in the end couldn''t come to any conclusion. Before entering her room she said to herself: "I promise I''ll properly look after Shiori, so try to rest in peace, Ryusei." ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó I think I''ve been talking with Grace for a full day, if not more. Grace tried to feed me as much information as she could. I found out that I am the last member of the Walpurgis clan. Once a proud demon clan, that eventually got eradicated by other demons. It seems they thought my clan would hinder them so they exterminated us. Even I was almost killed when they discovered the power this body had. I was poisoned and fell into a deep sleep. Grace being loyal to the bone saved me. She brought me to this abandoned mansion. This mansion was in the middle of the forest. It used to be some lords'' vacation home, but he got killed too, so Grace has been hiding me and taking care of me ever since. 200 years have passed since then. It seems that High Mazoku don''t need to eat. They get nutrients from magic particles in the air so I didn''t have to worry about starving. The next part Grace insisted upon was that I memorize the names of all the 12 Demon Kings. 1) Demon King of Despair, Ornis Balmund 2) Demon King of Savagery, Tigre Vacheron 3) Demon King of Lust, Murglais Avalon 4) Demon King of Tyranny, Zolgia Obelisk 5) Demon King of Wisdom, Odin Asgardia 6) Demon King of Sloth, Persia Castella 7) Demon King of Wrath, Magnus Bastellion 8) Demon King of Calamity, Tiamat Dragulia 9) Demon King of Death, Arnos Kerberus 10) Demon King of Kindness, Miraluka Rizia 11) Demon King of Insanity, Milla Walpurgis 12) Demon King of Profanity, Ymir Zariush It took me a while until I learned all of them. I didn''t want to go into details, so I didn''t ask how their titles were asigned. I mean, I am supposed to be the Demon King of Insanity. Who decided something like that? Well, in the end I didn''t care that much. I''m supposed to live as I want so I don''t give a dam what others label me as. The ranks doesn''t mean that the rank 10 King is inferior in power to say rank 5. The sole exception was rank 1. Demon King of Despair, Ornis is labeled as the strongest of all the 12 Demon Kings. Grace said he is strong enough to carry a war by himslef. I seriously wanted to avoid someone like him if possible. Finally she started to tell me about the situation in Xenovia. Xenovia is the name of the demon kingdom. I learned what currency is used, she tried to slowly brief me about the political status and I''ve been instructed about each Demon Kings'' territory. Although I still had questions, I felt like I needed a break. And there was one thing I wanted to try out right now. "Grace, let''s stop for now. I want to go out and test something." "Understood." Such a nice maid. She''s not questioning me at all. I feel kinda happy that she treats me like this. Ok. And now it''s time to have some fun. 3: Testing the power of a loli The forest Grace and I stepped into was rather sinister. Normally if I were my old self I would have screamed a few times. But I needed to show some dignity so I did my best to hold it in. I calmed down once I saw that all the monsters we encountered started to run away from us. I guess their instincts told them we were too dangerous and they had to flee. "Excuse me, mistress, but what sort of test do you want to do here?" I WANNA FLY! Is what I wanted to say. Every man dreams of flying. I read a tone of novels where the MC could soar through the sky. These wings on my back might look creepy, but they should be sturdy enough to let me fly. I also wanted to try shooting out a bunch of lasers out of my hands. Basically I wanted to take this body for a test drive. I didn''t tell Grace those exact words. I tried to act like a little snob for once. "Hmph. I need to see what 200 years of sleep did to my body. I want to stretch my wings and see if my strength is the same." "Of course, mistress! Please forgive me for my curiosity." Grace, you truly are amazing. Your attitude towards me doesn''t change even if I act a little spoiled. I might get addicted to acting like a brat sometimes. Now how the fuck do I fly? Should I just flap my wings? ------ I looked at my mistress as she started to flap her wings. She took a guts pose, clenched her tiny fists and squirmed a little. Cute. My mistress is probably the most adorable being in this entire world. Although I don''t know what''s she trying to do. Is she trying to fly? Did she also forget a skill she should have known since birth? In that case I should find an appropriate moment and also teach her how to fly. When lady Milla woke up from her slumber I was happy. I thought I would never get to hear her sweet voice again. I think she was only 5 when I saw her the first time. You could say it was love at first sight. The moment I saw such a cute figure, I knew it. "This is the person I want to dedicate my life to." Lady Milla was such a naive child. She trusted people too easily. She needed someone to guide her. But even if I wanted to voice my opinion she never listened to me. When the Walpurgis clan fell, against all odds I managed to escape with mistress. By the time I found this mansion she was already deep asleep. I could only place a small seal on her to mask her energy and keep her heart beating. All these years I watched over her, cleaned her body and groomed her wings. A normal servant would have abandoned her long ago. But as a proud Battle Maid, that thought never crossed my mind. Since she woke up, I felt that mistress had changed. I can''t tell how she changed, but something happened to her. I couldn''t sense any trace of the energetic and gullible girl. Mistress says she has no memory. This lady had constantly been asking for my help, for my guidance. I was considered an eye-sore before, but now the little miss needs me. She asks for my help and seems more mature. I don''t know what caused the change in her, but I''m glad. If nurtured, I feel that "this" mistress shall accomplish great things. Perhaps she will even save us from humanity. "Mou¡­ Grace, I can''t take this anymore! Stop standing there and teach me how to fly!" Yes. Mistress truly is cute. I love this child with every fiber of my body. "As you wish, mistress." I will support you as long as my heart still beats. ------ "Hahaha! This is the best. This is best feeling in all the world! Flying is sooooo fun!" In case you didn''t figure it out, I''m the one who''s shouting. Grace managed to teach me how to fly. It seems flapping my wings was pointless. In order to fly I had to send mana into my wings. Even back when I was human, magic wasn''t my strong point. Or should I say those dumbass knights were poor teachers. The way Grace taught me how to circulate mana through my body, even an infant would understand it. And right now I''m fully enjoying the view. I took the liberty to shout as much as I wanted since Grace was still on the ground. She doesn''t have wings so I guess she can''t fly. When I first reached the sky I thought that it will be cold given the clothes I''m wearing. I don''t know who my parents were, but to all parents out there, even if you are demons, please don''t dress your little girl so erotic. So, like I was saying, it wasn''t cold at all up here. Even though the wind was strong, it was like I had a built-in radiator. Something from inside was keeping me warm. I decided to try going faster. But just as I accelerated, Grace pops in front of me out of nowhere. "Eeh!?" To avoid bumping into her I quickly went into a nose dive. But, since we were in the forest¡­ you guessed it. I ended up crashing into a tree and eventually fell on the ground. When I shake the feeling away I notice Grace calmly floating down. I also noticed that I left a mark in the shape of my body on the tree I hit. I was kinda embarrassed. I wanted to burn the tree. "Grace, what was that for? I thought you couldn''t fly!" "Forgive me, mistress. But you aren''t wrong, I can''t fly. I can only treat the air like a staircase step and glide for a few moments. I just wanted to ask you to stop as flying so chaotically would attract unwanted eyes our way." I guess I can''t blame her that much. This loli body is quite sturdy. And she was doing it for my sake¡­ "Still, could you at least do stuff like that more gently in the future?" "Understood." Well now that the flying lessons are over, I guess I should move on to the next topic. "Hey Grace, how about you spar with me?" "Mistress, if you wish to take my life you just need to say so. If you so desire I can rip out my own heart and give it to you on a tray." Wha¡­ Did I say something weird? Grace your loyalty is too extreme! "Nonono! Where did you get that idea?" "Lady Milla, you are now a Demon King. Your power exceeds my own. I don''t see why you would want to spar with me other than taking my life." "Grace, that''s some twisted logic you have there. Listen, I''ll give you an order here and now. Don''t die! Even if I tell you to kill yourself you can''t do that. Starting from now you must live!" "Lady Milla¡­ I see. In order to help you rebuild the Walpurgis house, I must live. You truly are wise. Yes, I am more valuable alive. To handle affairs, to help organizing and of course to look after you. Then, I shall do my best to stay alive." "... Yeah¡­ " Honestly, how did you arrive to such a conclusion. "The reason I wanted you to spar with me is to test my strength. I don''t even know what magic I''m good at or what spells I can use. I don''t even know what weapon I''m good at using, if any." "I see. In that case I will do my best to properly instruct you, mistress." "Oh, one more thing. Can you stop with the mistress? I really am not used to it." "How do you wish me to address you then?" "It''s fine to call me that in a formal setting, but when it''s just the 2 of us¡­ Uhm¡­ how about, Milla-nee?" "That is¡­ I don''t think it''s appropriate." "Grace, that''s an order!" "As you wish¡­ Milla-nee." "Aight. Now let''s get started. I''ll be in your care, sensei!" ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó Somewhere in the demon continent, on the the balcony of a pitch black castle stood the figure of a man. It would be more accurate to say it was a demon. He had thick horns that stood straight up, spiky orange short hair and an orange moustache and goatee. His eyes were grey. His skin had a light brown color and his nails were long. He wore an elegant purple robe with various gold lining and had a blood red cape that reached all the way to the floor. As the figure stood and looked over the town that could be seen from his castle, a crow made it''s way and stood on the balcony railing. "Well then, my pet, let''s see what you have for me." *Splash* In the next moment, the man stabbed the crow with his nails. Then he pulled out the crows'' eyes. The rest of it''s body he threw it away. He looked a few seconds at the pair of eyes in his hand before eating them. It was quite the disturbing scene. "I see. So that little girl is supposed to be the new Demon King of Insanity? What a joke!" When a new Demon King is born or elected, all the other Demon Kings are made aware by some sort of magic that''s linked through them by the Demon God. Since a new King appeared, the man wanted to get info on him. So he sent his crow to observe and by eating those eyes he saw what the crow had seen. He then went back inside his room. The scene might have been even worse than horror movies. On the bed there were 3 dead girls. They had scars and scratches all over their bodies. Some had pieces of flesh torn from them. In a corner there was also a crucified girl on an X shaped cross. As the demon noticed that all the girls were dead, he simply called out: "Hey, Anxis, you there?" A figure came out behind the X shaped cross. It was a skinny and tall demon. His face was covered with a mask and he wore black robes. The most noticeable trait was that this demon didn''t have hands. It had something more close to tentacles. "How can I help you, Your Highness?" Yes, you heard it right. The person he was greeting was Tigre Vacheron, one of the 12 Demon Kings. "Clean up this mess. These toys are dead, so I don''t need them anymore." His title of Demon King of Savagery was fit. This man was a savage. A butcher. He enjoyed bringing girls into his room and tormenting them. He would rape them, tie them, beat them up. Any torture you can think off, this man has most likely used it several times. "Very well. If I might be so bold to ask, how is the new Demon King?" "She''s a child. I would really enjoy torturing a brat like her. We might be able to use her. I already have Magnus and Zolgia on my faction. I just need to show that brat my good side and lure her over. Then, I''ll break her until her will shatters and she''ll just be an empty puppet at my feet. Her power will be mine, hahaha!" "But how do you plan to achieve that?" "What is the one thing that a Demon King needs?" "Subjects?" "Yes. They need people and a territory to build a castle, a place to rule. Obviously it''s hard for a newbie to achieve all that. I shall offer land out of generosity. For the small exchange of some money." "My lord, I don''t understand." "Is it really that hard to comprehend? I''ll offer her the shitty land next to the unknown border. You know. That village filled with filthy beastmen and I''ll ask for a sum she won''t be able to pay back. That will tie her to me!" "I see¡­ But are you sure? That land is quite big and has some good resources¡­" "Enough! I couldn''t care less. Beastmen are nothing but a disgrace to the demon race. Getting them off my hands would be a blessing. Make some arrangements. I want you to go to that child and make her that offer. She won''t refuse something like that." "Your order is my command." And so Anxis disappeared into the shadows. Tigre was alone. He started smiling and talking to himself. "Little girl, your power will soon be mine hahaha!" Tigre didn''t take Milla serious. If only he knew the enemy he made that day a little better, maybe he could have been spared the humiliation that would soon fall upon him. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó " *pant*... Oof¡­ " The one that was left breathless and lying on the floor was me. Grace was a monster. You might be wondering how come I lost since my stats were higher. Let me put it this way. If a truck out of control would be heading to you, with you just stay still and let it hit you? Same thing. My attacks were too straightforward. I couldn''t land a single punch on Grace. She deflected each one of my punches and kicks and tossed me around like a ragdoll. It was like a street fighter was trying to take on a world champion martial artist. I lacked technique. My magic was a bit better. I found out that I have Phoenix Blood flowing through me. Grace told me that at birth I was blessed by a bird. Any wound would instantly close and heal. Even if my heart or brain were destroyed, as long as I had mana, like the mighty bird, I can ressurect on the spot and cheat death. And thus, fire based spells felt natural to me. But I was terrible at controling my mana. Each spell I fired ended up around 5 times stronger than it was supposed to be. I''ve also picked up other spells outside the fire spectrum from Grace but¡­ my mana dried quickly. Well, I wasn''t running on empty. My mana pool was huge, but I still felt fatigue if I used too much. And I''ve been shooting spells for 2 hours straight. "Will you be alright, Milla-nee?" "Yeah¡­ I just gotta catch my breath." "If I may be blunt, I didn''t expect you to be so weak. While the approach you took against me would work on any lowly Mazoku, please remember that brute strength isn''t everything." "I guess you have a point. Still I thought that if go crazy like that my weapon would manifest." According to Grace each Demon King has a signature weapon. But that weapon lies within me and I need to figure out how to draw it. Well, I guess I shouldn''t rush for now. I realized I still have ways to go and if I might have enemies on both the human side and demon side, I had to get stronger somehow. I won''t be satisfied until I get my revenge on Ren. "Shall we stop here for today?" "Yeah. Let''s head back. I wanna take a bath." "Then I shall join you and wash your body." "Sure. That sounds¡­ WAIT! Wha¡­ What did you just say!?" 4: First bath and hidden schemes Why did I end up like this? It was so embarrassing. Right now I was sitting on Grace''s lap. Normally that wouldn''t bother me but¡­ Both of us were naked in a bath tub. Maybe you are wondering why I agreed to this. At first I was very reluctant to take a bath with Grace. But just as I was preparing to go in I remembered that I was a girl. My mind was still that of a healthy young man. But let me get it out of the way right now. I am not a lolicon! So it''s not like I was attracted to my own body. But once I saw myself naked a strange feeling came over me. I thought that if I started to wash myself, I would touch my body in various ways and I''d end up doing¡­ well, you get what I''m hinting towards. So in the end I agreed to take a bath with Grace. After all, she did take care of me for over 200 years so I thought it was safe. But, that plan sounded better in my head. Oh, I also found out that I can retract my wings. I was just thinking it was going to be a pain to fit them in the tub and they got suddenly absorbed into my back. Right now, breasts were being pressed against my back. The tub wasn''t large. It was big enough for 1 grown up. So I had no choice but to feel a soft pair of breasts behind me. I''m too self aware. If I was in my old body right now, my ''holy sword Excalibur'' would stand straight up. "Milla-nee, is the water too hot? Your face is slightly red." "Ugh¡­ no¡­ it''s not that¡­" Grace follows my orders without question. She may point her opinion, but I had the last word. Every man dreams having a beautiful maid that would do anything for him. I was no exception. Something happened in my brain that day. I came with the following conclusion. This is a different world. The common sense, the morals and laws of my own world don''t apply here. I am a guy in the body of a girl. Does that mean I need to change my sexual orientation? Hell no! I still like women. The Demon God told me I don''t have to give a fuck and can live as I please. I''m sharing a bath with a woman. I used to be an otaku. I read countless hentai. Quite a number of them were of the ''yuri'' genre. I am no longer Ryusei Homura. I am Milla Walpurgis, a Demon King. I can do whatever I want. I can be as perverted as I want. In that moment all my inhibitions, all my past worries, the mask of a timid and polite guy who tried to be accepted by society, all of them were shattered. It was the moment when I buried Ryusei Homura and embraced Milla Walpurgis. I felt a great satisfaction. "Milla-nee, is something the matter? You have quite an unusual expression." "Hehehe¡­" I could only chuckle. I''m sorry Grace, but it''s time to punish you for the beating you gave me earlier. "Grace, this is an order! For now, you are not allowed to move a muscle!" "I understand. But I don''t quite follow your intention." I twisted my body, faced Grace and grabbed her breasts with all my might. "Whaa¡­ Milla-nee¡­ What are you doing?" Oh! So she can make this kind of face too. It''s quite pleasant. "What does it look like? I''m fondling your boobs. They have quite the jiggle in them." I kept squeezing and stroking her breasts. Her face started to turn red. It seems she''s enjoying this though as she is trying to hold in her moans. I want to see her react more. So I drew my face closer. "Kya!" Grace slightly twitched when my lips touched her pink nipple. I began to suck her breast while my right hand was still fondling her other breast. It tasted good. I felt I could get addicted to this. After I had my fill, I slowly lowered my hand towards her crotch. "No¡­ Mistress, please¡­ that place is¡­" "I thought I told you to call me Milla-nee. Do you really think I would stop here. I need to punish this naughty maid of mine!" "But¡­ Fuaaa¡­ how come you know¡­ such indecent techniques? I never taught you¡­ Hiii!" "It doesn''t matter. Right now, I will indulge myself with your body. The night is still long!" ------ And so the night passed and morning came. Grace was sleeping on the bed. Yeah, after a while we switched from the bathroom to the bedroom. She was breathing heavily. I guess I played with her too much. Like I said before, I read plenty of hentai but I never expected for a girl to leak that much liquid during the act. Even this loli body leaked plenty. I left Grace to get her strength back. I on the other hand wasn''t tired at all. I probably could keep going but, I didn''t want to break her. I started to see my maid more like property¡­ and I liked that feeling. But with just Grace alone, satisfying my lust might be troublesome. Should I find another girl to play with? I wonder what face would Shiori make if I did that with her? No! Keep it together. I shake my head strongly. For now I need to put my dirty thoughts away. There was something that I needed to figure out right now. Sooner or later I will make enemies. Right now there''s only Grace and me. I needed followers. I need to build up an army or some forces if I wanna be any kind of king. But how should I approach it? Plunder a village? Make people fear me until they submit? It was hard. At first I wanted to wait until Grace wakes up and talk this with her. But I noticed a shady figure lurking outside. Well it will be nice for once to try and play high and mighty. Let''s go greet whoever is there. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó Current time at the holy church training grounds Ren Takeda, the boy that had the hero class, just finished his training for the day. Even with his snob like attitude he treated his trainer with respect. At least until he learns everything he needs from him. But, when did this arrogance appear? Ren''s mother died when he was 5, so he was raised by his father. His father was the principal of one the top academies in the country. He always pushed Ren into studying. But that''s not all. His father was also involved into politics. He would occasionally change the grades of some children in exchange for favors. His father said the following words: "If there is something you want, you take it, even if you have to use force. Butter up to people if needed, and once you have what you need kick them in the face." It''s the motto that Ren has been living his life by. There was one thing that Ren desired right now. Ren wanted Shiori Watanabe. She was the class idol and Ren was the most popular guy in school. In his head, it was common sense that they should be a couple. Ren also harbored dirty thoughts and wanted to do many things to her. He didn''t view her as a person, but as a trophy. When he saw how well she got along with Ryusei, jealousy and anger kicked in. He saw in Ryusei nothing more than someone who wants to take his trophy. So he used his position to bring hell to Ryusei. "What do you want to do now, Ren?" One of Ren''s classmates addressed him. Ren had a boss like feeling and any boss had to have henchmen. "You guys can go on ahead. I want to meet up with the Archbishop for now." Ren thought that since Ryusei was dead now, he could get closer to Shiori. But even on training days when he tried to approach her, the class president Momoyo Nakano would always cut in between them. He was obsessed with obtaining Shiori. When Ren was alone, he started talking to himself. "Huh, that just means I got to get rid of prez, like I did with otaku freak. Once she''s out of the picture, Watanabe-san will have nobody else to rely on and will come to me! And since this is a different world, I can do whatever I want with her once she''s mine. I''ll make that bitch call me master. I''ll have her groveling at my feet hahaha. I better consult the priest on how to get rid of Nakano. The rest of the students already know their place and won''t go against me. Just a couple more obstacles, and I''ll achieve my goal." ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó "Who dares approach me? Show yourself if you value your life!" That''s the typical line a Demon King would say. I kinda was proud that I got to say such words. Soon after a sinister figure came out of the trees. A tall and skinny man with 2 tentacles instead of hands. "Pardon my intrusion, great Demon King of Insanity. I came to deliver a message from the Demon King of Savagery, Tigre Vacheron." Another King is already approaching me? "Speak." "Thank you, Your Highness! My King is willing to extend his hand and aid you. As I''m sure you must know, for a new Demon King, it is quite difficult to acquire land and people. His Highness Vacheron is willing to part with a settlement and land to help you." Yeah right. Spare me the crap. After the betrayal I went through, do you actually expect me to believe something like that? "In exchange he only requests a monetary compensation. Of course after a little time so you can gather it. Here. Please take a look. This contract contains everything you need to know." I took the contract. To be honest, it wasn''t a bad deal. The land was rather big and had nice resources I could use. But most importantly the word ''beastmen'' popped up. I felt like I wanted to meet some neko girls like the ones in manga. Beastmen were considered by all demons as trash. The humans saw them as monsters so they labeled them as demons and drove them to Xenovia continent. It was though for them as they endured many things to become somewhat accepted. But back on topic, this guy just wants to drop his trash on me and also wanted me to pay him. Such a moron. The other problem was the money. He wanted me to pay him 10,000 gold coins in 1 month. That''s a fortune. Grace taught me basic economics so I know that even if I were to rob the people of all their belongings, I couldn''t pay off such a sum. Seems like this Vacheron guy wants me in his debt. My existence was barely made noticed and someone already wants to cause me trouble. It''s true that what I needed most right now was a place to rule. But any normal person would refuse such outrageous terms. "Sure. I''ll accept Vacheron''s offer!" I said while showing an innocent smile. It seems that the creepy fellow is rather excited. Hehe. Just you shitty demons wait. I''ll show you what happens if you try and mess with me, kukuku! ------ I woke up quite suddenly. Last night Milla-nee had her way with my body. I was shocked. Where did my cute little mistress learn such things? I got to see another face of her, that I didn''t know she could make. But that wasn''t bad. The lady I love so much, loved me back. I was happy. I started dressing and cleaning the mess we left last night. As I got close to the window, I noticed that Milla-nee was talking to someone. All the alarms in my head were triggered. I grabbed my scythe and ran outside as fast as I could. But by the time I got there, the person vanished. I found out what Milla-nee did. I was scared. She made a deal with Demon King Vacheron. "Milla-nee¡­ Why did you accept? Why didn''t you ask for my advice?" I was scared. I was scared because if Milla-nee could not pay off that debt she will fall into Vacheron''s clutches. And if that were to happen, I wouldn''t be able to protect her. "Grace, I know what you''re thinking, but right now we need a base. We need subjects. I can''t be a Demon King with just you alone. And did you forget what you told me? The Blood Ball is getting near." True. When I had my lady memorize all the names of the 12 Demon Kings, I also explained about the Blood Ball. Once each month, there is a red moon. On the night of the red moon, a Blood Ball is held in the Demon Gods'' honor. There are 12 Kings and 12 months. Each month 1 of the Kings must host the Ball. And right now, the 11th month is next. Which means, it will be Milla-nee''s turn to host the it next. "What you say is true. We can''t host it here. But I fear that¡­" "Grace, like I am trusting you, I ask you to trust me. I know what I''m doing." She cut me off. Mistress asked me to trust her. For some reason she was confident. "Grace, this guy is picking a fight with me. But he doesn''t know who he''s messing with. I know a month is really short but because it''s me, I can do it. Just wait and see. That shitty Demon King will wish he never crossed my path!" She was radiating. She had a vicious smile on her face, but even that was cute. She says she can do it. Although I have no idea how she plans to make 10,ooo gold coins in such a short amount of time, my heart was telling me that this child¡­ no¡­ this lady can do anything she has in her mind. She truly fits her title of Demon King of Insanity. "Very well, Milla-nee. I shall trust you and do my best to assist you." 5: A new home and holy mission Grace and I were headed to what will soon become my new base. The settlement was called Falkrum city. It was considered the beastmen capital. Well, the territory was only made of a few villages and this big city. Towns in this world sure are smaller than what I was used to in Japan. That Vacheron fella already made all the necessary arrangements and that creepy tentacle guy told us we can go and occupy it. I didn''t want to take a carriage. I was rather eager to go claim my land, but I will admit that I''m gonna miss that cozy mansion in the woods. Am I feeling homesick? Anyway, since I wanted to get there as fast as possible I decided to fly there. Grace had her arms around my waist. Since she can''t actually fly I ended up carrying her. I felt no weight at all though. Maybe because of my high strength. Eventually we could see the city. My demon eyes are way better than my human ones . I started to think that being a loli isn''t so bad, given how many advantages this body has. I started to look at the busy streets. I saw a variety of beastmen. Werewolves, centaurs, kemonomimi(1) types that had various bunny ears, dog ears and fox ears, and the most important¡­ NEKO GIRLS!!! In the middle of the city there was a huge mansion. It was bigger than the one in the woods. If I were to use Earth terms, I''d say it was a Victorian style house. A house that tried to mimic a castle. Of course, it was still smaller than a proper castle. This building was going to be my new base. "Milla-nee, that large mansion is probably our new home. We should land, find the owner, and claim it." "Yeah, that sounds right. Aight, Grace, let''s get to work!" ------ The mansion was owned by an old fox man. He already knew the situation and the moment I arrived he evacuated the house. He also told me that around noon there will be a meeting were he''ll introduce me to the people. Honestly, I didn''t remember his name at all, as he did everything he could to get away from me as fast as possible. He was most likely scared of me. But that didn''t bother me in the slightest. I started exploring my base. It was a 2 floor mansion. The bottom floor was a big empty hall. I thought that with a few tables it would be perfect for hosting the Blood Ball. The chandelier and all the lights were special. There were shiny orange crystals instead of candles. Grace told me that by pouring mana into them they will glow strongly until that mana runs out. These crystals were similar to light bulbs. I liked them quite a lot. The bottom floor also had a large kitchen behind a door and a service bathroom. I should probably mention that there was no hot water. Water for baths would be heated with magic. As for the sink and toilet¡­ Let''s say that although it was far away from modern plumbing it was rather clean. A water generating stone would be placed in the sink and toilet for washing and flushing. The first floor was meant for the servants'' quarters. It had simple style rooms to accommodate maids, cooks, gardeners, you name it. But I think they were more meant for trusted confidants as the mansion also had around 5 small houses behind it that were fenced in together with it. I''ll think of uses for them later. And The 2nd floor was basically my floor. It had only 2 large bedrooms, a huge library and some sort of parlor that I think was meant when important guests would visit, or a conference was necessary. In the end, as expected, this place is way too big for only 2 people. Although Grace was a super maid, it would be though in the future for her to manage everything. Of course, I wasn''t ready to trust some newly hired servant either. And that''s when a little experiment crossed my mind. We returned to the lobby as it was the biggest open area. "What do you want to do now, Milla-nee?" "Just a small task. I am going to create some Mazoku." Grace open her eyes wide and opened her mouth but no words came out. Did I say something weird again? "Milla-nee, creating a Mazoku was indeed possible in the past, but that power was lost. Even His Highness Ornis can''t create something from thin air. Milla-nee, what you speak of is Origin magic." Origin magic, huh! I think the Demon God mentioned it once too. But regardless, my way is different. "Just watch me, Grace." I stood in the middle of the room. At my feet, I made the magic circle for a summoning appear. Then, I overlapped it with magic circle of the Modeling spell. Modeling was an earth type spell that basically allows you to change the shape of your target. Crushing a sturdy wall or processing weapons and jewels¡­ it felt like a blacksmith skill. And finally, I also added the final layer. The spell Necromancy. Necromancy was normally used for resurrecting the dead as zombies. But I only needed a certain part of that spell. The part that binds the target to earth. Summons end up disappearing after their job is done so I needed to make them Last forever. After all 3 layers were in place I started shifting them around until finally I managed to merge them. A huge surge of magical energy was emitting. Black and red-ish lightning were gushing from my new circle. It was like it wanted to short circuit. But I poured all my strength into it until eventually a deep purple light engulfed the entire room. When the light settled down and I could open my eyes I couldn''t help but make an evil grin as I looked at the 5 beings that were kneeling before my eyes. "Long live the Supreme One! We await your orders!" All of them shouted in unison. It worked. "This is¡­ to be able to witness Origin magic¡­" Grace was still in shock. Origin my ass. I just mashed up 3 spells together to create a new one. But let''s let her think I can use Origin magic. I turn my head back to the 5 beings that were still kneeling. "Stand up!" All of them stood up at the same time. Did they rehearse or something? "Grace, these are my new followers. They will help us in handling our affairs. As for you guys, Grace is your superior, so if she tells you to do something, you do it!" "Yes!" I guess it''s time for introductions. I''m a little embarrassed cause I had to attach a name to them when summoning and my naming sense is just horrible. But oh well. Starting from left to right. A slime girl that I named Sue. She could take various shapes including becoming a puddle, but I had her take on a jiggly breasted girl form. She can alter the size of her breasts so I can have fun with her hehe. What else to say, blue skin, green long hair and an antenna that looked like an ahoge(2). Next was a shady skeleton guy. I called him Tengu. He had a black coat, black leather pants and black boots. The back of the coat went all the way to his knees, but when you look at the front you can say it merges with his pants. His canine teeth were rather pronounced. His chest was slightly exposed so you could see his ribs. Moving on, in the middle we have a spider girl. She was Irina. Her lower body was literally a spider with eight legs, but her upper half was human. I gave her a decent breasts size and a swimsuit top to cover them. Her hair was short and purple and her eyes resembled those of a bee, but instead of black they were red. Next in line is a cute lamia girl. I named her Cleo. Her lower half was that of a snake and her upper half was human. Her tail was grey and her human skin was tanned. Her eyes had a sharp yellow color and she was decorate with a few jewelry. I guess was thinking of making her her appearance like in ancient Egypt. And last but not least a cute dryad girl. I called her Teri. She had a human body, her lower part was covert with a leafy dress while her chest was covered by a leaf bra. I made her rather short so I wouldn''t be the only loli around. Her skin was green too and her long hair also had a leafy feeling to it. And that''s the cast I made. They all are weaker in stats compared to Grace, but then again Grace is a monster. Of course, I made each one of them with a purpose in mind. It''s time to hold a meeting! ------ It soon became noon. It took Grace quite a while to recover from shock. Did I really do something that amazing? In any case we had a small meeting and now we were in the city center. That old fox guy told me he was gonna gather people and introduce me. "And so, this is our new lord. This city and The beastmen territory will now be under the command of lady Milla Walpurgis, the Demon King of Insanity." Once the old guy finished his line I stepped forward and my servants were right behind. At first it was quite the noise. Some were scared, some threw ugly glares my way and others kept whispering. So annoying. I guess I should teach them their place. "Silence!" I released quite a significant amount of blood lust and magic power. The air became stiffer. As expected everyone froze. In fact the pressure was so intense that some even forgot to breathe. I quickly canceled the force as I didn''t wanna kill anyone yet. After everything settled down, all the people prostrated themselves. They got on the ground and took a deep bow. Beastmen really appreciated and respected power. That''s right. I''m not a little girl, I''m your leader you assholes. "Listen up! Starting today you will all be under my care. I won''t hurt you with no reason. I will take care of you and under my rule, this place will reach greatness. Everyone resents you, everyone sees you as filth, but I see you as flowers that haven''t bloomed yet. Submit to me and I shall make you bloom. Betray me and I shall burn you to ash. Together with my loyal servants behind me we shall bring a new order. Follow me and one day you can lift your heads up and look down on everyone that insulted you! Together, we shall aim for the top!" After a few moments of silence. "HURAAAAH!" Everyone started cheering and clapping. I could hear them call out "Long live the Her Highness". Was my speech really that good? I turned around and told my servants: "You all have been briefed. Go on and carry out your jobs!" "Understood!" All 5 of my servants scattered and went to do what I instructed them during our meeting. Only Grace was left. I grabbed her hand and said: "This is¡­ so tiring. Let''s go home Grace. I want to sleep." She softly smiled, tightened her hold on my hand and replied: "Yes, Milla-nee!" ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó Momoyo Nakano was called by archbishop Frederic. She felt anxious as he requested her personally. So far, whenever the archbishop needed something he would meet with all the students. But this time she requested for her alone. "You requested me, Your Eminence?" "Yes, lady hero. I have a request for you, so please, hear me out. I am sure you are aware that soon we will send our troops to the demon continent. We must strike them before they get the chance to strike us. But, to avoid losing any more lives, we can''t charge in blindly. I want to send a smaller unit to establish camp and gather intel for us before we send our main troops and you heroes." "I understand, but why tell this only to me? Shouldn''t the others hear this too?" "The reason I called you over here is because I want you to go with the scouting group." "What? I don''t quite understand. Why just me?" "Your archer class, your speed, your skills are all perfect for scouting. And like I mentioned before we can''t charge blindly. The chances of success will be significantly higher if you were to lead the group." The archbishop did have a valid point. Her skills are up to the task. And because Momoyo was the class president she knew somewhat how to lead a group. But she hesitated for 2 reasons. The first was that she recalled their first expedition and the loss they suffered. This time she was supposed to be the leader and she didn''t know if she was ready to put someone else''s life in her hands. The 2nd reason was Shiori. If Momoyo were to accept she would have to leave Shiori behind for a while. She promised to protect her friend and always stay by her side. "Lady Nakano, I understand it''s a difficult task, but this is to ensure our survival. Keeping all the heroes alive is our top concern. We don''t want a repeat of what happened in the goblin cave. We are willing to give you our Tetra Bow, a bow capable of shooting arrows imbued will all 4 basic elemental magic. We will also give you appropriate provisions." "...Very well. I accept." Momoyo was reluctant, but in the end she gave in. She thought that if she didn''t take this quest and something were to happen to Shiori, she wouldn''t forgive herself. So, for Shiori''s sake, she agreed to go on this scouting mission. "Then I shall see you at the day of departure. You will arrive on the demon continent right after the red moon passes." Momoyo nodded and then headed back to her room. When the priest was sure he was alone, he opened his mouth again. "You can come out now." Behind a pillar the figure of Ren Takeda, the so called Hero, started to emerge from the shadows. "I must say Ren-dono, I hope you keep your word. Losing another hero is quite vexing, especially someone with her talent." "Don¡¯t worry. Once she''s out of the picture, all the remaining students will turn towards me. They will do whatever I say, even march to their death. You wanted the heroes to do what you tell them without question, right? This is the way!" "Very well. I shall take your word for it." "But how can you be sure she won''t come back? I mean you even gave her a strong weapon." "That was nothing more than a prototype. A first generation attempt to apply the Goddess blessing into weapons. It won''t compare to the items you shall receive. As for her not returning¡­ the demons won''t be happy if they find out that a small group of humans are making camp on their shores." "Hahaha! I really gotta hand it to you, you really know how to handle these things." As both started smiling and laughing, Ren was only thinking of one thing: "Goodbye prez. Go and join the otaku freak in hell." 6: Preparations for the fated night Managing my new land was a chore. But thanks to my new subordinates, the load became easier for me. I put each of them in charge with various tasks. The weapon master Tengu, was in charge of our military force and public order. That skeleton almost has no magic power at all, but in exchange he is a genius that can wield any weapon and cause serious damage. I made some new laws and he also had to enforce them. Honestly, the laws of beastmen were pretty weird. For example ''stealing is punished with a strong punch in the gut''. What can I say. Me and Tengu had our work cut out to actually make a decent law system. Tengu will train all the military and enforce my laws. This place really needs some order and some common sense. Then I made Teri, the little dryad, handle the farming. The last thing I wanted was for my people to starve. The lands around here weren''t all that fertile but they produced a decent amount of food. One thing in particular that caught my eye was a patch of unused land. The people said that nothing could grow there. But it''s clear that these guys never heard of rice. As a full fledge former japanese person, I was aware that rice can grow in various places where other types of plants won''t grow. So I told Teri to make a rice field from that patch. Irina''s duty was catching flies. Well, not regular flies. The spy type fly. That shady tentacle guy sent by Vacheron found me way too fast. Grace kept me hidden for 200 years and soon after I wake up, someone comes at me. Irina was a master of the web. Her thread was very special. She laid various strings around the perimeter of my land. They were almost invisible to the naked eye. If you trigger one, she will know. Not to mention she can cut and slice you with them if she wanted to. Cleo and Grace were in charge of hiring some staff for my mansion. I only made one request. All staff must be female. Maids, cooks, everything that''s needed, only girls. I let them take care of the rest of the details, as there were many who applied. They wanted to get on my good side. As for Sue, I gave her a more special task fit for her skills, which I won''t discuss now. After a while I reached my destination. A blacksmith shop. I know what you''re thinking, but let me get it out of the way. I didn''t come here for a weapon or armor. I''m not an adventurer, so I don''t need shit like that for myself. The smithy I came to was unique. On my way I found out that this place was the only shop that makes weapons, but also imbues them with various magic enchantments. But people kind of avoided this place. When I opened the door a typical door bell rang. There was nobody inside. In this shop I could see various weapons placed on the wall and on the reception desk. The room was rather small. Behind the desk there was another door. It probably let to the forgery area. I as I kept looking around I could hear the sound of footsteps. The door I mentioned earlier opened. "Welcome to the ''Enchanted Hammer''! How may¡­ I¡­ help?" The owner of the voice was rather shocked. Well I wasn''t surprised since I, the Demon King, was paying a visit to a place that is generally avoided. But, I was shocked too. I was expecting an old guy covered in sweat and with large muscles. But what stood in front of me was a woman. And not just any woman. An elf. She had long silky pink hair, a pair of green emerald eyes and pink lips. As for her clothes, you could almost mistake her for a witch. She wore a pointy blue hat similar to those of witches decorated with small golden stars and a blue robe with small red and white accents. The more I look at her I notice that the robe looks more similar to a Japanese Mahou Shoujo(1) dress. Like I said, you could easily mistake her for a witch, but her ears gave her away. Sharp pointy ears are a trait only elves had. I decided to take a peek at her stats. Name: Lorina Seraphiel Age: 3285 Race: High Elf Class: Blacksmith/Grand Sword Master Strenght: S+ Agility: SSS Endurance: S- Magic: S Luck: C Overall Rank: SS Okay. I was surprised in more ways. Elves are known for having high mana quality, yet her magic was rather on the low end. Also I noticed she had 2 classes. I didn''t know that was possible. Maybe because she lived so long she broke the rule somehow. Her agility and sword master title made me curious. It''s like a mage wanted to be a swordsman. I noticed that she quickly bowed her head. "Your Highness, I am honored that you took time to visit my humble shop. My name is Lorina. I am at your service." "Uhm¡­ you''re an elf¡­" I know I should have said something else, but the words just came out of my mind. "I¡­ am aware that this is the beastman territory and that I am an elf, but I assure you, I cut ties with the elves long ago. I beg that you don¡¯t banish me and give me a chance to prove my loyalty to you." Her voice was shacking. She really was afraid that I would cast her away. Most likely any other Demon King would have done that. But not me. That doesn''t mean I trust her. But I didn''t want to get rid of such a beauty. I wanted to eat her up. You want to prove your loyalty? Alright. I''ll give you a chance. "Please raise your head and don''t stand on formality. I won''t banish you either, so rest assured. I came here because I heard this is the only blacksmith that can also enhance weapons with magic." "Yes, that is indeed true. Because of my elven lineage I am able to directly enchant the weapons I make." "I have a request. If you can do me a small favor I will make you my royal blacksmith in charge of making weapons for the military and of course, my personal units. You will be able to expand your shop and have to freedom to create any design you wish!" She twitched. I guessed she was startled at my proposal, but I could also see that her eyes were showing eagerness. "But if you fail, I hope you realize that punishment will be necessary." "What if¡­ I were to refuse?" "I guess you can do that, but I wonder how it would affect your business if people were to find out you turned down the Demon King." I was threatening her. I made it so she can''t refuse me. There was no way to escape this situation. I need her to know that this is serious so of course I''m gonna show my fangs a bit. "Alright! I will do my best to live up to your expectations. What must I do?" ------ I ended up visiting Lorina each day for an entire week. It was hard for me to describe what I had in my head. And when Lorina finally understood it took us quite a while and lots of errors until we managed to actually get something close to what I wanted. But, Lorina truly is skilled. It was like her brain had thousands of blueprints. I think I gave her a headache, but when we got our first success she was very satisfied and puffed her chest. You''re probably wondering what I had her make. Well, all I can say is that it''s something necessary for the Blood Ball. Time passed rather fast. The fated day was drawing near, so it was time for me to take the next step. Right now I was looking for a merchant. Many tried to approach me, but I knew they just wanted to get my favor. So I ended up in the back of an alley. A little girl all alone in a dark place. Yeah, am not gonna lie, some muscle head idiots who didn''t knew me tried to ambush and rape me. Of course, I turned them to ashes. And so I ended up meeting with a werewolf. He was covered with a cloak. But you could tell he was a true werewolf. "I never expected to meet you here, Your Highness. There are so many merchants around, yet you chose to meet with me." "I don''t need any average seller. I need the best, and word has it, that''s you." Name: Morag Age: 112 Race: Werewolf Class: Merchant Strength: A Agility: SS Endurance: A+ Magic: C Luck: S Overall Rank: A+ "Morag, let''s get down to business. I need to deliver something to the Olympia Empire." "Your Highness, I am sure you are aware, but trading with humans is against the demon code. It is considered a great disgrace even coming in contact with them or having them as slaves." Like I give a fuck about the demon code. "But, you''re not saying that you can''t do it." "There are indeed ways. My connections are made of people that are willing to exchange goods with demons as long as the pay is right." So in other words they care more about making profit. They only see the money, and not the person who is handing it. That might prove useful. "I can assure you a nice compensation if you can deliver something for me to the King of Alvira territory. I am going to need the money from selling this little thing to him for the Blood Ball. " The Olympia Empire, similar to the demon kingdom, has various kings that are all under the command of the Empress. "Wha¡­!?" He was shocked when he saw what I was holding in my hand. "Such an item¡­ now I understand. Very well, Your Highness. I shall procure the fastest ships and routes. You have my word, it shall be done!" It seems he guessed my plan. Good. That makes thing easier. "Just to make myself clear, if you fail, you know that I''ll kill you, right?" I let out a little bloodlust. When he saw my change he immediately kneeled. "I won''t fail! This will be sold to the King of Alvira for sure!" "Good!" And with that I left the alley and returned to my mansion. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó A month went by in the blink of an eye. Milla-nee did her best to make the preparations she needed. I often can''t help but ask myself if this is the same girl I once knew. She got friendly with an elf, making quite some interesting items. Then she even went to the slums to personally talk with a merchant. Any other Demon King wouldn''t even think of stepping into places like that. I keep telling myself that her title is fitting. And she can use Origin magic. It was the first time when I witnessed it. Milla-nee truly is amazing. She ordered me and her new servant Cleo to recruit staff for the mansion and prepare the lobby for tomorrow night. I was still scared. His Highness Vacheron will surely ask for the 10,000 gold coins. My lady didn''t show any signs of having that amount, but right now, she was confident. Whenever I tried bringing the subject up, she always told me "It will be okay, Grace!" I wanted to believe those words. "Hey, Grace, stop standing there. We need to get everything ready! Stop staring at the wall and get your ass over here!" Even when she acts angry and spoiled with me, she is still cute. "Milla-nee, about tomorrow¡­" "Grace, I know what you want to say. But I can''t spoil the fun yet. Just be patient and when the time comes, enjoy the show. It will truly be a night that nobody will forget!" Right now, mistress had a devilish smile on her face. When I saw her look, I knew for sure that no matter what, Milla Walpurgis would break the cage that Vacheron prepared for her. 7: Let the games begin! It was the end of the 11th month of the year. The night of the red moon. What was so special about the red moon? The story says that long ago the very first Demon King fought a desperate battle. He was alone and surrounded by hundreds. Some say by thousands. It was that night that the Demon King unleashed all his power and went beyond what any mortal being can do. He slaughtered everyone that came his way. He alone spilled the blood of thousands. They say that he spilled so much blood that nigh, the sky became red and the moon became painted in blood. That sounds impossible, but that''s the story. So since then, the red moon has always said to raise the power of Demon Kings. So, they must celebrate and pay their respects to the Demon God during a red moon. And so the Blood Ball was born. I didn''t care too much about the story. But Grace insisted I learn it. The ball I organized was special. If I were to describe it, it was like the high society gatherings back on Earth. Violin music, fancy tables and food, the works. Right now I was grabbing a bite to eat myself. I didn''t physically need food, but it was too good not to taste. I don''t care what anyone says, food must be enjoyed. I didn''t notice, but a silhouette was staring at me before finally speaking. "So, you are the new Demon King of Insanity and our host. I must say I am surprised. I took part in many balls, but there was never one so unique like yours!" It was the voice of a woman. As she drew closer I was able to see her clearly. A woman possessing a voluptuous body figure, fair skin and short Nordic silver blonde hair. She wore an armor type dress that nearly exposed her entire body. The armor appears like claws groping her enormous breast while diamond-shaped scales cover her crotch area like an adhesive underwear. Again it was hard to not to stare. I mean her breasts were freaking huge. Maybe the same size as Empress ¨¦clair. Her eyes were a deep sapphire blue. She was about the same height as Grace, but she was wearing high heels. Similar to mine, her shoes seems to have merged with her stockings, but they gave off a scaly feeling. I looked at her stats. Name: Odin Asgardia Age: 1019 Race: High Mazoku Class: Demon King Strenght: EX Agility: SSS Endurance: SSS Magic: EX Luck: S+ Overall Rank: SSS+ The one who approached me was the Demon King of Wisdom. Honestly I was rather shocked to see her stats. Mostly the EX level. There was a book in this library about parameters. They range from F to SSS. But there was also the EX stat. It stands for EXception. In short it just means ''too strong to be measured''. For now, let''s try being polite and see her reaction. After all, I don''t have to be hostile to everyone. And besides, she''s fucking hot. "Your words honor me, lady Asgardia." "Oh please, don''t stand on formality. Just call me Odin! All Demon Kings have the right to do so. There is something I want to ask you. May I?" "If it''s something I can answer, then I will. What do you want to know?" "These magnificent crystal cups. And the containers used to serve us drinks. I think your maids called them bottles. What are they made off? They have various colors and some are even transparent. Even for me who can use the highest skill of ice type magic, creating something like that without influencing the taste of our drinks is fascinating." As expected, nobody knows what the cups their drinking from are made of. It''s the thing I had Lorina craft for me. Glass bottles and cups. When I first came to this world I noticed that there weren''t any glasses. Drinks would be served from wooden or ceramic type cups and wine was stored in barrels. Nobility could afford to have silver and gold cups. But I went a step further and together with Lorina we made various shapes from glass. I could only describe the old fashioned process of making glass by blowing air through a hollow metal pipe will rotating it. It took many trials and errors, but Lorina was eager to make it happen and together we produced various glass containers. "It is a special type of glass. Think of the glass from a window, but in a different shape." "Oh! Amazing! Truly amazing. I never knew that such craftsmanship was hidden in the beastmen land. What is the process behind it?" "I''m sorry, but that''s a secret. However if you truly like them I could gladly arrange to make some and deliver them to you." "I understand. I will certainly place an order. Maybe after the Ball is over, you could accompany to my territory to discuss other details. Allow me the privilege to get to know you better." "Very well, but only if I can bring my personal maid with me." "Yes, yes! That''s not a problem at all." I didn''t trust her. But I felt like she didn''t plan to harm me either. Since she''s the Demon King of Wisdom, my guess is that she''s just curious and wants to gather information. This might be a nice time to make an ally. Only 8 out of the 12 Demon Kings showed up. And from what Grace told me, alliances and factions were a big deal here, so it might be harder surviving alone. If this woman will be trustworthy, then maybe we can align our goals. Who knows, maybe I can convince her to let me suck on her massive tits. My whole head could fit in her cleavage. After I parted with Odin I continued to nibble on food, but at the same time was analyzing my guests. More exactly I tried finding all the Demon Kings and read their stats. I was able to spend my time amusingly. It was quite interesting to be able to actually see how the Demon Kings looked like. They were quite different compared to fiction back on Earth. Almost all the ones present here had 1 or 2 parameters in the EX range. But there was one guy that was abnormal. At first glance he seemed young and rather handsome. He wore a pitch black armor mixed with a tint of dark blue and with gold accents. He had sharp spikes on his shoulder plates. It would be more accurate to call them horns. He had a pair of crimson eyes similar to mine and long elegant blond hair. His skin had the color of chocolate and a pair of majestic horns. He had an imposing aura and for good reason. Name: Ornis Balmund Age: Unknown Race: High Mazoku Class: Demon King Strength: EX Agility: EX Endurance: EX Magic: EX Luck: B Overall Rank: EX So this is the strongest man out of all the 12 Demon Kings. I understand why his title is Demon King of Despair. If a man with the power to carry a war all by himself were to face you, despair would be the only thing you would feel. He may look like he is letting his guard down, yet all my instincts are sending alarm bells to my body. This guy has no openings. I really better not piss this guy off. He''s too much of a cheat existence. "Well, it seems that against all odds, you managed to put together a decent gathering!" I turned around to see the owner of the voice. It was a shady looking guy. The moment I saw him I wanted to kick him in his balls. "I''m glad you are enjoying yourself, King Vacheron." "I wouldn''t say that I am enjoying myself. All the servants here are filthy beastmen. Anyone would have had the decency to hire proper Mazoku. Yet you associated yourself with this trash. It truly is sad." "I ask that you refrain from such remarks." Specially since you are the one who dumped this on me. "But what I am saying is truth! Beastmen are the trash of the demon kingdom. The only reason they are allowed to live here is because of our founder''s generosity. Anyone who associates with them is nothing more than¡­" "Your Highness, I am warning you, please refrain yourself." I still acted polite. This is your second warning, shit head. If you provoke me a third time I will have the right to retaliate. So, what''s it gonna be? "Very well. But, leaving the matter that you surrounded yourself with trash, there is still something I wish to discuss. The deadline for your payment is today. You owe me 10,000 gold coins. Since you managed this nice ball, you probably don''t have much money left. So after the night I want you to come with me to my castle so we can establish ways to pay off your debt." I kept silent. I let him talk all he wanted. All I did was let out a small snort. This idiot then continued, but this time he used a tone so that everyone around us would hear him. "Lady Milla! I can''t believe you! We made a contract. I gave you this land, so you can start your rule, and now you don''t intend to pay your debt to me? It''s outrageous! Have you no shame at all? First you surround yourself with filthy beastmen and now you refuse to repay the generosity I showed you. Where is your pride?" All eyes were directed at me. This guy laid quite an elaborate trap. He made everyone here aware of the situation so that I wouldn''t oppose him. Malice and satisfaction could be seen in his eyes. I guess it''s time for the main event. "Shut the fuck up, you bastard!" When I raised my voice everyone went rather silent. Even this asshole had a dumb look on his face. I guess he wasn''t expecting me to retaliate. Oh well, I warned him twice already. You wanted to play this game with me. Don''t blame me for totally crushing you. Game on! 8: Check Mate! In that moment, all eyes were fixing me. And that''s exactly what I wanted. If I were the old me I probably would be shaking and wetting my pants right now. But the current me is different. Why did I give 2 warnings before? The Demon Kings had to obey a set of rules. It''s said that these rules were passed on by the Demon God. A Demon King may not attack another Demon King. There are only 2 exceptions to this rule. A so called friendly match. Sparring between 2 Demon Kings is allowed, but killing is prohibited. The 2nd exception was the warnings I gave. If a Demon King damages the pride and honor of another, the other party must issue 2 warnings. If both warnings are ignored, then harming the aggressor was allowed. But I didn''t plan to get physical with this guy. Although our stats are similar I don''t have the confidence to take him on. No, what I wanted was to destroy his image. I wanted to make him look like a fool. Humiliation was what I prepared for him. "Vacheron, you jump to conclusions way too soon! Allow me to educate that tiny brain of yours!" This idiot just stood there with his mouth wide open. Careful, or you''ll catch flies. He wasn''t expecting such an attitude change in me. Well, I don''t care. "All you did was to insult me on this day of celebration. You say that beastmen are trash, that I have no pride by associating myself with them. But that really is ironicall coming from you!" "What''s that supposed to mean?" God, this shit head is so dense. Fine, I''ll slow it down a notch for you. "Is it really that hard for your brain to understand? I don''t see your harsh words as insults at all. You say I have no dignity, but at the end of the day, wasn''t this land yours before? You say you gave it to me out of generosity, but by your logic, you just dumped your trash in my hands. So let me get to the point. You''re not insulting me. You''re insulting yourself. I don''t see the beastmen like you do. They are quite useful and I''m getting along quite well with them. You aren''t damaging my pride, but yours. In the end, you''re just attacking yourself, and it''s very funny." It was then. Clap. An applause could be heard from somewhere. Odin was clapping her hands. People were looking at Odin with a blank expression. Seeing that, Odin tilted her head and smiled. ¡°What? Her words are right.¡± She continued to clap her hands. "It''s just as Milla says. This territory belonged to Tigre and now he shows up and starts bad mouthing it. That only means that Tigre is a hypocrite and is only insulting himself." "You¡­ stay out of this, Odin! It''s none of your business!" ¡°Sorry about that, geezer. I was just purely moved." For some reason it seems that Odin wants to be my ally in this. Very well. If she is sharp enough to grasp my intention, that''s good. I could see for a short moment a small grin on her face. It''s like she was telling me "Go on. Rain hell on this idiot." "There is a bigger issue at stake. I and Milla made a contract. In exchange for the land she must pay me 10,000 gold coins. The pride of a King doesn''t allow for debts. Little girl, do you deny what I just have said?" "Only half of it." "What''s that supposed to mean!? Are you mocking me?" Good. He''s starting to boil. His face was filled with anger and his teeth were tightly clenched. Let''s move on to the main act. "Not at all. It is true that we have a contract. I won''t deny that. But I didn''t say I wasn''t able to pay my debt. That''s why I said you jumped to conclusions too fast." I snapped my fingers. From under one of the tables a gooey liquid crawled out and made it''s way to me. It was my lovely slime, Sue. She quickly took her humanoid form and from within her she handed me a big bag. I took it from her, opened it and placed it at Vacheron''s feet. "This is¡­!?" "10,000 gold coins as we agreed. Feel free to count it." He lost his voice. His body starting shaking. He never expected me to pay. "And with this our business is done." "How?" "I beg your pardon?" "How did you manage to get this amount in such a short time? It should have been impossible." I wonder if this idiot thinks before he talks. "I am sure you noticed the glass cups and bottles used here to serve our drinks. They really are amazing and make great containers. Of course, they can be used not just for wine serving and drinking." I snapped my fingers again. This time Grace approached me carrying a special glass vial with a red liquid on a tray. When everyone saw it they all gulped. "Im¡­ possible! Phoenix Tears¡­!" Bingo. Even back in my old world there was this legend that Phoenix Tears can heal any wound. I have Phoenix blood in my veins. Although they are called tears, that bottle is basically my blood mixed with a catalyst. This item was supposed to be lost, because wood, silver or gold were really bad container and couldn''t keep it''s magical properties. There''s a reason why every fantasy mmo puts potions in glass vials. Phoenix Tears can heal any wound, disease and status alignment as long as your heart is still beating. "Yes. This glass contains Phoenix Tears. I am sure you all know by now, but it''s quite valuable. All I had to do was sell one glass and thus I seccured the funds I needed." "That can''t be! If such a transaction would have happened we all would be aware." "I never said that I sold it here on the demon continent. I sold it to the King of Alvira. He had a paralized daughter and said that he would give anything to the one that can cure her. I provided a cure and he gave me the money I needed." "You had contact with humans? They are even worse than the beastmen. Even standing in the same room with one is a great disgrace. Are you insane, woman?" "Ha¡­ Hahaha!" My laugh took everyone by surprise. "Of course I''m insane! I''m the Demon King of Insanity! I was given a task that even you admitted was impossible. You bare your fangs at me on this night of celebration and you expect me to be sane? It''s thanks to my Insanity that I have the guts to do stuff you wouldn''t do! " He was scared. I could see it in his eyes. He came here to corner me, but instead, he ended up in my web. And now it''s time to end this. " And you out of all people have no right to tell me not to come in contact with humans!" "What¡­ is that supposed to mean?" "My cute slime has quite the talent in gathering intel thanks to her ''fluid'' form. Sue, why don''t you show him that thing that you showed me?" "As you wish, mistress!" From her body a small sphere the size of a tennis ball emerged. She put it on the floor and from that sphere a 3D holografic video was displayed. The scene that was unfolding before everyone made some drop their glasses. But my eyes were still focused on Vacheron who dropped to his knees. The recorded images shows Vacheron raping human females. Demon Kings hate humans. So they started to throw scornful gazes at him. Compared to me who only sold an item and didn''t personally have any human contact, Vacheron''s deed was far more disgraceful. The special task I gave Sue was to sneak into his castle and find any dirt I can use against him. She performed quite well. I need to think of a reward later. After the recording ended I leaned forward and whispered to Vacheron. "Did you really think the likes of you can try and tie me up? You were playing with fire and just got burned. Now be a good boy and suffer!" I turn around towards the other demons. "Fellow demons, I must apologize for all the commotion. Today was supposed to be a a day of celebration, but you all ended up getting caught in this argument. I can only hope that you can continue to enjoy yourselves and overlook this." Odin had a big smile on her face. As for the rest of the Kings I felt that they nodded when I said that. "...kill¡­" A shallow voice came behind me. When I turned around, Vacheron was back on his feet. "... Kill. I''LL KILL YOU, BITCH!" He snapped. He drew from under his robe sleeve a dagger. He lunged at me. The distance between us wasn''t big. Only about 10 feet. He closed that distance in an instant. But as soon as he was standing in front of me his dagger hit the floor. That''s because right now a hand was strangling Vacheron''s neck and he desperately gasped for air. "That''s enough, mongrel! You have brought nothing but shame to our race. And when someone hits you with the truth you act like a savage!" "Your¡­ Highness¡­ *guah*... Ornis! Please let me¡­ explain!" "If you ever bother another King in such a manner again, I personally shall end your pathetic life. Now get out of my sight." He put strength into his arm and threw him like a ragdoll right out the door. I was frozen. I couldn''t see his movements at all. But not just me. Everyone present was shuddering. The amount of hostility released from Ornis was breath taking. This guy is a monster among monsters. "Lady Milla, I am sorry for the rudeness you have been showed. Please accept my apology in his place." I turned around and looked him into the eyes. Although he had a small smile his eyes were still threatening. It''s like they were telling me ''let''s end this circus now, or else¡­'' "Yes, Your Highness. Let''s leave the past behind." Is all I could say. "Good. Fellow demons, the night is still young. Let us resume our ball." He picked up a glass of wine. "Let us hold a toast for our host who is kind enough to forgive the events that happened!" Each Demon King picked up a glass. They didn''t dare to object and shouted in unison. "For our host and for the Blood Ball!" And so the night continued and I managed somehow to overcome my first obstacle. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó It was, an infinite darkness. As far as the eye can see, there was only darkness. There was only one spot of light were a throne floated. And next to that throne there was a young girl. She was the Demon God. In this place where past, present and future mixed together, the Demon God danced happily. "Ahaha¡­¡­AHAHAH, Hahaha" Her voice was sweet and her smile could melt your heart. She spun around. She walked with light steps. "The best, really the best! Fufufu, you are a child that does the absurd! You are the best, Milla!" The Demon God was happy. She had never met a person like Milla. "Unbelievable, unbelievable! To think that she would move my heart! Even when she tried combining 3 spells I reflexively lent her my strength!" The Demon God allowed Milla to use Origin magic because she was deeply moved. Smiling. Sneering. The Demon God¡¯s steps resounded in the soundless space. "You''ve earned a little rest now, but don''t let your guard down. Your journey has barely started. As long as you keep entertaining me, I will always look after you, my cute little Demon King!" 9: Inside the Ice Queen’s heart I recall when I was born in this world. No, it would be more accurate to say when I was created. I had no parents. When I first opened my eyes all I could see was pure white. A large field covered with snow. I was just a little girl, wearing rags, yet I wasn''t cold at all. It was like my body was made for freezing temperatures. The very first years of my life were harsh. In this cold environment, surviving was hard. But I wanted to live. I ended up in a small village. I tried to seek shelter. At that time, the Demon King of Wisdom was visiting that village. I made my way and dropped at his feet asking for protection. But the response I got was a sharp kick that sent me flying. After that he sent some of his escorts and they beat me up badly. I realized in that moment that the demons don''t care about the weak. If I wanted to survive I had to get stronger. Covered by bruises, I left the village and ventured into the wilderness. I wanted to live. I wanted to get stronger. I wanted to be the strongest! I spent a good portion of my years killing various monsters and eating them raw. Soon enough, I was able to take on bigger and bigger monsters. The more I killed, the stronger I became. I found myself facing multiple monsters at once and I won. Soon there was no monster that could stand in my way. Everywhere I went, I left only blood. I had the tendency to go frenzy during battle as though wanting to fight to death. Until the day the Demon King of Wisdom called for me. 500 years have passed since the day he kicked me. And now he offered me a place by his side because he valued my strength. I was infuriated. Why can''t the weak be given a chance to bloom? If I could do it, so could they. I challenged that hypocrite to a duel and in the end I killed him. In that moment, I, Odin Asgardia, was proclaimed the new Demon King of Wisdom. I then made drastic changes to my new land. I created the grand coliseum for fights to take place. In that sacred ground the weak were allowed to prove their worth. If they were strong enough to pass the trials, I would welcome them with open arms. I offered the weak a chance to grow. Each Demon King had 1 unique ability. The power exclusive to the Demon King of Wisdom was Territory Sovereign. If I defeat anyone within my territory, I can bind them to me. I can enslave them and even brainwash them if I wanted. And so, as time passed I also ended up being surrounded by strong people. But that wasn''t enough for me. I wanted to be the strongest Demon King. A Demon King is not allowed to kill another Demon King in battle, so I only suggested friendly sparing matches. One after the other, they all fell before me. You could say I am a battle maniac. But crossing swords reveals everything about a person. By battling I discovered various spells and weapon techniques. With each fight I learned, I evolved. Until I hit the wall known as Ornis Balmund. My strength, my magic matched his. In terms of destructive power we were equal. But his speed, his skills in wielding a weapon, everything about him was too abnormal. He was a level stronger than me. I challenged him 100 times in my life, but the result was always the same. I was defeated. The most damage I did to him was scratching his cheek and blowing away one of his sleeves. I wasn''t the strongest. I realized it then. I wanted to stay by his side, but he didn''t want anything to do with me. That made me puzzled. He didn''t have the need to be surrounded by strong people. I couldn''t comprehend. In this world only the strong have value. Or so I thought. Until one fated Blood Ball crumbled everything I knew. It was the 11th month of the year. The New Demon King of Insanity, Milla Walpurgis, was our host that night. I noticed things I never saw before. Crystal cups. They were unique. So far I was only drawn to learn about my opponents, warfair, magic and techniques. But this time I hungered for something else. I wanted to know what were these. I wanted to meet the person that made such fabulous items. And then, I eventually saw her. A young little girl. My first impression on her was average. In my eyes I could only see a child wet behind her ears. Fighting her would be pointless. She''s not at my level. Still, there was something that drew me closer to her. Why were my instincts telling me to approach her? It''s like my body was moving on it''s own. I exchanged a few words with her. She''s just a little girl. Why was I so polite? Why did I invite her to my castle? These glass cups were amazing, but that shouldn''t have been enough for me to get friendly with her. And then I witnessed the scene unfolding. Old geezer Vacheron picked a fight with her. She respected the demon code. She clearly gave him 2 warnings. She had the right to attack him. I wanted to see her power in action. But that didn''t happen. She defended herself with words, not with fists or magic. It was like I was watching a play. It felt as captivating as watching a battle in my coliseum. I ended up clapping. Before I realized it I ended up supporting her. As the scene before my eyes continued I was entranced. I couldn''t help but smile. This little girl had crushed Vacheron without lifting a single finger. She was terrifying. My body started to heat up. The same heat that envelopes me when I engage in combat, I was feeling it right now. Why? Everything I thought to be true was shattered by this little girl. People are drawn to the strong. Then why was I drawn to Milla? I''m stronger than she is, so why does this girl move my heart so much? Could it be love? I never had that emotion before. Even when I fought Ornis, I only felt respect. When I saw her triumph, my brain jolted. My heart is moved by this girl. She should be the one drawn to me since I''m stronger, but it''s me who''s drawn to her. I can''t explain it. But screw it. I don''t care anymore. Fuck all logic! I want to be near her. Normally I would want someone to be under my wing. But this time I want to be owned. I want to be with this little girl. I couldn''t care less about my pride. Tomorrow I must do everything in my power to gain her trust. Today I learned that there is more than 1 type of power. If I follow Milla I am sure I''ll keep learning all sorts of fun things. I always said I wanted to live, but this is the first time I actually feel alive. 10: Visiting the land of ice The Blood Ball was a success. I managed to make my position known. Everyone learned a lesson. Try and screw with me, and I''ll squash you like an ant. I wanted to let them know that magic and physical strength aren''t the only forms of power. What is magic? If we think about it magic is divided into the 6 basic elements: fire, water, earth, wind, light and dark. Usually every person has a main element. Mine is fire. That means fire magic is easier for me to cast. Of course, that doesn''t mean I can''t use other elements. But other elements need more cast time and cost more mana. Then, there is the category called null magic. It sums up every spell that isn''t based on the 6 elements. For example¡­ lightning or physical reinforcement spells. To cast a spell all you need to do is visualize it''s circle formation. Most spells have easy circles so remembering one isn''t that hard. But there were 2 reasons I learned so many spells so fast. First is that I come from another world. Being exposed to anime, movies and other modern videos, imaginating stuff was like second nature to me. The other reason was because I was one of those more uncommon guys that had a photographic memory. Just like when you take a picture, it was enough for me to see a spell in a book once and it would become imprinted in my memory. And both in my mansion and the old forest house I spent quite some time going through the library. But this skill was a curse back on Earth. It helped me go through manga and novels fast. But when it came to ero-ero stuff it really took a while for me to stop thinking of the image. I remember how some girls with slowly lift their skirts a bit. And let me tell you, a person like me had it rough. The image would flash over and over causing me a boner sometimes. My memory is partially to blame for my old "otaku freak" status. Oh well, that''s all in the past now. Moving on. And finally there was one more type. The lost category known as Origin magic. Basically it''s the magic of Gods. In the past there were mortals who could use it. The Demon continent founder was the last recorded person who was able to use it. A book said that for a mortal to use Origin magic, he must be blessed by a God. Although the exact process was lost, from my understanding you borrow power from the God. When I first met the Demon God, she said her Origin magic was blocked. So she can''t directly interfere. But if I am the one that''s forming the bridge, I guess the Demon God can lend her blessing to me through that "tunnel". She did say she''ll also give me a small gift. I started to wonder if my spell mashing, aka Origin magic, was that gift. Well, regardless, I understand why it was such a big deal. Just one Origin spell drains me hard. And the Gods are supposed to use it infinitely. Well, maybe if I display my magic, I will get some piece and quiet. I thought that people will leave me be after the ball but¡­ "Oh, come on! Just one more drink! This wine is said to be one of the best. It would be a shame to waste it! Come on, let''s drink it!" I was currently sitting in a carriage. And right next to me with her hand around my shoulder, Odin kept shoving wine in my face. Seriously, ever since I finished dealing with Vacheron she got very clingy to me. I wasn''t 100% mad, as she kept pushing her right boob on my cheek. And let me say it, her boob was very soft. But I really need my space. Across us was Grace, who tried to signal me not to refuse. Back home, I left Cleo in charge or everything during our absence. Right now we were headed to Odin''s castle. We agreed yesterday that I would come visit to discuss more matters. Although I don''t know her motives yet, I decided to tag along. If by some chance I can make her my ally things might be easier. Oh, and it just so happens that we are neighbours. We share a common border now, and her capital city was rather close. So it wasn''t that long of a journey. It only took 2 days by carriage. Sometimes I miss cars. It was the first time I saw snow since arriving in this world. The weather changed suddenly. I can''t help not noticing how well this place resembles norse mythology. The houses, the land, everything had a rather viking feeling to it. But I couldn''t let my guard down. I still don''t know what Odin is after. This might as well be another trap. Before leaving, Grace told me everything she knew about Odin. If it is true that her destructive power is equal to Ornis, then I need to be cautious. Eventually we arrived at the castle. It was like a fairy tail. A pure white castle fitting for a princess. Obviously it was way bigger than my grand mansion. I was impressed. It was only missing a moat. But with this weather I guess it would be pointless. I took a step forward so I could see the inside, but a really big and fast shadow lunged at me. I reflexively jumped back and avoided the tackle. I quickly took a battle pose, but Odin put a hand on my shoulder as to stop me. "Oh, I''m sorry about that! I forgot to tell you about my dog. I let him play around the castle and eat any intruders." "It''s okay Fenrir, they are friends." As you can guess by the name, Fenrir was a giant wolf. Calling it a dog is totally inaccurate. It was as big as a modern tank and it had various runes tattooed on it''s fur. "Milla you look like you want to pet him. Go on! It''s okay now." Wha¡­?! No! I don''t want to get near that thing. Where did you get the idea that I wanna pet a huge wolf? I guess I should play along until I figure her out. I took a few steps towards Fenrir. Dang, he''s scary. His fangs are sharp. This wolf could kill even a High Mazoku in one bite. As I drew closer, Fenrir lowered his head. The moment I extend my hand, he pushes me down on the snow and starts drowning me in saliva. "Hey¡­ ahahahaha, stop licking me! It¡­ hahaha¡­ tickles! And you''re drooling too much!" "Oh, my! This is the first time my Fenrir is so friendly with a stranger." "Could you tell him to get off me?" "Yes, yes! Fenrir, that''s enough. Please let Milla stand." The wolf finally stopped licking and took a few steps back. It was still wagging his tail though. I wonder what I did to make him so happy. What does he see in me? "I''m sorry for that, Milla. I will arrange for a bath so you can clean up." "I would appreciate that." "Oh, but I do have one small request. If you are going to take a bath anyway, before that how about you and me have a friendly match?" Bingo! I knew she was planning something. This could be it. Grace told me about her unique Territory Sovereign ability. Since I am a Demon King she can''t enslave me, but she can still make me obey 1 order at best. Was that her goal? Does she plan to use me for something? I thought that I could make her my ally, but I guess it won''t be that easy. Now, what should I do? I have no obligation to accept her request. Could I win? No. I couldn''t imagine beating her. "Odin, why the sudden hostility? Did you invite me here just to pick a fight?" She became flustered and started swinging her hands randomly. "No¡­ That''s not it. It''s my way of getting to know you better. After all, a brawl is the best way to get to know someone''s true nature!" Is she for real? What kind of logic is that? So instead of shaking hands you punch someone in the face? Oy, get some common sense, you slut! I pondered for a while. My brain was overclocked to max. I started analizing various scenarios. And then it hit me. I let out a devilish smile. "Okay, Odin. Let''s have a match!" Because I came up with a solution, regardless if I win or lose. You want to mess with me, bitch? Bring it on! ------ I did it! I didn''t think I could convince her to fight me. But this is perfect! She really is an insane person. But the fact that Fenrir went as far as licking her is proof that she is special. Fenrir hates strangers. Even if I told him it was okay he would still be vigilent. But he treated Milla the same way he treats me. Milla is a new Demon King. She probably doesn''t know my strength. There is no doubt that I''ll beat her. And then¡­ The order I want to give her is rather simple: "Let me stay by your side, always!" But still, something feels rather strange. I can''t get over her smile. It''s the same smile she had when she dealt with Vacheron. Before I realized, my hands were shaking. At first I thought I was just too eager. But a chill ran up my spine. Does she have a way to defeat me? No. That''s impossible. Then why was I scared? Territory Sovereign is an ability that only works one way. If I lose, it won''t affect me at all. I had all the advantages. So why was I so nervous? Even when I challenged Ornis, I wasn''t afraid. Was it because I already knew I was going to lose? That must be it. Milla, you truly are absurd! Out of all my battles, this is the first time I can''t predict the outcome! "So, Odin, let''s start this thing already. I really want a bath now!" "Alright! I can''t wait any longer either! Here I come, Milla!" 11: Demon King vs Demon King "[Geo Flare]!" A huge fire ball formed in my palm and I sent it flying straight at Odin. "Childs play." Odin clenched her fist and punched the human sized ball away as if it was no big deal. "My turn. [Ice Nova]!" I could only describe that attack as a fucking laser beam. It was strong. If that thing hit me I was sure to get frozen in an ice block. I placed my hand on the ground and chanted. "[Volcanic Wall]!" As it''s name implies, a wall of flames formed in front of me blocking the high speed laser. I struggled. Her attack almost penetrated my defense, but in the end my flames managed to contain it. This is the worst match-up. Our main elements are complete opposites. Well, I won''t throw the towel just yet. It''s not often I get the chance to go wild. I revealed my wings and went for the sky. When Odin saw me, she also manifested a pair of dragon wings made of ice and followed me. I couldn''t tell if those wings were made with magic or if they were her actual wings. Let''s try getting physical. I lunged at her and started a sky fist fight. Each time our fists clashed a shockwave was formed. I punched as hard as I could. As fast as I could. No! Not yet. This is nowhere near my limit. [Accel Boost], [Boiling Blood]. I activated 2 advanced tier spells. These were body enhancement spells. My movements became faster, my punches became stronger. Odin was taken back for a second because of the change. I managed to breach her defense. My fist lands in her stomach. "Guah¡­" She coughed violently. This was my chance. I wrapped my fists in flames and took that chance. "Oraaa!" The speed at which my fists were punching left small after-images. Waves of flames were flying with each punch. Her gut, her chest, her face, I hit all of them with my barrage. Odin was twiching like a punching bag. I put flames in my feet and strongly kicked her. She fell to the ground. A large crater was formed from the impact. It wasn''t enough. I knew that I couldn''t win with just that. I needed another follow up. "[Solar Lance]!" I created a lance of flames above my head. It was as thick as my waist and longer than my height. I threw it down at Odin. It''s speed was tremendous. When it hit, it made a big explosion. Was that enough? I should have damaged her quite a bit. "Hmph¡­ haha¡­ ahahaha!" I could hear a laughter. When the smoke cleared I could see Odin standing without a scratch at all. But what was more scary was that behind her, an ice dragon head attached to a snake-ish type body was floating. It was similar to a chinese style dragon. "I should praise you, Milla! You made me activate my Nidhogg! Let me give you a little advice. Magic won''t work on it. He devours it." So that''s why my lance had no effect. That feels like cheating though. "What''s with that face? You should be proud. Normally this guy appears on his own to deal with any small fry that I can''t be bothered with. But he didn''t appear from the start. I had to call him. Milla, this means I acknowledge your strength!" "Making a compliment in the middle of battle¡­ You seem rather confident. If that thing eats magic that just means I have to¡­" "Drawing a sword? Hahaha! You truly are scary. You came to a conclusion in an instant. Splendid! Come at me!" I wish I had my own weapon. This sword is just something I randomly picked from Lorina''s shop. I took this cause it matched my tiny loli body. Let''s try this. As soon as I charge the dragons'' head makes it''s way to me. I try slicing it but that ice is as hard as metal. I ended up jumping and gliding around to avoid it''s mouth. But, Odin, you shouldn''t have revealed the secret to me that easily. After taking some distance I swung my sword again¡­ and shattered it''s head. I spun around, twist and do the same thing with it''s snake body. I didn''t wanna risk his head growing back. For the first time during our fight, Odin was shocked. "You¡­ how did you do that?" Yeah, right! You think I''m as dumb as you? I only sticked my tongue out in a childish manner. If that guy ate magic, that means I just don''t have to fire it. I imbued my sword with magical energy, but only kept it inside the sword. The force of my blow wasn''t enough to slice him, but like a giant hammer, the force was enough to shatter it. I didn''t want to lose my momentum so I ran straight for Odin. This time, I covered my blade with flame. It was a true fire sword. But Odin didn''t move. She raised her hand and created an ice sword to meet me. When our swords clashed another huge shockwave was formed. "Fuuuuu!!" I could only see a flash of her blade, like a trail of light. I tried to move my body to meet her swing. "A perfectly good counter!" I use all my strength to react to her strike, but I was still blown away. "Was that your limit just now?" "I''m not done yet!" I don''t know why I kept fighting. I could surrender any moment I wanted¡­ but I guess I was having too much fun. "Come at me again and again if you want." I charged once more. "Fumu. This speed is far superior." I was evolving. The more I fought Odin, the better I could control my power. Fighting her was different than fighting Grace. Grace always deflected my attacks, but Odin is meeting them head on. With her I could go a step further. I wanted to break any limits this body has. This body was dormant for 200 years. It''s the first time that I actually feel that it''s awakening. "Splendid!" I release my strike against Odin''s. I manage this time to ward off her blow. ¡°You¡¯re actually a big deal, huh? Don''t stop now, Milla! Let me know you more and more. Show me what you''re made off!¡± 10 strikes 20 strikes 100 strikes Gradually my swordsmanship reached it''s peek. If anyone were to witness our fight, they probably couldn''t follow all our swings. When our blades crossed, the earth shaked and if the blow was deflected the snow was blown away from the force. But eventually, Odin put more pressure into her swings and snapped my flaming sword. And she also sliced me in half. "Kyaaaaa!" The one who screamed was Odin herself. "What have I done!? I put too much force! This¡­ This wasn''t supposed to happen!" But as Odin was about to burst in tears, both my half body parts were engulfed in flames. And from the flames I emerged in one piece. Phoenix Resurrection. As long as I still have mana I can''t die. I will be reborn on the spot and all my wounds will be healed. When she saw me, Odin felt relieved. "Milla, I am sorry. I really didn''t intend to go after your life!" I wanted to shout at her. A Demon King isn''t allowed to kill another Demon King. If it were anyone else other than me, then that blow would have been it. Show some restraint you bitch. But I''ll have my way with her soon, so I let it slide. "If I were to die from just that, I couldn''t call myself a Demon King, now can I?" "Magnificent! Then, shall we continue?" "No. In the end I can''t match you. I was giving everything I had, but you still held back. You probably aren''t even using half your power." "That''s not true! Just now I squeezed 50.001% of my total power. You made me use more than half my strength. You are the only one who pushed me this far even since my last battle with Ornis!" How the fuck did you come up with that number? Did you just make it up? And what''s with that sudden attitude change? You slice me in half and now act like everything is ok. Show some remorse at least! "Regardless, I am no match for you. I surrender." 12: Another strange situation I can''t believe she still wanted to fight. But I couldn''t go along with her. Excluding the spells and physical enhancements I used, Phoenix Resurrection alone costs a shit tone of mana. I was tired. I couldn''t afford wasting any more. Specially since right now I tried visualizing a new spell. Yup. You guessed it. Right as we speak I am trying to make another spell mash up. I was holding my hands behind my back so that she couldn''t see it. Odin was staring at me, until she finally nodded and agreed to stop. "Then, it''s my win!" As soon as Odin declared that, the ground, the snow started to glow in an azure color tone. A huge pentagram with Odin''s Demon King crest was displayed under our feet. I could see Grace trying to run to me. She shouted something, but I couldn''t hear her. From the ground blue chains manifested and they started charging at me. But I was ready. "Sorry, Odin, but it''s actually my win!" I placed my hands together and a small dark and red-ish sphere formed. It started emitting black sparks. I thrust my hands with the sphere on the ground. Dark electricity started to run through the pentagram, and the chains that were headed towards me, stopped. "[Geo Matter Reflection]!" "Wha¡­ this is¡­ Origin magic! What are you¡­?" Before she could finish her sentence, the chains changed their direction and were headed straight for Odin now. The chains wrapped around her legs, arms and torso, restrained her completely. "Did you really think I wasn''t aware of your Territory Sovereign?" The spells I combined this time were: Reflection. As it names implies, it bounces an effect back towards the caster. Source Matter, a spell that let''s me trace and analize any spell. I needed to use it so I can get a full gasp of Territory Sovereign. And the most important one, Geo Forge. It was the advanced version of Modeling. I needed to alter the effects of Territory Sovereign. I made it so that the order I wanted to give would be permanent. "I command you, become my slave!" When I said those words, Odin''s body was enveloped in a strong white light. When the light and pentagram faded, I noticed that Odin was on her knees and a subtle crystal collar was placed on her neck. In other words, she was my puppet now. I could change even her personality. I could make her act like a bimbo, I can shut down her brain and treat her like a doll, I had complete control over her. But right now, I wanted to see her despair. I spent almost all my mana with that stunt. Come on! I don''t know what you wanted to order me, and I don''t care. Let me see your reaction! "This is¡­" Here it comes! "... absolutely¡­ THE BEST!" "Huh?" I couldn''t help but tilt my head and open my eyes wide. Odin was smiling. She was happy. Did you hit your head or something? Don''t you realize you''re my property now? "I''m so happy! You really are absurd! To turn my Territory Sovereign against me... but this is the best outcome possible!" Wha¡­ !? Is she playing dumb? Is she crying? She''s acting like someone who found their lost dog after weeks. But, the circus didn''t end with just that. She grabbed my hand and pulled me into her embrace. "Hey, Milla, your maid calls you Milla-nee? Can I do it too? Yes, let''s be sisters. I never had family before. This feeling is good, kyaa!" Let go, you moron! I''m not immortal. Your boobie face hug is too dangerous. My whole head was being sucked in between her valleys. I couldn''t see the light at all. Scary. Too scary. I''ll seriously die from lack of oxygen. It''s not a bad way to go but¡­ what the fuck am I saying? I don''t wanna die a second time. Once was enough. Someone help me! ------ Back in Falkrum city, the lamia Cleo was facing a mountain of paperwork. Milla left her in charge while she was visiting Odin. "Oof, this would be easier if Grace-senpai, was here." Ever since the Blood Ball, the beastmen submited all sorts of requests. Rumor spread fast how Milla defended the beastmen. Letters of thanks, requests for employment, even requests for autographs were sent. Also there were the papers for taxes and laws that still needed to be enforced. It really was a big bundle. But it was a task that her creator gave her. So she didn''t complain at all. "Irina, you realize I can sense you, right?" The spider girl, Irina was standing upside down on the ceiling. "Ara ara! As expected of Cleo. I really can''t get past your reptile senses." "Irina, could you be more serious? And try not to leave your web everywhere. I''ve been getting complaints from the maids that you accidently wrap them in your threads." "Oh, it''s no accident. I''m doing it on purpose, hehe! They make such cute faces when all their mobility is restricted." As you probably could guess, Irina was into bondage. Like a true spider she loved to tie up her pray. "So, what do you want from me?" Irina crawled down from the ceiling and stood in front of Cleo with a serious expression. "As you are currently in charge, I have something to report to you." "Go on." "A human ship has landed on our shores." Cleo''s gaze turned stiff. "Are you certain?" "Ara ara! Cleo-chan, I spread my web all across our land and I placed it in such a manner that nobody will even notice it. Do you think I would mistake if someone trips and snaps one of my threads? Besides, I saw them as they were putting up their tents and establishing a camp." "For humans to dare walk on the same land as mistress, it''s unforgivable." "True. So what shall we do about them? Should we send someone to contact lady Milla?" "Irina, how many are they?" "I can''t say for sure how many, but it''s no less than 150 and no more than 300." "Such a small group. Our total military power is made out of 2000 soldiers which have been trained by Tengu himself and in Falkrum city alone we also have another 500 for public order and law enforcement. Their number isn''t a threat. We don''t need to bother lady Milla with something so small." "Then what shall we do about them?" "Tell Tengu to gather the centaur squadron and have them move to the beach. They should arrive there in a day." "Just the centaurs? You know that squadron is only made of 50 units, right?" "You really think more is needed? Cavalry will always win over infantry. If you also add the difference between a humans'' power and a centaurs'', then it''s no contest at all. And besides Tengu will go with them and they''ll also have weapons and armors forged by Lorina." After successfully creating the glass cups and bottles, Milla kept her word and made Lorina the royal blacksmith. She provided her with a bigger shop and forge. Needless to say Lorina was thrilled. Cleo paused for a moment, licked her lips and then continued: "No prisoners. No mercy. Kill them all!" ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó "Hero Nakano, our men almost finished setting up the tents." "Very well, captain. Thank you for your hard work. Once all the tents are up establish a perimeter, and then let the men rest. It was a long journey." Momoyo Nakano was leaning on a table while looking at a map of Xenovia. Her group finally arrived on the shores of the demon continent. The mission was straightforward. Gather as much intel about the enemy and return home. There was a small village near so they decided to start from there. Momoyo was rather surprised. While the men were busy with the camp she went earlier alone in that village. She covered her face with a cloth and her hair with a hood. She saw the beastmen. But what shocked her the most, was that they were no different than humans. They had families, they worked the fields, they had jobs like the humans. The 2 races were very similar. If they live so peaceful, why did they need to attack the humans? Why don''t the 2 countries avoid each other and just maintain a neutral relationship? Something didn''t feel right. But, in the end, she just wanted to finish this mission as soon as possible so she could return to Shiori. When they said their goodbyes, Momoyo became even more reluctant to go and leave her. "It''s alright, Momo-chan. I''ll be fine. We all agreed to help, so we must do our best and go home together!" Shiori was right. She had to do her best. As the class president she has to work harder than the rest. Right now, she wanted to focus on the task at hand so that all of them go home. Momoyo knew she had to play her part in this war. 13: The reason behind the war and 2nd bath I was currently taking a bath in Odin''s castle. Her bathtub was almost the size of a small swimming pool. After the situation calmed down, Odin kept her word and let me have a bath. Grace struggled a bit to pull me away from her embrace. It was quite scary. "Is the water temperature to your liking, Milla-nee?" "Yeah. It''s really pleasant!" Odin insisted to bathe with me. Honestly, I racked my brain too much for this idiot. I thought she wanted to trick me, but in the end, it turned out that her mind is twisted. I ordered her not to lie to me. Even now it''s hard to believe my ears when she told me she just wants to be by my side. This girl is Demon King of Wisdom. Even if she gathered all her knowledge from battles, she has a wide variety of information and spies. This could be a chance to get some answers. "Hey, Odin. I have some questions. I want you to answer them, no matter how weird they might sound." "As you wish!" "How did this war with the humans start? Why did the demons attack them?" "That truly is a weird question. Maybe it''s because you are young. Milla-nee, we didn''t attack the humans. For a long time we were at peace. They are the ones that attacked us. We didn''t start the war. They did. We only responded to their aggression." "What!?" Could this really be true? No. It has to be. Odin can''t lie to me. This is a shock. I recall the Demon God''s words: "everything those church bastards told you is a lie". I wanted to hear the hole story. "Odin, tell me everything you know about how this war started!" ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó Empress Eclair Olympia was sitting alone in her room, crying and tightly gripping her pillow. "Why is this happening?" The Empress was a proud woman. She ascended to the throne through sheer hard work. She was in her mid 30''s. But she recalled her past glory. When she managed to unite humanity under a single banner, she was happy. After years, she could finally bring order. An everlasting peace. Crimes would be punished, nobody would go hungry. That was the bliss she desired to achieve. But fate wasn''t so kind with her. The church of Holy Light made all her achievements meaningless. The church gained it''s fame fast. They started by healing various diseases that magic couldn''t heal. They called it the miracle of the Goddess. The people started to worship the church and it''s teachings. Then, one day the Pope had a vision. The Goddess told him to make his own military units. The holy knights. The Empress didn''t want to allow for units to be formed if she didn''t have control over them. She wanted to oppose, but couldn''t. The people supported and trusted the church too much. If the Empress were to be against it, then the people might start at riot. She didn''t want to rule with tyranny. So in the end she allowed it. Little by little, she became trapped like a bird in a cage. The word of the Pope became heavier than her own. She who worked so hard,was reduced to a puppet ruler. She hoped that with the summoning of heroes, one of them would be pure and could help her. But her hopes were crushed, as the heroes sided with the church. "All because of greed¡­" Greed was the reason the war started. Xenovia continent was filled with demons. But the population wasn''t as big as the humans. Resources and treasures. Xenovia was considered a gold mine. If the demons are killed, than all those ritches would belong to the church. If the church can get it''s hands on it, their rule would be absolute. "Humans¡­ are just as evil as the demons. No. At this point, they are worse than them. Why¡­ why can''t they see this is wrong¡­ ? I don''t want to be part of this. Oh, God¡­ if there truly is a God out there, please, help me break these shackles and punish the wicked priests. Save our land, before it''s too late!" ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó I listened to Odin''s story. The Demon God was right. The church is rotten to the core. With all that said, I''m glad I could cut ties with them. Even from the start I didn''t want any part of this. I guess I''m grateful that I became a loli. My classmates were all morons. Why didn''t they stop to think about it? Summoning magic only works one way. I knew this when I summoned my servants. So unless there was someone back on Earth to resummon us¡­ there is no going back home. Fools. They rather listen to Ren and play hero than using their brains. Well that just makes things easier for me. I just need to kill Ren and burn that church to ashes. I will only be satisfied when they suffer the same way I did. But for now I want to relax. I was working too hard lately. And now I have the chance to have some fun. "Odin, listen closely. I order you not to move until I say you can!" Her body stiffened. Unlike Grace who was just extremely loyal, in Odin''s case a compelling force was applied by the collar around her neck. Well, given that I broke all logic she knew, she probably will obey me even without it. But it''s more fun this way! "Milla-nee what are you¡­ mph!?" I stole her lips before she could finish her sentence. Odin''s face started to become red, but I ignored her. I kept pushing and rolling my tongue in her mouth. It was as if I was exploring a cave. First I inspected her teeth and gums. Then I went and licked the inside of her cheeks. And finally I went for her tongue. Odin''s resistance started to fade and we both started rolling our tongues around. Eventually we separated for air, and a string of saliva was formed between our lips. Odin was rather shacking and her face was deep red now. Did she actually get excited just from a kiss? Let''s see what other faces she can make, kuku! "Milla-nee¡­ that was¡­ this feeling in my body¡­ I¡­" "It''s all right, Odin. Now that you belong to me, I will show you all sorts of stuff. I will properly train that slut-body of yours until you learn what true pleasure is. As long as you are mine, I will give you all the love you want! Right now you aren''t the Demon King of Wisdom. You are my empty headed slut." "What? But¡­ that''s¡­" "Tell me, what do you want right now?" I could just force her, but that would be boring. I want her to say it. I want to engrave in her head and body that she''s my toy. "I¡­ want to feel good!" "Then, you know what you have to say, right?" "I¡­" She looked down in the water. Probably her pride as a Demon King was holding her back. Do I really need to force her? But then, she lifted her head, licked her lips and gulped loudly. And: "I am nothing more than Milla-nee''s empty headed slut. Please, love me, my beloved sister!" Wow. She was like a dog in heat. As soon as she said that she was breathing heavily and panting. But regardless, I made her say it. In all her years, Odin never experienced the pleasures of the flesh. She always relieved herself through battle. That''s why she got horny from just a kiss. "Then, shall we continue in your bedroom?" 14: Quality time and shocking news I made Odin lay down on the queen sized bed and got on top of her. She didn''t resist me at all. Rather, she looked forward to it. I''m gonna eat you up. I strongly grabbed her breasts and squeezed them. They were soft. My hands sank deeply into her flesh. "Kyaaa!" Oy, what''s with that cute voice? You wouldn''t expect a battle maniac like her to make such a voice, but at the end of the day, she''s a woman too. After I released my grip, I went for her nipples. It was the first time I saw in real life inverted nipples. So I started using my fingers to dig them out. "... Fuuuah¡­" Eventually I pulled them out. But I didn''t stop there. I started tugging them. "Hiii¡­ Milla-nee¡­ please¡­ that''s¡­" "You have no right to object. This is punishment for smashing my sword!" To be honest, I couldn''t care less about the sword. Lorina can make me a new one anytime. No, this was punishment for almost chocking me with these 2 monsters. I drew my face closer and put both her nipples in my mouth and started sucking violently. Her moans were quite loud. But we didn''t have to worry that someone would hear us, as her bedroom was sound proof. As long as the windows and doors are closed, a magic layer would prevent sound from coming in or getting out. It seems Odin sleeps better this way. Anyway, she was sweet. Very sweet. It almost felt like I was milking a cow. Eventually I let go of her nipples. "Odin, turn around." "Eh!?" "Turn around. Show me your butt." She titled her head. It seems she didn''t understand my intention. But right now, I didn''t want to stop so I forced her to obey with the collar. Her ass had a nice shape and it was quite plump. *Slap* "Aaaah! Milla-nee, what are you¡­ hiiii!" *Slap¡­ Slap¡­ Slap* You guessed it right. I started to slap her ass. Once, twice, 10 times. I lost count of how many slaps I gave her. "Your butt really has a nice color now! Does it hurt?" "I feel a bit sour, but¡­ it''s a pleasant pain." Was she a masochist? Did fighting for so many years make her body sense pleasure in pain? Ugh, she truly is a weird one. "Fuuuah¡­ Milla-nee¡­ that place is¡­ why does it feel so good?" I wanted to eat her up. I started licking her ass and softly nibbling on it and eventually made my way to her hole. Surprisingly, just like the fact that Demon Kings don''t need to physically eat or sleep, they also don''t need to defecate. So her hole was clean and sweet. I could get addicted to this taste. I wiggled my tongue inside her ass until¡­ "I can''t take this anymore¡­ I¡­ I''m coming!" I made Odin climax. She squirted quite a lot. "Such¡­ technique¡­ I''ve never felt anything like it¡­ I love you, Milla!" "Fufu, hearing that makes me happy. But it isn''t fair for only you to have fun. Come here. Lick my pussy. Make me feel good too!" She looked like a dog right now. A big smile, tongue out and I think I saw a small heart shape in her eyes. "Yes, mistress!" ------ The night passed. I had my way with Odin many times. I made sure that she changed her view on relationships. I made her think yuri was the best. She now believed that a man can never offer her such pleasures. Maybe I should mention, I don''t have anything against men. I used to be a male myself after all. But, so far, in this world, the males really left me with a bad impression. No manners, always so pushy¡­ I can only call them idiots. If that''s how the majority are, it feels normal for me to surround myself by women. Anyway, back to an important matter. "Odin, what are you doing?" "I don''t understand your question." "You stopped patting me. I demand more patting!" "Oh, yes, of course!" Right now we were in Odin''s throne room. The room had a very nordic feeling. A throne made of ice, red carpet and yellow curtains. There were also various ice sculptures of monsters. Probably their the monsters Odin faced in her life. Odin was sitting on her throne and I was sitting on Odin''s lap. I always saw in manga that lolis are patted. If I tried to touch a girls'' head back on Earth, I would seriously get a big punch in my face. Girls don''t like you to touch their head cause it ruins their hairstyle. Why do they care more about their looks rather than receiving affection? It was a nice feeling. I don''t care what anyone says. Being patted feels good. It fills your spirit with happiness. On our right, Grace was sitting and watched the strange show in front of her. And on our left, Fenrir was sleeping on the floor. Odin pledged her loyalty to me. Odin wasn''t part of any faction, but she survived because of her absurd strength. And now, we made an alliance. Odin agreed to unite. In fact, she wanted to give me her whole territory. She only wanted to be by my side. But I refused. Managing my small land was hard enough as is. I left Odin keep her land and reign. In exchange, if I ever need military support, Odin will always comply. Her land had 10000 soldiers in total plus all the gladiators in the coliseum. Oh in case you were curious, Ornis had the biggest army, with a total of 30000 units. As I was lost in thoughts, someone barged into the throne room, opening the doors quite violently. "Your Highness, I have urgent news!" It was a strange creature. It was probably 2 meters tall. It was¡­ well¡­ a yeti. Abominable Snowman. Call it what you like. It was a huge monkey like being with white fur. "Speak." "Umm¡­ is it alright like that?" He probably was confused cause I was sitting on Odin''s lap. "It''s news concerning the beastmen territory." Oh? News from my land. Odin really had a reliable web. "We are in an alliance with Milla Walpurgis. So if it is news regarding her, she should hear it too!" "Yes, Your Highness! Humans have landed on the shores of the beastmen. 50 centaurs and a skeleton warrior are headed to intercept them." "WHAT!?" When I heard that, I jumped out of Odin''s lap and quickly sprinted to the yeti. "How many are they? Are there a group of teenagers there?" "Ugh, please calm down, Your Highness. There are only 200 units. They are all just rookies. Your centaurs will surely kill them. And¡­ there is only one teen among them that''s leading the party." "Is it a boy? A boy with blonde hair?" "No. It''s a girl." So it wasn''t Ren. For a moment I thought I could go get my revenge. A girl¡­ wait¡­ was it Shiori? "How did she look like?" "She had leather armor, grey hair wrapped in a ponytail and had a bow strapped on her back." Phew. It wasn''t Shiori. But judging from that description¡­ "So it''s prez, huh?" "I beg your pardon?" "Leave us!" I issued the order. The yeti looked at Odin, but she only glared menacing at him as if saying "you heard her! Get lost!" The yeti quickly left the room. Darn. This was a frustrating situation. I left Cleo in charge. If she sent the centaurs and Tengu then it means she wants to kill them all. I can''t find fault in that logic. Normally I would agree to that. But Shiori cared about Momoyo. In the past, she didn''t approach me, but she didn''t bully me either. I didn''t hate her. Argh¡­ this is the worst situation. Capturing her alive might be better, even if just to get intel from her. But even if I fly, I still wouldn''t make it in time. "Milla-nee, what''s the matter?" Odin saw the look on my face. "The humans will be killed. But I want to capture their leader alive. But there is no way I can make it in time to give that order." Odin pondered for a moment before continuing. "There might be a way." "There is? Tell me!" Odin''s gaze shifted towards Fenrir. Wait. Why is Fenrir looking at me like a dog that wants to go on a walk? Odin had a big smile on her face. Uh, don''t tell me I have to¡­ 15: A bloody battlefield "Lord Tengu, our preparations are complete." "You did well, Felicia." The skeleton Tengu, was talking to Felicia, the new captain. Tengu was the commander of the military, but he needed a deputy. The centaur known as Felicia, showed the most promise, so he appointed her as captain. "Felicia, this is your chance to shine. Show me what you can do. You will take command and kill every last one of the humans. But leave that archer girl to me. She''s the strongest one in that group and the only one who might entertain me." "Understood!" They were currently on a hill top, observing the humans. Tengu thought that even for scouts, they were way too weak. Their gear, their defense and the fact that they didn''t notice the centaur squadron coming so close, was all Tengu needed to realize that he was dealing with rookies. "Then, shall we attack at once?" "No. It wouldn''t be any fun. And this is a perfect stage for you guys to harness your skills. I don''t want to make it too easy for you. Felicia, cast [Sound Boost] on me." "I understand." As instructed, Felicia casted the spell on Tengu. He was enveloped in a green light. He then shouted: "HUMANS! HEED MY WORDS!" ------ Momoyo quickly rushed out of her tent when she heard a loud voice. She tried to look for the owner of the voice. Her eyes could see a good distance thanks to her archer class. "Lady Nakano, over there, on that hill!" A random soldier pointed out. Momoyo glanced over and she could see a group of centaurs and a strange looking skeleton. How did they get so close without anyone noticing? Momoyo couldn''t come up with an answer. But the answer was rather simple. All the units the archbishop gave her were rookies. New recruits from the church that barely finished basic training. To ensure her failure, he gave Momoyo useless troops. "You have soiled the land of the great Demon King of Insanity! You keep invading our land again and again to satisfy your greed! And now, you shall all perish!" Invade? Wait, why are they saying we are invading them, when the demons are supposed to be invading us? Momoyo thought the skeleton might be lying. "We shall slaughter you all. But we are not that cruel as you butchers. We allow you 10 minutes. In those minutes, pray to your Goddess, pray for your souls, say your goodbyes. After 10 minutes have passed, we shall attack and spare none. Your time starts now!" Panic could be read on everyone''s faces. "Don''t give into the enemy''s taunt! Prepare our defense. Shields up front and and archers to the rear. We outnumber them, so if we work together, we can win!" Momoyo quickly took the initiative. The troops settled down. They were reassured because they had a hero on their side. They followed her order and put up their formation. Soon, 10 minutes have passed. "Here they come. Stay strong!" ------ The battlefield was a mess. Blood could be seen everywhere. But it was only human blood. The enemy didn''t suffer a single casualty. The human formation broke fast. All their arrows were easily deflected. "I can''t let it end like this!" Momoyo took aim in the sky. "[Rain of Arrows]!" She fired a single green glowing arrow. The tetra bow didn''t need physical arrows. It would generate elemental magic arrows each time the string is pulled. As the name implies, the arrow soon scattered and multiplied into hundreds of arrows. Momoyo thought that an AoE attack would be good to hit all the centaurs at once, even with the risk of hitting her own men. But¡­ "[Aqua Shield]!" The centaurs all lifted one hand in the air and made a bubble like shield. The arrows failed to pierce them. "No way¡­ not even¡­ one?" Momoyo was scared. She got scared. Heads were flying left and right. Eventually, her whole party was wiped out. Until only she remained. 50 centaurs have killed 199 humans. She was the last one. Felicia and her squad cleared a path and Tengu stepped forward. "You did well, Felicia! You''re skills have improved greatly. I might introduce you to Her Highness! But now it''s my turn." The skeleton approached Momoyo. "Come, little one. Try your best to entertain me! If by any chance you can defeat me, I shall spare your life." Tengu pulled out a bone spear. It wasn''t his strongest weapon, but it was the weapon he liked using to give a handicap to the opponent. Hope could still be seen in Momoyo''s eyes. She didn''t want to die here. She was scared, but she wanted to return to her friends. To Shiori. She raised her bow towards Tengu. "[Rock Blast]!" A projectile was sent flying, but even if it was hard as a rock, Tengu simply twisted his spear to deflect the shot. "Oi, is that really all you can do? I expected more from a hero. I''ll give you one final chance. Use your strongest attack!" Momoyo had no choice but to listen. This wasn''t an opponent she could handle. "Fire my strongest attack, and then make a run for it" was the conclusion Momoyo reached. She raised her bow once more. This time a red pentagram appeared before her. It was meant to amplify the force. "Eat this! [Burning Ray]!" As soon as she fired the arrow, she turned around and started to run. She could hear an explosion behind, but she didn''t look back. She was confident in her speed. But a minute later, blood gushed out. She was pierced from behind right above her left breast. When she turned her head around, she saw Tengu, without a single scratch. "That was a rather rude thing to do. I was nice enough to give you a chance, and you respond by running? Naive. Your marksmanship might be decent, but for a hero, you are weak. Too weak. Here''s an advice. Only turn your back to a corpse." Tengu pulled his spear out and then¡­ he spun it around, cutting all 4 limbs. His cuts were precise. He cut her legs right near her knees, and her arms around close to her armpits. "Aaaaaaaa!" She screamed. The pain was intense. She even ended up wetting herself. Blood kept pouring. "Do you understand now? There is no escape. There never was. Although you will die from blood loss if I leave you like this, I shall grant you mercy. I shall grant you death." Tears formed in Momoyo''s eyes. But not from the pain. In those moments Momoyo could only think about Shiori. Will she be sad? Will she be safe? "Sorry, Shiori. It seems I can''t keep our promise." She resigned herself. Tengu slowly raised his spear. He aimed for her heart. He striked. But the tip of the spear was caught. Out of nowhere, with a terrifying speed, a red haired loli came in between them. She blocked the strike with her bare hand. The spear didn''t pierce her. Instead, she then tightly gripped it and crushed the spear tip. She was covered with a thick magical aura. "That''s enough, Tengu! Stand down!" ------ I barely made it in time. Tengu was about to kill prez. If I was a second late, there would have been nothing I could do. After the duel with Odin I feel I can control my power better. So I covered myself with dark magical energy. The spear didn''t pierce my skin, but the impact still hurt, ouch! After I crushed the spear, Tengu immediately kneeled before me. The confused centaurs did the same. Anyway, I need to hurry before she dies from blood loss. I reached down for my shadow. It seems my shadow can be treated as a storage space. But unlike other fantasy novels I read, my shadow didn''t have infinite space. It was only about the size of your average Holliday suitcase. I pulled a glass of Phoenix Tears. I quickly took a sip. I drew my face closer to Momoyo. You guessed it. I force fed her the potion with a kiss. In her state there was no other way I could make her take it. When she swallowed the red liquid, all her wounds were healed. No. Let me be more precise. Phoenix Tears aren''t the same as my Phoenix Resurrection. It only closes wounds and clears any abnormal status one might have. But lost limbs or shattered organs¡­ it can''t heal something that''s missing. Simply put it can''t grow her limbs back. It only sealed the wounds to stop the bleeding. "Your Highness¡­ why¡­ to use such an item¡­ *guah*..." Tengu was sent flying a few feet. But I wasn''t the one who did it. "Easy boy. That''s enough. He learned his lesson." I was talking to Fenrir. Yeah, the only way I could make it in time was by ridding this guy. That was Odin''s solution. A ''Fenrir'' is a wolf of myth. It is said a mature wolf can be one of the strongest beings in the world. Even stronger than a Demon King. I was surprised when Odin told me this boy was still a puppy. A puppy big as a tank. At least he was super fast. Ridding him felt like a rollercoaster ride. I almost threw up. But anyway, back to the matter at hand. "Tengu, I don''t recall having to explain myself to you. Listen carefully, I''ll only say it once. Never question my decisions!" The skeleton almost shoved his head into the ground at those words. "Please forgive me, Your Highness!" "That''s better. Now stand up. All of you." Tengu and the centaurs slowly stood up, but they still kept their eyes in the ground. "Take this girl to my castle. Clean her, give her a room and make sure she properly recovers." "As you command!" Well, I guess I need to focus on the next task now. It seems I just can''t get a moment of rest. Until Momoyo recovers I better try to find a way and fix her. I can''t play with a broken toy, after all. 16: Finding the solution In the Olympia Empire, people were gathered in front of the main building of the church of light. The reason for this was because the pope himself was about to give a speech. "People of Olympia! I have some ill news. Recently we sent a scouting party to try and negotiate for a way to end hostilities with the demons. But, in the end, demons can''t be reasoned with. They butchered our men. We shall pray that their souls find peace!" The pope then started some sort of prayer. Everyone present apparently prayed for the lost men. But it was a partial lie. Yes, the humans have been killed, but there was no way the news could reach from Xenovia to Olympia so fast. The pope was lying. "But this is enough! We won''t stand for it anymore! Are we just going to wait until they reach our doorstep? Are we just going to watch our families get killed? We must fight back. The only way to achieve piece is to kill them, before they kill us! We shall send an army so big that they will beg us to spare them! We have the Goddess on our side. We shall be victorious. For the Goddess!" Everyone started to cheer. Inside the church, a different scene was unfolding. Archbishop Frederic and Ren Takeda were having one last chat. "Well, I must say, Ren-dono, you really managed to convince the heroes to follow you. I am impressed." "It''s only because you kept your end of the deal and got rid of Nakano. Kukuku. Shiori is still in her room mourning but at least I convinced her to join my party, now that she has nobody to turn too." "Well, I am a man of my word. We also have the drug ready." "Was about time. I really thought you were lying to me about that." "Would a priest lie? Now that you are going to war, the food rations won''t be checked. So each day you can pour a bit into her food. This drug is strong so make sure you don''t use too much in one day, or else you''ll kill her." "And will it really work?" "The drug is designed to target specific brain cells. Given time it will completely turn someone''s mind to mush. She will be nothing more than a lifeless puppet." "Hahaha! Finally, with this I''ll win. I''ll get my trophy." "Now then, Ren-dono, let''s also go over the gear you shall receive on this quest. You guys will set sail in a few days. Show the demons, what the Goddess blessing can do!" ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó For the first time since I arrived in this world, I was lost. I tried searching for a way to grow Momoyo''s limbs back, but it seems it''s impossible. No magic can restore lost body parts or organs. There were beings like me with regeneration abilities, but those were rare and the ability can''t be transferred. I even tried to mash up some spells I thought could do the trick, but every attempt I made was useless. As soon as I wanted to merge them, the magic circle formations broke. Maybe it was taboo. Maybe my body couldn''t handle the spell. I should mention, forcing a spell can seriously damage the caster. So in the end, against common belief, magic can''t solve every problem. So, since magic was out of the question, I went to see Lorina. She lived for more than 3000. Maybe together, we could think of something. As long as I don''t mention her age. Last time I tried that, a vein popped on her head. She really doesn''t want to be considered old. Well, she looks young so I can understand the feeling. In case you''re curious, the life spans in this world are: A High Elf can live 5000 years and they can choose when to stop aging physically. A High Mazoku can live 2500 years. Given that, I still had a long life ahead. Normal demons like my beastmen and normal elves live roughly the same, around 1000 years. The dwarves are said to live for 500 years. And lastly, similar to my old world, humans have the shortest life span at 100 years. I finally reached Lorina''s new shop. It was bigger and better than what she used to work with. She also had helpers now, but was very picky when choosing them. "Your Highness, I''m glad to see you again. Thanks to you, business is going good and with my new staff I also have more time to work on the designs I want! So, how can I help you this time?" Lorina was acting cheerful, but I remember how scared she was the first time I entered her shop. "Lorina, I was wondering, do you know a way to grow a limb? If someone loses it in a battle, is there a way to regenerate it?" "Your Highness, you do ask some weird questions. You realize I am a blacksmith, right? Wouldn''t it be better to ask someone more specialized in such a field?" "I thought that since you are an elf you might know a secret herb or a spell or something." "Such a thing doesn''t exist. Humanoid beings aren''t lizards, so I am afraid that regeneration is impossible. Once it''s gone, it''s gone for good." Well that''s a bummer. I should have known something so convenient wouldn''t exist. But I still had one hope. Come on fantasy novels, don''t let me down now! "How about a prosthetic limb then?" "Lady Milla, do you realize what you are saying? Although it is possible to create a prosthetic arm or leg, the degree of injury you described is the problem. I am not an expert in humanoid anatomy, but I do know that there are thousands of nerves and muscles. If you wish for the prosthetic limb to function exactly like a real one, it would be necessary to link all the nerves and mana circuits to the limb. Linking thousands of nerves and circuits is impossible." Fuck! I really wanna punch all those light novel authors back in Japan. They made it look too easy. Just slap a metal piece and it would work. "I am sorry, but the root of the problem is too big. Please give up on¡­" "WAIT! Say that last part again!" "Ugh¡­ the problem is too big?" "Not that, the beginning!" "I''m sorry?" "Nono. In between those!" "The root?" Bingo. That''s it. Root. "Lorina, if the nerves and mana circuits can be connected, then it can work, right?" "Umm¡­ yes. But, lady Milla, it really is impossible to¡­" "That''s all I wanted to know. Lorina, I want to start working and craft a pair of arms and legs." It''s not impossible. There is nothing impossible. I just need to change my way of thought. I read a lot of books in search for an answer so I also learned stuff that was supposed to be useless. But turns out, everything can be used in a certain way. "Make sure to make them light, but also sturdy." "Something like that¡­ I would need to use obsidian. But it is a rather expensive ore¡­" "Just do it. Make sure it has all the joints a humanoid body has. Money isn''t an issue." When the Blood Ball ended and Ornis kicked Vacheron out, he never came back to claim those 10,000 gold pieces. So right now I had money to spare. "As you wish, Your Highness!" Good. Now on to the next step. ------ I took Fenrir and we went to one of the villages in my territory. I didn''t like riding him, but I somewhat got used to it. Fenrir really is fast and he seems to enjoy me taking him around. He probably doesn''t get that much exercise with Odin. Oi, you do realize you''re not my dog, right? I''ll have to send you back home when this is over. Anyway we approach the village. The first thing we saw were farmers working the land. And then, a small green girl rushed to greet me. "Welcome, Your Highness! Did you come to check up on Teri''s work? Teri did her best. Teri wants to be praised!" The dryad Teri. For some reason she speaks of herself in the 3rd person, but I don''t mind that. "Yes, you did good, Teri. I am proud." "Teehee! Teri got praised!" Teri was in charge of managing fields and growing food. The rice fields were a huge success and the beastmen really valued more food. "Teri, I came here to ask you something." "Teri shall answer if Teri can!" "You are connected to nature. Can you sense¡­ let''s say all the roots of a tree?" "Yes! If Teri focuses hard, Teri can sense and connect to every inch of a tree no matter how big it is." "Could you also extend roots?" "Teri can. But, does Her Highness want to create a new tree?" It''s exactly the answer I wanted. "No. Teri, can the same process be applied to a humanoid? Could you sense all the nerves in the body and reconnect them to say¡­ a lost arm?" "Umm¡­ I don''t know. But if a human or a demon was a tree, no matter how many nerves or circuits, Teri can feel them. And just like a fallen branch, Teri can put it back." Teri, you really are amazing. When I created you, I had no idea you had this much potential. I wanted to use Momoyo''s original limbs but¡­ when I stepped in to stop Tengu, me and Fenrir made quite a shock wave. Her limbs were sent flying somewhere. And since the battlefield was a mess with body parts scattered everywhere, I couldn''t find them. It might have been different if Momoyo was the only girl in the party, but she wasn''t. And using a limb that wasn''t hers, felt too¡­ Frankenstein. Too gross. So robot limbs are better. "Teri, you and I are gonna combine our powers." "Working with Her Highness is a dream for Teri. What must Teri do?" "Come with me for now back to my home. I need to take care of one more thing first. As for what we are going to do¡­ It will be something truly insane!" 17: Reunion Momoyo was lying on a bed in Milla''s castle. She looked up at the ceiling. Her eyes were empty. It was like all life had left her body. She was nothing more than a ragdoll. She recalled the red haired girl that saved her from death. Momoyo didn''t think such a little girl could be a Demon King. She took her in. Maids were appointed to look after her. Cleaning her body, feeding her and making sure she fully recovers. But at this point she wanted to die. She had no idea what the enemy could want with her. At first she resisted, but in the end she resigned herself. She knew she was never going to see Shiori or any of her classmates again. She knew she was never going to see her home, her friends and her family again. She simply waited to die. ------ I arrived back at my base. Since there was still one more preparation I had to make, I told Teri to play with Fenrir for a while. The wolf was on guard at first, but soon he went with the flow and started playing with Teri. Maybe this guy just gets along with children. Odin said he was ferocious, but maybe cause he''s a pup too he seems more relaxed around kids. Moving on. The moment I stepped inside, I saw Cleo groveling on the floor before me. "Lady Milla, please forgive me! I am the one who gave the order to kill all the humans. I am the one that has now put you in this dilemma. If needed, I shall apologize with my life!" Okay. What''s with these guys? Are they trying to copy Grace? Their loyalty is too extreme. Why would I want to take their lives? "Stand up, Cleo! I''m not blaming you. I was the one that left you in charge. And humans arriving right on our shore was something that I wasn''t prepared for." "But¡­" "Enough. I said that I will forgive you, but I still intend to punish you. Tonight, come to my bedroom. I intend to play around with you, hehe!" Cleo stood up at those words. Lamia scales were very sensitive. Outside of battles, having someone else touch them was really unpleasant. But of course, I planned to touch her in a different way. "Understood, Your Highness. But, if I may ask, why did you spare that girl?" "There are some humans I have plans for. That girl is one of them. I know demons hate humans, but there are some that I personally have to deal with. I will describe those few at a later time." "Very well. Then I shall excuse myself for now." After Cleo left I made my way to the first floor. One of the maids Cleo assigned to look after prez greeted me. "Your Highness, are you here to check up on the human?" "Umu! How is she doing?" "Well, it''s been 3 days since she was in our care. Although she gave us quite a hard time at first, eventually she stopped struggling. I was actually afraid we would have to force feed her, but she''s really docile now. Excluding her lost limbs, she has physically recovered." "I see. Thank you. I know it''s unpleasant for demons to touch a human, but¡­" "There is no need to apologize, Your Highness. You are the sole Demon King that ever treated our beastman race with kindness. You treat us the same way you treat any other Mazoku. I think I speak for all of us when I say this: no matter what order you will give us, we will gladly obey it!" Such a good maid. And she''s quite good looking too. Maybe I should make her join me and Cleo tonight. "Would you like to see her?" "Yup. But I want us to be alone." "Understood!" And thus I headed to the room where Momoyo was. She really looked like a broken toy. "Hey, why the gloomy face?" "..." No reply. "Hello? Anyone home in there?" Again no reply. Great. She''s useless to me like this. This isn''t the reunion I imagined. How should I wake her from this state? Guess I have no choice. "Momo-chan, it''s no good if you keep sulking like that!" I said those words with a cute voice. And as soon as I finished it was as if light returned to her eyes. "I bet Shiori would be proud of my imitation." She twitched again. As soon as I mentioned Shiori she forced herself to stand up. "How¡­ how do you know that name? And how did you know that line?" Finally got her attention. The words I said were the ones Shiori would say to her when she would be overwhelmed with school activities. "You really don''t remember me? I''m hurt. Well I guess I can''t blame you since I look different now." "Who¡­ who are you?" "Let''s see if this jogs your memory: In life, you should really do what you want to do, not what someone else wants you to do? If you want to be the class president, go for it!" "It¡­ can''t be¡­ are you¡­" When I was in my first year in high school and the election for class president came, Shiori grabbed me by the collar and told me to say some encouraging words to her. And those were the words I said. "Ho¡­ Homura-kun?" I started clapping my hands. "Bingo! Bingo! Bingo! And we have a winner! Yup, it''s me. Ryusei Homura. It''s been a while, prez!" ------ For a few minutes we both stayed silent. Various scenarios were running in Momoyo''s head right now. I wanted to let her speak first. Eventually she opened her mouth. "How¡­?" "Hmm? What''s that supposed to mean?" "How is this possible? How are you still alive?" At first Momoyo still doubted me. But I described past situation from life back on Earth. In the end she acknowledged me. "It''s quite simple. After I died, I was reincarnated. Let me properly introduce myself. Rank 11, the Demon King of Insanity, Milla Walpurgis." "But¡­ you''re a loli." I puffed my cheeks like a child would. "That''s rather rude! I guess I''ll give you a little taste, then!" I wrapped my body with a magical aura. My crimson eyes started to glow. I released a bit of bloodlust and then, I let the magical pressure go wild. Sweat started to cover Momoyo''s body. Despair could be read on her face. The pressure was almost too much for her to handle. Oops. Seems like she forgot to breathe. Maybe I overdid it. Better stop here for now. "*Cough*... *gasp*" "Do you believe me now?" After she caught her breath she nodded. "You really are who¡­ you say." After another pause, she continued. "But wait! With this maybe we can stop the war. If you have such authority, talk to the other kings! Convince them to stop the invasion. Meet with the humans and make some form of piece treaty! Homura-kun, we can put an end to this and go home!" Yare yare! There are so many things wrong with that statement. Sorry prez, but it''s time for your wake up call. "And why would I do any of that? Why would I want to negotiate with a bunch of murderers?" "What do you mean?" "The goblins weren''t the ones that killed me. It was Ren. He stabbed me with his sword. And I don''t recall the church ever telling us that they would send us home. Oh, and there is also the fact that the church is the one that started the war. You guys are the invaders. Do you really think I wanna talk with all those guys after all the shit they dragged me into?" Momoyo fell silent. She analized Milla''s sentence. She recalled the wound on Ryusei''s chest. Even back then she felt it was strange since goblins didn''t use blades. But she never imagined a fellow classmate would be able to do such a thing. She remembered the village she saw when she arrived to Xenovia. She remembered the peace. Could it really be so? Are the humans really the ones behind the war? Was everything a lie? "I''ll give you another piece of info. The church only sees us as pawns. And by the looks of it, they wanted to sacrifice you in this game. Why else would they send you with such a weak party? Honestly, if it was anyone else, I wouldn''t be shocked, but you prez, should have seen the signs. Everyone was so caught up on playing hero that they blindly followed Ren and didn''t bother to ask questions. I thought you at least would have a better judgement." Momoyo trembled. Ryusei was right. She did have her doubts, but she ignored all the signs. "Prez, they might regard you as a pawn, but in my eyes, you can be more. So I want to make you an offer." Momoyo once again lifted her face and looked at the girl in front of her who was smiling innocently. "I want you to serve under me! How about it?" 18: We have a deal "What do you mean?" "I think I was pretty clear. I want you to serve me." "This doesn''t make sense. Why¡­ would you want that? Look at me. I''m useless." "What if I were to restore you?" "Heh¡­" She let out a pitiful laugh. "Don''t joke around. These wounds can''t be repaired." "True. I can''t regenerate your limbs. But I can offer you a way to be able to walk and hold things again." "Is it¡­ true?" "Is there any point in me lying?" Momoyo pondered for a while. It''s clear that she wants to accept. Anyone in their right mind wouldn''t want to stay like a vegetable. "I''m not saying I accept, but if I were to accept, what then?" "Hmm?" "What are your plans? What do you wish to achieve?" As I figured, she''s sharp. "No use beating around the bush. I plan to reduce the church to ashes, kill our former classmates and then live in peace." "Then I refuse! How can you even think about killing our classmates? They are our friends!" Your friends maybe, not mine. "Why should I care? Everyone called me otaku freak, they would beat me up, treat me like trash and finally I ended up dead. Why would I care about any of them?" "It''s not like I don''t understand you, but still¡­" "Pop quiz time, prez! Why did they send you on a scouting party instead of choosing anyone else?" "What¡­? What''s that even¡­?" "Just answer the question." "It''s because I am the best fit for the job. My skills are better suited than others." "Bzzzt! Wrong!" She was rather taken back by my personality changes as I kept switching from a serious tone to cute loli attitude. But I couldn''t care less. "Let''s see if you can put the pieces together with this final bit of info." I put my index finger on Momoyo''s forehead. I focused a bit and then, chanted: "[Memory Link]!" Memory Link was a spell that allows me to show specific parts of my memory to another person. And what I showed prez, was the moment I got stabbed by Ren. My death, his evil smile, and of course, his final words: ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I¡¯ll be sure to take good care of Watanabe-san!¡± After I separated my finger from her forehead, Momoyo gasped for air. Then, Momoyo realized the truth. Ren didn''t like me cause I was so close to Shiori. So he got rid of me. Ren tried several times to ask Shiori to join his party, but she herself always got in between. Ren was really close to the archbishop. Could it really have been possible? Could Ren be the one that sent her to her death? If that was the case, then Shiori was in danger. That guy doesn''t value human life at all. All the pieces slowly found their place. "Homura-kun¡­ this¡­" "Enough of that. I am no longer Ryusei Homura. I ditched that name long ago. I am Milla now, so address me like that, kay prez?" "Milla¡­ let me say, I am sorry for what happened to you¡­ but even if Ren is that bad I don''t think¡­" "The Shiori we know will be gone if she stays by his side for too long. You must have noticed even back on Earth, Ren kept trying to get close to her. After everything I told you, do you still think I''m the villain?" To be honest I had my bad side too. I wasn''t a saint. And from the humans'' point of view, I certainly was a villain. But in the end, they were more evil than me. "Let me rephrase. I said I will kill them all, but it''s obvious that I won''t harm Shiori. She was the only one that showed me some kindness. So I want to bring her to my side. You''re a special case, prez. You weren''t kind to me, but you never showed hostility to me either. So if you pledge your loyalty to me, I am willing to fix you up and let you stay by my side too. Everyone wins." She''s still hesitating. You''re probably asking why am I trying so much to convince her. Well, if she doesn''t allow me to change her out of her own free will, then the process might kill her. "You care for Shiori right? I just want her to be safe. Like you do. And it''s only the church and the heroes that I am directly targeting. I have no interest in the other humans. I offer you the chance to be normal again. I will also give you power. Power to get revenge of on those foolish priests who looked down on you. On us!" I extended my hand towards her. I knew she couldn''t grab my hand but that''s what any character in a manga would do. And they looked cool. "So I ask you again. Won''t you serve under me?" A few seconds pasted, until she finally nodded. "Alright¡­ if the church lied to us so much just so we can carry a war in their place¡­ then I guess they are the true villains. But I am only doing this to get Shiori away from their influence. She is my only true friend! And for that, I, Momoyo Nakano, hereby pledge my loyalty to you, Ryu¡­ I mean Milla Walpurgis!" ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó Current time at the church of the Holy Light. Archbishop Frederic was summoned before the Pope. "So, Frederic, have the heroes departed safely?" "Yes, your Eminence! They set sail this morning alongside our troops. Although it will take more time to fully deploy all our forces." "I am aware. Gathering the required amount of ships will take time. I heard you got rather close with one of the heroes. I hope that didn''t influence your judgement." "Of course not, Your Eminence." "Good. Remember, the heroes are only here to open the path for the church. They will fight, they will weaken the enemy and eventually they will die." "I have no regrets at all." "Very well. Inform me if anything else comes up." After the brief exchange the archbishop excused himself. When the Pope remained alone he let out a small chuckle. The heroes definitely grew fast. But the church didn''t want to invest that much time into properly training them. So in order to rush their departure, they gave them weapons and armor imbued with the Goddess blessing. They were considerably stronger than Momoyo''s Tetra Bow. And of course, Ren received the best gear. The Pope turned around and faced the altar. He raised his hand and chanted some sort of spell. A hidden door was revealed. The Pope walked along the corridor, before finally reaching a room. The room he entered looked similar to a science laboratory. The Pope made his way to the center of the room. A big block of ice was sitting there. And inside that block, there was the body of a girl. An adult woman would be more accurate. The ice block had various tubes attached to it. As if the tubes were constantly feeding the being inside. The Pope let out a smile. "Soon, it will be your time to shine. I couldn''t care less about the heroes. They are just the opening act. They will weaken the enemy, but I don''t expect them to win. Sending them back to their world is impossible anyway, so they might as well die for our cause. But you, you are the true star of our order. Sleep a little longer. Gather all the strength you need. When you will fully awaken, not even Ornis Balmund himself will be able to stop you. All the sinners shall perish. You shall make our rule absolute! Haha¡­ ahahaha!" 19: Invitation into darkness I did it. I managed to get Momoyo on my side. But she did impose some conditions. Like she won''t betray me, but if I give an order that doesn''t appeal to her, she won''t follow it. I agreed to her terms. Like I said I wasn''t the true villain, but that doesn''t mean I am a saint either. Once I will fix her and more intimate, I''m sure she''ll roll over for me. "Is there really a way to fix me?" "There is! I will make you prosthetic limbs and with the help of one of my servants I will extend all your nerves and mana circuits so that you can move it normal." Momoyo was a bit disappointed, but at the same time happy that there was a way for her to be able to walk and hold stuff again. *Knock Knock* Someone was at the door. That''s weird. I already told everyone I wanted to be alone with prez. Oh well. "Come in." The one who entered was Grace. Oh crap! She totally looks mad. And I can''t blame her. I left her behind in Odin''s land. When Odin told me that riding Fenrir was the fastest way to get back in time, although I was reluctant, I jumped on the wolf''s back and didn''t look back. "Umm¡­ Grace, are you mad?" "Why would I be mad, Your Highness?" Shit. She''s really mad. Grace is like a mother. I may be the boss, but Grace can be really scary at times. She even went and called me with Your Highness instead of her usual Milla-nee. "Grace, I really am sorry! I didn''t mean to leave you behind. But I really had to get back as fast as possible." *Sigth* "Very well. I will leave it at that. But I hope you make it up by letting me bathe with you later." "Yes, yes! I promise." Grace finally put a smile on her face. She then moved her eyes to prez. "So, what is the merit in saving her life?" I switched back to my boss mode. "Grace, I intend to have her join us. I will fix her up." "But, my lady, she''s a human. And¡­" "Stop! Grace this is something I want to do, regardless what you think. Eventually the reason will be clear, but for now don''t pry into it." "Understood." "For now leave us. If Lorina comes by with a package pay her whatever she asks and bring it straight to me." "Very well. Then I will see you later." After Grace left, Momoyo turned her head to me. "What¡­ was that all about? That scene sure was strange." "Well¡­ we have a complex relationship. Anyway, try getting some more rest for now. It will take a while until the prosthetic limbs will be ready. If you need anything at all, feel free to ask. I will tell the maids in charge of you to comply, if it''s a reasonable request." "... Thank you." Oh, now that she agreed to join me, there''s one more thing I want to show her. "Before I go, since you are my ally right now, I guess giving you the full story is adequate." I put my index finger on her forehead again and casted Memory Link once more. This time I shared my conversation with Odin about the reason for this war, the moments when Ren and his henchmen treated me like a punching bag and how the church ignored me during training. I also slipped some scenes of demons working together and living happily just to enforce that demons aren''t bad, and the church is rotten. Prez was always a sharp one, so I''m sure she''ll get the hint. I slowly removed my finger. "Now that you have the whole story, I am going to let you with your thoughts. I''ll come visit again later." I excited the room and left prez with a rather strong resolve. I could see that now, she found a new goal. ------ Another day has passed and right now¡­ "Go home." ¡­ "Aw come on! Don''t give me those puppy eyes. You''re not my dog! Go home to Odin." As you can guess, I was trying to send Fenrir back Odin. "Ahh¡­ stop licking me! That''s not gonna help either." I don''t have time to take care of him. It was really a though battle for me to not give into his stare. But after a few minutes I managed to send him off. I had to tell him that I would visit him occasionally in order to make him go. Fenrir really was dangerous. In more ways than one. I made Teri brighten up the mansion and the city. Colourful flowers was something we needed. Teri happily complied and promised me a beautiful garden. And it was a good way to kill time until Lorina finishes her part. I also had to deal with some paperwork. Just as I thought, Cleo is good, but she''s nowhere near Grace''s level. There were some things she didn''t know how to handle. So it was up to me and Grace to handle those matters. Monarchy sure is awesome. No political system in the world is perfect. But I felt that a monarchy system like the middle ages was still way better than democracy. I mean, democracy sounds good on paper, but the problem is there are too many rotten politicians. Even if someone that can actually make a difference would surface, he would never be able to rise high enough in the ranks to make his voice heard. And don''t get me started about government and parlament. If a president wants to issue a law it has to be approved by the majority of either of the 2 institutions, depending from country to country. They sit and debate for ages. If I want to give a law, I do it and it shall be enforced. As long as I keep my people fed, have reasonable taxes and protect them, then nobody will complain even if some laws are harsh and are inforced strictly by the military and public order units. True, they don''t have as much freedom as someone back on Earth. But too much freedom will only spoil them. What do countries with freedom do? Start wars and tear themselves from the inside. Look at the Olympia Empire. The Empress who united the empire isn''t the true leader. She most likely allowed the church too much freedom and those shitty priests took that chance to trample on her authority. Regardless, I will tear the church apart one day. While I was strolling around, my cute slime Sue approached me. "Lady Milla, I''m sorry to disturb you, but a letter came for you." "A letter? What''s it about?" "I don''t know. I didn''t dare to open a letter addressed to you." Sue then manifested in her hand a letter that looked pretty official. I took it, broke the wax seal and started reading it. It''s contents were as following: "You are hereby invited to an audience with Her Highness, the Demon King of Kindness, Miraluka Rizia. Given that Her Highness was absent during the Blood Ball held by the Demon King of Insanity, this invitation has been extended. Her Highness wishes to meet you, and establish a mutual friendship relationship. Inside the envelope you will find a ring. Present it to the guards in the great city of Noctris, and you shall be guided to the throne room. Please attend at your earliest convenience. With respect, Miraluka Rizia" Inside the envelope was indeed a fancy ring with a small round red jewel attached, and with a crest engraved in it. I guess it was the Demon King of Kindness crest. But that''s not the reason I was in thought. "Sue, can you read the last line on this?" "Isn''t that just some form of signature? Does it have a meaning, my lady? If it does, then no, I can''t read it." Just as I expected. "Sue, there is still time until Lorina will be finished with her work. I think I''m going to accept this invitation." The reason I was eager to go, was because the last line: "With respect, Miraluka Rizia". It was written in Japanese. When we were summoned in this world, knowledge about the language was implanted into us. So we automatically knew how to speak, read and write. This was probably the only good thing those shity priests did. Nobody here, outside our class knew Japanese. The letter was written in this world''s language, but the last line was clearly Japanese. This might be a message. This might be a trap. Regardless, I need to get to the bottom of this mystery. I can''t let anyone interfere with my plans and the lazy happy days I have in mind. 20: Fall of the Walpurgis clan Vampire. A creature of the night. One of the oldest species of Mazoku. Beings that feed on blood to maintain their youth. Of course, these vampires are different from the ones described back on Earth. They don''t die if they come in contact with the sun. Just that their power level drops drastically in the sunlight. Garlic has no effect on them. As for the wooden stake to the heart story¡­ let''s be real, anyone would die if their heart were pierced. That''s the brief description Grace gave me about them. Miraluka Rizia was such a being. A vampire. Grace practically was on all fours and pleaded me not to go. And the reason for this behavior was because vampires were the ones that caused the fall of Walpurgis clan 200 years. And vampires were also the ones that put me to sleep. When I first started learning spells, there was one called Recollection. It digs deep into the mind and allows you to remember anything. I tried using it on this body, but I could only see my own memories. No matter how much I looked, there was no trace of any memory of the true Milla. Maybe her mind died ages ago. I relied on Grace a lot because of that memory loss. And I can''t blame her for wanting to stop me. After all, it was quite a tragic night. A story that Grace told me. A story that happened 200 years ago¡­ ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó "Lady Milla, please stop running around naked and put on your clothes." "Don''t want to!" "Your father is going to be angry with you if you don''t dress. Today is your birthday, so you should dress properly." "Because it''s my birthday I wanna do whatever I want!" 200 years ago, the Walpurgis family held a formal party to celebrate their daughter''s 28 years. An imposing man entered the room. Crimson short and well combed hair, crimson eyes and a small red moustache. He was rather tall and wore a white costume similar to the ones in modern days. He had a yellow cape attached to his shoulder pads. And of course, the Walpurgis emblem, a flaming bird was imprinted on the back of the cape. He also had a pair of dark-brown horns standing straight up, but they were small and subtile. "Milla, please listen to Grace, and get dressed. Everyone gathered is here to see you. You are the heir of our family. You were blessed with so many gifts at birth, that you have the potential to be the strongest one in all our clan''s history. Please show some dignity." "Very well, daddy!" "Grace, I''m sorry for all the trouble she''s causing." "There is no need to apologize, sir. Ever since I pledge to serve the young lady, I was mentally prepared to handle all her moods." On this occasion, all members of the Walpurgis clan were present. It was a rare occasion, for all of them to be able to come. All of them, under one roof. The distinct feature of the Walpurgis bloodline were the crimson hair and eyes. Their close connection to the mythical Phoenix and their affinity for fire. But what happened during that night? A few moments earlier. "Duke Gilbert Walpurgis, surely you out of all people must see the greatness of the plan that Her Highness wants to put in motion!" "Baron Keineth Augustus, you can tell Her Highness that the Walpurgis clan doesn''t want anything to do with that plan." In the conference room, the vampire Keineth Augustus requested an audience with Milla''s father, Gilbert Walpurgis. Keineth was an ambitious vampire who wanted to get into Her Highness'' grace. The Walpurgis clan was one of the wealthiest and most influential clans within the Demon King of Kindness'' territory. If he could convince them to agree, nothing would stand in his way. His skin was grey, his eyes were yellow and his hair was white and long up to his shoulders. He wore a black robe with red patterns and accents. He was about the same height as Gilbert. But of course, his sharp vampire fangs were the first thing you would notice each time he opened his mouth. "But what''s not to like about it? If it works, you all will be able to live the rest of your lives in peace with no worries." "Hmph¡­ you say you offer peace, wealth and no worries. But the price for that is freedom itself. If I were to support such an absurd idea, the whole territory would be filled with nothing more than slaves. Do you really think I would agree to chain myself? Naive!" "But perhaps¡­" "Enough! I have nothing more to say. I allowed this meeting out of respect for Her Highness, but neither I, or anyone in our family, we will never support that plan. Now then, if you will excuse myself. It''s my daughter''s birthday and I must entertain the guests. Feel free to stay if you wish." After Duke Gilbert left the room, Keineth pondered for a moment. Then he released a slight evil grin. "Very well then. I tried doing this the easy way. But if you are that stubborn, I have no choice. I''ll just have to go with plan B. After all, Her Highness doesn''t need someone like you." ------ The party was beautiful. Milla was the star of the night. She was cute and mingled with everyone. It was the first time she got to see all her relatives. Uncles, aunts, cousins, you name it. "I would like to propose a toast to my daughter. May she live a long and happy life!" "Cheers!" Most present raised their cups and drank for Milla''s future, while another group was clapping loudly as to congratulate her. But when the clapping stopped¡­ *Thud* A portion of the guessed collapsed on the floor, while the rest were staggering. Only the ones that were clapping were completely unaffected from the event. "What''s going¡­ on? My head¡­ feels like it''s about to explode. Why¡­ are my knees shaking?" "Daddy¡­ I don''t feel good¡­" "Milla¡­" "Well, well, as expected of you Walpurgis, you are still conscious." "Keineth? What is¡­ the meaning of this? "Don''t blame me. If anyone, blame yourself. If you would have accepted my offer, I wouldn''t have used this." Keineth pulled out a grog and started to pour the liquid on the floor. It was a pitch black liquid. "The Black Death. That''s the name I came up for this. Pretty strong isn''t it?" "You¡­ did you drug our drinks? But¡­ impossible¡­ only our maids have access to them." "You know, a vampire has a unique charm. Do you really think it''s hard to flirt with a maid and make her look away a few minutes?" Everyone that was still staggering started slowly one by one to fall to the ground. Only the vampire guests were left. And they already killed all the remaining maids and staff that didn''t took part in the drinking. "It''s all because you refused to see Her Highness'' great vision." "You bastard! Killing everyone invited¡­ just for that? The Walpurgis clan is one thing¡­ but the other guests¡­" "They are just unfortunate collateral damage." "I¡­ I''ll burn you!" "Careful now. You wouldn''t want your daughter to die a minute faster, now do you?" "Da..ddy¡­ h...help¡­" Milla was being held with a knife at her throat by one of Keineth''s henchmen. "Milla¡­ I¡­ *cough*..." "Looks like it''s almost time for you 2 to close your eyes." But just then, the vampire that was holding Milla, lost his head. "I won''t allow anyone to hurt mistress anymore!" "Grace¡­" "I''m sorry, Duke Gilbert. I couldn''t come sooner. I had to kill those who tried to ambush me." "Oh, a battle maid! How rare. But do you really think you alone can beat our numbers?" "Grace¡­ take Milla and run¡­ protect her with your life¡­ the last thing I can do¡­ is buy you an escape route¡­" Gilbert placed his hand on the floor and chanted: "[Raging Inferno]!" A wave of flames similar to the waves of the ocean bursted out of the ground. In that commotion, Grace grabbed Milla and jumped through a window in order to escape. Gilbert coughed blood violently and eventually he too fell on the ground. When the flames disappeared, Keineth brushed off his clothes. He didn''t take much damage as that spell was rather weak because of Gilbert''s state. One of his henchmen approached him. "Should we go after that maid?" "There''s no need. That brat will also die from the Black Death curse. Let that stupid maid run as much as she wants. Burn this house. We can''t let any evidence behind." And thus, all the members of the Walpurgis clan met their end that night. All except for one. Grace ran as fast as possible, as far as possible. Even if her feet were hurting, even if you would chop them off, she wouldn¡¯t stop. She did everything she could to make sure that the Black Death wouldn¡¯t take Milla¡¯s life. It was spreading fast. Grace used every ounce of knowledge she acquired during her battle maid training. When she was sure nobody was following, she used her life force in order to activate a certain spell. Healing spells had no effect. So all Grace could do was sacrifice years from her lifespan in order to use the null magic [Stagnate]. There were spells of the Accel series that made you faster. Stagnate was the exact opposite. Grace froze Milla¡¯s internal clock. So the Black Death couldn¡¯t spread through her system. And so, Milla entered a state of hibernation. Grace found an old abandoned mansion and looked after her in that place ever since. She waited and waited in hopes that one day, the Black Death will fade away and her mistress would awaken again. After many years, her wish was granted and her mistress was reborn as the new Demon King of Insanity. A king like none other. 21: To the land of vampires The former Milla was really lucky. Grace managed to slightly alter the effects of the curse. From death to sleep. But even so, I think on the inside, Milla did die and that''s the reason the Demon God could put my soul in her body. When I first heard the story I felt sorry for her. But this is my body now. I did have a sense of guilt though. I know Grace doesn''t want me to go. I didn''t want to go either. And normally I wouldn''t go. But there are 2 mysteries I have to solve. The first is the Japanese writing on the letter. And the 2nd¡­ I feel like I owe it to Milla to at least go to her former house and pay my respects. Who knows. It''s possible that this Miraluka was responsible for the death of Milla''s family. But I have to figure the truth out one way or another. "Sorry, Grace, but there''s something that''s really bothering me about this letter. I have to look into it. And¡­ I feel like I want to visit my old home too." "Then I will come with you." "Are you sure you want to?" "After what happened last time, I wouldn''t have it any other way. I am your shield and sword. If something were to happen to you I wouldn''t be there¡­" "Okay. We''ll go together then. I think I will bring Sue along too just to be safe. Since she''s a slime, she''s rather sturdy." "Then let''s get ready!" ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó Inside the heart of the vampire territory, there was an imposing castle. If Odin''s castle was pure white, this one was pitch black. Inside the throne room of that castle sat an elegant woman. She was wearing a black dress that exposed her back similar to evening gowns back on Earth. Her skin color was a dark washed type of purple. Her long orange hair reached all the way to her butt. And if Milla''s eyes were a clear crimson red, her eyes were a dark bloody red. Her bust size was smaller compared to Odin. It was an average C cup size, which was the common size in the vampire race. She was drinking from a glass wine cup. Ever since the Blood Ball, every Demon King and important noble made an order to purchase some. But it wasn''t wine she was drinking. It was blood. Unlike stories, vampires aren''t immortal. They have the same life span as any other High Mazoku. But by consuming blood they are able to maintain their youthful look and their power wouldn''t get weaker with old age. Right now, in front of her, Baron Keineth Augustus was on all fours. "Keineth, you assured me 200 years ago that the Walpurgis clan had been dealt with. But it seems you missed one." "Your Highness¡­ I am sorry. But I don''t understand either. She also drank the Black Death. Nobody could survive¡­ I don''t understand why she is alive!" "Well it will be quite troublesome to make her let her guard down." "But, Your Highness, why did you invite her? She has a different territory now. She isn''t a threat." "Keineth, you know my policy has raised some contradictions. But imagine what would happen if another Demon King would follow me. And since rumors say Milla humiliated Tigre¡­ if she were to join me, I will be one step closer to the eternal peace I seek." "But¡­ do you really think she will agree?" "Keep in mind, Keineth, I never ordered you to kill her family. You did that on your own. Although I suppose a peace offering might help." With those words, Miraluka waved her hand, and from the ground, stone sharp stakes emerged and impaled Keineth''s body. *Guah* He violently coughed blood. "Your Highness¡­ what are you¡­?" "It''s quite simple. If I present Milla with the head of the man that murdered her clan, maybe she will drop her guard and think I had no part in it." "But¡­ haven''t I been loyal? All I have done was for you!" "Wrong. All you did was for yourself. You only cared about your own status and acquiring more influence and power. But did you ever believe in my plan?" "I¡­" "Just what I thought. Don''t worry Keineth. I won''t make you suffer, for I am kind." She waved her hand again. This time 2 stakes crossed each other in an X shape piercing his neck and beheading him. Stakes were a signature move for Miraluka. Similar to one of the legends on Earth. Count Dracula. Vlad the Impaler. Miraluka liked to kill with these stakes of stone, as earth magic was her main attribute. She could aim them at any part of the body. She would call a death by stakes mercy. "Now then, I am sure you will come to me, Milla, so I better take some more measures just to be sure. Let''s see if you really are who say you are." The reason for Miraluka''s words were because of the Japanese words she left on the letter. Once, Miraluka herself met a human. A summon from another world. Otherworlder. His blood was beautiful. She kept him in her dungeon and treated him like a blood donor. But as you would guess, with time, the taste would spoil. So she asked him to teach her to write those words in exchange for his freedom. She learned only those words. But the form of freedom Miraluka was talking about was death. Ever since she always would send that letter, those marks to anyone that caught her eye, in hopes to acquire such blood again. And now, she had certain doubts concerning Milla. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó It took us about 1 week and a half to reach the capital of the vampires. The city Viktoria. I wanted to fly here to shave of some time. I could carry Grace and Sue with ease, but Grace said not to do so as it may be interpreted as a sign of attack. Traveling by carriage is boring. With a carriage and sticking with the right paths, you can get from one end of the Demon continent to the other in roughly 2 months. Maybe I shouldn''t have sent Fenrir back so soon. Riding the Fenrir Express is scary, but at least it''s fast. We soon found ourselves on the outskirts of the city. And first I decided we would stop at the old Walpurgis house. It was a ruin. Burn marks everywhere. Someone torched this place. "Milla-nee, are you sure you want to go in?" "I have to, Grace." I took a few steps, and entered. The moment I stepped inside it''s like my body switched to auto pilot. Paintings, sculptures, pottery, everything of value was most likely stolen long ago. There were holes in the roof and collapsed beams. I stopped when I reached a pile of ash on the floor. A few seconds passed in silence. "Milla-nee, don''t worry. It''s okay to cry." "What are you... talking about?" I raised my hands to my cheeks. They were wet. Tears were dripping from my eyes. I couldn''t understand why. I had no attachment to this place. Yet I couldn''t stop my tears. Why? I couldn''t control myself in that moment. Maybe a part of Milla was still left somewhere. Maybe coming to this place triggered something inside. But that was it. Neither Milla or her family were coming back. After a few moments I wiped my tears. "I''m okay now, Grace." We stepped outside again. I looked one more time to the house, took a seiza(1) pose, brought my hands together and paid my respects. I said to myself. ''Milla, I know how you feel. I know better than anyone. Like you, I have also been betrayed. But fate brought us together now. Milla, you have my word that I will get revenge for both of us. Those who were responsible for both our deaths, I will turn them to ash!'' 22: Let’s buy a loli! We moved on to the main streets of the city and were headed to the castle. It really was scary. Like something from a horror movie. But on our way we saw a big crowd gathered in one spot so we decided to go and see what was the commotion about. It turned out to be an outdoor slave auction. Grace said that in many parts of the world it''s quite common to see slaves. Males were mostly used as work mules while females were used as sex partners. Of course this wasn''t set in stone, but that''s the average use for them. I told Grace I wanted to stay a bit. But it was pretty hard to see because of the crowd. "Grace, let me get on top of your shoulders! I can''t see a thing." "As you wish." I didn''t care what people were thinking. I didn''t hesitate to get on Grace''s shoulders. There were mostly females in this auction. But as it went on, someone caught my eye. "And now, on to our next product. We present you this lovely young girl. She may be a child, but if nurtured, think of the beauty she can become. And I''m sure she will learn fast if you desire to use her at her current age." A small girl was brought on stage. She had a charm resembling that of a small animal. Growing from her forehead there were was a thin black horn curved upwards. Her ears were long like that of an elf. Her eyes were a clear emerald green, her blonde, cream-colored hair that was put into a small ponytail that reached up to her shoulder blades, and from above her butt, there was a thin lizard tail hanging down and flopping about. She was dressed with rags. Let me rephrase that. It was a single piece of cloth with holes for her arms and head, to be more specific. She was as tall as me, but given that I was wearing high heels and she was bare footed, it''s more accurate to say that she was taller than me, but not by much. A loli. She was a loli. Her chest was a bit smaller than mine. She wasn''t completely flat, but she was in the A cup range. But that''s not what caught my eye. I checked the stats of every slave since I arrived. And this girl was special. Name: Unnamed Age: 114 Race: Mixed Blood Class: None Strength: SSS+ Agility: SS- Endurance: S- Magic: D+ Luck: E Overall Rank: B- Okay. Lots of questions popped in my head. I thought I got a general understanding of the demon ranking system, but her stats were all over the place. She looked so frail and week, yet she is the first person outside the Demon Kings who had an SSS stat. On paper, her strength is at the level of a Demon King. Her overall rank should be much higher than that. Maybe she doesn''t have any combat experience at all. Maybe she was too young. I didn''t know the reason. This girl was an enigma. Still I can''t help but notice how cute she is. If cleaned up properly and dressed with some clothes she would almost look like a princess. Too cute. I wanna suck on her lips. I wanna lewd her. I kept saying that I wasn''t a lolicon, but ever since I came to this world and could be true to my desires, there were many things I discovered. I guess this could be a test. Yes. Just a test to see if I have a thing for little girls or not. Normally I''m all bout boobs... but this girl is just too freaking cute to ignore. And there was one more thing about her you couldn''t ignore. Her race. "Hey Grace. What does Mixed Blood mean?" "Hmm? Are you referring to the girl they brought up? Mixed Blood is exactly what it''s name implies. She''s a cross breed of different races. Most likely her mother was a slave or a prostitute. Some people have a different reproductive system. How should I put it? I guess it''s best to be straight. If various men were to fuck her over and over, then a part from each of their seed would take part in the pregnancy cycle. It''s the first time for me seeing a mix of so many different features. I can only assume that her mother was heavily raped." I get the picture. Back on Earth there were some jerks who liked to use the saying "children must pay for their parents'' sins". But I''m not so shallow. I didn''t care about such stuff. Maybe she had some hidden potential. I also stored in my shadow gold coins in case of emergency. And judging by the prices so far it shouldn''t be a problem. Money in this world was divided into 3 currencies. Copper, silver and gold coins. 1 gold coin = 100 silver coins 1 silver coin = 100 copper That being said a night with 3 meals at an inn would be 50 copper. The price of slaves were around that amount too, and there were few that reached 1 silver. "We shall start the bidding at 20 copper!" "Grace, that girl, I want her." "Are you sure? I don''t see any benefit in a creature like her." "Trust me. I got a feeling about her. She might be useful." The one thing I wanted most was to surround myself with trustworthy people. After getting backstabbed by Ren, after what happened to Milla, I had trust issues. But anyone would be like that if they were in my shoes. If I train this girl, maybe I can make her my bodyguard. Grace won''t be able to always be by my side. She''s better at managing politics and overseeing other issues. So for the times I need her management skills, I could use another helper. Plus she''s rather cute. Again, I''m not a lolicon, but if this world doesn''t consider ''playing'' with children a crime, then I guess it can''t hurt to give it a try at least once. "27 copper!" "28 copper!" "35 copper!" "Bah! There''s no way that brat is worth that much." I could hear how the auction went. As I was about to raise my hand and bind, someone else stepped forward. "1 silver!" "Oh my! 1 silver from the distinguished gentleman over here! Anyone else?" I turn my head around and see a man that resembles a butler. A blue tuxedo, fancy red tie, grey skin, spikey short white hair, beard and moustache. Kek. I wasn''t about to let some old guy get in my way. This time I raise my hand and test the waters: "2 silver!" "2 silver. We have 2 silver from the young lady in front." Everyone looked at me in shock. The old butler also turned his head to me and looked annoyed. He made another bid. "5 silver!" The crowd was speechless. No slave was worth that much. The old guy took a few steps towards me. "It would be in your best interest to not bid against me. I serve one of the 5 counts that are in Her Highness'' grace. My Lord wishes for the blood of children like her." I couldn''t care less what your master wants. You''re getting her just to get her killed? That''s twisted, mister. A vampire that only sees someone as a blood tank is crazy. Don''t mess with me you old fart! "1 gold coin!" I bid again. Everyone opened their mouths wide. Even the auction manager. I stepped down from Grace''s shoulders and look at the butler. "Sorry, geezer. But I couldn''t care less about your master. In terms of status, I am above him. I am the Demon King of Insanity, Milla Walpurgis! And it would be in your interest not to bid against me!" Noise and whispers started to spread. "Could she be telling the truth? No way is a kid like her a Demon King." "Shut up you bastard. Crimson hair, crimson eyes! It''s got to be her!" "I heard she really humiliated Vacheron-sama." "This girl? True, she does have a strange aura around her." "Let''s get out of here! If we piss her off we''ll be dead." Even the butler started shacking a bit and didn''t dare to open his mouth. Was I really such a big deal now? Regardless, I grabbed a gold coin out of my shadow and threw it at the auction guy. "I believe that girl is mine now." "Y¡­ yes! Of course! Please follow our staff in the back so we can imprint your ownership over her!" The girl was scared and shaking. It''s alright little one. I won''t bite¡­ much. And so I bought my very first slave. 23: Fatal mistake The enslaving process was smooth. The staff applied my crest on the girl. Like a tattoo. After that we went on a quieter street. I wanted to have a small chat with her. "So, starting today, you belong to me. I am Milla Walpurgis. These two beside me are Grace and Sue. What''s your name?" "Don''t have one¡­" I already saw her stats so I knew that. But I had to break the ice somehow. This girl was extremely shy and kept fidgeting her fingers. Grace told me it was common that once you become a slave you are no longer considered a being. You are labeled as merchandise. So a name was pointless for the slave merchants. "What about before you became a slave? You must have had a name at some point." "Orphan since birth¡­ No name¡­" Well that''s vexing. Has nobody bothered to name this girl at all? Even back on Earth if a mother were to abandon a child she would leave a note behind stating the kids'' name. Guess I will have to name her then. Let''s see¡­ I think that will do the job. "Well, in that case, from now your name shall be Himeko!" "Himeko¡­ Himeko¡­ Himeko¡­" She muttered the name a few times. Honestly I just came up with that name on the spur. I was thinking that if cleaned up, she can look like a princess. But I couldn''t just call her ''Hime''. So I went with Himeko. "Thank you for naming me. I will cherish it!" "Well then, Himeko, tell me about your powers." "Powers? Don''t have any¡­" "Hmm. That''s odd. Is there any special magic you know? And how strong are you?" "Magic. Have very little of it. Small affinity for wind. Strength¡­ have none." That can''t be right. "Himeko, right now, I want you to punch me. Give me your best shot!" "But¡­" "That''s an order." As if driven by an invisible force, Himeko clenched her tiny fist, took a big swing and punched me right in the stomach. "Ouch! That hurts." I wasn''t the one that let out that complaint. It was Himeko. I felt nothing. Weak. Has she not awakened her power? Maybe she isn''t aware of her potential. It will be something I have to look in later. "I guess that''s enough for now. We should continue and go to the castle. Himeko, your coming with us. Once we get back to my home I''ll give you a bath and proper clothes. We can continue our discussion later." "Understood¡­" And so we were finally going to meet the so called Demon King of Kindness. ------ We were greeted with hospitality. We didn''t have to wait at all for an audience. They showed us to throne room as soon as we entered. On the throne, a woman sat crossed legged. "You must be Milla Walpurgis. Thank you for accepting my invitation. Please, come closer." The air inside was quite sinister. I felt no hostility from her at all. Yet I still felt that something was off. Anyway, in order to know how to handle her, there is one thing I must do right now. "Thank you for your invitation! Konnichiwa!(1)" "Koni...shi...wha?" "Oh, don''t mind that, Your Highness. It''s just a unique form of greeting I came up with." "I see. You are an amusing girl." Okay. Mith one debunked. I thought that maybe she got reincarnated like me, but it seems it wasn''t the case. That means she might be up to something. "Your Highness Milla. As you know, I have not attended the last Blood Ball. But I wanted to meet you. As a token of my respect, I prepared a gift for you." She snapped her fingers. A shabby looking maid came over to me with a tray and a lid. I opened the lid and what I saw¡­ it was a head. Okay. This is just gross. What kind of person gifts heads. What am I even supposed to do with it? "You seemed confused. That head belonged to the person responsible for your clans'' extinction. I am presenting it to you from the bottom of my heart, so that you may find some peace. I hope with this, we can become friends!" When she said those words I grabbed the head by the hair and instantly burned it. The maid panic when she saw the flames but I wasn''t paying attention. I couldn''t stand the sight of that head. I turned it to ash. Now then, how should I respond to her? She might just be changing blame. Although I knew from Grace''s story that a vampire named Keineth was the one that wrecked my life z that doesn''t mean that this bitch was innocent. He might have acted on her orders. Let''s play along for now and see where this conversation will go. "I accept your peace offer. If I may, your land seems quite peaceful. What''s your secret?" "So you noticed, fuhuhu! I''m glad. This makes things easier. Milla, come with me to the balcony for a bit." I signaled Grace, Sue and Himeko to stay put. She offered me a cup of wine, but I didn''t drink it right there. We moved on the balcony. "Look down there. Tell me what you see." "Your city." "Don''t play dumb now. I know there is something you want to ask." "What happened to the people?" There was no point beating around the bush. Besides the guys at the auction, almost all the inhabitants looked like zombies. Let me correct myself. Not actual rotting, flesh eating zombies. More like¡­ robots. Beings with no life in their eyes. Fake smiles, forced conversations. It kinda creeped me out. "As expected from the one that defeated Vacheron. That is all thanks to my fabulous idea. Hear me out, Milla. People often argue. They will show their fangs at each other. No matter what ruler you are, there is no way you can satisfy everyone. But because I am the queen of vampires. I can make a difference. If I use my Demon King unique skill and my vampire powers I can eliminate the one thing that''s causing all this suffering. Free will. All I have to do is bite someone and inject them with my ability. And all their thoughts shall be gone. They will be what I wish them to be. What they do and see, I can also see. A collective conscience!" Is she for real!? And I thought I was the insane one. "Lady Miraluka, judging by that definition how are your people different from slaves?" "Isn''t it obvious? Slaves are always starving, they are ill treated. My people are exactly what I want them to be. They don''t argue, they do what they are told. This is the greatest form of kindness! You don''t even need to think. Let me take care of all your thoughts, let me make your life choices and you just have to sit back and enjoy the peace I offer you!" She''s creating a hive mentality. Mindless drones that only do as their told. I couldn''t help but gulp and take a sip from the wine. My mouth became dry when I heard such a ridiculous logic. "Miraluka, do you really think I would support something like that? What you''re doing is worse than slavery. And you call it kindness? There''s no way I will ever agree to something like that!" *Sight* "You really are like your father. If he truly was your father." "What''s that supposed to mean?" "It''s hard to believe that a little girl who was asleep for 200 years suddenly wakes up and becomes an impressive Demon King. And your blood smells rather unique¡­ I''ll get all the answers soon. Once I take a bite out of you." This bitch¡­ I knew she was evil. But if you think I''m just gonna stand still and¡­ *Crack* I dropped the glass in my hand and it broke. My feet felt like jelly. Don''t tell me¡­ "Fuhuhu! Don''t worry. It''s not the Black Death. It''s just a small sedative to make you stay still until I put you under my control." Shit! How could I be such an idiot? I made the biggest mistake ever. I''m such an idiot. Refusing drinks should have been a no brainer after what happened last time. How could I be such a fool? "Lady Milla!" Grace dashed towards me the moment she saw that I wasn''t feeling good. But Miraluka waved her hand and 5 stakes emerged from the ground and stabbed Grace, immobilizing her. "How rude. Just stay there quietly." She retracted her stakes. Grace coughed blood and fell to the ground. That was like a wake-up call. I don''t know what drug she used, but the rage inside me burned any sleepiness I had. "Aaaaarghhhh!" I let out a violent scream and an immense demonic pressure. An aura so strong that the ground was shacking and the balcony railing was blown away. You bitch! You dare hurt my Grace? Grace was my most precious servant and a true friend. I don''t care if you are a Demon King. I don''t care if you were a God. You''re dead! Kill! KILL! KILLLLL! Amongst my screams it felt that a power was boiling inside and wanted to come out. It was like I was entering a trance. Before losing myself to the rage that filled me, 2 words escaped my mouth: "...[Berserker Mode]..." 24: Unstoppable Milla "...[Berserker Mode]..." As soon as those words were said, all 3 of Milla''s gems started to glow, and from them, a dark shadow emerged and started to cover her body. The shadow engulfed Milla. Her body became black. Only her crimson hair wasn''t touched and her mouth remained the same. Her body went through a small metamorphosis. She gained a bit of muscle. Her feet changed shape and gave off a lizard like feeling, with only 3 toes on each foot. Her fingers became razor sharp claws. It was like she was wearing gauntlets. Her eyes were glowing with a deep red. But not just her pupils. Her iris as well. After that her aura seemed to have settled down a bit. Her transformation was completed. "Oh my! To think you would give into madness and overcome the drug¡­ I wasn¡¯t expecting that. Well, I suppose if you won¡¯t join me, I¡¯ll have to kill you. Although it is a waste. Since you¡¯re showing hostility I will defend myself. It¡¯s not my fault if you die. " Miraluka extended her hand forward and a barrage of spears was fired from the ground. The black loli doesn¡¯t even budge. She releases a powerful howl similar to a wild beast. The shockwave of that howl was all it took to blow away the spears. "It seems I have to get a little serious. I wanted to make this quick, but if you wish to suffer then¡­" Miraluka didn¡¯t finish her sentence. Milla closed the distance between them in an instant. A punch powerful enough to destroy a mountain hits Miraluka¡¯s face, smashing her down into the ground. The force sent her through 3 floors of her castle and because of the punch angle, she found herself being blown outside of her castle. Once she hit the ground, Miraluka quickly got back on her feet. "How dare you! Interrupting a lady is rude. You want me to fight at full power? So be it!" Milla jumps down from the balcony and advances with a roar. But for some reason she suddenly fell on the ground. An invisible pressure was binding her. Gravity magic. Stakes were Miraluka¡¯s signature move, but her greatest asset was her power to manipulate gravity. Right now, she pinned Milla down by increasing her gravity. "Do you get it now? A mongrel like you only belongs at my feet!¡± But at those words Milla howls again. She pushed herself up and continued her advance, albeit slower. "Impossible! How can you still move? The pressure I applied should have crushed all your internal organs.¡± But Milla didn¡¯t respond. All she wanted was to kill the woman in front of her. She sunk her hands into the ground and ripped a large chunk of earth. She spun around once and sent it flying at Miraluka. The vampire quickly dodged the pile, but at the same time she loosened her gravity grip on Milla. The loli quickly put strength into her legs and lunged at her opponent once more. Milla placed her palm on Miraluka¡¯s face and pushed her onto the ground, making a small crater. She then grabs her leg and swings the vampire from left to right, smashing her on the ground several times, in a similar style like a famous western green skinned and muscular superhero. Miraluka shakes her head and summons spears that pierce Milla¡¯s body. With that move, Milla released her grip and the vampire manages to escape. Milla¡¯s body was fully skewered. "Finally¡­ it¡¯s over¡­" But she couldn¡¯t be more wrong. As she got up, the stakes that were piercing Milla started to heat up. From dark grey they slowly reached a burning orange temperature, and eventually they melted. Milla¡¯s eyes glowed once and flames covered her body and sealed off all her wounds. Phoenix Resurrection. "You gotta be shitting me! Just die already! " Miraluka placed both her hands in front of her. She activated gravity magic once more and also summoned more than 100 stakes that she fired at the loli. Milla extended her hand forward. She didn¡¯t chant any spell, nor did a magic formation appear. Yet a wave of flames was unleashed from her palm, the same way water would gush from a fire hydrant. All the spears were reduced to ash. But because of that stunt, Miraluka managed to get behind Milla. A magic circle appeared in her palm and a weapon started to manifest. It was her signature weapon. The Rose Spear. A long spear with a sharp double edge spear tip. She swung it once and sliced Milla¡¯s head off. "That should be enough¡­ She won¡¯t be able to recover from that¡­" Or so she thought. But once again flames covered Milla¡¯s body and brought her back to life. Milla once again let out a powerful roar. "No¡­ How?... Are you fucking serious? Why won¡¯t you stay dead?¡± Miraluka was shocked. In all her years of life, she never faced an opponent like this. It was the first time she felt true fear. Once again, the black loli advanced. Miraluka was lost in thoughts and caught off guard. A punch to the stomach, a second to her face, a third to her left ribcage. A barrage of fists. Milla unleashed punch after punch. Each hit caused the ground to tremble. Each time she landed a strike a shockwave was formed. After a barrage of punches, Milla finally wrapped her right fist in flames and released a flaming punch that sent the vampire flying, crashing into one of her court walls. "Kill¡­ Kill¡­ Kill¡­" Milla slightly mumbled those words. Miraluka, who was on all fours after the impact, tried her best to stand up. "What¡­ are you?¡± Blood was dripping from her forehead. Milla broke quite a few of her bones and damaged her internal organs. Normally by consuming blood, Miraluka could heal herself, but right now, she didn¡¯t have access to a source. She was desperate. She released a large amount of magical energy to send a swarm of stakes after her. Milla made an X shape guard with her arms. When all the stakes were about to hit her, a fire tornado swirled around Milla. The stakes didn¡¯t penetrate the flames. But Miraluka only wanted to slow down Milla. She aimed the tip of her spear at the loli. "This will end it!" Her spear had a powerful piercing ability. There was no shield that can stop it. "Special ability! [Thorn Blast]!" A powerful red lazer beam was released from the tip of the spear. It was as fast as lighting. Dodging was impossible. It struck Milla fully. A big explosion was generated. Some trees were ripped from the ground. Even the vampire¡¯s castle lost some chunks of bricks. When the explosion cleared a huge crater as big as 5 olympic swimming pools was engraved into the ground. "It¡¯s finally over¡­ This time¡­ she''s dead for sure..." Miraluka turned around and started slowly walking to return inside her castle. "Kill¡­" The moment she heard that word she panicked and turned her gaze to the voice. From within the crater. A body covered with flames emerged, one small step at a time and wobbling. The flames cleared, and the pitch black loli was once again standing. "No¡­ NOOOOOOO! Are you immortal!? No¡­ I don¡¯t want to die¡­ Stay away! STAY AWAAAAAAAAY! " Miraluka gave into fear. Tears started gathering in her eyes. She couldn¡¯t do anything. Her strongest attack failed to take down her opponent. What else could she do? "Kill¡­ Kill¡­ Kill¡­" "LADY MILLAAA!" A voice shouted from the castle. For the first time Milla, stopped her advance. She looked up and from the balcony where it all started she saw her. "Grrr¡­ace?" Yes. Grace was alive. When Miraluka skewered her she avoided any vital point or organ, and thanks to Sue¡¯s liquid form, they managed to contain the blood loss. "Please! No more. I¡¯m alright! Just please¡­ return to your normal self!" Milla¡¯s deep red eyes stopped glowing. The white returned to her iris. The shadow that that was covering her started to dissipate. Milla returned to normal. After shedding a few tears, Milla simply said: "Sue. Emergency retreat!" The slime known as Sue quickly absorbed both Himeko and Grace. It was almost like she ate them. Then she bounced down and did the same with Milla. Sue became a big water balloon. But that didn¡¯t hinder her movement. She bounced outside the court wall, bounced from roof to roof and disappeared from sight. Miraluka was left dumbfounded. She dropped on the ground, finally feeling relieved that her life was outside of danger. 25: Consequences Inside Sue''s belly I lost conscious. When I woke up I found myself sitting on a queen size bed. I turned my head around to scan my surroundings. Right next to me a woman greeted me. "Good morning, Milla-nee!" It was Grace. I involuntarily hugged her. She welcomed me with open arms. "Grace, it''s you, right? You''re not a ghost, right? This isn''t a dream, right?" My voice was shaking a bit. Grace gently patted my head. "Yes, it''s me and this isn''t a dream. We''re both safe now, Milla-nee." I noticed Grace''s body was wrapped with bandages. "Grace¡­ I''m sorry. Because I let my guard down you got hurt." I had no excuse. I made the worst mistake possible. "It''s alright. This is nothing. My life belongs to you, after all. But please, promise me not to put yourself in danger like that again." "Okay¡­" It almost felt like we were daughter and mother. But she was right. I''m done exploring other Demon Kings. I''ll just lay low for now and try not to draw anymore unwanted attention to myself. As I was in deep thoughts the door to the bedroom opened. "Oh, you have finally awakened, onee-chan!" Odin was the one that walked in. I only realized then, that we were in Odin''s castle. Sue brought us here since Odin was closer than my home. "Grace, would you mind letting me have a moment alone with Milla?" Grace turns her head to me and I nod to tell her that it''s alright. Grace got up, got dressed and left the room, closing the door behind. Afterwards Odin took a serious face. "Milla, I must warn you. Never use the Berserker Mode again, unless your life depends on it!" "To be honest, it''s all a blur. I can''t remember what happened that much." "Then I suppose I should take the time and explain. After your slime brought all of you to me she told me everything that happened. Judging by the description the ability you used is called Berserker Mode. I witnessed it a few times in my own coliseum. It is an ability that uses life force instead of mana. That''s why you were able to come back to life like in our fight." I see. But if it''s so OP, what''s the problem? "I know what you are thinking. But please, refrain from using it. As I said it uses life force. Judging by the description your slime gave me and your internal damage, I would estimate that you shaved of 300 years from your life span. Do you understand where I''m getting? It''s an ability that eats your life away." Wha¡­? That''s scary. Odin''s right. Even if I have the life span of a Mazoku, that doesn''t mean I want to shorten it. But wait¡­ there''s something that''s bothering me. "Odin, I understand. But earlier, you said that I took internal damage. What do you mean? Phoenix Resurrection aside, any wound I take, regardless if it''s external or internal is instantly healed at the cost of mana." "You aren''t wrong. You didn''t suffer any physical wounds. But I am talking about your mana circuits. They are¡­ how should I put it¡­ scrambled. Your healing abilities are a primary instinct. Similar to breathing. But if you think of mana circuits like blood vessels, then yours are full of holes right now. Just try making a small candle flame appear in your palm." I did what Odin told me. Normally I could do something like this in the blink of an eye. But this time I was struggling. I had to pour more mana than usual. Odin''s description felt accurate. If my mana circuits have holes in them, it''s obvious that I need to use more mana to overcome the leaks. "You get it? Onee-chan, you''re lucky I have seen this mess before and can slightly deal with it. Stabilizing Grace was childs play compared to you. Not to mention that your servants told me you came back to life 3 times. Because of this, your mana was completely depleted. In a critical state actually. I had to inject mana directly in you to stabilize you." "Thank you, Odin¡­ But, can''t my healing abilities fix my circuits too?" "They already saved your circuits from ripping themselves apart. But that''s all they can do. It''s the same principle as a potion. You drink the potion and you heal. But if there are cracks in the container and the potion leaks, tell me, can the potion ''heal'' those cracks?" "Okay okay. I get your point." "Please remember, you yourself aren''t a full fledged Phoenix. A phoenix is truly immortal. It can even come back from it''s own ash. Even if it dies of old age it will be reborn again. But, you were only gifted with the power to heal damage caused by wounds. You won''t revive if you eat your life span away. Immortality belongs to the gods. Time is an enemy we all must face sooner or later." I see. I never considered the fact that I can still die from old age. I got too reliant on Phoenix Resurrection. And if I think about it my ability only works if I have mana. If I deplete my mana, I won''t be coming back to life. I need some body part to still be intact in order to resurrect. But if someone were to blast me so hard that nothing would remain of my body, then I would be dead. I also don''t want to shorten my life. "You don''t need to worry. A few more days of rest and your mana circuits will naturally recover. And again, unless your life truly is in danger, never use that power again. As much as I want to fight you in that form, I care for you too much. So¡­" "Ouch¡­ Fine¡­ Stop hugging me¡­ I promise I won''t use it again¡­ so gimme some air¡­" To be honest I don''t even think I can use it again even if I wanted to. Last time it triggered out of pure rage. I was on autopilot. I can''t remember anything after the transformation. The person who caused so much pain for Milla tried to take away my Grace. I promised Milla I will get revenge for her too. That vampire head meant nothing. So now besides destroying Ren and the church I''ll have to destroy her too. But that will wait for another time. "Thanks Odin. For everything." "I am your slave, but above all, we are sisters now. I told you before, but I never had family. I won''t lose you, even if I have to sacrifice the world for it!" That''s so sweet. Heartwarming moments like this¡­ I want them to last forever. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó The vanguard ships from Olympia Empire finally arrived on the shores of Xenovia. This time however it wasn''t on Milla''s shores. Over 500 ships were deployed, and a total force of nearly 500000 soldiers. But not all ships arrived at the same time. For now only 20 ships reached the beach. The other ships were in waiting near some small uninhabited islands near the main continent. The reason for this was because the first wave had to build a proper camp. This was a long term military campaign, so people started stripping the ships and build some sort of wooden fort. Some ships were pulled all the way on the beach and turned either into military barracks or more spacious living quarters for the higher ranks. The heroes were of course in the front line ships. Right now, Ren Takeda was bringing food for his companions. "Alright, let''s all eat! We need to be in top shape for when they are going to need us." He handed out the portions for everyone and they all started eating. Shiori was also at their table, but she didn''t touch her food. Ren smiled and talked to her. "Come on, Watanabe-san. We got to work together so we can return home. Don''t worry. You just have to sit in the backline and take care of the support. Leave the fight to us." Ren was right. She had to do her best. For Ryusei and Momoyo who were no longer by her side. But was there any point in returning without them? How would their parents react? But perhaps Ryusei and Momoyo wouldn''t want for her to be so sad over them. She took a spoon and started eating the stew. Once she finished, Ren addressed her again. "Say, Watanabe-san, since we are in the same party now, you don''t mind if I call you by your first name, right?" "Yes." "Good. Then Shiori, you should also hang out with us more. We need to know how to establish our formation as a party." "Yes." "Then it''s settled!" After eating the party decided to separate and get some rest from the long sea ride. Ren had an evil smile as he went through the ships'' hallway and back to his room. As Shiori also wanted to return to her room, a few thoughts crossed her mind. "Why did I agree? It feels really strange for him to call me by my first name. And why did I want to spend more time with them? If I''m uncomfortable with them, why didn''t I say no? Is it because we''re classmates? Did losing Ryu-kun and Momo-chan make me seek comfort somewhere?" No matter how Shiori viewed it she couldn''t understand why she agreed to Ren''s request. She wasn''t aware of the danger she was in. When Ren brought the food, he made sure to put in Shiori''s portion a few drops of the drug the archbishop gave him. It was the beginning of Ren''s plan. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó "So, onee-chan, about that other girl that''s with you¡­" "You mean Himeko? I''m still trying to figure her out. She should be strong, but she''s as weak as newborn." "It''s because of the limiter placed on her." "What!?" I couldn''t believe what Odin told me. "That child has a magic seal placed on her. A limiter. Maybe because she''s a mixed blood, someone didn''t want her to grow too strong." "Odin, can you remove it?" "I might¡­ hurt her. But the seal is made with elven chants. Most likely her mother was an elf that got rapped by various other races. It''s not a pure elf spell, but an elf might have an easier time removing it than me." That''s interesting. Lucky for me, I have an elf under my wing. Lorina should have finished the prosthetic limbs by now. I guess I need to pay her another visit. 26: Babysitter Lorina I rested for a couple of days at Odin''s place. Once I was able to move around, I asked Odin to provide us with transportation back home. I also made sure to reward her for taking care of us. I made her cum quite a few times last night. Once we get back I also need to get some gems for Sue. When I first saw my poor slime, she had become a puddle of water, I was scared. But it seems she was just out of mana. Carrying 3 people in her stomach without actually digesting them and making a quick escape left her tired. Sue likes eating gems and crystals so I want to prepare some for her later. Eventually we arrived back in Falkrum city. I didn''t want the carriage to take us all the way home. I wanted to stretch my legs. So we ended up taking a stroll down the city. As we were moving along, Himeko slightly tugged my wings. "Hm?" "This place¡­ home?" "Yes. This is my city and my land. What do you think of it?" "Nice place. Happy people. Nothing like vampire land." I was happy to hear that Himeko likes it here. After all, I had to put a lot of work with Grace and the others to come up with a law system. To maintain peace, I made a big turn towards the public order force. Patrols could always be seen on the streets. And they actually take their work serious. Since I became the owner, the crime rates went down with almost 70%. And as long as the taxes were fair, the people didn''t complain at all. After all, I provided them with safety and food. During our stroll I spotted Lorina on the streets. It''s a nice coincidence. "Oiii! Lorina, over here!" I shout and waved my hand to signal her. The crowd wasn''t big so she noticed me easily and came over to us. "Lady Milla, it''s a pleasure to see you again. Do you perhaps have some business with me? I already delivered the prosthetic limbs earlier today. I also made sure to enchant the obsidian with elf runes to make it light but at the same time strong enough to be able to deliver punches and not shatter. It should be also able to deal with any average iron or steel blade." Wow. As always, Lorina is awesome! That means I can finally repair Momoyo. Then on to the 2nd matter. "That''s great! But there''s something else I want. Lorina, take a look at this girl." I point towards Himeko. Lorina makes a rather complex expression. "This girl¡­ is a mixed blood." "That''s obvious. But come on, you know what I mean." "Lady Milla, I''m not quite sure what you are trying to say¡­" I narrowed my eyes. "Lorina!" "Okay, okay. This girl has an elven seal placed on her." "I knew you were able to see it. So, on to the main question. Can you lift it?" "Yes. It is a multi layer seal so it will take time, but it''s rather easy for me. But are you sure? Although my elf eyes aren''t as strong as your Demon King eyes, I can tell this girl might be dangerous." "It''s alright. I actually want something like that. In fact¡­" I paused for a moment. A funny idea ran through my brain. "Lorina I want to make Himeko my bodyguard. So she needs to be strong. So, if you say that lifting the seal will take time, how about you take her in for a while and teach her swordsmanship." A small sweat drop ran across Lorina''s face. "Lady Milla, I don''t think I am qualified for that. I am a blacksmith after all." Normally I would put Tengu in charge of Himeko. But although he is a skilled weapon master, he''s more of a jack-of-all-trades. He can wield any weapon, but doesn''t specialize in any. "Lorina we both now you''re also a Grand Sword Master." Her face twiched and made a ''crap! Busted'' expression. "I gave up that life a long time ago. I don''t think I can wield a sword properly anymore. Please reconsider." "Hmm¡­ then let''s put it to the test. Lorina, let''s have a little duel." ------ We were currently behind Lorina''s forge. She had a decent size back yard. Perfect for a match. Grace was totally against it, since I barely recovered but I said I won''t use magic at all. Just a pure sword duel. Lorina didn''t want to duel either, but I wasn''t asking. I was ordering her. She knew that with one word I can take away her shop as easy as I gave it to her. We both picked 2 swords from the shop. I picked a classic short sword, while Lorina chose a scimitar type blade. "Lady Milla, won''t you please reconsider?" "Nope. Get ready. Show me what you got!" I took a battle stance. Reluctantly, Lorina exhaled loudly and also took a stance. Good. Let''s see what you can do. I lunged at Lorina and thrust my blade. Lorina met my strike head on and sparks flew out of our swords. I wanted to test her so I continued. Just like the time when I clashed with Odin. I started to swing my sword around, but Lorina managed to keep up with me. Our blades made after images. A normal Mazoku couldn''t probably follow our exchange. After that brief exchanged, I instantly jumped a few steps back. Lorina remained vigilant. A scratch appeared on my cheek. She managed to cut me. That was impressive. I thought I followed all her swings but I couldn''t see her blade touch my cheek. Needless to say a small flame run across my face and sealed it instantly. "You''re actually impressive Lorina. You said that you gave up the sword long ago, but you seem pretty good to me." "No. I am nowhere near my old self. But, you''re pretty good yourself, lady Milla. Your swordsmanship has many flaws and is straightforward, but you know how to cover your weak points. Let''s see¡­ try dealing with this." Lorina changed her stance. She pointed her sword at me. I had a bad feeling about this. "Secret Technique. Phantom Strike!" One step. That''s all I could see. A single step was all that my eyes could process. Before I realized Lorina was in front of me and swinged her blade. I lifted my sword to intercept the blow, but right before they collided, Lorina''s sword vanished like a ghost. Before I knew it the blade that was aiming for my head was gone and another one appeared aiming for my torso. Lorina''s hands were a blur. For the first time, my eyes failed me. They couldn''t decipher what was going on. There was no way I could shift my sword in time to intercept. Dam it. It will be bad if I get sliced in half now. Although I will survive I don''t want to force my magic circuits just yet. But something ticked within me. I guess it was instinct. I lifted my leg and lowered my arm. I managed to catch the blade between my knee and elbow. Lorina made a surprised faced. I quickly twisted and kicked her in the belly gaining some distance again. "That''s enough, Lorina." I was sweating all over. I''ve been in fights before, but this was the first time I felt like this. "It''s really been a while since my Phantom Strike was deflected. You have wonderful instincts!" "You''re scary, you know that. Regardless, this just proves that your an excellent swordsman. I wish I could use that trick." "Unfortunately I can''t teach that to you. You''re too small. This move needs a specific body constitution to use. A small body wouldn''t be able to master this move." "I see. Still, I want you to take Himeko, lift her seal and train her." "I suppose I have no choice. You''re not someone that takes no for an answer. Very well then. Once more, I shall try to live up to your expectations." "You hear that Himeko? I order you to train under Lorina. Awaken your true potential and show everyone what your made of." "Understood." I guess my job here is done. Now it''s time to take care of prez next. But before that, there was one more thing I wanted to do. 27: Mecha Momoyo "Lady Milla¡­ please¡­ no more¡­ fuaaah!" Right now we were upstairs in the forge. Upstairs, Lorina had her normal living quarters. And I was on top of Lorina playing with her pussy. I also made Himeko watch. Her face was bright red. "Sorry, but that''s not enough." I moved my fingers and started stroking her pink clitoris. "Kyaaa! No¡­ not there¡­ that is¡­ why do I feel this way?" I could tell that unlike the other girls, Lorina wasn''t a virgin. At some point she must have had sex. "I want you to tell me. Were you ever satisfied before?" "Please¡­ don''t make me¡­ say such things¡­" I stopped my hands. "Eh!?" "Then I''ll stop here." "But¡­ I¡­" She hasn''t climaxed yet. I did it on purpose. "If you want me to keep going, you''ll have to be honest." "I¡­ I¡­" Well, what''s it gonna be? "Alright, alright¡­ elf males have tiny cocks! They are just interested in satisfying themselves. My partner in the past never found my week spots. He was lousy in bed and eventually we broke up. You''re way better than he could ever be! Now please¡­" Her face was bright red, but she was begging me. Once again I began moving my hands. "Yes¡­ that''s it!" Lorina''s pussy was quite stretchy. So while I kept stroking her clit, I inserted not just my fingers, but my whole tiny hand inside. "Hiii!" I kept moving my fingers inside until Lorina couldn''t hold it any longer. "I''m¡­ cumming!!!" She released a nice amount of body fluids. "*Pant¡­ pant*" "Don''t tell me you''re tired. It''s not over yet." I got up and positioned myself above her head. Before she spoke I slammed my pussy over her mouth. "Come on. Use your tongue. Make me feel good too." Lorina''s tongue was rather long. It didn''t take her long to stimulate me. I turned my head towards Himeko. The reason I had her watch was cause I wanted to imprint in her mind early as on what her sexual orientation should be. I smiled and said. "Work hard, and I will let you taste this pleasure too one day. She simply gulped hearing my words. I can''t wait to taste another loli. ------ I left Himeko in Lorina''s care. Himeko was fidgeting the whole time. If she will live up to my expectations, I will love her too. She''s so cute I wanted to eat her on the spot. But like the old saying "you don''t pick a flower if it hasn''t bloomed yet". Being a female wasn''t that bad. But does all this still make me a virgin? I kinda miss not having a penis. I wanted to thrust inside. I wanted to loose my virginity like a man. Maybe I should look when I have time if there''s any spell that will let me temporary grow a dick. What? I''m a pervert at heart and read my fair share of futanari hentai, so I don''t consider it weird at all. Leaving this aside for now, I made sure to give Himeko some cute clothes and leave her some money for food expenses. I''m sure that under Lorina she will become strong. To be honest, I wanted to train too, but I had to many things to do. My magic is my strong point so I am gonna stick with that for now. I arrived back at my base and immediately sent for Teri. Cleo told me that Lorina already delivered my stuff, so it was time. Grace was looking a little worried at me. I can understand why. I promised I wouldn''t force myself just yet. But I needed to use Origin magic in order to fix Momoyo. I had to resort to ordering her aside in the end. And so, me and Teri entered Momoyo''s room. The limbs Lorina made looked quite good. Elbows knees and finger joints were precisely made with some spheres so that the rest of the parts can bent the way they should. It was time to work now. "Alright, prez, this might hurt a little but please bare with it." "Let''s just get it over with Homu¡­ Milla." Seems she still isn''t used to call me by my new name. Well, practice makes perfect. But I must make sure she doesn''t slip my name like that in front of someone dangerous. I don''t want my identity to leak. "Teri, when I give you the signal, I want you to do your part. Connect Momoyo''s nerves to the prosthetic limbs." "Okay. Teri will do her best." First, I slapped the limbs on prez. Then, I placed my hands together and chanted: "[Alter Geo Forge]!" Geo Forge. The advanced form of modeling. A spell I used to change Odin''s Territory Sovereign. I had to resort to it again. Normally it can only change materials. It can''t change a humans body. So that''s why I resorted to Alter. As it name implies it lets me change a spell. I can gain direct access to it''s circle formation and change the runes as I please. Although I am no expert in magic formation it wasn''t hard to add the''word'' human in the formation. And so, I placed my hands on Momoyo''s breasts. This time it wasn''t for a lewd purpose though. I needed to get close to her heart. "Aaaah!" She started to scream. This process wasn''t easy. Momoyo''s skin started turning into tree bark. When her whole body changed, I gave the signal. "Now, Teri!" Teri quickly placed her palms on Momoyo''s back. "Teri can¡­ sense everything. Umm¡­ there''s so many¡­" Teri was making a struggling face. But she didn''t give up. Inside, all of Momoyo''s nerves and circuits started to extend to the limbs. I also made sure to alter the metal and change it into wood too. Teri''s palms literally sunk into her back. A few minutes passed and Teri pulled out her hands. "Teri¡­ *pant*... is done." Now it was my turn again. I focused to change prez again. I restored her to her human form. When the process was finished, I also gasped for air. As expected, I didn''t fully recover so I ended up using more mana. But it was worth it. Now prez should be fully functional again. "Your Highness¡­ Teri is really sleepy. Can Teri¡­ take a nap?" I reached my hand and started stroking Teri''s head. "Yes. You really did good, Teri. I''m proud of you." "Teri¡­ is happy¡­ zzz¡­" She instantly fell asleep. So cute. Just like those puppy videos back home that suddenly fall asleep. Adorable. Sweet dreams, Teri. It seems everything turned out right. With all the nerves and mana circuits connected prez should be able to move again. Now that I look at her she almost looks like a robot doll. She looks cool actually. Mecha Momoyo. Has a nice ring to it, hehe. Alright, on to the next step. 28: Wrapping things up I provided Momoyo with a pair of clean underwear and a Japanese kunoichi(1) 1 piece style dress. With her metal limbs, she didn''t actually need gloves or shoes. They were tougher than regular armor. After all they had Lorina''s stamp. So I decided that a kunoichi dress is best to only cover her body. Momoyo couldn''t believe she had limbs again. She spent a few minutes trying to stand on her feet and move her arms around. As you would expect, it took some time to get used to the feeling. "It really is¡­ a strange feeling¡­ but it also feels that my body is different¡­ somehow." "You noticed?" "Milla, did you¡­ do something else to me?" While sitting on the bed on my belly with my hands on my cheeks, I slightly point my finger to a corner of the room. "There''s a mirror right over there, sweet cheeks." "Wha¡­ don''t call me like that!" For a moment she blushed. Then Momoyo slowly started walking towards the mirror. Her limbs were functioning well. They were now fused with her. That means unless she''s cut again, they won''t come off. When she saw the reflection in the mirror she shouted: "What the hell did you do to me!?" The reason why she was so shocked was most likely because her skin color. "I totally look like a gyaru(2) now!" Yup. Her white skin has changed into a tanned light brown color. It actually suited her light grey hair. "What? I think you''re charming." "Would you please stop making fun of me? Change me back." "No can do. The color came with the other package I added." "What¡­ did you do something else?" "Why not check your status card and see for yourself?" At my words Momoyo rushed to the drawer near the bed. I made the maids put all her belongings inside. She quickly took out the card the church gave us and looked at her stats. Of course, with my eyes, I didn''t need a card. I could clearly see the beautiful changes I made to her. Name: Momoyo Nakano Age: 16 Race: Lower Mazoku Class: Assassin Strength: A+ Agility: S+ Endurance: S- Magic: A+ Luck: B Overall Rank: S- "This¡­ does this mean¡­" "You''re no longer human? I''m afraid so. I had to make you a Mazoku for various reasons. First, a human wouldn''t have been able to survive the process. 2nd, demons hate humans, even in my land. It would be hard to convince them to accept you. But this way there will be no issue." "Why didn''t you tell me this earlier?" "Consider it a lesson, prez. I promised to restore you and give you power. And I did. But you didn''t ask me how I was going to do it. Are you still gonna be gullible like you did with the church? Don''t go trusting people blindly. In this world, that mistake can get you killed." Momoyo lowered her head. She clenched her fists. I guess she understood what I was getting at. "Are you at least going to keep your word about saving Shiori? Or do you plan on doing something to her too? Cause if you were lying I swear I''ll¡­" "Calm down prez. Like I said, Shiori is important for me too. I won''t harm her. And besides you turned out quite well." "So¡­ why did you change my class?" "I didn''t." "Can you give me a serious answer for once!?" "I''m telling the truth. Yes, I did turn you into a Mazoku, but your new class and your new stats¡­ I had no control over them. I don''t understand it myself. Mazoku are stronger than humans so the race change explains your new stats. But the class change is a mystery." I didn''t know why her class changed. And to be honest, I don''t care. What''s next is the biggest test so far. I clapped my hands. The doors to the room opened. Tengu walked right in and kneeled before me. I looked at Momoyo to check her reaction. She twitched and made a scared faced. It''s to be expected. Tengu was the one that took her limbs. But Tengu is my military commander. Eventually, these 2 will have to get along. Tengu spoke. "Lady Nakano, please forgive this worthless skeleton. I was unaware of your connection to Her Highness. I know an apology isn''t enough, but I do hope you find it in your heart to forgive me." "I¡­" "Momoyo listen. I''m not cruel and I understand revenge better than anyone. So I''ll assign your training to someone else. But Tengu is still my commander. I need to make sure that on a battlefield you 2 can cooperate. I haven''t decided for a punishment for Tengu yet. You pick it." "What?" "I''m saying as long as it isn''t the death penalty, you can choose how to punish Tengu. Or ask him for a request. So tell me, prez, what will it take to make the grudge go away?" Momoyo pondered for a moment. I know it''s hard. I know it''s not something you can forget. It''s a wound. The wound might heal, but the scar will never go away. Eventually, prez spoke: "Tie his hands and legs and make him do 10 laps around this castle." I tilted my head. I couldn''t believe what prez said. Was that all she wanted? "With his limbs bound, he will have to crawl. He will get a taste of the way I felt these past days. I can''t think of anything better¡­ so if he does that, I am willing to cooperate with him." I see. It was a sound argument actually. I snapped my fingers. Strings appeared and tied Tengu''s arms and legs. Out the shadows, the spider girl Irina appeared. "Ara, Ara! Lady Milla, tying up a man isn''t as fun as tying up a woman." "Leave your hobbies aside for now, Irina. As for you Tengu, you heard Momoyo." "Understood. If this is my punishment then I will carry it proudly!" I nodded. Well, I hope this way prez will be more at ease. I turned to Irina. "Irina, I''ll put you in charge of training Momoyo. Teach her how to fight." "But I already know how to¡­" Before she could finish her sentence I flicked my fingers similar to a forehead flick manner. The air pressure gathered made a shockwave similar to a bullet. It scratched Momoyo''s cheek before making a a crack in the wall behind her. "You don''t. Everything you know is useless. When you''ll be able to dodge that in your sleep, then you can say you''re ready. Remember prez, I can take your life without moving a muscle. So if you want to help me save Shiori and get revenge, make sure to listen to Irina. Okay?" "I¡­ understand¡­" Good. Now I need to find someone to fix the crack I made in my wall. I acted on impulse cause I wanted to look cool but¡­ I don''t want cracks in my home. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó In the heart of the demon continent, there was one castle that outshined any other. It would be comparable with the Olympia Empire grand castle. This castle belonged to a person that many would consider the strongest man in the world. Rank 1, Demon King of Despair, Ornis Balmund. Inside his throne room, he had an unexpected visitor. "Today is the day you shall fall, Ornis. I, Raxos, shall claim your title as the strongest Demon King!" "Let''s just get this over with. I have more important matters to attend to." Ornis often received challenges from demons that wanted his rank. He himself allowed anyone who wanted to fight him. This was his way to announce "I am the strongest. Come and die, if you want." "I hope you remember the rules you yourself have set. Anything goes, and that includes magic items." "Yes, yes. Come at me however you wish." "Hehe. Then I will use this." Raxos pulled out from his pocket a strange small goat statue, and then he crushed it in his hand. A magical aura was released all over the room. "Hahaha. I figured your secret. You are the strongest because of your mana. But if I seal your mana away, then there''s no way you will be able to survive against someone as strong as me. I trained my body for 250 years to achieve this form. You can''t win against perfection." Raxos was a cyclops. Standing 2.5 meters tall, he was a bulky cyclops. He only wore pants, so that he could show off his upper body like a bodybuilder. His weapon was a giant club that could easily squash a human like an ant. "Here I come." Raxos charged forward and quickly approached Ornis. He put all his might into swinging his club. But Ornis didn''t move at all. "Naive." The club stopped before it could touch Ornis. And the reason for this was because Ornis grabbed Raxos by the wrist. "Wha¡­" Raxos struggled to free himself from the Demon King''s grip. But Ornis just applied more pressure and crushed his wrist. Just like a piece of paper you would tightly grip before throwing it into the trash. "Aaaaaaaa! Shit¡­ My arm! Why¡­ I sealed your magic!" "Did you honestly think that you are the first one to try and seal my magic? You said you trained for 250 years. You can train for 2500 years and you still won''t match me." With those final words Ornis threw a single punch and completely turned Raxos into a puddle of blood. Ornis turned around and sat on his throne. A man in black robe with a simple mask on his face stepped out of the shadows and kneeled before him. Ornis scratched his head and addressed the black robe. "If only these challengers would be at least at Odin''s level I could get a proper workout. But all I get is idiots who throw their lives away, trying the same tricks over and over." "It can''t be helped, my king. After all, you never spare any challanger, so nobody is able to spread rumors that such tactics won''t work against you." "Death is fitting for their foolishness. Anyway, make sure to clean the mess." "Your will. I also have some important news to share you." "Speak." The black robe and Ornis exchanged a few words. "So, the filthy humans have finally decided to invade us with all their might. They even dared to conquer one of our villages. This calls for a War Council. Send word to all the other kings. We must gather immediately. We must discuss how to properly deal with them." "Understood, my king!" The black robe then disappeared into the shadows again. Ornis was left alone and talked to himself. "I know what that so called holy church is really after. But if they get their hands on it, life itself will cease to exist. The founder gave his life to seal it. If the humans are seeking death, then I shall grant it to them!" Waxford (1) - the female counterpart of ninja (2) - japanese equivalent for gal 29: Unusual military inspection Around 2 days passed since I handed prez to Irina. I was sitting in my bed. I really missed my bed. It felt that I couldn''t get a moment of rest lately. High Mazoku don''t need to eat or sleep, but that doesn''t mean you don''t get tired. I just wanted to be lazy for once. Right now, I made Cleo give me a belly dance. Because she is a lamia, she has a certain elegance and can twist her body in ways you couldn''t imagine. Just like a typical belly dancer, I made her wear a veil over her face and some jewelry. She was really good at it. As for the music part, 3 maids were playing in a corner of the room. Normally they are used only to instruments like pianos or violins. But a belly dance is more exotic. So it took quite some time for them to get used to drums and flutes. I created them with magic. I could have made Lorina craft them, but it was difficult to explain, so I just used the images I had about them in my head, gathered some materials and remodeled them. Nevertheless, my maids were quite capable and with a little trial and error they managed to learn using them. They actually enjoyed learning new stuff. *Knock Knock* Aww, come on. Can''t I get a moment of rest? "Come in." Grace entered my room. "Milla-nee, how much longer do you plan to sit in bed? It''s almost evening." "And your point is?" "You really should take a stroll through the city. Making public appearances puts the people at ease. If you walk casually then they know there is nothing to fear." I don''t follow that logic. Maybe it was a side effect of all the laws I gave. Well and the fact that I kept visiting Lorina and kept going back and forth from one land to another. Still¡­ "Don''t wanna!" "Milla-nee, it''s not healthy if you become a couch potato. If you don''t get up I must take some drastic measures." "We both know I''m the master. You can''t touch me, Grace." "True. But, don''t say I didn''t warn you." Grace waved her hands and a gust of small wind was created. The wind twirled around and snatched the pillow from under my head. "Wha¡­ No! That''s not fair. Give it back!" "Will you get up?" "No. I need at least 16 hours of bedtime." "You already had 4 hours. That''s more than enough. Milla-nee, you''re not a cat." Grace started tugging the pillow as if she was ready to tear it apart. "Aah¡­ okay, okay! You win. I''ll get up. Just don''t hurt my pillow!" Grace then smiled as if signaling her victory. I know what you guys might think, but I love my pillow. It''s so comfy and there is no way I am giving it up. I''ll have to punish Grace later. Spanking her ass should remind her who''s in charge. And so, reluctantly, I got out of bed and went for a stroll. ------ I was outside but didn''t actually know where to go. I didn''t have any particular business this time. Lorina was probably busy with Himeko and her shop. Irina was training prez. Hmm¡­ I wonder how Tengu is doing. I didn''t see him after prez issued his punishment. He didn''t argue with it at all either and complied. Whether or not that made Momoyo more at ease is something I can''t tell. I never seen the military barracks or the way my army is training. Yosh! Let''s do that then. Let''s go and see the troops. The military barracks were at the outskirts of my town. They needed to use terrain to train, practice magic and perform drills. When I arrived, a centaur rushed over to greet me. "Your Highness, it is an honor for us to have you here." "I think I saw you before. Weren''t you in the lead back when you killed the humans?" "Yes! My name is Felicia. I am the captain, under Lord Tengu''s guidance. It makes me happy that you remembered someone like me." "Speaking of Tengu, where is he?" She jolted a bit and her horse tail started fluttering. "How should I say this... Lord Tengu came covered in dirt. He was proud of his clothes, so for today he left me in charge so he can wash his clothes. It would be troublesome for him to appear naked." "Couldn''t he just ask someone specialized in using cleaning magic?" "He wanted to manually wash them, as he takes great pride in them." "I see. Well in that case, you show me around." "Understood." Felicia slowly turned around. I still felt like being lazy from morning, so it hit me. Why walk when I can ride? Felicia only took a few steps, but I slightly glided and landed on her back. "Eep!" "Sorry, I didn''t mean to startle you." "No¡­ it''s not that, Your Highness¡­" For some reason, her face was bright red. Does she have a fever or something? Well, regardless, I lightly spanked her horse ass to signal her to start moving. "Hiii!" She placed her face was in her palms and started to slowly walk. Back on Earth I never had the chance to ride a horse. I lived in the city. Sure, I had some relatives at the countryside, but I rarely visited them. I didn''t ride Felicia like a lady with both legs on one side. I sat in a cowboy manner with each leg on a side. As we strolled around the training ground I could see it was well organized. It was divided into different sections. A group was training with weapons, another in hand to hand combat, another in casting magic and so on. When I passed by, everyone has gotten a little stiff. They would respectably bow before me, then as if they got a sudden energy boost they trained with even more vigor because I was around. I don''t know if they were doing it to impress me or just so I won''t punish them for slacking. The armory was also clean and fancy. Lorina is really doing a good job with the military weapons and armors. One thing I couldn''t help noticing though is that some were looking strangely at me and kept whispering. Especially the other centaurs. "Felicia, is there something on my face? Everyone keeps staring at me." "It''s¡­ not you, Your Highness. They are most likely¡­ looking at me¡­" I tilted my head in confusion. I didn''t understand. Why would they be looking at Felicia? "Your Highness!" Someone was calling me. When I turned around, I saw Cleo rushing towards me. It''s rare to see Cleo outside. For a moment her cheeks blushed. "You really are bold, Your Highness. I didn''t expect you to do such a thing in public." "Okay, can someone let me in on the joke? What''s up with all of you?" Felicia only placed her face in her palms again. While Cleo, cleared her throat and said: "You don''t know, Your Highness? Centaurs only allow their soul mates to ride on their back. So¡­ with you on her back everyone is gossiping that you are her pair. Your Highness, did you get on her without asking permission? I am in no position to judge you, but riding her is similar to rape in a centaurs'' eye." Oh, crap! I didn''t think of that. I think I read a similar plotline in a manga. Come on, otaku brain, why didn''t you trigger an alarm? Oh well. What''s done it''s done I guess. "Felicia, tell me one thing. Do you like someone?" "What?" "I''m asking if you have a lover or a crush." "No." I got closer and wrapped my arms around her neck. "Then it''s settled. You''re mine now." *Nom Nom* I started to nibble her ear. "Fuah!" Felicia made all sorts of faces while Cleo who knew how I swing could only laugh. I removed my lips from her ear, and looked at Cleo. "So Cleo, you needed something from me?" "Yes. Grace-senpai told me to bring you back to the castle." Aww, come on! Grace, first you want me to go out, and now you wanna bring me back in? Make up your mind already. I''ll thoroughly have to spank her ass tonight. "You received an urgent letter. And the sender is Lord Ornis Balmund himself. Please come back." I jolted. Ornis Balmund. The strongest Demon King. What could he possibly want with me? Another plot? I barely made it out in one piece after the last one. I hoped off Felicia''s back. "Let''s go, Cleo. Seems we have work to do." 30: Meeting We left Felicia rather confused. When we left I look behind only to see her being surrounded by many curious people. Cleo kept smiling. She knew my sexual orientation. I wanted to tell her it was an accident. Taking Felicia for myself wasn''t something I intended. But as a Demon King, I didn''t want to look pathetic so I went with the flow. Maybe I will invite her to my castle to straighten things up. When we arrived home, Grace was standing in waiting with a letter in her hand. I quickly take it as to see what Ornis wanted with me. I broke the wax seal and began to read it. "Fellow Demon King. Our continent is currently facing a crisis. Humans have invaded our land and have already taken control of one of our villages. Their numbers are great and we must take action. That''s why I, Ornis Balmund, here by summon you for a War Council. Transportation will follow this letter shortly." I couldn''t help but twitch. It was a short letter, yet so many questions popped in my head. One silly question I had is how the post system works here. Why do letters travel so fast and yet it took me lots of time to get from one territory to another? I couldn''t figure it out. But right now, I wasn''t curious of that. The letter says that the humans have taken over a village. That should be impossible. I personally knew the heroes. They shouldn''t be strong enough to do something like that. I mean seriously, one giant fireball from me should turn them all to ashes. Did they win with numbers? I don''t know about other villages, but mine are prepared to at least hold of an invading force until reinforcement can arrive. If the other Kings wanna start a war, I need to think of a way to kill Ren myself and take Shiori before someone else messes with my plans. I need strategy. "Grace, I''m not going. I have other things I need to do." "You cannot decline. Milla-nee, a War Council isn''t a Blood Ball. For whatever reason, it isn''t something you can''t attend. If you were to miss it, Ornis himself would kill you." "Oof. Fine¡­ then let''s get ready and¡­" "You have to go alone." "What? After all that''s happened between me and other kings, you actually want me to go alone? I don''t want to be alone with those bunch of murderers." "Milla-nee, a War Council is a sacred meeting. It involves the fate of the continent. Nobody would dare try doing anything to you, especially under the eyes of Lord Ornis. If anything else, you will have Lady Odin by your side." True. Odin was my property now. And she is considered the 2nd strongest Demon King. Well, I better listen to Grace. She never let me down so far. "Okay. Then I''m leaving you in charge, Grace. Remember¡­" "If the humans you described will come in contact with our land we shall only capture them." Good maid. Well then, I guess I''ll just make some preparations and issue some orders until the transportation comes, just to be on the safe side. ------ As the letter stated, transportation soon arrived and took me to Ornis'' castle. It was imposing. Because I was also on the humans side I can safely say that it was similar to the royal palace back in Olympia. We weren''t allowed to bring servants or guards with us. I felt a little uneasy. But as a maid was guiding me around, I managed to spot Odin and headed straight for her. I jumped at her and of course she welcomed me with open arms. The maid was rather surprised. Since the War Council wasn''t held in the same day as our arrival, we had to spend the night there. I asked the maid to let me and Odin stay in the same room. She was rather startled as something like that has never been requested before. But since both me and Odin wanted it, the maid granted our request. I really didn''t want to stay by myself. I know Grace said I got nothing to worry, but I couldn''t feel at ease. At least with Odin I could sleep better. Her boobs make a nice pillow. Once we were alone, I wanted to ask her something. "Hey, Odin, what''s exactly all this about? Why is this War Council needed?" "Onee-chan, I''m not sure if you are aware but this time it''s a large scale invasion. Normally military from 1 land can''t cross into another. Each King must respect the territory of another. But, since the continent is at risk the first object is to unite our forces and collaborate. Temporary casting those walls aside." I see. As expected, each king treats his land like a country. So of course they would feel threatened if someone else would march their armies onto their land. "The second is to discuss which way to deal with the invaders. Do we chase them away? Do we kill them? Do we march into humanity land and exterminate the whole race? Personally as long as I get a good fight, I don''t care what happens. I will just follow my cute little sister!" "You''re making me blush." "So, what are you going to do? If they vote to exterminate the humans, that will include those that you want to deal personally with. Even if you take the front line, in the midst of so many soldiers, finding the ones you want will be like finding a needle in a haystack." "I really would like to handle everything by myself, but I lack the army to deal with the whole human fleet. And taking command of other troops seems impossible. It really is a predicament. I guess we''ll just have to wait and see which direction the debates will go tomorrow. Worst case I''ll just nod and smile and take action behind their backs." "Kyaaa! Onee-chan, you''re so cool!" "Let''s get some sleep for now. Come on. We''ll sleep together." ------ I thought I would spend a quiet night, but I barely slept. I wanted to use Odin as my body pillow, but I ended up being hers. Odin was a very deep sleeper and extremely clingy. She kept pushing my head into her breasts. This time I did have air as she didn''t push me all the way in, but as you would imagine, it''s hard to sleep in such a situation. I really am glad sleeping and food are optional for High Mazoku, or else I would have been a zombie long ago. In the morning a maid came after us. It was time. She guided us to a large room. The room was empty. Dead empty. There was only a big round table with 12 chairs. Ornis and a few of the other Demon Kings were already sitting. I shifted my gaze to Miraluka. I wanted to kill that bitch so badly. The moment we made eye contact her body shivered. It was clear she was afraid of me. Although my memory is blurry during the time I used Berserker Mode, I remember giving her a strong beating. You think you''re scared now? Just wait. One day I will make you feel so much pain to make you repent for everything you did. For now I controlled my emotions and made sure to sit next to Odin. One by one all 12 Demon Kings gathered. It was time for this meeting to start. 31: War Council Okay. This doesn''t look anything like a council at all. Everyone started to argue and bicker like at a tavern. I couldn''t make up what they were saying. Even Odin was cursing and swearing left and right. She even glanced my way as if to say "What''s wrong? This is how we do politics." The atmosphere was really a mess. Until Ornis raised his voice. "Silence!" Everyone went quiet. Honestly, just how strong is this guy to be able to keep them under control. "I summoned all of you here to discuss an important matter. The human invaders have finally made a move against us. I think it is best if we understand the current situation first." Ornis shifted his head to the one that looked the oldest in all the group. A guy with a single small horn coming out of his forehead, white spikey hair up to his shoulders. He reminded me of a samurai. It was almost as if he wore a yukata. Covering his mouth was a scarf that circled his head. His skin was light yellow and rather wrinkly. "Lord Arnos, it is your shores that have been soiled. Please tell us exactly what''s going on." "Very well." Demon King of Death, Arnos Kerberus. He raised his face and mouth from underneath his scarf and began explaining what happened. The humans set up camp on the shore and quickly occupied a small village. The army had the cross emblem on their uniforms, signaling that they belonged to the church. The soldiers were sturdy, but they can be dealt with. The problem was the heroes. Arnos said that the army was led by a strange group and because of them, the village was lost. Everyone here seemed to accept this. But for me it doesn''t make sense. Are we talking about the same heroes? That bunch of idiots shouldn''t pose a threat at all in just so little time. Do they have some sort of cheat or an item? I don''t want to underestimate them, but at the same time I really can''t take those fools serious. Also it seems that the human army is huge. I really just wanted to take care of this war by myself, but it''s not a feasible option. Humanity was an interesting race. Religion was supposed to be used to give themselves hope, kindness and nice things, yet it creates countless insane men and triggered slaughters. God was supposed to be a symbol of holiness and beauty for humans, yet under the guidance of their god, they never tried walking a peaceful path. Instead, they picked up blades and spells. It reminds me of the stories back on Earth about the old templar knights. There was never any harmony or beauty; there was only slaughter and the sinister ambitions humans hid deep within their hearts. I know I was a human once, but I''m glad I''m a demon now. Humanity would never see God. Humanity would never be God¡¯s children. Humanity¡¯s god was just a concept they fabricated. Humanity¡¯s god served humanity, but a true God would never budge for anyone. Gods were just gods. The Demon God was really a true God. Although she can grant us her blessings, she would never step so low as to serve any race. Nevertheless, humanity invented their own god to serve them. Humanity¡¯s so-called goddess was the same as the houses and weapons they built. A concept humans came up with to serve their own purposes. They carried out crazy things in the name of their creed. That was their so-called religion. That was the so-called human race. Now I''m beginning to understand why the Demon God referred to humanity''s goddess as a pseudo-goddess. *Bang* Someone hit the table with his fist. "We need to kill every last one of them. Only then, can we achieve peace." "Oh shut up, Magnus. Don''t you realize that if we exterminate the humans, the worlds'' balance will be ruined?" "Lady Murglais, that is just a story of ancient time. Balance my ass. We make our own world, our own future. We just need to get rid of the humans." They started bickering again. I could only scratch my head upon seeing the scene before me. Until suddenly, a huge amount of pressure was released. A demonic aura. It felt that the aura alone would turn into a monster and devour everyone at the table. "I don''t like repeating myself. Silence! Arguing like animals will get us nowhere." Ornis was a monster among monsters. It was impressive that he could keep this bunch under control. "Lady Milla, you seem like you are the one in deep thought. Maybe we could use the opinion from a freshly new and young Demon King such as yourself. Please tell us, how do you think we should handle this?" Why are you passing the issue to me? I suck at military strategy. That''s what I created Tengu for. Sorry guys, if you are expecting for a big impact just like back at the Blood Ball, I''m afraid I''ll disappoint you. But I have to say something now. Hmm¡­ Oh, I got it! "Ahem¡­ Fellow kings, as I see things, we just need to crush the humans. But killing them isn''t enough. We need to implant a fear so great that they will never dare send another wave and bother us. Since our armies can''t march from one land to another freely from obvious reasons, the answer is clear. Us. The 12 of us are more than enough to kill them but at the same time give them a scare to never come back. So the way I see, all we have to do is tackle them together!" After a short moment, some started to burst into laughter and some grinded their teeth. Did I say something weird? From my point of view it''s the best solution cause this way I can also keep an eye on the heroes and make sure Shiori doesn''t get hurt. "You''re crazy, little one." Demon King of Wrath, Magnus was the one that lashed out at me. "Humans are nothing but insects that made their way into our garden. Tell me, would a king deal with bugs himself? That''s the job of a gardener. Have you no pride? Why would we step so low?" Yare yare. These idiots are killing me with their logic. Screw pride. "You got something better to do? Or are you just too lazy to get your hands dirty?" "Why you little¡­" I can''t show weakness around these guys. They need to learn their lesson. Nobody tells me what to do. "You guys might have time to sit here all day long, but I don''t. Argue as long as you wish, but that won''t solve anything. So if you can''t appreciate the simple solution I am giving you then why don''t you guys do it your way and I''ll do it my way?" "Such impudence is¡­" "Lady Milla!" Ornis stood up and looked me straight in the eye. "Shall I take it that you wish to act independently, even though you can''t bring your troops to another land without permission?" "Yes. That is the best scenario." "Very well. I shall allow it. You may take your leave then from this meeting." "I appreciate that, Ornis-sama." And without further issues I made my way out of that room. I couldn''t go back home till the council was over, but nobody said I have to listen to their crap all day long. ------ As Milla left, Magnus addressed Ornis once more. "Lord Ornis, why did you let her go that easy?" Ornis seemed annoyed by that question, but he still gave a proper answer. "Keep in mind she is young. She didn''t have time to develop our sense of pride. And we also lack the time to teach her. So it''s better if we just let her do as she pleases." If any other Demon King would have said or done that, he would most likely get a harsh verbal abuse. But not Ornis. Because an explanation was provided, Magnus didn''t dare to push further. "But you know, she''s right-nya." "I really believed you were asleep, Lady Persia." Demon King of Sloth, Persia Castella. "How rude-nya! That little girl might have overstepped her bounds but she had a point-nya. We could deal with everything fast and that way we''d have more time for naps-nya!" "Don''t you start now, too!" "Enough! All of you! Let''s end this topic here and come up with some viable solutions." And so, the council resumed with it''s usual bickering atmosphere. 32: What needs to be done "Hahaha! This is too much. I can''t actually believe you did that! You really are insane to speak to Ornis like that, onee-chan!" Odin was laughing and rolling on the bed. Even though I solved my own problem, I wasn''t allowed to leave until the next day. Normally I would have to wait until the council was over, but they made an exception for me. Right now, there was one thing I needed mostly. "Hey, Odin, is there a way for me to get stronger in a short time?" "I thought you didn''t care about strength. Onee-chan do you suddenly thirst for power?" Nope. I thirst for oppai(1)! But that¡¯s not the issue now. "I don''t. Normally I wouldn''t ask this if I could take my troops with me. But if only I can move freely, I will need to be stronger than this." I always felt that I didn''t reach my full potential yet. It was like driving a car without a driving license. You manage it, but it doesn''t feel right. And I needed power if I was to face against an army myself. Odin stood up at looked at me with a serious expression. "Very well. In that case I shall be honest. I fought with you and I also treated your mana circuits. So I will say it up front. You appear strong, but it''s just a mask. Your magic is impressive, but in diversity only. Aside from your Phoenix Resurrection and Origin magic, you have nothing impressive. You can''t fully control the output of your power. You can''t sense the force behind someone else''s attack. At first I really thought you were just holding back when we fought, but it seems you are lacking." Her words were heavy, but it was the truth. For all I know the original Milla might have been stronger than me. "Milla, if you truly want to get stronger, I can train you, but I can''t teach you." "Aren''t you contradicting yourself?" "No. I mean I can spar with you and show you some moves, but knowing how to channel magic and fully controlling your body is something you need to figure out yourself." "And how long will it take?" "Normally¡­ about 50 years." "I can''t wait 50 years!" "I said normally. I can''t lie and say there isn''t a way to boost you. I myself applied the same process once. But, as you would expect, there is a price." "And how long with that method take?" "Around only 3 months." "That''s still kind of long." "I have a special chamber underneath my palace. As the queen of ice, that chamber can freeze time itself. Well, not completely freeze, but it slows it down. One week in there will give you the equivalent of 3 months. It''s all thanks to a special pentagram." Wha¡­ that''s like the Hyperbolic Time Chamber(2). "But then, you could just spend months in there and become the strongest." "No. As I mentioned it works because of a pentagram. That pentagram stores mana to be able to fuel the room. And the amount of mana it needs is huge. Even 1 week in there is pushing it''s limits, but with some adjustments I can make it work." "Odin you truly are amazing!" "Fufufu. Don''t praise me like that. It makes me blush. But again, there is a price to pay, so listen carefully." ------ I was ready to go back home. The council was still going, but I was free to do as I please. I can''t go straight to Odin because I need her to train me, so for starters I''m heading back home. The price Odin mentioned was indeed harsh, but I will see how it goes when the training starts. There''s nothing I wouldn''t do to see Shiori safe. As I was heading towards the exit of this castle, a voice called out to me. "Lady Milla-nya! Wait a moment-nya." I turned around. The Demon King of Sloth, Persia Castella was calling out to me. I wonder what business could she have with me? I''m tired of dealing with other kings. But there was something about this woman that caught my eye. Name: Persia Castella Age: 982 Race: High Beastman Class: Demon King Strength: EX Agility: SSS Endurance: EX Magic: F Luck: C- Overall Rank: SSS+ For starters her magic was low. In human ranking, F literally means zero magic power. But rank F in demon ranking would be equivalent to around a D- rank for humans. Still, that''s way too low. And there was her race. Is she related to my beastmen? If she is a demon king why didn''t she govern them? It¡¯s the first time I hear of such a race. Persia is a tall and beautiful woman with cat-like, almond-shaped hazel eyes and waist-long black hair tangled to a braid. Her ears and tail are also black colored and looked really fluffy. She has a slender, toned yet very voluptuous body including large breasts. They could almost compete with Odin. Maybe just a size smaller. Persia was wearing a white dress with green decorations on several places which exposed her cleavage and part of her breasts, shoulders, and belly. She also wears white gloves over her elbows with wide bracelets around her wrist and black stockings with identical bracelets around ankles. Lastly she had a sparkling necklace with a big emerald jewel around her neck. She was charming. Grace gave a basic description of all the kings. Of course that includes her. She said that she tends bewitch the opponent, allowing her to manipulate them as she desires. Generally, if one becomes the victim of her glamour, they are completely eviscerated. Her name also kind of reminds me of the persian cat breed. "Do you have some business with me, Your Highness?" Before I could say another word she suddenly jumped at me and tightly hugged me. Wow. She smelled good. There was soap in this world, but not shampoo. But this woman really smelled good. Like freshly coming out of the shower. Wait! Let''s not get carried away. Why is she hugging me? Wait. Is she sniffing me? *Sniff...Sniff* "Just as I thought-nya! You really resonate with me-nya!" "Ugh¡­ excuse me but¡­" "And you''re so cute-nya! I agree with your idea. All the demon kings should work together and get this over with. That way we can relax and sleep more-nya!" "Hmm? Do you also like sleeping even though we don''t have to?" "Yup! What can be more pleasant-nya? Sitting under the warm sun and relaxing is the most purrrfect experience-nya!" "Right? I mean work is so stressful, you just have to take things slow and enjoy life." "Yes, yes! I knew it-nya! We''re the same. I finally found someone who gets me-nya!" I think I found my soulmate. When I think that Grace was cruel and took my pillow from me¡­ This king is a role model. She continued hugging me and whisper something in my ear. "Wow! Is that so? That really is amazing! If you have something like that then I will be sure to come to your land." "Odin spoke very highly of you-nya! And I see why. I like you-nya. I can tell just from your scent that we''ll get along-nya!" I exchanged a few more words with her before she finally let me go. Did Odin hook ne up with her? Well it''s not that I mind. She is a beauty. In all that commotion I forgot to ask about her race, but I''m sure I can get the info out of Odin. And so, I hoped into the carriage and started my journey back home. For me it was the end of the War Council. Waxford (1) - Hyoudou Issei''s favorite word (2) - The Hyperbolic Time Chamber (also known as the Room of Spirit and Time) is a dimension with a time dilation which causes one day outside the chamber to be expanded into one year inside in DBZ. 33: Chasing a Prince away "Lady Milla, are you okay?" After I got home, Grace was worried about me. And I can''t blame her. After all I flew back home and was covered in blood. "I''m okay, Grace. I just ran in some trouble on the way back." Let''s rewind a bit. ------ I was sitting inside my carriage. Honestly I really didn''t like that it took so long to travel. Because it was really boring. It would have been nice if I had a book at least. But all I could do was sit and enjoy the view. Something unexpected happened. As the carriage was moving, when we reached some woods, a magic circle appeared on the ground. A huge explosion was triggered. Needless to say it blew up the carriage. Behind some bushes a group of 5 orcs were laughing. "Hahaha. It worked! Looks like we''re getting paid boys." "Was it really okay to take out a Demon King?" "Don''t get soft now. We were hired to do a job and we did it. The client gave us the magic circle formula and even an item to seal the targets'' magic. It was flawless." "And just who exactly is your client?" All 5 of them went stiff and turned around. And what do you know. It was me, in 1 piece and not a single scratch. "Impossible¡­ We saw you being blown away. Even if you managed to survive, you should still be at least bleeding." I punched one of them right in the face. These guys were weak. Really weak. With just 1 punch I completely turned him in a puddle of blood. "So, who is your boss? If you tell me the name of the guy behind this assassination plot, I might be gentle." "No¡­ wait¡­ please it was just a job. We have nothing against you. We don''t know his name. He wore a dark cloak. But we did see he had fangs and grey skin. It was most likely a vampire¡­" *Spalsh* Another 3 punches. Only one orc remained. "It''s the truth! I swear! You¡­ you said that if we tell the truth¡­" "I didn''t like it." With that all 5 orcs were killed. And I ended up being covered in blood. ------ "As expected of you, Milla-nee. But how did you know? I mean if they used magic sealing, then even you should have been hurt." To be honest it''s thanks to Persia. When she hugged me, she whispered something in my ear. I pretend to just be surprised about something she had in her land. But the words she told me were: "Someone plans to kill you on your way back, so be prepared for anything-nya". I told Grace how I did it. I simply carved with magic a stone body similar to my size and gave it the illusion that it was me. I was simply flying above at a safe distance. So in other words, I wasn''t in the carriage to begin with. "Impressive. Does this also mean that Lady Castella is our ally now?" "It''s too soon to speak. I am grateful for the warning, but I really am curious how she found out. I couldn''t sense any hostility from her, so I want to eliminate the possibility of her setting that ambush herself to get on my good side." Her aura was different than Miraluka. Miraluka was creepy and menacing from the start, but I couldn''t feel anything from Persia. Plus, she''s cute. I want to play with her ears and tail. I always loved cats. I wonder if I can make her rest her head on my lap. Regardless, first I need to make sure I can trust her. "Grace, I want to take a bath now." "Of course. You have a guest, but it''s better if you wash up first." "A guest? Who is it?" "The Prince of elves, Melron L. Gardenia." What? What could the elves want with me? *Sight* Why can''t I get a moment of rest? Oh well. Bath first, then annoying elves. ------ "It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness." "Likewise." The prince of elves is a good-looking young man. He is thin, his arms and legs were long and slender, and he was tall. His hair is dazzlingly blonde and it extended down to his waist. He had the pointy ears which is the trademark of all elves and deep blue eyes. He wore a white formal costume and a green cape that reached all the way to his knees. And he had a jade leaf crown. It was similar to the laurel wreath used in ancient times at the olympic games. Name: Melron L. Gardenia Age: 2764 Race: High Elf Class: None Strength: C Agility: B- Endurance: C Magic: SS- Luck: A+ Overall Rank: B+ "So, to what do I owe this visit? You must know that humans are invading us, so I am very busy." "Yes, I am aware. I just require a moment of your time. Lady Milla, what do you know about our elf lineage?" "Not much." "Then allow me to explain." He started telling me about their history. About his family line. Elves had their own God. And the most important thing is that elves worship mana. The king is elected based on mana. The more pure the mana, the bigger the quantity, the better. Mana was everything to them. As long as the ruler has strong mana, the other elves would obey unconditionally. And right now, the royal family was facing an issue. "Currently, we are left without an heir to the throne for future generations. In our family we are 3 siblings. Our middle sister has been kidnapped by the humans and most likely killed. She was supposed to take the throne. But now the task was given to me. But, I will also require a successor to ensure that our family reign will continue." "And, why did you come to me?" "Like I said, we are 3 siblings. I came here to retrieve my oldest sister who ran away from her family. Lorina L. Gardenia." I was shocked. Lorina?! My Lorina is a princess? "What do you intend to do with her?" "Isn''t it obvious? I plan to bring her back and have her bear my child. If our mana and blood mixes, a child with high quality mana will definitely be born." You''re sick, mister. You wanna fuck your own sister? Are you even viewing her as a being? Cause it seems to me you only see her as a breeding machine. "I''m not sure if you are aware, but Lorina is my royal blacksmith. She provides us with weapons and armor, and given that we are going to war, those things will be even more necessary." "Yes. I am aware." He took out a bunch of papers and placed them on the desk. "We are willing to provide you other competent blacksmiths. If you review it I am sure that they will more than compensate for Lorina. Plus we are also willing to provide you with some of our most finest weapons. The humans are our enemies as well, after all." I reached out my hand to pick up the papers. He seemed rather happy. Sorry to burst your bubble, but this won''t go your way. I did pick up the papers, but I didn''t even bother to look at them. I burned them on the spot. The Prince had a dumb look on his face and his mouth wide open. "Do you really think I would accept that? Lorina told me she cut ties with you elves long ago. What''s more, she begged me not to banish her. Lorina is happy here, but above else, she is my friend. You''re asking me to sell my friend? If that''s all you wanted you might as well leave now." "But, don''t you understand how grave our situation is? Lorina is ours to begin with!" There he goes again. He really only sees her as an object. "My decision is still the same." "I would think about it more carefully. You wouldn¡¯t want to make an enemy out of us elves." "Is that a threat?" "Heavens, no! But it would be such a shame if say for example¡­ a bounty would be put on Lorina. Many people, regardless of race will do anything for money. I doubt you want to have to deal with such troublesome people at this moment of time. Furthermore¡­" "Enough!" I couldn¡¯t stand this guy anymore. I released a large amount of bloodlust. I tried to mimic Ornis and the way he released his pressure when he silenced the other kings and shaped my aura to be as scary as possible. Like a demon ready to eat a child. The prince was scared. Sweat ran across his face and his face went pale. After a few moments I let the atmosphere settle. "Just to make it clear, Lorina is mine. I won''t hand her over and anyone that gets in my way will get burned. If you want to keep that pretty face, I suggest you roll back under the tree you came from. If you want to use dirty tricks, I¡¯ll crush each and every one of them, no matter what. Now get lost!" 34: Mommy Milla and dog Momoyo "Your Highness, I don''t even know how to thank you¡­ Thank you! Really, thank you!" "I said it''s okay. So let go of my leg already!" As you would guess, Lorina found out about what happened and right now she was strangling my leg. "Why didn''t you tell me you were an elf princess?" "The elf laws restrict your life. Do you know what it''s like when someone tells you there is only one path you can walk?" I get how Lorina feels. That''s probably why she became a blacksmith and sword master. She tried to defy her fate. "Lorina, I will not look into your past if you don''t want me to. The current you is the one I need. But I want to know if that idiot brother of yours will cause me any problems." "I''m not sure. Melron is stubborn, and once he makes up his mind it''s hard to make him back down. We might see him again." Even if that''s the case, I''ll just chase him off again. Lorina is mine and I''m not giving her up. But I have a more pressing matter right now to deal with. "Okaasan¡­" Himeko was tugging on one of my feathers. "Lorina, mind explaining why Himeko is calling me her mother?" Lorina went a bit stiff. So it''s your fault after all. I told you to teach her swordsmanship. So what the fuck did you teach my loli? "Himeko, why are you calling me okaasan?" "Parents. Don''t have. Lorina said you look after this town like a parent. You also own me. So¡­ okaasan." Okay¡­ I can''t say her logic is wrong, but come on. I''m a loli too. How the hell am I supposed to be a mom? "Why don''t you call me Milla-nee or onee-chan like everyone else?" She shook her head left and right. "No. You''re okaasan. Do you not like it? Do you hate me?" Gwaaa¡­ don''t give me those teary puppy eyes. She''s just too cute. Ah, fine! "All right. You can call me okaasan. Just don''t cry." I started patting Himeko''s head. She slightly blushed, closed her eyes and she really looked like she was enjoying it. God, she''s so cute. I wanna kiss her. I want to play with that loli pussy. But, while I was patting her head, I noticed something. "Himeko, that sword on your back¡­ is that¡­?" "Void Blade." Just as I thought. I turned my head over to Lorina. "Lorina, is it true? Can she really use that sword?" Time for another story. The founder is said to have had 5 special swords. They have a tremendous power. They are referred to as ancient relics. Currently only 2 relics are known. One of them is Ornis'' blade. The other one was this Void Blade. It''s said that the location for the other 3 is unknown. The Void Blade was a Japanese katana. An azure hilt and grip with gold trimming. But I was shocked because Lorina told me that an ancient relic chooses it''s master. As long as it''s sheathed, it''s safe. But when I tried to draw it, it lashed out on me, releasing a lightning attack. "She can draw and cut things with it. But unlocking the swords'' full power is still impossible." Himeko drew the katana. The blade was unique. It had a purple aura, and the blade itself was black with white dots. No. Let me be more clear. It was almost like looking at the stars at night. A whole different dimension. Stars inside a blade. Given it''s unique ability, it makes sense how it looks. Legend has it that this sword can absorb any magical attack. It literally devours it and sends it to its "void dimension". But the user also has access to any attack absorbed, so it can also fire it back. Neither me nor Lorina don''t know how much it can absorb. But if Himeko can master it, I am sure she will become even stronger. Speaking of strength¡­ "By the way, did you manage to remove her seal?" "Yes. I was surprised how strong she is." Hmm. Let''s have a little test. "Himeko, why don''t you try and punch me." "Don''t want to hurt." "You won''t hurt me. Trust me. Come on. Take a swing." Himeko nodded and clenched her tiny fist. She then swung it straight at me. Last time I took it head on, but this time, I caught it in my palm. The moment her fist hit my palm, a small shockwave was formed. Impressive. I had to pour a bit of mana and wrap my hand in my aura to cancel it out. "Himeko, you truly have grown." "All thanks to Lorina-sensei and okaasan." I patted her on the head once more. Then I turned to Lorina again. "Lorina, I might need you in the upcoming war. Not just as a blacksmith. I might actually need you on the field." "Lady Milla, normally I would decline, but I have grown quite fond of you. You also refused to send me back to the elves which I will forever be grateful. So, if you say you need me, then my sword is at your command." "That''s sweet. Anyway, for now just keep training Himeko. I need everyone to be prepared." And speaking of preparations maybe I should also check on prez and see how Irina handles her. ------ "Irina¡­ care to explain what you are doing?" "Ara Ara! What do you mean, Your Highness? I am simply following the order you gave me and I''m training Momo-chan." "And just how does that count as training?" Momoyo was hanging from the ceiling wrapped all over with Irina''s web. It seems her hobby kicked in again. Bondage. Prez was tied up, strings around her chest, hands behind her back, visible panties¡­ you get the picture. "But this is just to ensure she has enough flexibility." "Milla¡­ save me¡­" With a bright red face and teary eyes she was pleading me to help her. "Put her down for now." Although reluctant, Irina complied and released prez from her web. "So, how''s her training going?" "Although she still has ways to go, she reached a stage where she is usable. She is nothing like her past self. She''s fast and nimble and very capable with the two long daggers that Lorina provided. However if she is to become a true assassin, it will take more time." Prez quickly went behind me, crouched down and put her hands around my torso. Was she that scared of Irina? I could feel her breasts pushing against my back. The smell of an aroused girl is sweet. But I don''t have time to play around right now. "Prez, please separate a bit¡­" "No!" That was quick. Uoh¡­ stop squeezing me so tight¡­ gimme a break already! "Kuh! Momoyo, stop!" "Okay." ".......Eh?!" What''s going on? A moment ago she didn''t want to let go, and now she stopped hugging me and just sat there crouched. She was looking at me and kept still at a terrifying level. Wait¡­ don''t tell me¡­ "Momo, sit!" "Okay." "Stand up!" "Okay." "Turn around!" "Okay." "Gimme your hand!" "Okay." "Your other one now!" "Okay." "Say ''woof''!" "Woof!" After a short moment, prez seemed to come back to her senses. She blushed and with a sort of panicked voice she said: "No way¡­ What are you making me do? But¡­ if it''s an order I have to follow it¡­ Wait! What am I saying?" Since when did prez turn into a dog? Although, I can guess who the culprit is. "...Irina¡­!" As I turned my head around, Irina was smiling brightly, as if saying ''I have trained her to be your faithful dog''. "Irina, how exactly did you train her?" "Ara Ara! With her new limbs she is improving fast. So while I was developing her speed and mobility, I also subtly enforced the thought that she should respond to your orders with absolute obedience." Don''t just brainwash people without my permission. What''s gotten into these girls? First Lorina, and now Irina. What are you training my girls into? I could only let out a sigh. "Both of you come with me for now. I ordered a special package for you prez and during my absence it arrived. It''s an important step in your training, so I want to personally supervise it." Both of them responded in unison: "Understood!" "Ahh¡­ this is so embarrassing!" She''s kind of cute. I might get used to having a dog around, hehe! 35: Preparations I took Momoyo to a dungeon. The city prison. Unlike other castles, my mini-castle didn''t have an underground dungeon. But the city did have one. And in one of those cells there were humans. "This is¡­" "Momo, I want you to kill them. Here and now." "What? You can''t be serious!?" "These humans are thieves. I pulled some strings to get them. Momoyo, they are criminals. And this is part of your training. When we fight the church, we''ll be fighting humans. I need you to feel the taste of blood. A battlefield is gruesome. It''s nothing like books make it. There''s no glory. Only blood. You need to be mentally prepared. Kill them!" "Okay¡­ No¡­ what am I saying? I don''t want to kill." Ugh! It seems she''s struggling between Irina''s obedience training and her own resolve. "Again, they are nothing more than criminals, just like the church. Don''t you remember what they put you up to? They sent you to your death. They are the enemy, just like these before you. So pick up your daggers and slice their throats!" "I¡­" She took out her long knives, but she was shacking. The humans looked pitiful. They had their mouths gagged, so all they could do was cry as if begging to be spared. "Please¡­ don''t make me do it¡­ I don''t want to be a murderer¡­" "Why is it that you can slay a monster, but not a human? Is it because a monster is scary? When you first came here, you had the intention to kill. But now that you are on my side, you refuse to kill? You need to do this. Just think of what will happen to Shiori if you hesitate. Isn''t she more important?" "I¡­ I¡­" "Irina, help her out." "As you wish." Irina wrapped her silk threads around Momoyo''s limbs. Similar to a puppet on strings. "So, let''s kill them, shall we?" Guided by Irina, Momoyo approached the first man and cut his throat. Blood gushed out and the man dropped to the floor. I was expecting prez to scream, but it didn''t happen. "Something¡­ isn''t right. I killed a human¡­ yet, why don''t I feel anything? Why is my heart so still? I should feel sorrow. I should feel guilt. So why?" "Would you like to test it again? Let''s kill another!" And once more, prez cut down another man. The same reaction. She moved to the next. But no matter how many she killed, her heart wasn''t moved. When all the humans were killed she turned around to me. "Did you do something else to me? Why don''t I feel anything when I kill?" "Just as I suspected. I''ll explain this as easy as I can for you. When you kill a monster, do you feel anything?" "No, but this is different." "How is it different? Let me point out, that you aren''t human anymore. You are one of us. You are a Mazoku. Prez, the reason your heart isn''t moved is because for us, humans are the monsters. Just think of all the horrible things the church has done. Think of how they were using us. Now you tell me, isn''t a human like that worse than a monster?" "I guess you are right¡­ but I only killed them all because I was tied up. Can you be sure I will kill on the battlefield?" "You can. If you want to see Shiori safe, you will. This was all to get you ready so we can save Shiori. Together." Prez got close to me and gave me a hug. "Thank you, Milla. You might have changed on the outside, but you are still the same kind classmate I know." I couldn''t help but slightly blush. "Enough already! Just go take a bath for now and get rid of this blood on you." "Okay. In the end¡­ this obedience situation, I think I''m alright with it if it''s you." After Momoyo left, Irina addressed me. "Ara Ara! You truly are kind." "What''s that supposed to mean?" "Fufufu! You do realize that I only guided her to kill the first 2 men, right? The rest, she finished them off by herself. But you didn''t mention this to her so you won''t burden her even further. You care for her and at the same time you are trying to keep her stable and not break her morals forcefully." Busted. It''s true. I need her to forget everything about morals and rules that they made us respect back on Earth. This isn''t Earth. Although I tried to keep a villain like aura I guess Irina saw through me. Maybe even prez. "I¡­ don''t know what you''re talking about." "Ara Ara! Then I''ll leave it at that." Don''t make that smug face. More importantly¡­ "Kyaaa!" I tightly gripped Irina''s breast and squeezed it. "Irina, if you do a training like that again without consulting me, I will have to punish you." It wasn''t brainwashing, but it still felt weird. I need a capable trusty person, not a dog. Well I guess dogs are faithful. I''ll overlook it this time. "Understood, Your Highness." I wanted to get out of the dungeon now. I guess the next step is to wait for Odin so I can start my own training. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó Meanwhile, on the humans side, the holy knights were celebrating their first victory and successfully capturing a settlement. The party was held for the heroes who helped them push back the demons and liberate the village. But how exactly did do it? "Haha, Ren-san, this was too easy. If everything goes this smooth from now on too, this war will be over." The captain and personal trainer for the heroes was a bit drunk and tried to engage in a conversation with Ren. But Ren couldn''t care less. Now that Ren is the strongest, his attitude changed slightly. ''I got nothing else to learn from you, so get lost'' was what he thought. Of course, he couldn''t openly say that. So how did Ren and the heroes become so strong? The answer lies within their gear. Ren was wearing a brown and reddish brick colored armor. It covered all his body. The Armor of Elysia had a special ability. All magical attacks would be heavily reduced and it would constantly syphon mana from any demon around the wearer. His boots were called Boots of Hermes and could allow the user to achieve great speeds and also fly for short duration. His headgear had a big yellow gem that when used, it could fire a small beam that would poison the recipient, with a cooldown of 1 blast per 5 minutes. And last but not least, his sword. A sword with a golden hilt and a pure white mithril blade. The Holy Sword Galatine. It can fire light element waves. Also it would use the excessive mana from the armor absorption to drastically increase the blow of each swing. Needless to say the stronger the enemy, the stronger also Ren gets. These were truly cheat items. But Ren wasn''t the only one. The church provided various gear for all the heroes. Even their holy knights were equipped with swords and shields that could fend off lower mazoku attacks. Instead of focusing more on their training the church provided them with overpowered gear to compensate for their inexperience and thus, they could be deployed in battle faster. Ren''s own plan is in motion. Ever since coming here, little by little he has been drugging Shiori''s food. Little by little she seemed like the life in her eyes was fading away. Ren made her forget everything about Ryusei and Momoyo. Their time together, everything. It''s like Ren was whipping them from existence. But that wasn''t enough for him. He wanted Shiori to only see him. Anyone else was unnecessary. Although a few other classmates had their concerns regarding Shiori''s change, Ren calmed them and just said it''s because she''s not used to killing and seeing blood. ''Just leave her to me. I''ll take care of her, you just focus on fighting so we can get home''. With a speech like that, nobody bothered to doubt him. As everyone was slowly preparing for the new battle, Ren was preparing to finish his plan. The girl known as Shiori Watanabe would be no more. She would only be Ren''s doll. 36: Persia Castella I was born as a beastman. Unlike other Mazoku, I wasn''t created. I had a mother and a father. But my life wasn''t very easy. I was always a laid back person. But being laid back in the beastman race was a luxury. The beastmen were driven off from the main continent and sought a new home on the demon continent. The founder was kind and no matter what anyone said, he allowed us to live here. Of course this all happened before I was born. My mother and father loved me ever since I said my first -nya. I was a happy child and would always love to take naps and play all day long. But once I reached the age of 50, they wanted me to work. But I didn''t want to work. Even if my parents told me that if we don''t work, we can''t raise money to pay our taxes, I still didn''t want to work. Every time they weren''t looking I would sneak around and take a nap. They tried beating me up in hope that I will learn my lesson, but after a while I got used to the pain to the point I felt nothing. Maybe something was wrong with me. I mean, why do people need to work? For a roof under their heads? Sleeping on soft grass in the sunlight is better and at night any average cave would work. Food? For beastman, hunting a monster is child''s play. It can keep you fed. So why can''t people accept a simple life? Regardless, one day my parents did something I never would have expected. They sold me. Like you would sell a slave, they sold me off. Since they couldn''t get any benefit from me, they didn''t want to keep a leech around. So they sold me. If I was a slave, I couldn''t spend my time peacefully. If I was a slave, I would have to work because the slave seal would force me into submission. I didn''t want that. So before they could enslave me, I ran away. All that time living alone was harsh. Too harsh. Then, it came to me. A Demon King is a being that can do whatever it wants. Nobody would dare tell it what to do. If I were to become a Demon King, I can do anything I want. So that''s the goal I set in my mind. I didn''t have much mana. So I relied on pure strength. A kind old man took me in for a few years and taught me various martial arts. Techniques to be able to beat people stronger than me. What little mana I had, he taught me how to channel it and make my body stronger than steel. He called it chi. I trained, I took on monsters, I did everything I could to achieve my goal. I didn''t like putting in effort, but I had to. I wanted to get rid of the beastman label. After the old man passed away, I did some research on the Demon Kings. Judging by names alone, the Demon King of Sloth would be the best fit for a carefree person like me. When I first saw the Sloth king, I was disgusted. An orc with a huge belly, eating and drinking like a glutton. He thought he could easily deal with me, but I was too fast for him. Avoiding his magic attacks was a piece of cake. I got close and smashed his skull. And thus I became the new Demon King of Sloth. Even if I gained the class and life span that comes with the power, my hopes of cutting ties with the beastmen were shattered. Instead of receiving the High Mazoku race, I became a High Beastman. Even today, I don''t know what this means. Years passed. I had achieved my goal. I could do everything I wanted. But my story doesn''t end here. One day, my parents came back to visit me. They said they were sorry, they said they were forced to sell me etc. I couldn''t stand the look of them. They just wanted to butter up to me and take advantage of my status. Never again will I allow anyone to tell me what to do. I killed them both on the spot. I felt nothing. Love, sorrow, no emotion at all. I thought that I was finally free. But it turned out that being a Demon King also involves responsibilities. I mostly found myself some trustworthy demons and I would let them handle all the affairs. One day, Ornis summons all the Demon Kings for a War Council. I didn''t want to go, but Ornis is scary. I didn''t want to get on his bad side. While waiting for all the kings to gather, I couldn''t help overhearing a conversation. My ears were very sensitive so they could hear from quite a distance. I heard Lady Miraluka talking to a vampire. Although I didn''t hear the whole story, I understand that they wanted to kill the Demon King of Insanity. At first I thought that it has nothing to do with me. And at the meeting I saw her. Milla Walpurgis. I didn''t know what to think of this girl. She didn''t look special. But she really did live up to her title. She suggested what nobody would dare. For all the kings to take to the battlefield. Although I didn''t want to personally deal with it, handling a lengthy war is too troublesome. So if it means ending things sooner and return to my slow life, I was all in for it. But more importantly, her attitude. She really acted high and mighty in front of Ornis. She''s like me. She wanted to act alone. She wanted to do things her way. I can relate to that very well. Before she left I gave her a big hug and decided to tell her about the assassination plot. That way I also got the chance to sniff her. Yes. She''s very unique. My instincts are sharp. This girl is worthy of my trust. If I go with her, I am sure we can end this war quick. If I follow her I am sure that she will handle all the hard thinking. We could take naps together and play and just live a fun life. I''ve made up my mind. For the sake of living a slow and happy life, I just need to become her subordinate. If she achieves what she wants, then I will also achieve what I want. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó I was getting bored and impatient. I wanted to start my training as soon as possible so I can step onto the battlefield myself. But I had to wait for Odin. Since Grace and Cleo were in charge of all the paperwork and internal affairs I didn''t have much to do. It''s almost been a full month. Seriously, how long do those shitty kings need to come to a conclusion. I''m afraid that the longer I wait, the longer it will take to save Shiori. And the humans will have more time to consolidate their defenses. My units were prepared just in case. Tengu and Felicia handled the troops, Lorina made great progress with Himeko and Irina brought prez to a usable level. Everyone made progress. Everyone besides me. I wanted to blow up something. But as I was having those thoughts, Cleo entered my room and announced that Odin has returned. Finally! We can get to work. But she soon stopped my excitement, as she wasn''t alone. Persia was with her. Why did Odin bring her along? Could she really be another ally? Well no use thinking about it. I better go and find out. After all, she did warn me about that attempt on my life. ------ "Milla-nyan, I really missed your scent!" I know I am a loli, but come on! Why does everyone want to hug me? And really? She misses my scent? Is she a pervert? Well I shouldn''t be surprised. After all, I have my fair share of weirdos too. I tried looking at Odin, but her gaze was saying "it''s no use, just let her do as she wishes". After she let me go, Odin finally spoke. "Onee-chan, the meeting is over now. It seems that the conclusion they arrived was to make a small joint operation, between Arnos, Miraluka and Ymir. These 3 are somewhat in good terms with one another so they agreed to merge some of their troops together. Since they didn''t particularly need me, I rushed back over here. And¡­ Persia kinda followed me." "Lady Persia¡­" "Nya, don''t be so formal. Just Persia is fine!" "Okay. Then Persia, first I want to thank you for warning me. You have my gratitude. Is there something you wish in return?" "Umu! I want to stay by your side! My instincts are never wrong. Besides, I heard from Odin that you wanted some special training-nya! I want to help!" "Odin, you went that far and told her?" "Onee-chan, please don''t be mad. Persia is a simpleton. She''s not scheming anything. I assure you she is our ally." I''m still rather reluctant to trust her that easily. Hmm¡­ "Persia, is there a reason you are doing this?" "So I can be lazy! If I come with you and help you with your training, I don''t have to deal with the war. And a little cat fight can be fun-nya!" I guess I will ask Odin later more details. But I can relate to her lazy side. After all, my goal in the end is to live a carefree life myself. Oh well, for now, welcome aboard miss. 37: Final preparations before the war "By the way, Milla-nyan, this is for you!" I managed to talk privately with Odin for a few minutes. She told me that for some reason Persia is a High Beastman instead of a High Mazoku. She''s really sensitive to the subject and I shouldn''t mention it. Also I should avoid mentioning that originally she came from this place. Other than her distortion personality, she''s fine. It feels like I picked up a stray cat that randomly rubbed itself on my legs. Persia got a bit impatient so I guess she wanted to offer me something as proof of her loyalty. "What is this?" It was a weird object. It was a rectangular purple crystal. "Ah, onee-chan, you¡¯re still young so you don''t know about it. That''s a teleport crystal. It''s a very rare item." "Teleport?" "That''s right-nya. You just need to think of the place you want to go and it will take you there. Needless to say, it can''t take you somewhere you haven''t been before-nya." This is amazing. This could be an impressive resource. "Onee-chan, I know what you want to say, but like I said, it''s really rare. These crystals can only be made by the elves, with their elven mana spring. And even for them, it takes 50 years to produce 1 crystal." "Yup. I got that piece by chance when I ran across a traveling caravan-nya. It''s rare for elves to even let go of them." I see. If I think about it, it''s a good thing. I mean if everyone where to have something like this, what''s to stop them from popping up in say my castle and try to take my head. Well, in my case I''ll just come back to life, but that¡¯s not the point. "Very well, Persia. I accept your gift and since Odin recommends you I will welcome you by my side." "Yay!" I tossed the crystal over my shoulder and into my shadow. I feel that my shadow is the same as your inventory in typical games. But now on to more important matters." "Odin, I know I can''t move troops into someone else''s land, but is there a way to at least move a few people? I need eyes on this war." Odin pondered for a moment. She was well aware that there were humans that I personally wanted to deal with. And I didn''t want for someone to kill Shiori while I am away training. "Well, since it''s a war situation, under the pretext of just observation you would be allowed to send what someone would consider a diplomatic scout. Although some might grumble, they have no valid reason to harm or refuse passage for such a group." "And in such a case, how many can I move?" "Normally it would be 5, but since it''s you we are talking, you could push it to 10 at most. After all, you have the title of Insanity, so most kings won''t be that surprised, especially after the meeting." "I see. Grace, gather everyone outside. I have an announcement to make!" ------ After everyone gathered, I gave out a few orders. I was going with Odin and Persia to train. The ones that I wanted to go and be my eyes for this war were Grace, Sue, Irina, Felicia, Momoyo, Himeko and Lorina. In the end I kept the number just above the normal limit. You might be thinking why did I pick prez and Himeko. Well, since it was a simple observation mission I thought this was a good chance for them to actually observe a war and proper fights. I''m leaving behind Cleo to manage my land. And Teri and Tengu will still do their jobs that they had up till now. And speaking of Tengu¡­ "Let go of me already!" Fenrir was chewing on Tengu. Half of Tengu''s body was in Fenrir''s mouth. His feet were wiggling all over. Odin could only laugh. And to be honest, I could barely contain my laughs too. It was really funny. Tengu is a skeleton so I guess Fenrir sees him as a big bone. "Fenrir, that''s enough! Let him go!" When Fenrir heard my voice and saw me, he immediately spit Tengu and started running towards me. He had his tongue out and was ready to lick, but all he encountered was thin air. He looked puzzled. He turned around to try and lick me again, but he missed. He kept trying that for 4 or 5 times more, until his eyes started to look like a puppy that was about to cry. "Onee-chan, when did you develop such agility?" "I didn''t. I just kinda learned his licking pattern." Fenrir kept looking at me with teary eyes. Ugh! Why can I be a villain around everyone else, but have to be a softie with this guy? Well guess I have no choice but to take another drool bath. "Okay, okay, boy. Come at me!" He wiggled his tail, pushed me on the ground and licked me all over. I guess I''ll just take a bath at Odin''s place before training. "Odin, can Fenrir carry all 3 of us?" "Of course. He''s a sturdy pup. Even if it''s us 3, he will have no issues. Onee-chan, are you implying that we are heavy?" Crap! If rule number 1 is never to bring up a girls'' age then rule number 2 is to never ask about her weight. Both of them were smiling but there eyes were very aggressive and a small vein could be seen on their heads. I shook my head and arms like crazy and managed to defuse the situation. That was close. All 3 of us got on Fenrir''s back. "Grace, I''m counting on you. As for the rest of you make sure to obey anything Grace says." "Understood" And with that, the Fenrir Express started it''s engine and with a huge speed was headed for the frozen castle. ------ "My lord, welcome back!¡± Ornis Balmund has just returned from the War Council and was welcomed by his trusted shadow. "How did the council go? Will the humans be crushed soon? " "We managed to reach an agreement , but it¡¯s too soon to say how the war will go. But the Demon Kings are joining forces, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± "If only you yourself could enter the battlefield, this war would be over in a second. After all, you alone are enough to wage war against all humanity! " "Enough with the flattering. Although you aren¡¯t wrong, it¡¯s better for things to develop this way.¡± "What do you mean, my lord?¡± "Sometimes you need to let the small fish go so you can catch the big one. " The black robe man was confused at his words. He didn¡¯t understand the meaning of it. Ornis didn¡¯t want to continue this discussion so he signaled him to leave. When Ornis was finally alone he gathered his thoughts. "I really wish I could handle things myself. It would be much easier. But this is the only way to flush out the culprit on our side. I just have to wait and see how things go. All the pieces on the chessboard have been set. The match is about to start. The pawns shall play their role.¡± Ornis picked up 3 chess pieces and set them on a map of the terrain that will soon be the battlefield. The rook, knight and bishop. "Miraluka, Arnos and Ymir. Will you at least be able to display an entertaining show for me? I doubt it, but give it your best effort.¡± Ornis then picked up another chess piece. The queen. Among the various pieces in chess, you could say in a way that the queen is the most unpredictable as she is able to move any number of spaces vertically, horizontally and diagonally. And Ornis was wiggling that piece in his hand. "My instincts are telling me that you will be the most amusing piece in this game. You are someone that defies logic and you¡¯re not afraid to say what¡¯s on your mind either. You are a variable I can¡¯t predict. Well then, let¡¯s see what move you decide to make, Milla Walpurgis." 38: Playtime and secret weapon When we arrived, Odin first took us to her large bathroom. I wanted to take a bath after Fenrir covered me in drool. I was surprised that Persia wanted to join us. After all, most cats hate water. Well, I guess she isn''t a true cat at the end of the day. "Fuahhh¡­!" "What¡­ What am I looking at-nya!?" After dipping myself in Odin''s giant pool size bathtub I started playing around with her. My left hand was groping her left breast and my right was teasing her butt hole. Odin and Grace are probably the bodies I know best. If Grace likes to take it slow, Odin is the complete opposite. She likes it rough and it seems she is greatly stimulated by anal play. Since we were in the water, my fingers were able to slide inside with ease. I kept pounding her and squeezed her breast. After a few more moments I removed my fingers from her ass hole and starting spanking her butt. Odin, who is often called a battle maniac rarely got injured, and rarely felt pain. It seems that making her ass red with my slaps makes her really horny. It must be a new sensation for her. Shortly after that, she couldn¡¯t take it anymore. "I¡­ I''m cumming!!!" Persia was shacking. She probably wasn''t sexual aware yet. But that works to my advantage. I separated from Odin and made my way to Persia. She waved her hands as if begging me not to come closer. "What''s the matter Persia. This is what people that love each other do. Do you perhaps hate me?" "I don''t¡­ hate you¡­" I made a big smile. "Then if you don''t hate me, that means you love me. Don''t worry. Leave everything to me. I''ll be gentle." "O...okay-nya. I''ll be in your care then." Bingo. Now let''s make this kitty go in heat a bit. I started by giving her a tongue kiss. Her face immediately went red, but didn''t resist me. I also started to fondle her breasts and pinch her nipples. She squirmed a lot, but I could tell that she was enjoying it. The softness of her lips felt like it would melt my heart. It was almost like her tongue didn¡¯t want to let go off mine. I made sure to fully explore the inside of her mouth. Besides wrapping our tongues together, I also wiggled mine around to lick her cheeks and her gums. Her face only became more red. I moved my hand to her crotch. "No¡­ that place is¡­ NYAAA!!!" I didn''t wait. I inserted my hand inside her pussy. It was quite tight. I couldn''t help not think that if I still had a penis, this pussy would wrap around it perfectly. "NYAAA¡­ my head is going crazy¡­ if you keep doing that I''ll¡­" I started sucking on her breast like a baby would suck for milk. She had a nice fragrance. I also made sure to keep moving my hand. I was massaging her breast, sucking the nipple, fingering her G-Spot and rubbing her clitoris with my thumb at the same time. The sound of water was mixed with an indecent sound. "No¡­ I''m¡­ cumming-nya!!!" *Pant...pant* "That was amazing¡­" "We''re not done yet. It''s not fair for only you two to feel good. Persia, I want you to lick my pussy. And Odin, you do the same with my butt hole." "Yes, onee-chan!" "Yes, Milla-nyan!" Having my ass and pussy stimulated at the same time was the best. Having such cute fucktoys¡­ life can''t get any better than this. ------ After we finished our playtime, Persia got even more attached to me. I barely managed to convince her to stop hugging me. Odin then guided us to an underground place in her castle. It was an empty room with a huge magic formation circle on it. It was so big and had so many elements engraved in it that even with my photographic memory I couldn''t learn or decipher it. "Onee-chan, once I activate this circle we can begin our training. Time will start to freeze. I¡¯ve made all the necessary preparations. A bed for us to rest and access to clean water to refresh ourselves." "Got it. Let''s do this." ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó "Your Excellency! It is a great honor for us that you have come!" On the demon continent shores, another ship has landed. From that ship, the Pope himself descended. The man who ruled all the church has also come to the demon continent. "Our moral will surely increase now that you are here!" "Thank you for your kind words. It''s only natural to come and see how the demons are crushed. The Goddess is on our side after all. Where are the heroes?" "The heroes are in a village our men occupied. It''s roughly a 3 day journey." The Pope signaled for another figure to come down from the ship. "Your Excellency this is¡­" "This is our true miracle! The apostle of our Goddess!" It was a woman. A woman with the look of a young, attractive female with blue eyes, and short, silvery-white hair arranged in a bob cut with three hair-clips in the right part of her hair. Her skin was silky smooth. The clothes she was wearing resemble a wedding dress. As if to match her dress, she had a golden crown with a white veil attached to it. She has a white bow with a gem attached to her neck. Additionally, there are gold extensions attached to both her hips and forearms. The edges of her skirt fold together like flower petals, while the tips of her skirt are also gold in color. Her breasts were on the smaller size, around the C cup range. Another thing you could notice were the long pointy ears, the trademark of elves. But most importantly her eyes were that of a doll. No light could be seen in them. No traces of humanity. It was true that she had an aura around her that one could call it divine. "Step forward." As the Pope said those words, the gem on her neck faintly glowed and as instructed she stepped forward. Everyone present could only bow their heads when they saw such a beauty. "Now then, demonstrate the power of the Goddess!" She turned around and looked at the ship they descended from. The girl raised her hand and chanted: "[Holy Ray]!" It was a basic light spell, yet the ship was engulfed by a beam of light and completely obliterated. "You see? Before the power of the Goddess, even a simple spell can do damage. There is no need to fear. We shall finally show these demons our power. By the will of the Goddess, we shall crush them all!" "Hurraaa!!!" Everyone started to cheer, bang their swords on the shields and made all sorts of noises. In that commotion, the girl tried to move her lips but couldn''t speak. Her free will was taken from her. No matter how much she struggled, no matter how much she wanted to express her feelings, no sound came from her mouth. Yet, it was written all over her face and lips: "Someone¡­ please kill me¡­" 39: Nightmare My name is Melina. Melina L. Gardenia. The second princess of the elven kingdom. As a princess, you probably would think that I was pampered and did everything I wanted. But that wasn''t the case. My parents, the king and queen were very strict with me. They always told me how important mana was. How important our bloodline was in order for our family to keep the throne. Above my parents, there was one person I loved more than anything in the world. My big sister, Lorina. She was always so gentle towards me. She always played with me when I asked her to, she would listen to anything I wanted to say and she looked after me. One day, I noticed my sister spending time around a local smithy. "Nee-sama, I was wondering, why do you always spend your time around that place?" "Elves are known for their mana quality, but does that mean that''s the only thing they are good at? I want to shatter that myth." "Nee-sama, do you perhaps want to make a weapon?" "Not just make one. I also want to use it. I want to learn swordsmanship." "But why?" "You might not understand now, but have you ever had the feeling that your life has been decided for you? That you have to walk a straight path? That you can''t make any choices?" "I¡­ I don''t understand." "You will, when you get older." At that time I didn''t understand what big sis wanted to say, but as time started to pass, her words echoed in my mind. Eventually, my parents gave birth to another child. I was thrilled to have a baby brother. But when he grew up, he turned into someone stubborn and full of himself. Mother and father filled his head that he will be the next king. Most of his childhood was taken, as he was forced to learn politics and the way of elves. Once again I remembered Lorina''s words. Lorina was trying to defy her fate. And the fuse that lit that spark was a conversation I overheard. "I refuse! Father, I do not wish to marry my brother. Yes, I do love him as a sister, but marriage should be a vow of eternal love." "Lorina, that thing might be true for common elves, but we are the royal family. Our rule is absolute. We must make sure that the throne stays in the family. If you and Melron will conceive a child, then the bloodline and mana purity will guarantee our rule." "How can you say that? Don''t you care about my feelings? And not to mention you also plan to send Melina as an envoy to the humans when she has never stepped outside of our forest?" "That''s enough! I am the king, and you shall do as I say! It''s because I care about you I let you practice those so called hobbies of yours. But I am speaking about the greater good of our family! You shall marry your brother!" I couldn''t believe my ears. That night I think I couldn''t sleep at all. I was squirming in my bed, until someone knocked at my door. It was Lorina. She hugged and kissed my cheeks and told me she plans to run away. She wanted to go to the demon continent because she knew that the elves would never think to look for her there. I supported her. I wanted nee-sama to be happy. That was the last time I saw my big sister. My parents were furious, but even though they send countless search parties, they never found Lorina. A few days after, father ordered me to go as an envoy to humanity''s land. I had to take our most beloved treasure, the Mana Stone, a source of infinite mana. It was necessary for a holy ritual in the human lands. By performing this ritual, it was like maintaining a friendly status between the 2 countries. But, something terrible happened. All my escorts were killed and the Pope took me and the Mana Stone. I probably was reported to be dead. And in a sense I was. For 10 agonizing years, they performed countless experiments on me. They inserted the Mana Stone in me, alongside various monster cores. Normally that would break any being apart. But the first core they put in me was the core of the Slime King, a monster with great regeneration powers. If my flesh was tearing apart, soon it would heal. They modified my body. They inserted core after core: Tyrant Flame Salamander, Harpy Queen, Cavern Serpent, Helios Gryphon¡­ Eventually I lost count. It was pure hell. My body was ripping apart. The pain was inhuman. Eventually they put me in a container with various tubes inserted in my body. I thought I could finally rest. I thought it was over. But the nightmare had only just begun. In that container, I thought of many things. If only I had gone with my dear sister, this would have never happened. I think another year passed until they let me out. But when I came out, I had no control over my body. I couldn''t speak. I couldn''t lift a single finger without the Pope''s permission. He turned me into a homunculus. A being that doesn''t think and only does what its told. Every time he issued an order the gem around my neck would glow and compel me to obey it. I realized, he turned me into a weapon. He wanted me to fight in his war. He wanted me to kill. I don''t want to kill. I don''t want to hurt anyone. But what could I do? I was trapped in my own body. When we arrived on the demon continent he made me display my power. Everyone present just started to cheer. Can nobody see my suffering? Does nobody notice that my face is devoid of life? Maybe salvation is too late. I just want this nightmare to end. I couldn''t speak at that time. I slightly manage to move my lips, but no sound came out. But what I desire right now¡­ the one thing that I want¡­ "Someone¡­ please kill me¡­" I knew that death was my only salvation. 39.5: An isekai Christmas "That tree over there, Grace. That''s the one I want!" We were all gathered at Odin''s place since her land had winter all year round. It was the 12th month of the year. This was my second year spent in this world. Last time when I woke up I was so busy with my Blood Ball and managing my land that the year passed in the blink of an eye. And this year went by really fast too. I traveled back and forth to other Demon Kings, I obtained Odin for myself, established a solid rule in my land, I bought a loli, managed to get Momoyo on my side and not to mention had lots of "girl fun". Now, it''s December again. And that means one thing. Christmas is coming! Demons don''t have the concept of Christmas. So since the war is getting close I thought it was the perfect time to introduce it. Everyone needs a break once in a while. I pointed towards a tree I really liked. Grace swung her scythe and cut it down. After that, I lifted the tree above my head and moved it inside Odin''s castle. Grace kept laughing. I guess it was funny. A little girl like me carrying a 3 meter tree with one hand. Inside, I put the tree in the middle of Odin''s ball room. The room that she usually uses to host her Blood Ball. I gave specific instructions to Odin''s servants. At first they were reluctant, but with a little¡­ "persuasion", they now follow my orders as if they were coming from Odin herself. Cookies, various sweets and monster meat were being prepared in the kitchen. As for decorating¡­ "Milla¡­ save me¡­" I left Irina and prez in charge of wrapping ribbons around the castle, but it seems the only one who was wrapped up was prez. Irina made sure to tightly squeeze her and show off her plump breasts. "Irina¡­ I thought I told you to wrap the castle." "Ara, Ara! But I couldn''t help myself. This red fabric is so soft. It feels so similar to my own threads yet different at the same time. I just had to see how it goes around a body!" I placed my hand on my head and let out a loud sight. Well, it''s a holiday after all. I guess I''ll let it slide. "Fine. As long as everything is ready by tonight like I asked. Carry on." "Millaaa!" Momoyo was pleading me with tears in her eyes but I shook my head. Endure it. Think of this as her present. I went back downstairs to find Lorina and a few boxes. Good. "Lady Milla, the things you requested are ready." "Excellent. I knew I can count on you!" Inside the boxes were various ornaments for the tree that I made Lorina craft. I picked up globe after globe, tiny stars and flew around the tree covering it from top to bottom. I used died fur since we didn''t have tinsel and for lights I used crystals similar to the ones used for the chandelier. And last but not least the star on the top of the tree. I was proud with my creation. As I was admiring the tree, little Himeko tugged on my wing. "Okaasan¡­ Christmas idea. Where did you get it?" From back on Earth¡­ is what I wanted to say. "I read about something similar in a book so I wanted to try making a holiday like that." Grace overheard us and stepped in. "That''s odd. I am sure that I know every book there is in our library by now, but I don''t recall such a book." Not good. I forgot Grace was a super maid and not much can get pass her. "It''s really not a big deal, Grace. Try not to overthink it. Just enjoy the scenery I am trying to create." "If you say so, Milla-nee." I managed to defuse the situation. That was close. Alright. It''s almost time for the main event. ------ Night soon came. The castle was fully decorated, the tables were set with lots of food. And near the Christmas tree I was telling a story. "A Christmas Carol". A famous story about a greedy old guy who was visited by 3 ghosts. Everyone, including the servants and Odin''s prideful guard corps, the Valkyries were captivated by tale. Needless to say some had mixed feelings. I think Momoyo appreciated my story the most since we both came from the same world. That and she was the first to clap when I finished my story. It was truly a peaceful evening. I had Cleo give a belly dance on some Christmas tunes I had my maids play. I should mention that I also brought a few of my maids along as well, since they learned to play various songs that weren''t common to the demon continent. Food and wine were plentiful. Persia snuggled near the fireplace like a cat would do. Everyone was happy. But there was one more surprise I planned. Right then, the door bursted open. Fenrir rushed in pulling a roofless carriage. You can guess what I did. I made him a pair of fake antlers and a cute red nose. And the one driving the carriage¡­ "HO HO HO! Merry Christmas, HAHAHAHA!" Yup. It was Odin herself. That laughter at the end though sounded evil rather than jolly. I made her wear a santa girl outfit. Red hat, a short cape and a swimsuit type one piece string style costume. It was revealing¡­ and hot. I didn''t think she''d be willing to wear it, but she really doesn''t refuse anything from me. In that carriage there were lots of toys. Gifts for everyone. If you are wondering how I got them, it''s simple. I bought them. Money is the one thing I''m not lacking. Everyone dashed right for them. That''s the spirit. Making my friends happy really brings joy to my heart. Himeko got a big plush teddy bear. She fell in love with it instantly. Tengu¡­ I gave him a spare pair of clothes if Fenrir ever decides to treat him like a chew toy again. Gems for Sue and candy for Teri. I gave Cleo some beautiful jewelry. For Lorina, I had some rare materials prepared that she always wanted but could never get her hands on. Irina¡­ she just wanted to tie prez up. As for prez, I gave her a shiny ring. I really couldn''t think of anything better. "Milla-nee, did you prepare something for me too?" Grace was the trickiest. She never once mentioned that she needs anything. But I knew how to handle her. I point my finger upwards. "Oh, look. There''s some mistletoe here." "I don''t understand what¡­" Before she could finish I grabbed her hand and pulled her into a kiss. A hot, passionate kiss. When our lips separated, she was speechless. "Did you know, Grace, that if two people kiss under the mistletoe, they will be together forever. That''s my gift for you." Grace showed me a smile as bright as the sun. "That''s all I wish for, Milla-nee." As we prepared to kiss again¡­ "Ahh¡­ No fair, Milla-nyan! I want to kiss too." "Me too! Onee-chan, don''t forget me!" Persia and Odin must have overheard me. I glanced at Grace who giggled softly and told me it was alright. So I pleased them and kissed both of them. But¡­ "Okaasan¡­ me too¡­" "Your Highness, I would also like¡­" Everyone now wanted a kiss from me. Maybe this wasn''t such a good idea after all. "Oh, fine! Form a line and wait your turn. I''ll kiss you all." And so, my first Christmas in another world came to end. My lips might have went numb a bit, but it was a night to remember. I wish everyone, a Merry Christmas! 40: On the 6th day… As instructed, Milla''s servants led by Grace entered the territory of King Arnos to observe the war. While at first the 3 kings that were supposed to unite in the joint operation thought it was a waste of time, they ended up ignoring Grace''s party and let them do as they wish as long as they don''t get in the way. They set up a small observation camp on a hill so they could observe the whole situation. Lorina approached Grace and stated: "Those humans really have some absurd gear. I''m sure you are also aware, but their armor and weapons are the secret to their success." "True. I can also see it. Normally their numbers wouldn''t pose a problem. Our strength is far superior. But because of their gear they managed to close the gap. Humans really are scum. I can only imagine how much blood they shed to make so many." "Indeed. Even for me, making that many in such a short time is impossible. Why? Why are they going that far to claim this continent?" "I think their true goal isn''t the continent." Lorina tilted her head. "It''s just a personal theory. I have no evidence so I didn''t share it yet with Milla-nee. Lorina, since they arrived on the shores, they claimed a village. But why that particular village? They should be storming on Lord Arnos'' castle. Yet they went in a completely different direction." Lorina pondered for a moment. Yes, it made sense. The humans should be trying to get a powerful stronghold. "If we take a look they didn''t send any troops or scouts in that direction. Judging by their movements so far, they are headed in a straight line. And if they keep going like that they will end up at¡­ Mistveil mountain." "But, although that mountain holds valuable resources it would be impossible for the humans to harvest them. Not to mention there are strong monsters around there. So, why aim for the mountain?" "I don''t know. And like I said this is just a guess. For now let''s just do our role and observe them." -Day 1- The 3 merged armies started their advance on the human invaders. Magic and swords clashed. Although the humans have the numerical advantage, the demons were stronger and managed to push the humans back inside the village. It was weird. The humans didn''t send out their heroes and they didn''t relly on their gear. The demons won that battle. -Day 2- The demons wanted to continue their momentum from yesterday and charged to break the main gates. But when they entered the village they found it to be empty. As they advanced, the humans formed a pincer type attack. They jumped out of the houses and surrounded the demons. The heroes made their appearance and started to kill the every demon in sight. Heads and body parts were flying around. In the end what was left was a bloody village. Today, it was the humans victory. -Day 3- "To think those humans used such a cowardly tactic¡­" "Lord Arnos, let us not give up. Let''s send all our forces at once and end this." The 3 kings tried to develop a new strategy. They came up with a new tactic, but the humans anticipated it and managed to repel the demon army once again. -Day 4- Nobody made a single move from both camps. Grace and her party were still observing how the battle was evolving these past days. "Grace." "What is it, Lady Momoyo?" "This battle so far seems really weird. I don''t understand why were the humans able to push back such a force." "You have a good eye, although not quite developed yet. Yes, you are right. With our military strategy they should be dead by now. But the only way for them to be able to counter every move we make is to be aware of it." "That means, the humans must have a spy in our camp." "No. Even if a human were able to infiltrate, they have a unique scent they can''t mask. They would be detected. Which leads to an even greater problem. There is a traitor among us demons." "What!?" "I''m afraid it''s the only logical explanation. That''s why the humans are aware of every strategy our forces come up with. Even I am shocked. To think a demon would actually side with such filth." "Can you please stop using such words? I was a human too, you know." "Yes. You were. But now you are a Mazoku. You no longer fall into that category. Lady Momoyo, understand that they are the enemy." "Yes yes. I get that part. I will kill them, so don''t worry about me." "Good. We will join the battle soon." "Weren''t we supposed to observ only?" "When the heroes take the vanguard spot, that will be our best chance to secure Lady Shiori. The traitor won''t expect us to join the battle." -Day 5- The demons kept their distance and only fired arrows and spells. At first it seemed efficient, but the humans did something unthinkable. Meat shields. The demons that entered the village and got ambushed¡­ not all were killed. Some were left alive. The humans tied them up on wooden frames and used them as meat shields. During such a crisis situation, when all demons should stand unite, killing your own men, your own race, it was impossible. The humans pushed the demons further and further. -Day 6- "It seems that the humans are charging with full force this time. And the heroes are leading the attack. Irina, are you sure your little gimmick will get through?" "Ara Ara! But of course. It was Her Highness'' idea after all." "Then this is where we enter the field." "Are you sure? Shouldn''t we wait another day for Her Highness?" "Yes. It''s the only chance we will get at kidnapping that blonde girl. And besides¡­ I trust in Milla-nee''s judgement." ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó "Hahaha! Take this, demon scum!" Ren was swinging his sword around, slashing one demon after another. Because of his Boots of Hermes, he was able to move as fast, if not faster than the average Mazoku. "Triple slash!" When Ren shouted that his sword moved swiftly slicing a big demon in three places. Of course, he wasn''t the only one on the battlefield. The heroes also did their fair share of killing. "This is a piece of cake!" As Ren was happy by his power, he then heard some screams. Those screams came from the humanity side. "Help¡­ spare me!" "Monster¡­ she''s a monster¡­!" When Ren turned his head around he saw a group of holy knights fall one after another. A beautiful woman wielding a scythe has slaughtered everyone that came near her. The woman had a certain charm. Even her way of killing was refined. "Oh? What have we here? A cute maid?" The woman made a curtsy greeting. "Pleased to meet you, Sir Hero." "It''s rare to see manners on the battlefield. So, what can I do for you? What do you want?" The maid lifted the scythe above her head and licked her lips before answering. "I simply wish to play with you for a bit." 41: Grace vs Ren "Dam it! Hurry up and kill that brat! It''s just a little girl!" "Shall fight¡­ for okaasan." Himeko was displaying the swordsmanship she learned from Lorina. And of course, it was far superior compared to the holy knights. For the Void Blade, armor was meaningless. "Oi, is that an elf? Why is she so skilled?" The next remark was referring to Lorina. She was chopping heads left and right. Her cuts were precise and her hands were a blur. Normal knights don''t stand a chance against her. "What the hell!? Get this goo off me!" Sue was extremely nimble. Because she was a slime, she twisted herself like a snake and strangled everyone she came across. "What magic is this¡­ I can''t move¡­" A few soldiers got trapped in Irina''s strings. "Ara Ara! Such an ugly prey. Let me put you out of your misery." She slightly tapped her string and in the next moment the humans were cut down because of the string tightening. Then Irina quickly wiggled her hands and made a halbeard out of her strings. It was as strong as any steel weapon and she started swinging it around. "Come on men! What are you¡­" Before the high ranking soldier was able to finish his sentence, his throat his throat was slight. Like a true assassin Momoyo managed to sneak behind him and take him out. "Use magic! Fire some spells!" "[Aqua Shield]!" Felicia was galloping around the battlefield doing her share of killing. Needless to say, no human spell managed to breach her magic shield. The 3 demon kings were at a loss for words. "Oi, how come those guys are able to do damage? Why were the humans able to predict our every move, yet with just those guys they''re having a hard time?" "I don''t like it either, but maybe we can turn the tides now. Look, Milla''s battle maid wants to take on the leading hero. If he dies, the humans might be easy prey for us!" ------ *Bang* Sparks flew in the air as Ren''s sword and Grace''s scythe clashed. "Hou? So you can keep up with my moves. You ain''t half bad for a demon." "I wish I could say the same." "Triple Slash!" Grace spinned her scythe around turning it into a shield. She managed to block all of Ren''s slashes. Because the scythe was longer than the sword, Grace had the advantage in terms of reach. The scythe and the sword kept clashing at great speeds. Just as I suspected, somehow he''s draining my mana. I better not let this drag on for too long. Those were the thoughts Grace had. "Sir Hero, I will get a bit serious now. [Air Cutter]!" Grace swung her scythe while chanting that spell. 3 wind blades were generated and were heading straight for Ren. "Ha! I can handle that!" Ren met each of the wind blade with his holy sword Galatine and crushed all of them. But when the last one dispersed, Ren opened his eyes wide as Grace had already closed the distance between them. "What!?" "Such an amateur mistake!" Grace swung her scythe down towards Ren. She wasn''t aiming for any vital spot as Milla gave her a clear order to not kill him. Ren poured the mana he absorbed into his boots and managed to dodge by a paper thin difference. "You¡­ who are you calling an amateur? Something like that won''t reach me!" Grace only smiled at that sentence as she pointed towards Ren. "Are you sure about that?" A small scratch appeared on Ren''s cheek. He didn''t manage to completely dodge it. Naturally Ren was furious, but after a brief pause, he couldn''t help not ask. "Oi¡­ why can''t I smell anything? I can breathe just fine¡­ but I can''t pick up any smell. What the hell did you do to me, bitch!?" "So, it was the sense of smell that was taken. Such a pity." "Answer me!" Grace was calm and collected. There was no way she would reveal her secret just like that. The reason why Ren lost his sense of smell was because of her scythe. The Scythe of Astaroth. It had a unique special ability. It has the power, with each cut to seal one sense from the enemy. There are 5 basic senses: smell, taste, sight, hearing and touch. The scythe will randomly strip you away of one of your senses. But once all 5 senses are stolen, the 6th strike will instantly cause death. Of course, this ability has some restrictions. It can only be used on enemies as strong as the wielder or weaker. If used on a superior enemy, the burden of sealing a single sense would be too big to bear. "I''m willing to make a deal with you." Grace extend her index finger and pointed towards someone. That someone was Shiori. "That girl with blonde hair over there. If you hand her over to me, I shall retreat." "Huh? As if I''m going to listen to you! You did me a favor. Now I don''t have to deal with the stench of blood." Grace took another long glance at Shiori. Milla-nee, I really hope you will be prepared. Because that girl¡­ is dead inside. "Where do you think you''re looking?" Ren charged at Grace and wanted to swing his sword down on her, but Grace used her scythe as a pole and she drove it into Ren''s stomach. "Guah¡­" "I think it''s time to end our little game." Grace dashed forward in order to deal another blow to Ren. But as Ren was lying on the ground from the previous impact, he let out an evil grin and from the gem on his headgear he fired a laser beam. Grace quickly spinned her body to dodge, but the beam still managed to hit her shoulder a bit. "Using such a cowardly tactic¡­ that won''t work on me." Grace checked her shoulder. It was only a scratch. As she brushed it off and wanted to take another step, her feet started wobbling. "What!? That attack¡­ had some sort of poison in it¡­" As Ren stood up he started laughing like a maniac. "Hehe¡­ hahahaha! That''s right! This is my power. Because it only scratched you it will take a little time for it to spread through all your body, but from here on, no matter what you do, you will only get weaker and die by my hand!" At those words, Grace could only narrow her eyes and clench her fist. I wasn''t careful enough. This isn''t good. I need to end this quickly before it''s too late. 42: A loli descends "Shiori-chan! It''s me! Momoyo Nakano. I know I look different, but I''m the same Momo-chan you remember." "..." "Shiori! What''s wrong with you?" "Quick men! That demon over there is targeting our healer. Let''s¡­ Guah!" The torso of the man shouting was cut in half by Irina''s string halbeard. "Ara Ara! This is getting quite troublesome. Momo-chan, you can''t let your guard down." "But¡­ Shiori is¡­ what did they do to her?" "I don''t know. But as she is now, she''s nothing more than an empty doll. Talking to her is pointless." The reason why Shiori was in this state was because of the drug that Ren fed her each and every day. It would be more accurate to say that Shiori''s brain is now mush and only responded to Ren''s voice. "That''s it¡­ former classmates or not¡­ I won''t forgive them. Milla was right. They must be all killed!" "I like your attitude, but we must secure the target first. If anyone can fix that girl, it''s Lady Milla. Cover me, while I work, Momo-chan." Like a cowboy, Irina quickly made a web lasso and threw it at Shiori. She then pulled strongly and Shiori flew across the air straight into her arms. Then, using her spider legs she started to spin Shiori around into a cocoon, leaving only her nose and mouth visible. "Yosh! That should do it." ------ *Pant* "What''s wrong? You''re not looking too good. Where did all that energy before go? Hahaha!" Grace was breathing heavily and sweating all over. Besides the poison, she also had to deal with her mana being drained. She was leaning on her scythe. As she was struggling to get back up on her feet she suddenly jolted. Then, slowly closed her eyes and smiled. "So, it''s over, huh?" "Oh? Are you giving up? We don''t take prisoners. Are you hoping for a painless death?" "You haven''t noticed, have you?" "What are you talking about?" "Hasn''t it gotten a bit hotter around here?" Now that Grace mentioned that, Ren realized that it was really hotter than before, but during battle, he didn''t notice. "Oi, what''s that in the sky?" A soldier pointed to something in the sky. "Isn''t that just a bird?" "It''s getting bigger and bigger¡­" It wasn''t an ordinary bird. It was a fire bird. A bird completely covered in flames. It was about the same size as a killer whale. It went into a nose dive and crashed into the human army. At the moment of impact, a huge fire explosion was made. It obliterated at least 1000 knights. When the flames and smoke cleared, in the middle of the crater made by the blast stood a loli. Her aura was emitting heat. Her eyes were narrow. Hate, anger¡­ she was after blood. ------ Well, that certainly was a big entrance I made. It was quite fun enveloping myself in flames and shaping them into a phoenix. But as soon as I landed¡­ I could only feel anger. I saw Grace almost kneeling near Ren. And when I looked around I also saw Shiori. I could tell that something was wrong with her. Thank God that Irina covered her in web. If I were to see her state right now, I think I would involuntarily trigger Berserker Mode again. "Okaasan!" Himeko dashed towards me, but stopped when she felt the pressure of my aura. "You did well. Now just stand back. Mommy has some cleaning up to do. Irina, put Shiori on Felicia''s back. Felicia, take her back home as fast as you can. Protect her with your life!" "Un¡­ understood!" I turned my gaze towards Ren again. "Hey, they''re taking one of our own. What are you waiting for? We have to¡­ *Guaaah*!" I closed the distance between us before he could blink, kicked him in the stomach and sent him flying. Then I casually reach for my shadow and pull out a bottle of Phoenix Tears to give to Grace. "Milla-nee¡­ I''m sorry. I was careless." "It''s alrigh, Grace. Have everyone retreat. Just leave the rest to me." "But how did you manage to get here so fast? Your training should have lasted another day." At those words, from within my hair, a small spider made its way out. "Irina gave me this little guy before I departed. Everything Irina sees, this guy can see as well, regardless of how time flows. When I heard you guys were charging in and spotted Shiori, I hurried out and came here." At first I thought it was creepy to keep a spider in my hair. I didn''t want web or eggs in my head. But the little guy was so small, that I barely could notice or feel him. But, since there''s no such thing as a telephone in this world, I settled with the little critter. "Milla-nee¡­ You are¡­ Something isn''t right with¡­" "That''s enough, Grace! Like I said, you guys retreat. I''ll handle the rest." ------ Meanwhile as the 3 Demon Kings were watching the scene unfold before them¡­ "This is a circus! Honestly, what does that girl think she is doing?" "Lord Arnos, maybe we should consider stepping in as well? If she actually manages to push the humans back by herself, then we will be humiliated." "I guess we have no choice! Then let us¡­" But as soon as Arnos stepped forward, a wall of ice suddenly emerged, blocking their path. "Sorry old geezer, but we can''t let you do that." From within the bushes, Odin and Persia came out. "What''s the meaning of this!?" "Nya! Don''t get mad now. We''re just saying that you guys need to wait a little longer. Milla-nyan needs to blow of some steam, so don''t get in her way-nya. Okay?" "If you still insist on going, then you''ll have to go through us. So why not sit back and enjoy the show?" Milla isn''t the only one that got a power boost. We were training her, but at the same time she was kinda training us too. Even if it''s 3 against 2, these guys don''t stand a chance. "Very well¡­" ------ "Oi, don''t just stand around! Kill that fucking bitch!" When Ren got back on his feet he issued that order to his classmates. "Leave it to us!" 3 heroes tried to tackle at the same time. 2 from the front and 1 from behind. I finally understood why they managed to conquer so much. They were almost as weak as last time I saw them. It was their gear. Their gear was enhancing all their abilities. But against the current me, it''s useless. I simply waved my hand and surrounded myself with a circle of fire the moment they tried to strike me. Needless to say that the heat was so great that it burned the 3 of them to the bone. I turned my head back. "Prez, Grace, Himeko, Lorina... I thought I told you to retreat. I don''t want to hurt you by mistake." "I¡­ I want to see. For what they did to Shiori, I want to see them suffer!" "Milla-nee, you don''t need to worry. Felicia, Sue and Irina already fell back. I simply wish to stay by your side." I''m happy that they feel that way and want to stay near me. But I can''t fight and protect them at the same time. "Just stick to do the demon army and don''t get too close to me for now." "Understood." "Okay." Now then. It''s time to get my revenge. I''ll make you suffer for everything you''ve done! 43: The results of training "M...monster! How can a little girl be so strong?" The knights were shouting and were scared. Each time they tried to charge me, all I had to do was lift my hand and shoot swirling tornado flames from my hand and rows of knights would get crushed. "Why isn''t our holy armor protecting us?" I could hear one of them scream in pain. Their armor is quite decent to be honest. Maybe just a step beneath Lorina''s craftsmanship. But at the end of the day, it''s still metal. No matter how you enhance it, if heated strong enough it will still melt. And the heat from my current flames is more than their armor can handle. "Dam it! Don''t get scared now. She''s just one girl! Hey you guys, back me up. Let''s teach her a lesson! Oi, loli bitch, do you really think you''ll be able to stand up to us heroes and the power we possess?" "...You''re all just talk. The power you speak of wasn''t obtained by your own efforts. It''s fake. A fake won''t win against the real deal." The so called heroes are finally coming at me. Good! I''m tired of all these small fry. Come. I''ll make you suffer for all your crimes. "Take this!" One of the heroes fired a rock based attack at me. I simply twisted my body to dodge. Slow. So slow. I didn''t even have to move a leg. The attack flew past me. "You fell for it." From behind me a muscular figure wielding an axe was slashing down at me. The top sports athlete of our class. But the shock was on him. His axe disappeared from his hands. It took a few seconds for him to process what happened. "Aaaa!" His arms were cut off. This guy was using camouflage to get behind me and try a sneak attack. Please. Irina and Sue are 100 times stealthier than this guy. The moment he lifted the axe above his head I cut his arms off. Their moving in slow motion in my eyes. His screams were annoying so in the next instant I took his head too. "What!? Shit. Guys enough with the warm up. Let''s get serious." "That''s right¡­ we''ve only been playing around for now." This time it''s Ren himself that''s charging at me. His speed isn''t half bad. And it seems his armor is trying to suck my mana. Sorry to disappoint you, but the current me won''t be phased by such cheap tricks. He slashes continuously at me. Slashes and faints. I dodge everything with minimal body movement. His attacks are so boring. "Now! Double Sla¡­ *Gu¡­*" I manifested my right wing and extended it to hit Ren''s wrist. My wings may look like they have feathers, but they are as hard as iron. Because of my little smack, Ren''s grip loosened and cancelled his attack. "Try firing your skills however you want. I''ll crush their power." "Don''t take me lightly. I''m not just a swordsman." Ren took a few steps back. "[Firestorm]!" Ren just chanted a spell. Firestorm was an intermediate level spell that shot 10 fireballs around the size of soccer balls. Ren really was an idiot. Didn''t he see me turn everyone to ash? Fire has zero effect on me. This isn''t even worth dodging. All 10 fireballs hit me, but they didn''t even make me flinch. Let''s show him what a true fireball looks like. I lifted my index finger and shot a single fireball. With Ren''s speed he managed to dodge it. But I wasn''t aiming at him. Because he dodged, the spell hit one of his so called followers and turned him to a crisp. "You bitch! Killing my friend! I won''t forgive you! Takeshi was my childhood friend. I''ll brutally murder you!" Friend? Oh, please. Spare me the dramatic act. He just buttered up to you. I doubt you have a true friend. I can''t stand his crap. "Like I care! If you walk onto the battlefield you should be prepared to die. Did you ever think about the ones you killed yourself? Did you ever listened to them if they said the same thing? What naivety." Time to inflict some pain. I kick Ren in the gut and send him flying again. But at the same time 3 heroes lunged at me. Did you guys think I wasn''t paying attention to you anymore? The 2 that were lunging at me from the side, I grabbed their weapons with my bare hands. The 3rd was a gauntlet wielder and tried to punch me in the stomach. I lifted my knee and blocked his attack too. I twisted my body and crashed all 3 into each other. I wrapped my fist in fire and followed up with a strong punch. Since all 3 were now lined up, I turned them all into a puddle of blood. "You''ll pay for that! Grand Smite!!!" Ren got up and got behind me. He swung his sword down on me. The force of the impact raised a big cloud of dust. "Huraaah! He did it!" The knights started to cheer thinking that Ren vanquished the enemy. But their cheers were only for a brief moment. "No. Wait. It can''t be¡­" When the dust cleared, they could see the situation. Ren was lying on the ground with my foot on his back. I let out an evil smile. "You really must have fought some trashy opponents if you thought something like that would phase me." I removed my foot from his back and kicked him again. "Aaah¡­" He was sent tumbling across the ground. "Kuh¡­ don''t you guys just stand there. Shoot her! Unleash some spells on her! Make it rain with pain!" The remaining heroes started to chant their magic and fired them all at once. Various elements covered the sky. But I didn''t move an inch. Because all the spells that were aiming me¡­ "Guahaaa¡­" All of them hit Ren. Ren was on his hands and kneels. "What the fuck are you guys doing?" "Wha¡­ this doesn''t make sense." "Why did our spells hit Takeda-san? I''m sure I aimed right." "So, how does it feel to get backstabbed?" "You¡­ what did you do?" As if I''m gonna give away the answer. I manipulated the air. You could say that I made a wind tunnel. The idea came to me from Miraluka''s gravity magic. Although I suck at it, by using the air pressure I managed to achieve something similar and redirected all those spells to Ren. If they were stronger it wouldn''t be that easy, but with these guys I can pull off stunts like this. "I''m in a good mood so I''ll give you another chance. [Recovery]!" From a distance I casted an intermediate wind healing spell on Ren. It must have worked a bit as he got up back on his feet and was glaring at me. "You''re pissing me off!" Good. I only healed you because you haven''t suffered enough. It''s not time to kick the bucket yet. "Brace yourself for round 2. I''ll have you squirm around a bit more." 44: Revenge "Okaasan. Amazing." "That''s right. I don''t know what she did, but she''s stronger than before. She''s playing with those humans. Yet that one individual that you''ve been fighting, Grace¡­ why does she keep healing him?" "I don''t know the details, but Milla-nee has a personal grudge against that one. My theory is that she wants to make him suffer more." As Grace and the others were witnessing the scene that was unfolding before them, Himeko titled her head. "What''s the matter, Himeko?" "Okaasan¡­ not well." "What do you mean? She''s doing great." "No. Himeko is right. I noticed it too. After serving my mistress for so long I have a sort of¡­ Milla sense. I can''t figure out what it is, but something is definitely wrong with her. Haven''t you noticed? She makes minimal movements. She hardly took a few steps around. And she''s sweating heavily. Normally because of her heat, she shouldn''t even be able to sweat. The Milla I know would charge swiftly." "Now that you mention it¡­" "Let''s just hope she will be alright." Milla-nee, what did you do to yourself? ------ One week ago. "So, Odin, what type of training is this?" "Onee-chan, you know that magic is divided between the 6 elements, null magic and Origin magic. How should I describe this? Each type has a gate across the magic circuits that opens and closes when you use magic. But what would happen if there would be no gate at all? If you chose to crush a gate, then you would have excess mana which will have to go somewhere. It will go into your physical strength and into your remaining gates, making you stronger." I see. So that''s the price Odin was referring too. Sacrificing an element to boost another. It might have a bigger impact on me because it will restrict my Origin magic use. "I understand. I still want to do it!" I won''t go through the details, but the training was harsh. I felt a lot of pain, but it doesn''t compare to the pain I would feel if I couldn''t save Shiori. So I pushed forward. Nearing the end of the training period, Odin and Persia supported my tiny body. "That''s enough, onee-chan! You''ve already broken 3 gates. If you keep going, your body will crumble." The gates I broke were light, water and earth. I was panting and sweating like a pig. Odin raised her hand and summoned some form of ice magic similar to an air conditioner. She was trying to cool me off. "Milla-nyan, you''re in an overheat state right now. You need to rest and let your body get used to the changes-nya." If only it went that way. The spider that Irina gave me for communication, crawled out of my hair and started whispering in my ear. Grace and the party were engaging the humans. I couldn''t rest. I insisted on going to the battlefield right away. Odin and Persia sighted, but in the end, they knew I wouldn''t change my mind. So they sort of stabilized me, but Odin made me promise to not unleash excessive magic. As soon as I stepped outside the castle I wrapped myself in flames. A true burning Phoenix. And so, I headed to the battlefield. ------ "You devil¡­ how dare you make us hurt our friend!?" I couldn''t care less of what they said. I wanted Ren to suffer more. But I can''t waste too much time. I''ll end every hero with just one move. I placed my hands in an X shape and chanted: "[Phoenix Talons]!" When I separated my arms, swarms of flaming claw-like slashes were unleashed. And the speed I fired them with was too great for a human to overcome. All the heroes except for Ren got hit¡­ and were killed on the spot. Ren started to panic. "... How could you do something like that? Killing everyone. My precious friends¡­" "Cut the crap already! I killed them on the spot and spared them more suffering. I call that mercy. But you¡­ You are the only one I won''t forgive!" I guess I''m really not human anymore. Former classmates or not, I felt nothing when killing. No regret, no sorrow. "I¡­ I''ll kill you!" Ren fired a lazer beam from the jewl on his headgear. So this is what poisoned Grace. I merely move my wrist and deflect the beam. Persia''s hand to hand combat. Mana manipulation. Every spell had a center point that can be altered or destroyed. "Enough games. There''s only one punishment fit for someone like you." I charged at Ren and pushed him against a big boulder. "Let go of me!" Ren started punching my head, but I didn''t feel anything. He dropped his sword when I tackled him. It''s time. I started emitting flames in the hand that was pinning Ren. "Are you trying to melt my armor? Sorry, but it won''t melt because it''s enchanted." I ignored Ren and continued. After a few seconds¡­ "Uwaaah!" What a terrible scream. It seems Ren finally is feeling my aim. I wasn''t trying to melt his armor. I was boiling him inside. Steam rose from the armor and his sweat instantly evaporated. He started coughing blood, but even that began to dry. "Please¡­ spare me!" He''s really the worst. "You probably don''t recognize me, but here''s something you once said to me. ''We don''t need to look after trash like you. You''re just a burden, so die!'' " "Impossible¡­ don''t tell me¡­ Ryusei...Homura¡­" "Bingo. Now go repent in hell!" I drastically increased the heat. His screams grew. His eyeballs popped out. His flesh started to melt. After a few more seconds a skeleton was all that was left inside the armor. I let it fall on the ground. Despair could be read on the other knights faces. It''s over. I got the revenge I wanted. Somehow I pulled it off. I started walking back towards the demon army. But I let my guard too soon. Before I realized it a light arrow pierced my body. And it didn''t stop there. Countless arrows crashed into my body and made small explosions. I was completely pierced like swiss cheese. Everyone turned their gaze towards the place the arrows were fired from. "A¡­ Angel. An angel!" When they looked in the sky they saw a young woman, with pure white wings and a white wedding dress. "Do not falter men!" Amongst the commotion, an old man made his way. It was the Pope. "Loosing the heroes is truly tragic. But do not despair. The Goddess didn''t abandon us! Her light continues to guide us even in the darkest situations!" The Pope started to give motivational speech. ------ "Aaaa!" The one that screamed was Lorina. "Lorina, what''s wrong?" "Those bastards¡­ that''s¡­ that''s my sister over there. What¡­ just what on earth did they do to her?" Tears started flowing from Lorina''s eyes. "I''ll kill them. I''ll kill every last one of them!" Lorina was preparing to draw her sword again, but before that, Grace circled behind her and applied a karate chop on the back of her neck to render her unconscious. "Grace¡­ what¡­?" "Lady Momoyo, trust me, this is for her own good. Charging in blindly and filled with rage won''t solve anything. This will make it easier for her. But even I am infuriated. To think that Lorina would have a sister, and to think that the church would turn her into an abomination¡­ How far do they plan to go?" "Shouldn''t we at least jump back in and support Milla?" "No. She told us to stay with the crowd. And besides, that won''t be enough to put her down." ------ "So you see, fellow knights, the Goddess has sent us her messenger. She is the sword that shall bring justice. So is the will of the Goddess! This is our miracle!" "HURAAAH!!!" Cheers echoed across the battlefield. "Ha¡­ Hahaha!" But those cheers stopped as soon as an evil laughter could be heard. It was me. Once the dust from the explosions cleared and the flames from Phoenix Resurrection fixed my body, I could only laugh at that hypocritical speech the Pope gave. My job isn''t done yet. In order to crush the church, killing the heroes isn''t enough. That old fart has to go too. The church that summoned us here. The ones that started this war. These sinners¡­ they must be purged. And more importantly, that girl¡­ no, that creature must be put out of it''s misery. "Impossible¡­ it was a direct hit!" "Why¡­ not even a scratch?" The knights started chattering again. "You call that a miracle? Don''t make me laugh, fools!" "I am the Demon King of Insanity! I AM¡­ THE MURDERER OF MIRACLES!" 45: Angel and Demon *...Whistle...* "Fenrir, come here!" Odin was calling her trusty companion. "Fenrir listen closely. I want you to go down there. Go to Milla. Her body won''t last much longer at the rate she is going. Help her escape. Go!" "Awooo!" Fenrir let out a howl and quickly dashed in the direction of the battlefield. That''s enough already, onee-chan. That thing isn''t something you can defeat in your current state. As everyone was focus on the battle, Miraluka tried to sneak away from the group, but with a speed faster than lightning Persia cut her off. Persia wiggled her index finger in a disapproving manner. "Nono! Sorry-nya, but I can''t let you sneak off yet." "Persia, what do you gain from all of this? If I know you, you would rather take a nap than listen to anyone else." "Because Milla-nyan is fun. Ever since I''ve been around her I am having tons of fun. I don''t need any other reason-nya." The 3 kings had no choice but stand there and watch. ------ "Haaa!" I compressed my fire in my palm and shaped it into an orb. I thrust my hand forward to drive it into her stomach. But the enemy did the same and created an orb of light. Both our attacks clashed and released huge shockwaves of fire and light. I tried pushing through, but eventually the attacks cancelled each other out. I leaped back to take some distance. *Pant¡­ pant¡­* I started to breathe heavily. This girl wasn''t an opponent I could hold back against. Not after I saw her stats. Name: Melina L. Gardenia Age: 3002 Race: High Elf Class: Unknown Strength: SSS Agility: EX Endurance: EX Magic: EX Luck: D- Overall Rank: EX Her stats weren''t the only scary part. I could see several orbs shining in her body. It''s like all her major organs have been replaced with monster cores. This poor girl¡­ Each time our fists clashed I could hear a faint voice coming from her. It''s so frail and week, but I still managed to understand it. She repeats it over and over: "... kill me¡­" What did they do to her? Judging by her name she''s most likely Lorina''s sister. The missing elf princess. I really don''t want to kill Lorina''s sister. But she is lost. There''s no way to cure her. Even if I were to try removing her cores, she wouldn''t survive the process. And that jewel around her neck that lets the Pope control her is stuck similar to how the jewels in my hands are. If I try to remove it I''ll just end up taking a part of her throat. This girl has suffered enough. I''ll grant her wish. I''ll kill her and set her free. The gold ornaments around her dress detached and started firing lazer beams of all elements at me. I didn''t bother dodging the fire element but I swiftly dodge the other beams like a circus acrobat. Even with the training I had, she manages to repel my ordinary flames. I wanted to hit her with my big moves, but my body isn''t ready for that yet. This fight is hard. Every time I try getting close to her to land one of Persia''s secret palm strikes she would just take more distance. Her speed surpasses mine. Guess I have no choice but to use that. I shoved my fist into the ground and chant: "[Devour, Yamata no Orochi]!" This wasn''t your average spell. It was something I came up with. My own creation. From the ground, 8 huge fire snake heads emerged and charged at the so called apostle. She nimbly dodge their charge, but the snakes were restless and came for her again and again. Even when she tried to slice off a head, the flames grew it back. But I wasn''t done yet. While she was busy avoiding the heads I dashed behind her and extended my arm. "[Wind Wave]!" I cast a simple wind tornado to cut off her retreat. She noticed it. She can''t go through the snakes and she can''t let herself get slowed down by the tornado. So she took the only route that was left. She tried to dash through me. She made a light blade appear as an extension to her palm and wanted to stab me with it. I didn''t dodge. I let myself get stabbed. "Guah!" I cough a bit of blood, but the pain is bearable. And in that moment when her blade was still inside me¡­ "I got you now!" I violently grabbed her arm. I finally managed to get close range with her. "The first stance: Disruptive Palm!" One of Persia''s techniques, I drive my palm through her body. As it''s name suggests it temporarily scrambles your magic circuits. "You''re taking this with me!" I waved my free hand and the 8 snake heads and the wind tornado came at both of us. They struck the both of us and merged into a huge flaming tornado. Fire had no effect on me. Yet I could hear her screams ot pain. I dashed out of the tornado and let her experience it''s full force. *Pant¡­ pant¡­* "I hope that does it." When the flames clear, I could see her burnt body lying on the ground. I thought I won. But a second later all her wounds started to heal. I couldn''t believe my eyes. I scanned her over and over. "... Slime King''s Ultra Regeneration, huh." To think I would ever face an opponent with an ability similar to my own. It''s troublesome. What should I do next? She''s already back on her feet. I need something to blow off her body completely. It''s almost noon if I''m not mistaken. Sorry Odin, but seems like I have no choice but to activate my trump card. I placed my hands in an X shape guard and started to chant: "O, great flames of destruction Heed my call Let loose my burning rage To purge the sins¡­" But just as I was chanting, Fenrir leaped out of nowhere between me and Melina. I lost my concentration and broke the chant. Is this Odin''s way of telling me to retreat? She''s really taking her role as a big sister seriously. "Milla-nee!" Grace with Lorina on her back, Himeko and Momoyo ran towards me. What do they think they''re doing? I told them not to get near me. "This is perfect!" The Pope exclaimed with a smile on his face. "These great sinners have all gathered in one place! They can all be struck down. Show them all the might of the Goddess! Kill them all at once!" Melina flew high in the sky and gathered magical energy in her hands. She generated a huge pure white electrical orb. This is bad. This is seriously bad. Lightning is probably the strongest form of offensive magic. It will erode any wall I will put up against it. I won''t be able to block it. Think brain, think! Then it hit me. This is so gonna hurt. I reached towards Himeko. More specific, the sword attached to her back. "Okaasan¡­ don''t¡­" But I didn''t listen. I drew the Void Blade. It violently lashed at me with purple lightning. But I rather deal with this lightning over the other one. "Just shut up for a second, you fucking sword!" I wrapped my hand in flames. My Phoenix Resurrection kicked in. "Okaasan¡­ can wield it¡­?" No, I wasn''t worthy of it. But if it''s for just a few seconds I can bear the pain. My Phoenix Resurrection is healing me at the same speed the lightning is trying to tear my flesh off. As Melina fired the electrical orb. I swung the sword down with all my might. "Dimensional Rift!" It was like I made a cut into the fabric of reality itself. Melina''s attack got absorbed into the rift. The rift then closed itself. In that moment I let the sword fall from my hand. Smoke came out of my hand due to forcing myself to bear the swords punishment. I fell on my knees. My body is at its limits. I''m burning up. Momoyo quickly picked me up and put me on Fenrir''s back. Himeko grabbed the fallen sword and sheated it. Grace chanted some sort of mist magic to block visual sight. After everyone hopped on, Fenrir dashed away. "Your Eminence, shouldn''t we chase?" "No. Let them go. This was a good way for us to test our power. We''ll stop here today. Don''t worry, my child. With the Goddess on our side, victory is ours. ------ "Milla-nee we need to get you home. You need to rest." "Not yet¡­ Fenrir, take us into the woods for now¡­" "But Milla-nee¡­" "This is something I must do before resting. I have enough strength left for it." After all, I got my own revenge. But it''s time to get revenge for Milla too. 46: Desperate Milla The night settled in. It was a long day and the battlefield finally settled. The 3 demon kings really wanted to beat up Odin and Persia for stopping their advance. They also wanted to have a harsh talk with Milla for jumping in solo. But since she killed all the heroes herself they let it slide. The fact was that Milla went in the opposite direction and they didn''t want to risk direct combat with the church''s secret weapon. But even the night wasn''t calm. Melina and the Pope were meeting in the woods with a person covered in black robes. "The information you provided us was wrong. You didn''t mention anything about that little girl and because of that, we lost our heroes." The black robe took his hood off. The person that was standing in front of the Pope, the traitor that has been leaking each and every strategy used this past week was none other than Miraluka. "It''s not my fault. That child is unpredictable. You can never guess what''s going on in that head of hers." "Regardless it was a good stage for testing our power. Now I know that our weapon can stand toe to toe with any Demon King. And that means your services are no longer required." "But¡­ we had a deal! You promised that when you conquer this land you will appoint me ruler over all the remaining demons!" "The thing is, we don''t intend to leave any demons alive. We will purge all of you. And that includes you too." *Snap* The Pope snapped his fingers and Melina stepped forward. "You bastards. I''ll make you pay for deceiving me!" ------ Miraluka was covered in blood and was running through the woods. In the end she didn''t manage to defeat Melina. She was heavily injured and barely managed to escape. "Those filthy humans¡­ to think they would take advantage of my kindness so much¡­ and my plan of ruling this continent failed¡­ everyone will pay!" "It seems they did quite the number on you, Miraluka." From within the bushes, a red haired loli with crimson eyes slowly made her way towards Miraluka. "Eh¡­ Milla?" "So you''re the traitor after all." How did Milla figure out that Miraluka was the traitor? Well it wasn''t that hard. When Grace and her party arrived, the spider girl Irina followed a strict order from her Mistress. She and her little spider underlings spread her strings in both camp sides. When Miraluka was moving to the human side to feed them intel on the strategy that was discussed, she triggered those strings and the baby spiders got a good look at her. "Milla¡­ please¡­ you must believe me. The humans are at fault. I was deceived. The humans are the enemy!" "You aren''t wrong there." I reached inside my shadow and picked up a glass bottle. "You''re in a pretty bad shape. If I were to give this to you, would you swear loyalty to me?" A bottle of Phoenix Tears. "I swear¡­ please¡­ save my life¡­" I tossed the bottle over and without a second thought she drank it. And in the next instant she violently coughed blood. "What''s¡­ going on? This¡­ this isn''t Phoenix Tears. It''s¡­" "Black Death." "Impossible¡­ I''m the only one who knows how¡­ to produce it¡­" "Are you really that naive? Anything you can do, I can do better." It wasn''t actually that easy. It took me and Lorina quite some time to replicate the formula. After that I simply had one of my glass bottles painted red so that it gives off the impression that it was Phoenix Tears inside. And this idiot fell for it. "YOU BITCH! How dare¡­ you¡­ killing a Demon King is forbidden¡­" "I don''t know what you''re talking about. I heard some explosions and when I went to see what it was about, I found you dead, killed by the humans." I turned my smile into a serious face filled with hatred. "You, who killed my family and tried to make me your puppet, are finally getting a taste of your own medicine. I hope you suffer in hell." Eventually the Black Death fully kicked in and she fell to the ground. She was dead. I barely managed to stand on my feet. As I was about to collapse from the same bush Grace leaped to support my body. "Are you alright, Milla-nee?" "Grace¡­ I think I''m gonna take a nap now¡­ I''m so tired¡­" "Yes. Leave everything to me. Sweet dreams, Milla-nee." Milla¡­ I kept my word. I killed the one responsible for your family''s death. Wherever you are, I hope you can rest in piece now. ------ I think I slept for 3 days straight. Odin and Persia were always by my side to stabilize my body. When I woke up I felt much better. I pretty much got my strength back. The first thing I wanted to do was to go and see Shiori. Grace took me to the room assigned to her. When I entered, Momoyo was already by her side. I got close to her and looked at Shiori who was lying on the bed. Her eyes were empty, devoid of any traces of light. "Milla¡­ please. You must help her. There must be a way to return her to normal." "I''ll do my best." At first I tried talking to her but she didn''t reply. I tried using Recollection to dig through her mind¡­ and was shocked. It was scrambled. Her mind, her memories¡­ they are a complete mess. I couldn''t make heads or tails of what was in there. I tried giving her some Phoenix Tears. But it didn''t work. Why? I know her brain is physically okay, but my Tears should also cure any negative status alignments too. So why? I think I made her drink 10 vials, but there was no change at all. Wait. Could it be¡­ it''s the only explanation. Her body actually thinks that this is her natural condition. I don''t know what they did to her. I was so angry. But if her body was really made to think that this is her natural state, then it explains why my Tears have no effect. Darn it! What else can I do? I lost track of time. I didn''t know how much I spent with Shiori. If only I still had my earth element maybe I could have modified her body to cure her, but I sacrificed that element. Grace eventually approached me and put her hand on my shoulder. "Milla-nee¡­ I''m sorry to say but fixing her might be impossible. Maybe it would be best if we put her out of her mis¡­" *Slap* I turned around and before Grace could finish I slapped her on the cheek. "I don''t want to hear that! Never say something like that again." "I''m sorry, but if you can''t fix her, then what else can be done? There''s nothing left." It hurts. My chest hurts so much. Is there really nothing I can do? Am I going to lose the one I love the most? While scratching my head, it then came to me. There might be a way. I pulled from my shadow the purple teleportation crystal that Persia gave me. "Grace, this thing can take me anywhere I''ve been before, right?" "Yes, but where do you plan to go? Milla-nee, you barely recovered so I don''t think¡­" I started pouring mana into the crystal. "Milla-nee, that''s too much mana!" "Grace, you were right about one thing. I can''t do anything. But I know someone who can. Nobody is to touch her until I come back." The crystal emitted a bright light and eventually my body faded in the light. ------ It was, an infinite darkness. As far as the eye can see, there was only darkness. No matter where you went, no matter how long you waited, there were no signs of light at all. There was only a throne with a young girl sitting on it. "Haha¡­ Ahahaha!" Her laughter echoed across the darkness. "To think you actually would find your way back to me. This is too much. You''re simply incredible!" Amongst the darkness a red haired loli with crimson eyes was approaching the throne. "Yo! It''s been a while, Demon God." 47: Can a loli challenge a God? "First, let me congratulate you for figuring out that the teleport crystal can also bring you here. So, what brings you to me?" "Do you even need to ask? Last time you could read my mind, after all." "Last time you didn''t have a mouth. I''m showing some respect for your privacy here." "I see. Then I''ll be straight. Is there a way to revert Shiori back to normal?" "Of course. Something like that is child''s play for me." "Then can you¡­" "Kneel." "What?" "I''m telling you to knell. When requesting something from a God, isn''t it natural to get on all fours?" So that''s how you want to play? Trying to trample on my dignity? Sorry to disappoint you, but I don''t care about stuff like that. If that''s all that it takes to save Shiori then I''m fine with it. I went a step further and took a full dogeza pose. "Please¡­ I''m beginning you¡­ save Shiori!" "Oh, wow! You actually went and did it! You really are the best!" I lifted my head and wanted to ask: "Then¡­" "No. My answer is no." She changed her innocent smile into a serious expression. I was shocked. She folded her arms and continued. "Did you really think that just by coming here I would roll over for you? And do I need to remind you that you killed Miraluka? I made it clear the last time how important the number of the 12 kings is for balance and that my ways of involving myself are limited. Letting you return is already a miracle." "But¡­" "And you''re just like every other mortal. You only turn to a god in the final hour, when every other method fails. Only then you think of asking the gods. I have no reason to comply with your request." "Then I''ll force you!" I stood up violently. "Hou!? You really think that you can fight me, little one?" She extended her index finger in my direction. A pure white magical circle was formed. The runes engraved on it¡­ I couldn''t read them at all. Maybe that''s the language of the gods. "[Delete All]!" A white lazer blast hit me. I could only see white before me. And before I knew it¡­ I was gone. "I guess I overdid it a bit. Tick tock, time shall move as I command!" She started spinning her finger counter clockwise. Particles of light were formed and my body appeared once again. She turned back time. I was scared. She could erase me with ease, manipulate time... And her stats¡­ Name: Unknown Age: Unknown Race: Divinity Class: Demon God Strength: Infinite Agility: Max Endurance: Infinite Magic: Infinite Luck: Unknown Overall Rank: Infinite I stood zero chances against her. Yet, I stepped forward. "My, oh my. I thought that my small display was enough to show you difference in our power. Aren''t you scared of me?" "I am. But I''m more scared of losing Shiori. If I knew I didn''t do everything in my power, then I would regret it for the rest of my life." The Demon God got off her throne and snapped her fingers to change the landscape around into what looked like a canion. "Very well. I''ll play with you then. Try your best to entertain me." I immediately thrusted my fist into the ground. "[Devour, Yamata no Orochi]!" 8 snakes heads emerged from the ground and lunged at the Demon God. But she didn''t move at all. My snakes crashed into her with all their might. Yet the Demon God wasn''t fazed at all. It was like she had some sort of barrier around her. Well if magic couldn''t brake it then maybe my punches can. I leaped at her and extended my fist. I hit an invisible wall. I punched it over and over, but there were no signs of it cracking. "Let me give you a little advice. My barrier negates all physical and magical attacks. I''m afraid that without god slaying magic, you won''t be able to breach it." She flicked her fingers. It was like being hit by an invisible bullet. "Guah¡­" She sent me flying quite a bit. And with that move alone she seriously damage my internal organs. Phoenix Resurrection kicked in to fix them, but this was still bad. Really bad. What should I do? I placed my hands together. "[Geo Dark Bolt]!" I turned to Origin magic. If this is magic of the gods then maybe this might break through. But that didn''t happen. The black lightning I unleashed was absorbed inside her body. "Not a bad idea. But Milla, you must have realized it. You can only use Origin magic because I allow it. You''re borrowing my powers. So when you shoot Origin magic, you''re basically asking my Origin to help you kill me. That will never happen." She flicked her fingers again. My right arm and left leg were blown away. But before the blood managed to leak out, my flames regenerated my lost limbs in a second. "You disappoint me. I guess I should end this here." 3 magic circles formed above the Demon God''s head. And she fired silver blasts from them at me. I placed my hands in an X shape guard. I didn''t know what else to do. The impact made a huge explosion. The Demon God let out a long sigh. "In the end you were just another mortal. I hope you learned your lesson. A single mortal is no match for a God." "Who says she''s alone?" A voice could be heard from the smoke that was left behind. The Demon God focused her eyes and what she saw, left her speechless. "Impossible!" Besides Milla, a ghostly figure could be seen besides Milla. What was more shocking was that the ghost had the same appearance as Milla. "Wait¡­ who are you?" "I''m you. The original Milla Walpurgis. Nice to meet you, other me!" The Demon God was the one that continued. "This can''t be. Your soul was shattered. That''s why I was able to put this guy in your body." "You aren''t wrong. I mostly passed away. But a few fragments of my soul stayed behind. I was always with you, other me. This place, which is abundant with magic, finally allowed me to manifest." "Still, why are you siding with that trash? Aren''t you angry that he''s using your body." "It wasn''t his fault. You are the one that put him in this predicament anyway. And besides, she is me, I am her. I don''t need any other reason to side with her." "Milla¡­ thank you." I could feel her warmth. Her ghostly figure tightly gripped my hand. Then both of us shouted in unison: "With the 2 of us together, we shall overturn the will off the gods!" ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó Grace was serving Odin a cup of tea. "Thank you, Grace." "It''s the least I can do. After all, you saved Milla-nee so many times." After a moment of silence, Odin continued. "There''s something you want to ask me, right?" "Correct. Back on the battlefield, right before Fenrir and us jumped to Milla''s side, she was chanting a peculiar spell. What was that? It felt extremely dangerous." "Your eyes are sharp as always. That is her trump. Her final move. Grace, a Phoenix is a bird that draws its power from flames. But what is the strongest form of fire known in the world?" "A dragon''s fire?" "Close, but not exactly. It''s the sun. The sun that gives warmth and shines during the day. The sun is miles away from earth, yet it still manages to heat it up. It''s a giant fireball. And the sun reaches it''s peek in the sky roughly about noon. That''s when Milla can access it. She can use the explosive power of the sun. But the sun only stays at its peek for 1 minute. You can say that for 1 minute, Milla becomes invincible. But that power, similar to Berserker Mode has a price to pay. That''s why I stopped Milla from using it back then. The name of that ability is..." ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó I am grateful that the Demon God also recreated the time zone on earth too. The conditions are met. "O, great flames of destruction Heed my call Let loose my burning rage To purge the sins of those in front of me. I shall become a monster in thy name, So grant me the power To trample the world itself! [ONE WITH THE SUN]!" 48: Milla and Milla Flames wrapped around Milla''s tiny body. Her black swimsuit type dress became pure white. Her wings were enveloped in golden flames. Her crimson hair also turned gold. It was fluttering in the air as if it was literally made of fire. And Milla''s crimson eyes were shining strongly. The Demon God analysed the current Milla''s stats. Name: Milla Walpurgis Age:228 Race: High Mazoku Class: Demon King Strength: EX Agility: EX Endurance: Infinite Magic: Infinite Luck: A Overall Rank: Can''t be determined "Do you really intend to defy a god?" I couldn''t care less what she was blabbering about. Milla had a plan. Our minds were connected now. So we didn''t have to speak to understand one another. Okay. Let''s do this! I wrapped my fist in flames and charged at the Demon God. "Pointless. Even if you got a power boost, all magical and physical attacks will be¡­" But she didn''t manage to finish her sentence because the moment my fist hit her barrier, it shattered like glass. And my burning fist went straight into her face. "Argh¡­" She let out some sort of scream as I sent her body flying. It''s working. With this, we can do it! The Demon God got herself back on her feet. "So¡­ transmutation. That''s your trick. Infuriating." She figured it out. What we did was apply an old history principle. Alchemy. The power to change something into something else. It wasn''t the same as Modelling. What we did was change the mana itself. We removed the mana from the flame and used the surrounding air as it''s fuel. A magic attack with no mana. Even for me with modern world knowledge, it''s hard to understand. If this isn''t magic, I''ll just call it Alchemy. You''re amazing Milla! "Since the beginning of life, mortals have always tried to defy the gods. I do what I do because that''s how things are supposed to go." "Screw you! Why do you get to decide for us. We make our own future? And I want a future with Shiori in it. My feelings won''t lose to you!" The Demon God gathered energy into her hand and made an orb. She trew it at me. Once the orb picked up speed, it burst open into hundreds of smaller orbs. With lightning fast reflexes and using Persia''s techniques I manage to shatter with my fists every orb that came my way. I then kicked the ground, soared into the sky, and nose dived towards the Demon God. She met my burning fist with hers. Needless to say that each clash we had created shockwaves that changed the landscape around. Everything around us was blown away. "Oraaa!" I unleashed a barrage of fists. The afterimages made you believe that I had multiple arms. The Demon God seemed annoyed. "Useless. Why do you struggle in vain? What you want to achieve is an ideal. A delusion." "I''ll brake through that twisted logic of yours." For a split second she was faster than me and managed to punch me in the stomach. I was sent flying, but quickly regained my balance in the air. When I looked at the Demon God, I saw a magic circle in her palm. "[Oblivion]!" A concentrated blue energy beam was fired in my direction. I gathered flames in my hands as fast as I could. Similar to that beam, I shot a fire blast towards it. Both our attacks clashed, making the earth shake. Our attacks were struggling. Each was trying to push the other back. For a mortal to match my power¡­ These were the Demon God''s thoughts. "You¡­ for you to able to hold off my attack¡­ do you realize the price you are paying?" "I knew it ever since I discovered this power with Odin and Persia. The fuel for this power, the price that needs to be paid is¡­ the incineration of memories." That''s right. One with the Sun involved burning your memories to fuel the power that can reach the gods. Right now, I was sacrificing my past life memories. I couldn''t remember my parents faces, the house I grew up in, my classmates. But I was determined to burn everything aside Shiori from my mind if needed. Other me, fret not. If you don''t have enough, burn my memories too. I felt Milla''s energy flowing through me. Because of that I could increase the output of my attack. The Demon God''s beam was being pushed back. "Impossible¡­ I can''t be overpowered¡­" But that''s exactly what was happening. "Haaa!" I let out a powerful scream and my blast managed to defeat her beam. A direct hit. My flames made a huge explosion. It almost felt like a nuclear blast you see in movies. It''s not over yet! We damaged her but it isn''t enough. We don''t have much time left. The minute is almost over. But, now''s our chance. Use everything you have! Use everything I have! You don''t need to tell me twice. I''m ending it here! "Over boost! [Berserker Mode]!" It felt like my flesh was ripping appart. Right now I was angry enough to fullfil Berserker Mode''s rage requirement. But my body was breaking. If not for Phoenix Resurrection, I would have gotten killed with this stunt. Overlapping Berserker Mode with One with the Sun was my full power. And because there were 2 of us now I still managed to retain my sanity. For the only person that was kind to me and treated me like a proper human being¡­ it''s worth the risk. My whole body was enveloped in golden flames. It was now or never. "Hiyaaaaaaa!" I spinned my body around creating a flaming tornado behind me. The flames that wrapped around me started to look like a dragon head that wanted to eat it''s prey. The Demon God started sweating and she looked like she was panicking. She fired countless energy beams so close to each other that dodging was impossible. Don''t dodge. Go through them. I listened to Milla''s voice and ignored the beams. As soon as they pierced me, there was no blood. Only flames leaked out. It was like fire was my blood right now. "[Aegis Shield]!" A purple energy shield similar to a knights'' typical shield appeared before her. It was as big as a truck. I put all my strength, all my feelings into my punch. The Demon God extended both her hands to maintain the shield. The impact was devastating. I kept pushing my fist in her shield. Electric sparks flew violently across the place. And the Demon Gods'' body was being pushed back. Cracks started to appear on her shield. "Impossible¡­ this can''t happen¡­" "Did you forget? I¡­ no. We are Milla, the Demon King of Insanity. For us nothing is impossible!" I kept forcing my fist until eventually, her shield broke and from the momentum my fist landed on her stomach. "Aaaargh!" She let out a painful scream but I didn''t care. I twisted my fist and went straight through her. That''s right. I split her body in two. The 2 halves were engulfed in flames and a blazing explosion ignited behind me. As for me¡­ I crashed onto the ground making a meteor size crater. When the dust cleared I was back in my original form. I violently coughed blood. Why was it that every battle brings me a near death experience? Other me, we have to stand up! "I¡­ can''t¡­" We must! It''s not over. Look!" Her ghostly figure pointed towards the burning explosion I caused earlier. The Demon God emerged from the flames in one piece and without a single scratch. I couldn''t believe my eyes. I landed a solid hit, yet it did nothing? One small step at a time, the Demon God came closer. No matter how much I struggled I couldn''t stand up. I was too exhausted. The Demon God looked down upon me. I was seriously thinking that she''s gonna kill me now. But that didn''t happen. Her serious expression turned into the childish smile she had at the beginning. She bent forward and said: "You pass!" She cupped my face. Her hands started to glow with a fade green color. In the next moment, all the pain, all my fatigue, they were gone. Did she just fix me up in an instant. When she let go of my face I got back up on my feet. "Okay¡­ What''s going on here? What game is this?" "You can consider this a test. And like I said earlier, you pass! You exceeded all my expectations, hahaha!" She started spinning around and dance. I can''t understand this god at all. "Before we move on, I believe your other self wants to say her goodbye." Goodbye? What''s she talking about? Only then did I turn my head around to ghost Milla. And then it''s when I noticed that slowly, she''s getting more and more transparent. She was fading away. 49: The Demon God’s miracle "We did it, other me." "Wait. Milla¡­ why are you fading away? You did something, didn''t you? You¡­ you burned all your memories¡­ you burned everything you had! Why!?" "Well¡­" "So she can pass on." The Demon God was the one that answered my question. "I believe I said this to you during our fight too. I do what I do because that''s how things are supposed to go. I knew there was still a portion of Milla left inside. I only acted surprised." "Other me, it was truly fun. But I was in a weird state. I couldn''t move on to the afterlife neither could I return or communicate with you. I was only tagging along for the ride. But now, that the Demon God pushed us this far and I burned all the memories that body had left¡­ I can finally pass on." So that''s why the Demon God was so cold? She wanted to help Milla? I couldn''t help but let out tears. "But wait¡­ what will I do without you? I mean¡­" She cuped my face and slowly wiped my tears. "Live on. I hate to admit this, but you make a better Milla than me. All my loved ones, all my family, they''re waiting for me on the other side. But your family is back on earth. So live on, for the both of us. And it''s not like I will be truly gone. I''ll still watch over you from heaven. And I''ll always be in your heart when you need me." "I swear¡­ I will never forget you! I won''t allow myself to ever forget you!" "I know. Goodbye, other me!" "Until the day we meet again, other me!" And with that, Milla''s ghostly form scattered into tiny light particles and disappeared. My heart was throbbing right now. Maybe because I was in this body for such a long time I feel this way. Even though we talked for the first time, it was like we knew each other¡­ like forever. I let out a long sigh and eventually turned my head back to the Demon God. "You''re actually a big softie, aren''t you?" The Demon God slightly blushed. Wait. Are gods even capable of blushing? I thought this wasn''t her real body. Oh well, better not ruin the mood. "It''s¡­ it''s not like I did it for your sake, you big dummy!" What¡­? Did she just go tsundere on me? She turned around and snapped her fingers. We returned to the original darkness of that space and the Demon God got back up on her throne. "Let''s get back to business. It''s been ages since I had this much fun. I got to use 20% of my power with that little fight. And honestly, it''s so rare for someone to ask something from me. Sure, they might pay tribute to me with the Blood Ball, but it''s not quite the same as praying. So, I shall grant your wish." So I gave everything I had and she only used a fifth of her strength. Scary. But she is a god after all. I saw that she extended her index finger and at the tip, a black shard of crystal with a purple aura formed. "Like I said, because of the church''s pseudo-goddess I can''t interfere directly. So I''ll give you this. Feed this shard to Shiori and she''ll be as good as new." She tossed the tiny shard in my hands. This little thing was emitting such a huge magical energy¡­ I can hardly believe it myself. "Thank you¡­ I mean it." "I know. I also know there''s something else you want to ask. About the elf princess." She''s right. Currently I have no means to save Melina. But maybe with her help¡­ "No. This time I am serious. The only way to fix that poor soul is with time magic and revert her body''s state before all those experiments that were made on her. We''re talking about rewinding 10 years off her. Even if I were to allow to use time magic, no mortal is capable of rewinding... say more than 1 hour. And time magic is taboo for mortals anyway. So I''m sorry, but the only way to save her is to kill her. Settle with your miracle." So not even a god can save Melina. She was lost. I don''t even know how to give Lorina the news. I assume killing the Pope won''t help either, since she''ll just end up like Shiori. An empty shell. The Demon God waved her hand and a portal appeared inside the darkness. "It''s time for you to go. I''ll overlook that you killed Miraluka as long as you crush the church. Once those idiots fall, I will be able to properly create another king. Milla, the reason I am favoring you so much is because I believe that you are the one capable¡­ no. You do such insane things in this world, so I am sure you are the one that can bring peace." I was flattered by the Demon God''s words. I headed towards the portal, but before entering I turned around one more time. "What''s your name? You''re actually a nice god at the end of the day so I might actually start praying to you now and then. So it would be easier if I had a name to associate you with." The Demon God opened her eyes wide in shock. Did I say something weird? "My true name can''t be pronounced in any mortal language." "I see. Then I guess I won''t pray to you." "Wait!" She extended her hand out to stop me. Maybe I was teasing her a bit. But it seems she really is making a big deal out of this. "Being a god¡­ is lonely. So if you pray to me, I wouldn''t mind talking with you from time to time. Umm¡­ in that case you can address me as¡­ Tenebria." I never would have imagine that gods can get lonely too. Well, she did a lot for me, so I don''t mind praying and talking to her from time to time. "Okay, Tenebria. Then, until next time. See you." As Milla passed through the gate, the Demon God was left alone. "To think she would actually try and make friends with me. It''s unheard of. I was right when I chose you. Still, a god must be impartial, but I can''t help not favoring her. Milla, if you keep going on this path, you will surely become as famous as the founder. Screw it. Rules or not, I will continue to lend you my support. So make sure you continue to entertain me, my cute little Demon King." ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó I arrived back in the same room where I left. Surprisingly Grace was still there, in the exact same spot. "Milla-nee, could it be that the teleportation failed?" "What do you mean?" "You disappeared for around 5 seconds and then appeared again." Seriously? Aside from my 1 minute suicide battle, it felt like I was in the god realm for more than an hour. I guess time flows different in that place. "What is that in your hand?" Grace was talking about the shard that Tenebria gave me. It wasn''t a dream. It was all real. I plan to keep my word and pray to her from time to time. But right now, it''s time to fix Shiori. "Grace this will solve all my problems. Please, leave us alone." Grace tilted her head. She probably didn''t understand what I was talking about. But she didn''t talk back. "As you wish." Grace left and closed the door behind. It was time to test if this thing will really work. 50: The new Shiori I got close to Shiori who was still lying on the bed. It was time to see if this shard that Tenebria gave me works. It''s the last solution I have. She said I have to feed it to her. But I doubt that in her state she would simply swallow it if I put it in her mouth. I don''t want her to choke either. I guess I have no choice but to feed her mouth to mouth. This isn''t how I imagined my first kiss with her. I put the shard in my mouth and slowly brought my lips close to hers. As soon as our lips met I started pushing the shard with my tongue down her throat alongside some of my saliva. I''m pretty sure I managed to insert it properly. I separated from Shiori and waited. I didn''t have to wait long. Soon, Shiori''s body was enveloped in a purple light. Purple electrical sparks were emitting from her body. She screamed a bit. It was the first time she had any sort of reaction. The light was getting stronger and stronger. I had to close my eyes. After a few minutes the light and magical energy faded away. Shiori opened her eyes and stood up. Life could be seen in her eyes again. "Where¡­ am I?" "Shiori-chan!" I couldn''t hold myself back anymore. I leaped into her arms and gave her a big hug. "I''m so glad that you are okay." Shiori slightly blushed and moved her hands randomly. I guess she didn''t know how to react. A little girl that you see for the first time suddenly leaps at you. How would you react? She slowly placed one hand on my shoulder and with the other she started to pat my head. "It''s alright. I''m fine. There''s no need to cry. So why don''t you calm down first." Ah. This gentleness. It''s truly Shiori. My Shiori. "Could you please tell me who you are and where am I?" Before I could separate from her something fluffy hit my face. When I tried to touch it and push it away, Shiori let out a cute scream. "Eeep!" We were both confused at this point. Now that I take a better look at her¡­ "You''re a fox¡­" "What are you¡­" I quickly picked up a hand mirror and showed it to Shiori. She now had 2 long blonde fox ears on her head and a fluffy gold fox tail with a white tip. "Eeeh!?" We both screamed at the same time. ------ I think it took us an hour to calm down. Shiori was as good as new except she was a beastman now. That shard turned her into a fox girl. Tenebria probably knew that a human wouldn''t be accepted in the demon continent. Since I lost my earth magic I couldn''t change her like I did with prez. Now, you''re just showing off, aren''t you, Tenebria? But I''m glad that you went this far. As for the current Shiori¡­ Name: Shiori Watanabe Age: 17 Race: Beastman Class: Fox Priestess Strength: A+ Agility: SS- Endurance: S+ Magic: SSS Luck: B Overall Rank: S+ Well¡­ how should I tell her that I''m actually Ryusei. I could just use recollection on her. But she might get scared of me if she sees that I killed all our classmates. "This is almost like the time when we played in the sandbox when we were 5." "Yeah. A lot of sand got in my pants and it was as awkward as¡­" I stopped my sentence. Wait. Why did Shiori bring this up? "I knew it. It''s you after all. Ryu-kun!" She grabbed my arm and pulled me into her embrace. "You look different, but it''s you. I thought I would never see you again. I was so sad. Ryu-kun¡­" "Shiori¡­ I''m happy too, but how did you know it was me?" "You have the same scent you had on Earth. And my nose is more sensitive now, so I can tell. I had to make sure." Okay. Do I really stink or something? First Persia kept referring about my scent and now Shiori. Even back on Earth, I took showers every other day. Do I have a unique smell that''s attached to my soul or something? "Shiori, can you let me go now?" "No. You''re too cute. I want to hug and cuddle you some more!" I forgot that Shiori always had a soft spot for kids. Eventually she let me go. "A lot has happened, Ryu-kun. I think I need lots of explanations. The last thing I remember was that after your death, we trained more until they sent us to the demon continent. Since the journey on the ship¡­ my memory is getting hazy. I can''t recall much." " Well I guess I should start with the basics then. Over here I go by the name of Milla Walpurgis. And I''m the 11th ranked Demon King. The Demon King of Insanity." "But¡­ you''re a loli." I almost lost my balance and hit the floor with that comment. Aww, come on! Why does everyone react that way? Is it really that hard to believe that a loli can be a Demon King? I really didn''t want to use this with her, but I guess it''s better to be honest. I got close to Shiori and placed my index finger on her forehead. "[Recollection]!" I poured my memories into Shiori. Well, not all of them. Just the basic ones. How I was killed, how I became a Demon King, how I recruited Momoyo and ofc, the state she was in under Ren and how I killed all our classmates. For a few moments she fell silent. I was nervous because I didn''t know how she would react. How will she see me from here on? "Ryu-kun¡­ you really had it rough. You went through all that¡­ if only I could open my eyes better back then¡­" "It''s not your fault! Even I didn''t think that someone would hate me so much that they would kill me. But¡­ I turned out okay in the end." Shiori stood up from the bed and hugged me again. "You went through so much¡­ and you even rescued me even though I said that I would protect you¡­ Thank you, Ryu-kun." Okay. This is turning out well. I really thought she would hate me for all the killing I did. But this works. I just have to make her call me Milla now. In the next moment the door barged open violently. It was prez and she was gasping for air. "Is it true? Is Shiori-chan awake?" "Eh? Momo-chan? Is that really you? You look¡­ like a gyaru." "And you¡­ have ears¡­" Then both of them shouted at the same time "Milla/Ryu-kun¡­ what did you do to her?" So noisy. I need to make them shut up if I wanna give an explanation. "Momo, sit!" "Okay." Like a faithful dog, Momo-chan squated down. And immediately her face went red. "Would you stop doing that!?" "Sorry, but you guys to stay put and shut up so I can speak. It''s a long story after all." Both prez and Shiori could only pout and finally listen to my story. 51: Even a loli can go on a date I finally managed to make the two girls shut up for a moment and listen to my story. Shiori took everything rather well. Although she almost burst into tears when she touched Momoyo''s hand. She couldn''t feel any warmth in that metallic arm. But prez shook her head and reassured her that it was alright. In the end I managed to convince Momoyo that turning Shiori into a fox girl was the only way to save her. Similarly I managed to convince Shiori that changing Momoyo was the only way to give her limbs again. All in all it took me some time, but it went quite well. Right now, me and Shiori were taking a stroll in my town. She wanted to see my land, so I humored her. But only after I stepped out of my castle did I realize it. Did she¡­ just ask me on a date? I only dreamed of this moment. This was definitely a date. A date! "Milla-chan, were should we go first?" ...Gulp¡­ It was really hard to make Shiori stop calling me by my old name. Even after she got used to calling me Milla, she didn''t give up on the childish honorific. And now she was asking me to take the initiative. Alright. Let''s see¡­ "Well, you must be hungry, so why don''t we grab something to eat?" High Mazoku and High Elves are the only humanoid races that don''t physically need food or sleep, but since Shiori was a beastman now, I figured she might be hungry. And judging by the way she is wagging her fluffy tail I was right. "I''ll take you up on that offer." We stopped at a local bakery. "Welcome to¡­" The waitress that wanted to greet us suddenly stopped from speaking and rushed behind the counter and went through a back door. "Milla-chan, what was that all about?" I shrugged my shoulders. I don''t know what''s gotten into her. Soon after, we heard a woman''s voice shouting from that back door. "What!? In our bakery? This is a great honor. Quit messing around and get your lazy ass to work! I didn''t marry couch potato!" Not too long after an elderly looking dog girl showed up. She was probably the owner. She had long ears pointed down like a bassett hound a rough tail and was rather¡­ fat. A typical household lady with an apron on her. "Welcome, Your Highness! It is the greatest honor to have you here. Please let me show you to your table." The lady showed us to a table in the corner of the bakery. I should probably mention that although it''s called a bakery it''s more of modern day caf¨¨ system. There were tables and chairs for those who wanted to eat the freshly baked goods here. After the lady handed us a menu, I told Shiori she could order anything she wanted. "It''s still hard to believe that people call you Your Highness. But I guess this just proves your story more." "Sorry for the commotion." Normally I don''t eat in town. When I do want to eat for the pleasure of eating I only touch Grace''s cooking. "Delicious. This is good!" She seemed to be enjoying herself as she ordered plate after plate. That side of her hasn''t changed. Shiori was a glutton. I can still recall that in elementary school she would eat her lunch with lightning speed and then she always throwed me puppy eyes to let her have a bite from mine. "Phew¡­ that sure hit the spot!" Only a big stack of plates were left. The elderly lady was kinda afraid to ask me for the bill, but at the same time didn''t want to take that big of a loss. I placed a silver coin on the table. "Your Highness, that''s too much. If you can wait for a while I''ll go and get your change." "No need. Keep it. My friend enjoyed herself and that''s all that matters to me." "Thank you! Please come again!" She bowed her head deeply as we made our way outside again. We continued with the tour. I showed Shiori the market. She was fascinated by the different stands and goods that were sold. She even took the time to play and run around with a few children. I took the time to buy a fancy hair brooch for Shiori. I was¡­ doting on her. Everything she wanted to buy, I allowed it. I also made sure to stop by and get Shiori new clothes. A pink and white dress really showed just how beautiful Shiori was and it fit her fox appearance. "Milla-chan, are you rich by any chance? I mean¡­ I know you are a king, but I never imagined that demons and humans were so similar." "Well, yeah. You could say that I am rich. Business has been going quite well lately." "I never got to see the human towns, but this place really looks peaceful. I still can''t believe that the church is trying to ruin the peace? For what?" I couldn''t answer that. Even I don''t know what they are truly after. The human army''s movements were weird to begin with. Instead of consolidating a base, they just keep marching in a straight line. What are they after? Initially I thought they wanted the land and resources, but I''m not sure anymore. For the time being I don''t wanna bother Shiori with my theories. As we were moving along¡­ "Hey, Milla-chan, what''s that?" A jolt of lightning pierced my body and I froze stiff. Crap. I wasn''t paying attention and forgot to avoid this place. "The sign says House of Love. Is this some sort of flower store or gift shop for couples?" "You''re not¡­ totally wrong¡­ but, Shiori, let''s not go in there." "But why? I want to see¡­" "We are leaving now." I grabbed Shiori''s arm and started dragging her away. She kept pouting and tried pulling herself sway but as you would except, she didn''t have the physical strength to go against me. House of Love was¡­ a brothel. Ever since I became the ruler of the beastmen this small land developed really fast. From the market, to inns and¡­ yeah. We got a brothel too. But I wasn''t about to let Shiori get contaminated in that place. It''s better if I have her in my castle for those activities. Eventually she gave up trying to resist and before we knew it we reached Lorina''s shop and forge. That''s weird. Smoke always comes out of this place. "Hey, you!" I shouted to a beastman across the street. "What happened here?" "Well¡­ Your Highness¡­ after lady Lorina returned she gave all her workers the week off and¡­ she locked herself inside the forge¡­" Okay. I can guess from that what happened. Ugh. This must be because of the state her sister was in. She must be heartbroken right now. "Hey Shiori, can you wait for me a few minutes by that fountain? There''s some business I have in here." "Okay. I don''t mind." 52: Lorina’s sorrow and conquering Shiori *Knock knock* I knocked on Lorina''s door but no answer came. *Knock knock knock* "Lorina, it''s me. Milla!" Still no reply. "Lorina, I know you''re in there. Open up, or I''ll break the door." *Click* I didn''t hear a reply, but I did hear that the door lock was opened. I pressed on the door handle and stepped inside. It was¡­ a mess. Lorina had her back turned towards me and was leaning on the counter. "Lady Milla¡­" Her voice was shaking. "Can my sister¡­ be saved?" How am I supposed to tell her? I mean I can''t just casually say "She can''t be saved, so I have to kill her, okay?". I''m not insensitive, but at the same time I don''t know how to sugar coat things. I guess¡­ I should just be straight and impartial. "No. She can''t be saved." She raised her hand to her mouth and started sobbing. It must be hard to take in. "Why? Why did nobody take action? If my sister went missing why didn''t my father and mother look for her? Why didn''t they wage war against humanity? Why must my little sister suffer like that? Why!?" In a fit of rage she flipped over a table before falling on her hands and knees. I probably would be in the same state she is now or worse if I didn''t manage to save Shiori. And I get her. But she had a point. Why didn''t the elves wage war against humanity for their princess? I mean surely they must have figured out that the humans were responsible for her mysterious disappearance. Yet, when Grace taught me about all the different races she told me that elves and humans have a neutrality status. I approached the fallen Lorina, placed my hand on her shoulder and told her the following: "When I clashed with her, although she was under their control, she whispered the same words over and over. "Please, kill me". That child is trap in her own body and is suffering. Lorina, if it''s alright with you, the next time I meet her, I want to grant her wish." A couple of minutes passed after that. I was waiting for her reply. "Perhaps that¡­ is the best course of action. Rather than being bound to those filthy humans for the rest of her life¡­ Milla¡­ I will continue to support you¡­ but I can''t take part in the fight anymore¡­ until this matter is settled at least. I only ask after¡­ the deed is done¡­ if possible please bring back her body. I want to properly burry her." "I''ll do my best." Lorina whipped her tears, stood up and went for a box in the corner of the room. She pulled out a short sword with a golden hilt and a jade blade. "Ever since I became a blacksmith I tried to make a weapon that could rival an ancient relic. Although I am not there yet, this sword is my best work. The blade is made from pure orichalcum, the strongest metal known to us and I imbued it with various enchantments. I want you to have it." I took the sword from Lorina and slightly swung it. It was surprisingly light. I need to think of a name for a weapon like this. I toss it in my shadow then I turn around. "Will you be alright?" "I still need some time¡­ but don''t worry. I will manage." With those words I decided that it''s time to take my leave. ------ "Milla-chan¡­ ecchi!" What!? What the hell did I do? I found Shiori by the fountain were I left her but she suddenly called me ecchi¡­ "That House of Love¡­ it''s a brothel." What the? I wasn''t gone for more than 10 minutes. Did she actually go back there and came back that fast? "Shiori I can explain¡­ the town wants it, but I have no business¡­" "Liar. The clerk lady said you were a regular. That you would often bring cute girls from your castle and rent a room. Hentai." Sweat started to run down my whole body. I was busted. It was true. To make things more exciting I sometimes bring my girls there and only rent a room. How am I supposed to salvage this situation? I guess¡­ there''s only one thing I can do in this scenario¡­ ------ "Fuaah! You really are a pervert. And to think I tried to defend you for all those years¡­ Hiii!" As you could guess from the sounds, I was fondling Shiori''s breasts. I need to teach her just how good being lewd makes you feel. I told Grace that nobody is allowed to disturb us. So with the doors locked I moved to the attack. Her breasts were so soooooooft! And she smells good! "Stop this already. I''ll seriously get mad if¡­ mmph¡­" I sealed her lips with mine. She resisted me at first but she soon turned to pudding in my hands. Our tongues entwined. Her face became bright red. Nn¡­¡­Mchuu¡­¡­*kiss*¡­¡­*rero*¡­¡­*reroo*¡­¡­ When our lips separated a string of saliva was formed. "I guess there''s¡­ no point in resisting you. Even back home I liked you¡­ so¡­ I''ll let you have your way with me." And that''s exactly what I was waiting for. I reached for a drawer near the bed and pulled out my special Shiori toy. "Is¡­ that a¡­ dildo?" "Yup!" It was a strap-on dildo to be more specific. I made back when I could use earth molding magic. Since I didn''t figure out how to grow a cock, I prepared this. "It''s¡­ big. Is it shaped after your size from back on Earth?" "Almost¡­" I was lying. To be honest I''m sort of glad I lost my dick. It was tiny. When it was flask you could barely see it. Not to mention I still had foreskin. One of my fears was not being able to satisfy a woman so I did research on how to excite a female without a huge cock. Size isn''t everything. Shiori took off her dress, unfastened her bra and took off her panties. Only her stockings were left. She then poked the dildo who was now strapped on me. "If this is supposed to go in me¡­ I should moisten it first." She brought her sweet lips close to the dildo and started licking it and slowly inserting it into her mouth. She was giving me a fellatio. *Jubo, jububu, nbubou, jhubooo* Dang. This is hot. I could only imagine how much pleasure I would feel from this if it was actually my real dick. Although she doesn¡¯t seem quite skilled, she¡¯s doing her best. I didn¡¯t even think it would fit in her mouth. "Alright¡­ it¡¯s ready." Time to enjoy the main dish. "Aaahn~ It¡¯s coming in~" "Ku¡­Tight" Her pussy is already wet with love nectar. Did she get horny just by licking this? "It¡¯s in¡­ Ahn~ it¡­ hurts! This isn¡¯t how I thought I would lose my virginity¡­ Hiiii!" ¡°Fufu~? This is just the beginning. I¡¯ll start moving now." "Ahn, n, ah, Kuhan~, Anu, ahn, ah" The artificial penis is being squeezed as she grinds her waist. The vaginal pressure is big. If it was the old I probably would have came just by inserting it. "For you to have such skill¡­ you really are a pervert¡­" Her waist moves smoothly back and forth. "Ahn, n, ah, Kuhaan, anu, ahn, ah!" "S-shit¡­it feels good. It¡¯s as if I could cum just from the strap rubbing against my pussy!" I couldn¡¯t help myself. "Shiori,I am gonna move my waist a bit faster, okay?" "Eh? " "Here we go~! Take this! That! Here! Here! That!~!" "Aaaaaa! " The grind accelerates further. "Ah~ Seriously¡­ please¡­ stop this¡­" "You say that¡­ but your pussy tightened again¡­ I can feel it. " "Ahn, Ahn, Aaaa, aaaaa! I¡¯m weak being¡­Aaaahn~ grinded deep!" "I guess you like it because it feels good? Then, should I be more violent?" "Aaaa, aaaaau! It¡¯s hitting! My womb is being crushed! " "Does it feel good?" "It feels good!" I gripped Shiori¡¯s ass strongly. "Aaaaan~ My butt¡­" "It¡¯s surprisingly big" "Nnn, Don¡¯t say it¡­ because I¡¯m conscious about it¡­" "I love a big ass." "You¡¯re the worst¡­" "I¡¯m going to shake my waist more as I grab your ass! Full throttle this time! Ora!" "Aaaaa, aaaaa! I can¡¯t take more¡­ I¡¯m¡­ cummiiiing!¡¹ "M-Me too¡­! Let¡¯s do it together! " "Aaaaaaaa! A thick thing! This thick thing is tearing up my pussyyyyyyy!" "C-cumming¡­!" Both of us took long deep breaths after. "Ah¡­it felt too good¡­!" "So you admit you like me? " "Yes¡­ I¡¯m your woman¡­ you might be lewd¡­ but you also turned me into a lewd woman¡­ from here on¡­ even if you are a loli¡­ I¡¯ll love you and you alone!" We ended up kissing one more time. This was probably one of the happiest moments of my life. 53: Was it just a dream? It was, an infinite darkness. As far as the eye can see, there was only darkness. No matter where you went, no matter how long you waited, there were no signs of light at all. For a second I thought I found myself back in the Demon God''s realm. But¡­ this feeling isn''t the same. Whenever I am there although I can''t see anything I know which way to go to reach Tenebria. But this time it''s different. It feels like I am walking through spider webs. My body is heavy. Is this some sort of dream? My senses are all scrambled. ~Your real self~ What was that? A voice? I could clearly hear a voice in this darkness. ~Are you ready to let it out?~ There it goes again. What''s it talking about? I tried following it but I couldn''t find the source. Soon after, I heard some footsteps. As I try my best to focus I could see the silouete of a maid. It was Grace. I''d never mistake her. I run as fast as I could towards her. When I get close enough I call out for her. "Grace! Wait up!" She stopped, but turned around violently, raising her scythe at me. "Don''t call out to me so casually." "Grace, what''s gotten into you?" "I don''t know who you are or how you know my name, but a filthy human has no business with me!" "Grace¡­ this joke has gone far enough? It''s me! Mil¡­" But before I could finish the name the tip of her scythe reached my neck. "Do you take me for a fool? I know my mistress very well. It is you who needs to stop with the jokes. A filthy male isn''t worthy to utter her name." "Male¡­ but I am¡­" As soon as I say those words¡­ I noticed that my voice changed. It wasn''t my loli voice¡­ I lower my eyes and try looking at my body. I realized¡­ I wasn''t a loli anymore. I was my old self again. Ryusei Homura. "Grace¡­ you have to believe me¡­ I am Milla¡­" In the next moment she swung her scythe around and stabbed my chest. "Guah¡­" I spit blood. I could feel the pain. My flesh was burning. "You aren''t a human on my mistress''s list, so it''s safe to kill you. After all, you deserve it for talking such nonsense." I fell on my knees. It was the same feeling I had when Ren killed me. I was drowning in my own blood. What''s going on here? Why is this happening? As Grace turned her back to me and started walking away I was lying on my belly on the ground. I couldn''t move. I couldn''t call out to her anymore. ~I see. Interesting. So this is who you really are. Nothing more than¡­ a fake.~ That voice again¡­ were was it coming. This is definitely not Tenebria''s voice. But it still belonged to a female. Ah¡­ my head feels like exploding¡­ I can''t¡­ take this anymore¡­ ------ "AAA!" I forced my body upwards. *Pant¡­ pant¡­* I was literally sweating like a pig and gasping for air. I scanned my surroundings. It was my usual bedroom. Next to me Shiori was lying asleep. She was probably tired from last night since she didn''t wake up from my scream. That''s one thing she has in common with Odin. They are both heavy sleepers. But¡­ what the hell was that all about? Was it just a dream? It felt so real. I could literally feel myself dying. I scanned my body from head to toe. Yup. It was my loli self alright with no signs of injuries. I don''t understand what I just saw¡­ but that dream raised a huge question mark in my head. Grace stabbed me. Grace was loyal to Milla Walpurgis, not to Ryusei Homura. If I were to ask Grace, would she say that she''s loyal to the body, or the person inside it? This dream got me thinking. Would Grace betray me and part ways if she were to find out that the real Milla is gone? She doesn''t need Ryusei. She needs Milla. No. Stop thinking like that. I know Grace better than that. She wouldn''t kill me. And besides, she can''t kill me even if she wanted too. I''ve surpassed her for quite some time now. But that''s not the point. Grace was with me for quite some time. She respected me, she loved me. Those feelings won''t just fade away. I need to calm down. It was just a dream. Right? Yet that voice I kept hearing¡­ What''s up with that? Damn. Even now my head still hurts like hell. That voice¡­ it was almost like it was trying to analyse me. Ah¡­ I can''t take it anymore. Forget about it. I''m not in the mood to think this over right now. I turned to look at Shiori again. After that intense workout I let her sleep. She was so cute. She even mumbled my name a few times in her sleep. I made sure to get rid of that strap-on dildo afterwards. I don''t want any of my girls to get the taste of dick. They need to keep the mentality that yuri is best. I even made Shiori cum a few more times with my hands and tongue and various play scenarios. As I was looking at my cute fox girl, the lamia Cleo entered my room. She wanted to tell me something but I hushed her down so that Shiori wouldn''t wake up. I exited the room to see what Cleo wanted. "I thought I told you guys not to disturb me for a while. This better be important." "Forgive me, Your Highness. It''s just that I have some news regarding the human army. They have almost reached Mistveil mountain, but it seems they will be intercepted." "Someone is trying to engage them? Who?" ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó The humans led by the Pope and Melina were steadily marching towards Mistveil mountain. Every monster they encountered on the way was destroyed by Melina. One of the soldiers approached the Pope and asked: "Your Eminence, you didn''t tell us what is so important about this mountain you speak off? Shouldn''t our priority be whipping out the demons?" "Trust me, my child. I have seen it in a vision. The Goddess has called out to me and showed me that our success goes hand in hand with the treasure that is being kept in that mountain." As they were moving along, Melina who was in front of the army suddenly stopped. The Pope frowned his eyes. He issued a command that if something dangerous would get in their way she should stop so that the army would know. A few seconds later the earth shook. A short shake. 3 seconds later¡­ another shake. "What''s this? An earthquake?" It''s no earthquake, you morons! As the Pope was having those thoughts amongst the mist a figure could be seen approaching them. It was the cause of the so called earthquake. With each step it took, the ground shook. The Pope looked at it and then he made an evil grin before shouting: "I must say, you know how to make an appearance! I was actually wondering if you would ever show up, Lord Ornis Balmund!" 54: Deep within the mountain Mistveil mountain. A mountain shrouded by mist, deadly monsters and mystery. But what lies within it? What is it''s secret? It all started during the age of myths. The day, the Founder gave his life. Many years ago, the world was in chaos. All the mortal races were divided and fighting with one another for supremacy. There were no countries. Just groups of people and towns fighting one another. The Founder was the first recorded mortal in history that managed to unify a continent. With his strength and his mighty 10 ancient relics, nobody dared to question him. The world soon found out. The world was scared that the very first nation might whipe everyone out. All that fear, lust for power¡­ pride. All the worlds hatred and sins¡­ they came to life. All negative emotions and raging thoughts known by any mortal race converged. It was a dark liquid. You could say it was a giant pitch black mud slime. Except it had no eyes, no mouth. It ended up being referred as Corruption. And it''s sole purpose was the annihilation of all living things. To end life itself. Every demon that came into contact with it lost their minds. The more life forms it absorbed, the bigger and stronger it became. Eventually, the Founder made a stand at Mistveil mountain. But even he wasn''t strong enough to kill the Corruption. Corruption formed various tentacles and swung them at tremendous speeds. And not all of the ancient relics were able to pierce them. They were stronger than any metal. And the ones that could slice through them¡­ they couldn''t keep up with it''s regeneration. Magic had no effect on it either. It would just get absorbed in its body. There was only one type of magic that did work on it. Origin Magic. But even if the Founder was able to use it, he didn''t have enough to obliterate the black slimy monstrosity. So how did the Founder handle it? He did the only thing he could do. He gave his life to seal Corruption. [Abyssal Seal Sacrifice]. He let Corruption absorb his body. And when his body reached the center of the mass, the spell triggered. Purple chains spread all over and compressed it into a ball around the size of your average car. Those chains would bind it for eternity. Or so it should be. But Corruption holds tremendous power. So it found a loophole. If someone were to seek it out¡­ if someone were to need it, then it could break free from the seal. So Corruption, like a genie in a bottle was waiting. Waiting for someone to find it and make a wish. It shall grant a wish for anyone who reaches it. And when the wish is granted, it will be able to break free and devour all forms of life. The Demon God was impressed by the Founder and his dream to keep the demon continent unified. So, in order to stop the demons from falling into chaos once again, the Demon God created the first generation of 12 Demon Kings and established the core laws into their very soul. And thus, in a way, the demons managed to remain united. The secret of Corruption was only transmitted to the rank 1 Demon King. The burden and responsibility to ensure that Corruption would never awaken again fell upon one person. Along the years somehow it was leaked that inside Mistveil mountain there was a treasure capable of granting any wish. And that treasure was the thing the Pope wanted. The Pope couldn''t care less about the continent. Everything he did was so he could get his hands on it. He forcefully made humanity to listen to him over the Empress. So he could start his war. And speaking of the Empress... ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó It sure has been a long time since I was in humanity''s land. Cleo told me that the Pope almost reached Mistveil mountain. But since Ornis was there to greet them, he should be able to hold them off. Normally I wanted to rush there as soon as possible. But I need to think of the big picture first. Killing the Pope and Lorina''s sister won''t guarantee me that the humans will stop sending troops. In fact, they might just send more to avenge them. I need to make sure that if I kill the invaders, humans will leave us alone. And the only way to do that is with the Empress. You''re probably wondering how I got back in the Olympia Empire so fast. Remember the crystal I used to reach Tenebria? Although it''s made only by elves and is very rare, there is a black market. With the help of Morag, my werewolf merchant who also helped me selling my Phoenix Tears to raise the money Vacheron wanted from me, I was able to obtain 2 more crystals. Although I won''t lie, even if I am rich, the price hurts. I had to pay 50000 gold coins for them, but I managed to haggle and lower it to just 20k gold and 2 vials of Phoenix Tears. I used one crystal to get back to the palace. But of course I teleported to the courtyard. I used the dark magic [Doppelganger]. As it''s name suggests it would allow me to take the appearance of someone else. So I simply chose a random girl I saw and¡­ BAM. My appearance completely changed. I was a loli with short black hair and hazel eyes with a red bandana and wearing a tight village style blue dress. I needed an audience with the Empress. From what I could tell last time, she might as well be a caged bird if the church is calling the shots. Which means that maybe I can strike a deal with her if I help her regain her true sovereignty. If I remember right she takes audiences with the people every Wednesday and Friday, but hardly anyone comes in. As I was strolling around the castle I pretended to be lost. It might be suspicious if I act as if I know the place. "What seems to be the problem, young miss? Are you perhaps lost?" That voice¡­ I know it. As I turn around, it was just as I suspected. Archbishop Frederick. The one that supervised our training. God. I so wanna kill this guy too! "Umm¡­ I want an audience with the Empress¡­" I tried to act a little shy. "My child, if you have any issues, it''s better to go to the Holy Church. I am sure that the Goddess will listen to your prayers and our members will kindly assist you if they can." Except that I''m trying to get rid of you bunch. " I would prefer to talk with the Empress." "The Empress is very busy with the political matters. Maybe you aren''t aware, but even the audience time frame was reduced. But if you head over to the Holy Church I am sure everyone will be more than helpful." Okay¡­ you''re starting to get on my nerves. Ever since I became a Demon King, the word ''no'' doesn''t exist in my vocabulary. "I still want¡­" "Listen, you brat!" His smile turned into a frown. "If you know what''s good for you, you''ll listen to me. Either you take your problem to the church or you can just go back to wherever you came from." Is this guy for real? Is he preventing me to see the Empress for some reason? Regardless I''m just about tired of him. Since it''s just the 2 of us in this hallway right now¡­ nobody is gonna notice if I make a hole in his chest, right? 55: Milla and the Empress Empress ¨¦clair Olympia was sitting in her personal chambers and looking out the window into the flower garden. Once again, it was a day when nobody requested an audience with her. Or to be more specific, the church has prevented anyone to see her. Until a knock on her door came. *Knock...Knock* "Yes?" "Your Majesty, it''s me. Captain Armlock." Captain Armlock was the knight in charge with the palace security. "What is it?" "There is a little girl here that wants an audience with you." At those words the Empress joltet and went straight for the door. She slightly opened it. Next to the proud figure of the captain, there was a shy little girl. "Forgive me, but I found her wandering around the castle. We already searched her for concealed weapons. And since you haven''t received anyone in so long I thought¡­" "Yes! You did well, captain. Come, child. Please come in." The Empress extended her hand towards the little girl, who also extended her tiny hand. But just then¡­ "Captain Armlock!" A knight rushed towards the captain. "What''s wrong? Can''t you see we are in the presence of Her Majesty? Show some restraint." "Sorry, captain¡­ but it''s important! It''s about the archbishop. You¡­ have to see for yourself¡­" "This better be major, or else!" The two of them excused themselves. They were probably referring to the little mess I made out of the priest. Sorry, but he was just too annoying. Initially I wanted to tear his heart out with my bear hands but¡­ if I were to get covered in blood they would have figured me out. So I simply flicked my finger and blasted his head off instead. I think I actually did you guys a favor. But now, back on track. The Empress grabbed my tiny hand and pulled me inside her room. It was luxurious. A huge king sized bed that could easily support 4 people with red drapes. Exquisite furniture with gold trimming, a desk with various make-up products and a big fireplace. It was beautiful. In fact,it distracted me from her appearance. She wasn''t wearing her dignified uniform that I saw her in last time. She was wearing a long pink simple dress. It made me think¡­ was she still in her pajamas? This is definitely a pj. Why would she receive someone looking like that? Was it because I was a kid? "So, please speak. What can I do for you?" "Umm¡­ when I came here everyone told me I should go to the church instead of coming to you. Your Majesty¡­ are you perhaps too busy?" The Empress''s smile turned a little sad. "It''s¡­ complicated." "Your Majesty¡­ you seem sad. Do you perhaps not like the church?" "You¡­ are really smart for your age. But, it''s true. I am afraid I can''t go against the will of the church too much." Like I suspected, she''s a bird in a cage. If she''s this unhappy, I can use this to my advantage. "Your Majesty¡­ if you could break free of the church¡­ if the church weren''t around and you could get your glory and power back¡­ would you take such an opportunity?" "You really shouldn''t talk like that. People here are very loyal to the church. You''ll only get in trouble if you use such words. But¡­ yes. I wish I was a proper ruler again, young one." "What if I can help you?" "That''s sweet. But you would only get in trouble. And speaking of trouble, were are your parents? Are you here alone? You haven''t told me yet what you wanted." At those words I snapped my fingers. The illusion that was covering my body disappeared and I returned to my regular appearance. "A¡­" Before she could say a single word I dashed with lightning speed and covered her mouth with my hand. "If you so much as sneeze without my permission, you''re dead. I just want us to have a little chat. Got it?" She nodded up and down to signal that she understood my intention. I slowly removed my hand from her mouth. Sweat started to run across her face. "You are¡­ a demon!?" "That''s right. Demon King to be more specific. Rank 11, the Demon King of Insanity, Milla Walpurgis. It''s a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty." "But¡­ you''re just a little girl." Since I was floating earlier to reach her face¡­ at her words¡­ I couldn''t help but crash on the ground. This is getting ridiculous. Why does everyone have to react that way every time I introduce myself? I brush my feelings aside for now. "Listen, Your Majesty. Your so called Holy Church is getting in my way. It''s annoying for them to keep invading us over and over. I am sure you are aware that we demons aren''t the ones that started this war." She didn''t speak. She continued to listen to my story. "I''ll cut to the chase. You are a prisoner. I intend to break your cage. I will kill the Pope and crush this so called church of yours. The Goddess they believe in is nothing more than a fake. When the church will fall, the people will turn to you again. You will obtain sovereignty once more." "That would be pointless." What''s she talking about? I''m offering you your freedom again. "I would only be trading a tyrant for another. Sorry, but I can''t put humanity in the hands of a demon." Oh, I get it now. She thinks I want to take over the human empire. "You got me wrong. I have no intention to take over humanity. Like I said, you will be the ruler. I just want this stupid war to stop once and for all. So once I crush the church I want you to never invade us again and leave us alone." The Empress pondered for a few moments. "What is your true goal? Surely peace isn''t the only thing you want. So what is your aim?" No. Peace IS the only thing I want. I just want everyone to leave me be and live a carefree life. Is it that hard to believe? Well I guess I am demon so it''s common sense to doubt me. Should I ask for something more? Hmm¡­ Oh, I got it! "Well, besides peace there is something else I want. You." Her face made a confused expression. "Aren''t you contradicting yourself? You said¡­" "Nono. I know what you are thinking. I don''t mean your throne. I want your body. Physically." I floated once more and got close to her ear and started to whisper all the lewd things I wanted to do to her. Her face started to become red. "Are you some sort of succubus? I¡­ I don''t swing that way. It¡­ isn''t normal." "Well it really is your call. By accepting my terms, I promise to wipe out the church and restore the power to you. And you can keep ruling in whichever way you see fit. Most importantly, nobody has to die anymore. We shall establish peace. My terms are more than fair. Just promise never to come on our continent and let me have my way with you whenever I want and all your problems will be solved!" After another moment of pause, the Empress let out a long sight before speaking again. "Very well. If the state of the Empire doesn''t change, everything I worked for will fall to ruin. So if salvation means striking a deal with the devil, then¡­ so be it." She extended her hand towards me. She wanted a handshake to seal the deal. But, it''s no fun if it''s so formal. So I grabbed her wrist instead, pulled her closer and forcefully kiss her. I made sure to insert my tongue really deep and feel the inside of her mouth. God, she tastes so good! I felt a sweet fragrance from her. Eventually I let her go. As you would expect her face was bright red now. "And with that, we have a deal!" I tapped my shadow and it spit out a miniature obelisk statue. Roughly the same size as a big flower vase. This is the thing I crafted from the other teleportation crystal. I broke it in two and crafted 2 obelisk statues. Now this one, and the one back in demon continent are connected. Like a gateway. I can freely travel back and forth between the 2 statues. I''m a genius if I may say so myself. "What''s that?" "With this I can come to you whenever I feel like it. Think of it as a door from me to you. So make sure you don''t lose it or else¡­" "I understand." "I have some other business to take care now, but remember¡­ I''ll be back!" And with that I placed my hand on the small statue and my body was enveloped in light, before disappearing in tiny particles. Mission accomplished huehue! 56: Ornis Balmund "Annoying insects." "Aaaa!" "Monster¡­ he''s¡­ unstoppable!" The human army was screaming fanatically. Their march towards Mistveil mountain was interrupted by Ornis Balmund, who was currently engaging them. Everyone who tried getting close to him fell in the blink of an eye. Shields and armor might as well be paper before him. In his right hand Ornis had his mighty sword. The ancient relic that was the Founder''s main weapon. Demon Blade Xyphos. It was a greatsword with a dark bluish blade and a purple hilt. It didn''t have any fancy accents or trimming. One could say it looked rather simple. But it''s purpose wasn''t to look pretty. It was to obliterate everything in its path. "Captain, pull your men back. They can''t handle him. Let the apostle face this demon." The Pope called out to the captain who immediately issued a retreat order. The remaining soldiers quickly ran behind Melina. Some of them were so scared that they even pissed themselves. "Fear not men. The apostle shall save us. She will kill this demon. Believe in the Goddess!" At those words Melina started to walk towards Ornis. 2 gold ornaments from her dress detached. She grabbed them and poured magic into them generating pure white light blades. She made 2 light sabers. "Kiddo, do you really want to challenge this sword?" Melina didn''t respond. She kept walking forward. "It seems something is wrong with you. Then, come as close as you like. I shall put you out of your misery." When Melina got in striking range she swiftly swung her swords at a tremendous speed. Melina gave the impression that she had 6 arms and was swinging 6 swords at the same time. She used her two swords for continuous strikes! Ornis managed to block her attacks with Xyphos. "Hmm¡­! Those are some strange movements. And your sword technique¡­" Normally, given the way she is swinging her swords and the speed used, her arms should have collapsed by now as she was executing movements that elf arms aren''t capable of¡­ Moreover, it was a dual sword style. But thanks to the Slime King''s core inside her, her muscles were healed by the second. Melina''s movements were chaotic. Her swings created an illusionary image too difficult to grasp the true reality of. Any normal opponent would have fallen by now, but... "Don¡¯t get too confident, brat!" He swung his big sword with strong power to deflect Melina''s continuous attacks. As soon as Xyphos hit the ground from the vertical slash, the earth shook and a powerful shockwave was formed. The sword in her left hand was blown away. Ornis wanted to follow up his attack. It was like he was drawing a black pattern in the air itself. He made a complex upwards swing, but it really felt that he was wielding more than one blade. Melina was forced to cast a wind spell. Besides jumping back she propelled herself so that she could take some distance and escape that barrage. "A dual sword stance with continuous strikes, huh. And you also have sharp instincts. That''s not half bad, but you''re just swinging your swords randomly. Your swordsmanship is barely basic level. In short, you''re still wet behind your ears." Orins'' eyes became darker than blood. His crimson eyes shined deeply. "You''re too naive if you think you can reach me with that." The men that were witnessing the scene couldn''t believe their eyes. "How can one sword defeat two?" "Oi¡­ is that blood on the apostle?" As the men pointed out a trail of blood did indeed flow from her head and moved along her cheek. But it was only for an instant since her ultimate regeneration ability sealed it quickly. Ornis placed Xyphos on his shoulder and waited for Melina''s next move. She extended her hand and the gold ornament that was sent flying came back to her and immediately formed a sword again. She then surrounded herself with an unusual electrical aura and pointed the tip of one of her swords towards the Demon King. "So you''re getting serious now? Let me show you the difference between us! [Despair Aura]!" In a similar manner, Ornis wrapped himself with a black sinister aura. Melina increased her agility tremendously as she stood next by Ornis in the blink of an eye! Still, Ornis'' reflexes were great as well as he prevented one of her sword attacks with his Xyphos! However, the other sword was aiming straight for his throat! "Secret technique¡­ Brutal Cutter!" Ornis'' sword emitted a black light! He deflected the sword that Xyphos blocked earlier, and used it as a shield to protect his throat from the other sword! White vs black. The white from the Melina''s blades clashed with the black aura coming from Xyphos. The speed of their swings was so great that a human¡­ no¡­ even a demon couldn''t follow them with their eyes. They could only see sparks flying around and hear clashing sounds. "Impressive. You are circulating lightning through your muscles to make them react and move in the way you desire. That also means you have some form of healing ability that prevents them from tearing apart. I''ll give you some praise. It''s been a while since I fought at this speed. However¡­" An overflowing jet of black light engraved a pattern in the air and Ornis let out a small grin! It swallowed Melina''s light strikes in a fraction of a second! "You''re nowhere near my level." Ornis overpowered her to the point he sliced both her arms off. And again, a powerful shockwave was created. Even a few of the knights who were closer to the battle got blown away by it. "Aaargh!" Even if Melina was devoid of life, she could still feel pain. And in that moment when her arms were sliced off¡­ "Now Melina! Do it!" When the Pope issued that order, the remaining ornaments on her dress detached and they all fired powerful light beams towards Ornis. They ignited as soon as they made contact and created a big explosion. Melina managed to take some distance. From the place she was cut, green goo started to leak and heal her hands. In a few more moments she was as good as new. But almost at the same time... "Naive!" The voice belonged to Ornis. Once the dust cleared he was standing without a single injury. The men couldn''t believe their eyes. "No way¡­" "It was a direct hit! I saw it with my own eyes!" "Is the apostle in trouble¡­ could it be that¡­" "Don''t say such a blasphemy. The Goddess will protect us!" As the soldiers were watching and debating the scene that was unfolding before them, Ornis once again spoke to Melina. "Did you perhaps think that I would drop my guard if you only used swords? Sorry to disappoint you, but regardless who my opponent is, I never let my guard down." Shit! He''s stronger than I predicted. But no matter. That doll just has to hang in there a while longer. Our preparations are almost complete. Those were the Pope''s thoughts. He was frowning, but he still ordered Melina to continue the fight. As Melina once again approached Ornis... "Judging by that clash I pretty much have you figured out. You are someone that was given great power, but you have zero combat experience. You were probably a sheltered person who never wielded a weapon more than a few sparing sessions. But because you lack experience, you are using your magic and your healing ability to make up for that gap. Let me tell you this, someone who has been in countless life and death scenarios will always find a way to break through tricks like that. Little girl, let me show you what a true battle means! Let me show why I bear the title of Demon King of Despair!" 57: A loli breaks the trap As soon as I returned home via my new teleport statue, Grace, Odin and Persia came to greet me. "Milla-nyan, is your business done?" "Yeah. For now at least. Is Everything ready on your end?" "No need to worry, Onee-chan! We are ready." Good. Cause now we had to ride once more. We need to get to Mistveil mountain as soon as possible and kill the Pope, Melina and every human left. 3 Demon Kings should be more than enough. To be honest, if Ornis is there I shouldn''t even bother going, but I can''t shake off this feeling that I''m supposed to be there. Fenrir was already excited and ready to go. He was wagging his tail back and forth and if it wasn''t for Odin holding him back he would have most likely jumped at me and cover me in drool again. This time we were only 4. Me, Odin, Persia and Grace. The fewer we are, the faster Fenrir can go. It''s about time we eradicate those annoying humans once and for all. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó "[White lightning]!" Melina extend her hand forward and chanted the spell. A pure white electrical current was unleashed and was heading straight for Ornis. But he didn''t dodge. Instead he responded in a similar manner. He extended his arm and chanted: "[Dark bolt]!" Purple lightning fired from his arm and clashed with Melina''s lightning. Both attacks generated powerful sparks but ended up cancelling each other out. "Although lightning attacks are among the strongest forms of offensive magic, it also happens to be my natural element. You won''t be able to beat me with it, kiddo." Melina soared in the air. Ornis didn''t have wings, so he couldn''t chase her. But he didn''t need to. "I''m tired of this game already. It''s time to end this!" Ornis poured magic into Xyphos. He was preparing to launch one of the swords abilities. "Eat this! Apocalypse Strike!" A bloody red energy wave was fired towards Melina. A wave powerful enough to split a mountain in two. Apocalypse Strike not only devastates the land, but the enemy that gets hit by it will definitely get killed. If that attack damages Melina''s brain or heart, even her regeneration ability won''t save her. Apocalypse Strike destroys the very soul of the target. Yet, Melina didn''t dodge. "We''re ready! Now''s your chance! Use it!" As the Pope shouted, Melina pulled out a small green orb from under her skirt. It was an item the Pope entrusted her with. She held it with both hands and chanted the spell she was taught: "[Almighty Deflection]!" In that moment it almost like a satellite dish was formed. Apocalypse Strike clashed directly into it. Ornis was grinning as he was confident that the shield would break. But it wasn''t a shield. As it named implied it''s purpose was to deflect the blast. And it did! The blast was deflected towards the Pope who had a golden staff ready. And once the blast got in contact with the staff, it got absorbed in it. "What!? What is the meaning of this? No container would be capable of withstanding that power! Human¡­ what the hell did you do?" The Pope only laughed and pointed the staff towards Ornis. "Consider this a miracle from the Goddess. This is where you stand aside, Your Highness!" A beam was now fired towards Ornis. He raised his sword as if he wanted to slice it, but instead of a direct impact, the beam split in four and surrounded him. A bright light appeared and before anyone realized what happened, Ornis was trapped inside a yellow cube. That was the Pope''s secret weapon. To trap Ornis who got in his way until they can reach the treasure in the mountain. "This pathetic thing won''t¡­" But as soon as Ornis tried slashing it, the sword was repelled by an invisible shockwave. "Hahaha! Look who''s pathetic now! This was never about facing you. We just had to get you out of the picture long enough till our mission is complete!" "Fool! Do you even know what you''re doing? If you undo the seal it will mean¡­" "The end of life? That''s only a fairy tale. Only the sinners shall be purged! We are under the protection of the Goddess! The world will be in our hands, and there''s nothing you can do anymore! Hahahaha!" The Pope started walking towards the entrance of the mountain. The soldiers who were still confused at just what happened started to follow him. Ornis was mad. He couldn''t break free from that cube. This can''t be. This can''t happen! I can''t fail here¡­ If I can''t stop him¡­ someone¡­ anyone¡­ please protect the world! As Ornis was having those thoughts¡­ a big howl could be heard. "Awooo!" In the midst of the field, a huge wolf carrying 4 people dropped. And the first one to get off and aproach the situation was a loli with crimson hair and crimson eyes. "Well well¡­ it looks like we''re a little late for the party. But now that we are here, the real fun can start!" The Pope had an angry look on his face. He was furious but also at the same time scared. His staff was made specifically for Ornis and only for one seal. He couldn''t repeat that trick. "Men! Please, buy me some time! The Goddess will protect us, but I must reach the treasure in the mountain. Melina! You too!" And with those words the Pope dashed inside the mountain without looking back. "Hehe¡­" The crimson loli let out a shallow laugh. "I actually wonder just how much time you guys can actually buy against the 6 of us!" "6? If you count that wolf there are only 5 of you. We are an army and we also have the apostle on our side!" One of the soldiers shouted proudly from the top of his lungs. "I''d count again if I were you." The loli approached the cube Ornis was in and tried to grab it with her hand. Instead of repelling the loli, the cube emitted red sparks and it felt like it was vibrating from the magical energy the loli released. Kek¡­ this thing is rather sturdy. But since Persia taught me how to crush a magic attack with my bare hands and with my own knowledge¡­ "Sorry¡­ but this thing has to go." Cracks started to appear on the cube and eventually it broke into pieces like glass, releasing Ornis. The soldiers couldn''t believe their eyes. The Pope''s most prized plan has been shattered. Some started to tremble. Others, started praying. But all that didn''t phase the loli. She took a few steps forward, but she ignored the army. Her eyes were fixed on the apostle alone. "Now then, let''s get down to business!" 58: Keeping a promise hurts Ornis raised his blade towards Melina. "This time, I''ll make sure to finish you up properly!" "Wait, Ornis!" I shouted at him from behind. I wanted to deal with Melina personally. "Please allow me to deal with her." "The situation is critical. Although I am sure you are capable of it, there are higher stakes going on now." "Please. I promise it will only take me a few moments." "Hmm¡­ very well. I guess I do owe you for getting me out of that cube. I''ll slay the rest of the insects until then. But don''t take too long!" "I understand. Thank you." Phew. I''m glad things worked my way. I made a promise to Lorina. I promised that I would bring Melina''s body back so she can properly bury her. Odin told me that Ornis'' sword can destroy even the soul of the target. And I didn''t want her to suffer anymore. Besides. I know exactly how to deal with her. It''s gonna be an OTK move. Melina raised her hand upwards and was preparing to launch a spell. And that''s the moment I shouted: "Odin! Persia! Do it now!" "Sorry for this, onee-chan!" "Sorry, Milla-nyan!" The reason why they were apologizing right now, was because I ordered them to kick me in the back as hard as they could. I needed to get close to Melina as fast as possible so the battle doesn''t drag. The momentum from their kicking force is faster than the momentum I can generate on my own. And as instructed, they both kicked my back with their lower part of the leg and I was sent flying towards Melina at a tremendous speed. Shit. It hurts¡­ my back is gonna be so sorrow after this¡­ but brush it off for now. Gotta focus. With my Demon King eyes I could see each and every one of her cores that were inside her. And the one I was aiming was¡­ the Slime King''s core. At the speed I was going Melina couldn''t react in time so I crashed straight into her. I thrust my hand into her stomach, piercing her skin. The reason for this was so I can grab the core. And using a similar principle like the one I used for breaking the cube that trapped Ornis¡­ I shattered the core. "Guah!" Melina couldn''t help but cough blood. Once I separated from her she tried firing some spells at me¡­ but because the hole I made in her didn''t close up anymore she eventually fell to the ground because of the blood loss. When I confirmed that it was ok, I got close to her and laid her on her back. She was dying. Her body started to get cold. Yet despite this, despite her eyes were still devoid of life, she had a smile on her face. She tried to move her lips. Because she was dying the crystal around her neck that was used for controlling her released it''s effect. She could talk. I was about to hear her final words. "... Thank you¡­ for stopping me. I am¡­ sorry for everything I did¡­" Crap. I feel so sorry for her right now. But I had to resist the urge of using Phoenix Tears on her. If I healed her, the necklace would just trigger again. "Tell my sister¡­ that I love her, but sorry¡­ I don¡¯t deserve to have her love after what I did. The love I have for her isn¡¯t worth mentioning right now. The curse that I wanted to escape from... followed me like my shadow. I have tried so hard already to¡­ resist, but I still couldn''t escape being used, being threatened and facing destruction¡­" "It''s alright. It wasn''t your fault¡­" "I must have caused her¡­ lots of pain¡­" Her voice was getting weaker. "Please tell her to not waste her tears on me¡­¡­ And that goes for you too¡­ Please do not cry for my sake¡­ otherwise... I¡¯ll misunderstand that you care for me too¡­¡­. Your highness¡­.. Please do not be sad because of me¡­¡­. Go and be a good king. I shall watch over you and my sister from the heavens¡­.. I hope both of you¡­ can find happiness¡­" When her blood flowed out... When she was about to lose her conscious... When she saw Milla''s face in tears, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder¡­¡­ If only I had gone with my sister back then¡­ if only I have met you sooner, could we have reached a different ending? With those final thoughts, Melina''s eyes closed and her breathing stopped. "Odin¡­" "Yes, onee-chan?" "Please put her body in an ice shell. I promised Lorina I''d bring her back." "As you wish." I kept my back at Odin all this time. I wasn''t ready to show my face to anyone. I couldn''t let them see me cry. But I couldn''t help it. Maybe I just had too big of a heart. I didn''t know Melina at all. Yet my heart was moved to the point of tears. It was the first time I lost someone. The first time I couldn''t save someone. Her blood was on my hands. I was angry. There was no way I will forgive that Pope. I was one step away from accidentally activating my Berserker Mode. No person should face such a fate. By the time Odin finished her spell, Ornis also finished off the remaining of the soldiers. I also managed to set my face straight and keep my emotions under control. "Hurry, fellow kings! We can''t waste time! We have to chase that filthy human and stop him before it''s too late!" Ornis looked panicked. Just what the hell was inside this mountain that he''s so afraid of? Regardless we all rushed inside to chase the Pope. ------ When we arrived in the heart of the mountain we saw a big black orb floating surrounded by chains. And the Pope was banging the orb with his staff. "I have done everything you asked! Now break free already and grant my wish!" "You fool! Stop!" But the Pope didn''t listen to Ornis. With another bang on the orb, the chains surrounding it¡­ all shattered. And in that moment a black tentacle extended from the orb and skewered the Pope. "Aaaa!" He started to spit blood like crazy. Serves you right, you bastard. "Why?... My Goddess¡­ I did everything you asked me¡­ I clearly received your vision¡­ you promised you would make me¡­ immortal¡­ you promised to make me¡­ a God¡­" In the next instant, the tentacle pulled the Pope inside the goo looking orb and swallowed him full. A surge of magical energy was released. It was huge. I never felt anything like it. "Damn it!" Ornis rushed like crazy near the orb, extended both his arms forward. It seems like he was generating some sort of gravitational force and was trying to keep the orb from falling apart. "Don''t just stand there! Help me! I¡­ won''t be able to hold it alone!" Odin and Persia also rushed to Ornis'' side and in a similar manner extended their hands to maintain the orb. I better get in there too. Is what I thought. But as soon as I took the first step¡­ my body feel on the ground. "Lady Milla!" Grace was shouting from behind, but I couldn''t hear her. For some reason I collapsed and my vision turned dark. Just how you pull out the plug from your TV, I felt that my plug got suddenly pulled. What¡­ just happened to me? 59: Back to reality "Milla-nee! Lady Milla! What''s wrong with you?" Grace was calling out to Milla in all ways possible. She stood there all lifeless on the ground like a ragdoll. Until eventually she opened her eyes. "Milla-nee, are you alright?" "He¡­hehe¡­ hehehehe!" Milla started to laugh like a maniac as she brought up both her hands to her cheeks. "It worked! Haha! It actually worked!" "Milla-nee¡­ what''s going on? You''re scaring me." Milla turned around to Grace. "I''m good. No, better than good! I feel perfect. I even have a small command to issue. Grace, I order you: kill yourself!" Grace was shocked. She took a few steps backwards and raised her scythe towards Milla. "Who are you? What did you do to my Milla?" "What are talking about?" "The first order my mistress gave me after her long slumber was to live, to not die even if she herself orders it. I know my mistress very well. I would never mistake her. You aren''t her! So I''ll only say this once more. What did you do to her?" ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó I violently woke up and forced my body to stand up. My vision slowly came back to me. I couldn''t believe my eyes. I was sitting in an empty classroom. It wasn''t just any classroom. It was my classroom. I couldn''t believe it. Is this another dream? No. Wait. How am I even able to remember this place. I paused for a moment to gather my thoughts. Something isn''t right. My home, my parents¡­ my years spent on Earth¡­ I could remember everything. This shouldn''t be possible. I burned every memory I had from my past life except for Shiori when I fought the Demon God. Am I dreaming? I hardly banged my head on the desk. Ouch! It hurts. It really hurts. Yup. I''m awake alright. But if this isn''t a dream what''s going on? I stepped out of the classroom. It was definitely my school. It was probably around noon. I should probably mention that I was my old self again. Ryusei Homura. This also shouldn''t be possible since my body is supposed to be buried in the Olympia Empire. I tried looking for someone. I managed to find a teacher who stayed overtime. The info I got from him was shocking. The class I was in¡­ my class¡­ it was a dead class. Class 2-B was empty. No students were registered in that classroom. He even thought I was messing with him cause I didn''t want to believe him. He forcefully pulled my student ID from my breast pocket. It was written clear. I was part of class 2-D. Nothing makes sense anymore. But I couldn''t pry any further as the teacher forced me to go home. So I walked out the school gate. But I didn''t go home. I need to figure out what''s going on here. First I took a stroll around the city. It looks the same as I knew it. Then I brought up my phone. The date¡­ it was the same date we got summon in the other world. Did not even a day pass over here? I checked my contacts all of them were there. Well almost all of them. The few classmates that I had in my phone vanished. I actually wondered if I should go to Shiori''s parents and ask them if they remember her. But then again it might be awkward. Although Shiori and me were childhood friends I hardly talked to her parents. Sometimes they even considered me a bad influence. I think I kept walking randomly around the city until it was dark. I miss my loli eyes. They could see much better. It''s like suddenly downgrading from ultra 4K HD to a blurry black and white old TV screen. I ended up strolling around an empty street. I started to doubt myself. Could all of that really have been just my imagination? Do I have some sort of brain disease? Did I ate some funny mushrooms or something? "Yo! Isn''t it past your bedtime? It''s really dangerous to be walking this street at night." 3 thugs appeared from the corner of an alley. "You''re pretty lucky you ran into us. We''re willing to walk you home if you give us all your pocket money." "Beat it! I don''t have time to deal with trash like you!" Wait¡­ why did I say that? In a situation like this I would normally throw my wallet and run as fast as I can in the other direction. But¡­ I was talking as if I was still Milla. "Huh!? You got a death wish or something?" The one that looked like the leader of the bunch pulled out a pocket knife. "We won''t kill you, but we need to teach you a lesson, kid!" He swung his knife towards my face but¡­ *Clang* It fell on the ground. "AAA! Damn it! That hurts! You broke my wrist! Don''t just stand there. Beat him up already!" *Bam¡­ wham¡­ punching sound effects* A few moments later I was dusting off my uniform. All 3 of them lying unconscious on the ground. I wasn''t an athlete. I wasn''t strong. So how did I beat them? It was thanks to Persia. Even if I lost my power, it was still a form martial arts. Wrists, joints, knees, neck¡­ striking all the human weak points as she taught me helped me deal with these idiots But I was grateful. Persia''s style was still engraved in my mind. This clears any doubts I had before. It wasn''t a dream. I ended up talking to myself. "Just what the hell happened? This¡­ isn''t right." "Took you long enough to figure it out." A voice called out from behind me. There''s no way I could mistake that voice. "Tenebria!?" As I turned around there she was. The Demon God I''m familiar with. A pink haired loli wearing a gothic lolita dress. "Honestly, how slow can you be? You should have figured it out the moment you woke up." "Tenebria, what''s going on?" "I''ll explain everything, but for now we need to keep walking. I can''t stand in one place for too long. I''m already breaking a shit tone of rules for trespassing on another God''s domain, so I can''t let my presence be known." I simply nodded. When she got near me she grabbed my hand and we started walking. Umm¡­ why was she holding my hand? She''s not a kid and this isn''t a date¡­ is it? 60: I want to be a loli again "So, Tenebria, what''s going on with me?" "Before I get to your situation, it''s better if I start from the beginning." Tenebria started to tell me a story that happened many years ago. About how the Founder gave his life to seal that black slimy thing. She says it''s called Corruption and it''s purpose is to devour life itself. Also it seems it was some sort of wish maker. That''s the only way the seal could be broken. That''s what the Pope was trying to do. Make a wish. "Wait. This doesn''t add up. What wish could he have possibly made to put me in this situation? I mean¡­ aside from prez and Shiori nobody knows who I really am. And wasn''t my body still supposed to be back over¡­ Ouch!" Tenebria started stepping on my foot. It hurts. Hey, you''re wearing high heels, you know. What''s the big idea? "You''re annoying. I haven''t finished yet. So shut up and listen. I need to explain about the God system next. You should be on your knees and praise me. This is information that mortals aren''t allowed to know." I could only nod and keep listening to her. Lolis sure can be scary. So next up she started to explain about Gods. There was indeed a supreme existence that governed the universe and all dimensions. Tenebria referred to this one true God as the Almighty One. He created the so called lesser Gods to ease his work. Not that he couldn''t do it himself. He could be everywhere and had infinite power. But nobody actually knows why he created the lesser Gods. Each lesser God was assigned to a planet and race to look after. They were truly immortal beings. "Wait, Tenebria." "What?" "The first time we met you said that without the demon race you would cease to exist." "Did I? I guess I did. Can''t believe you remember it though. Well¡­ it was a lie. I just wanted to put pressure on you and scare you. Even without the demon race I will live on just fine. My role in this world would just be more weird as I would need to think if I should create new ones or actually let them go extinct bla bla bla..." This loli God¡­ is really something, that''s for sure. "And now on to the next issue. You know I am always referring to the humans'' Goddess as a pseudo Goddess. Well, that''s because she isn''t a real Goddess. I told you that the Almighty One creates us Gods. But she is a made up Goddess. Back before the Olympia Empire was united, there was the so called old church who worshiped the true human diety. But with schemes, fake miracles and dirty tricks the Pope managed to create a new church with a fictional Goddess. 3 years after the Empress made her empire, the new church had replaced the old one completely. So people started to believe and worship a Goddess that isn''t real. Until she eventually manifested because of all the countries praying to her." "I¡­ had no idea things can go that way¡­" "Just think for yourself. Your world has a large number of religions, yet you are all a single race. Do you actually think all your gods are true ones?" Wait! I actually never thought about that, but if Tenebria is telling the truth¡­ then although there is only one God appointed to us¡­ we have no way to determine which religion is correct or if there is even a right one. I wanted to ask more but Tenebria just squeezed my hand as if she wanted to break it. Au! Why is she still holding my hand, by the way? I guess she doesn''t want to reveal more than the bare minimum. "And now, back to that fake. Unlike us, she doesn''t have true immortality. If the people one day would stop praying to her, she really will die. And that''s her fear ever since she was born. Paranoia. So, like a snake she whispered in the Pope''s ear. She told him with visions about Corruption. About the wish maker. In exchange for placing her wish, she promised she would make the Pope a God. But that was a lie." "That old fart got what he deserved in the end. But¡­ what was his wish?" "True incarnation. With her divinity, although incomplete, if she could descend on earth physically then she could become immortal from time''s point of view. So the next step is to secure her ''combat immortality''. And that''s where you come in. Or get out to be exact." "Are you saying what I think you are?" "I''m afraid so. Since your soul hasn''t fused completely with Milla¡­ she kicked you out and took your place. With her divinity and Milla''s Phoenix Resurrection she can atain true immortality." This is bad. This is really bad. I couldn''t believe my ears. If you were standing next to me you could probably hear how fast my heart was beating. "Tenebria. If she really is that evil why didn''t you or the true human Goddess do anything to stop her?" "Trust me, I would love to erase her. But there are 2 issues with that. One is the rules set. Although fighting between Gods is allowed, killing is prohibited. She may be a fake but sadly her divinity level makes me unable to kill her. And the second issue is¡­ even if I or anyone else were to kill her¡­ after a while she would just spawn back because the humans still pray to her." "But wait. The rules you keep talking about¡­ don''t they apply for her too? How is she able to block you¡­ au au au!" She squeezed my hand again. "Enough with the questions already. Your small brain would explode if I tried to explain all the divine matters." "Then¡­ can you stop squeezing my hand? Why are you holding my hand to begin with?" She slightly blushed before answering me. "~Hmph~... Don''t get the wrong idea! I''m not holding your hand cause I like you or anything¡­ I''m doing it to keep a leash on your mouth, baka!" Did she just go into dere mode again? Regardless, Tenebria took a deep breath and continued. "Anyway, that fake recreated a body for you, messed around with the system in this place and restored the memories you should have lost when you faced me. She practically gave you a ticket back home so she can claim Milla''s body." I felt like I was about to faint. But everything starts to make sense now. "Tenebria¡­ is there a way for me to go back?" "Since she is incarnated now, the barrier she put against me is gone so I can use my full authority again. I can send you back, but you''ll have to kick her out. Even if it''s for a short moment if you overpower her she will be forced out. But are you sure you want that? You can stay here. You never wanted to be summoned. You can live a normal life again. And I''ll be frank. It''s because your inner conflict that she managed to find you, so maybe it''s better to stay here." My inner conflict¡­ she''s talking about the dream I had. So the voice I heard back then was most likely the pseudo-Goddess. My fear of what would happen if I tell Grace the truth. Would she still be loyal to me? Would she follow that woman''s orders now? I took a few moments to think, before firmly answering Tenebria. "Send me back! Stay here? For what? My true family¡­ The ones I love are back there. Why should I stay here? Just so I can be another gear in this fucked up world? Besides, Milla entrusted her body to me! I won''t let that fake have her way. But also¡­ I trust Grace. Even if she won''t serve me anymore¡­ she won''t abandon me. I don''t know how to put it in words¡­" As I clenched my fist, Tenebria displayed a huge grin before bursting into laughter. "Hehe¡­ Hahaha! I knew it! You''re simply the best. You never cease to amaze me. It seems that you finally understand who you really are and accepted your feelings." Tenebria brought her hand close to my face and open her palm wide. "Now go, my cute little Demon King. Teach that bitch a lesson she''ll never forget!" 61: Don’t mess with a loli! "Are you really going to raise your weapon at me? Will you really harm this body?" "Tsk¡­" Grace was hesitating. It was an enemy she didn''t know how to handle. Just a few moments ago she was observing Milla. Did this enemy take control over her body? Did the enemy only mimic Milla''s appearance? Regardless of the answer, if there was a chance that Milla is still in there, then she couldn''t strike her. The battle maid code forbids a maid to harm her master. From near the Corruption''s orb, Odin and Persia who were still helping Ornis trying to keep it from breaking apart, couldn''t help not making weird faces when they saw the attitude change in Milla. But they couldn''t rush to help Grace because of the situation they were in. "Well, if you refuse to follow that order, then I have no choice but to kill you myself!" Milla extended her hand and fired a fireball towards Grace. Grace had no choice but to dodge. But it didn''t stop there. Another fireball was shot. And another. Fireball after fireball. Grace did her best to avoid each one. Dodging was all she could do. She couldn''t attack Milla. "Hahaha! Good! I like that! Dance around some more. Let me see you squirm!" Milla started to shoot even more fireballs. The explosions started to toss Grace around like a ragdoll before she finally hit the ground. Milla started to get closer to Grace and placed herself on top of the maid. She put her hands around Grace''s neck. "Guah¡­" Grace made a painful expression. She was choking and gasping for what little air she had left. And also¡­ tears started to flow from her eyes. "That face is priceless! Good! Let''s take it a step further! Before I choke you¡­ I wanna see your spirit brake. That pretty face of yours¡­ How would it look without an eyeball?" Milla raised her left hand while her right hand was still putting pressure on Grace''s neck. She gestured that she was ready to pluck her eye out¡­ but her hand slightly twiched and formed a fist instead. What happened next could only be described as stranger than strange. Milla punched herself in the face. She punched herself so hard that she rolled a few feet across the floor, releasing Grace in the process. "Get out!" ------ Damn. This bitch really did whatever she wanted. This isn''t how a Goddess should behave. You tried to kill my Grace? I won''t forgive you for that. I''m gonna push you out! "No¡­ Why? What do you think you''re doing?" I granted your wish! I sent you home! Why are you still clinging to this place?" A disorted voice started to speak. It really was a weird feeling. 2 voices coming out of the same body. And I never experienced something like this either. With 2 souls inside, I really felt cramped. I can''t describe it in words. "Shut up! You don''t know anything about me! You granted my wish? Who said that was my wish?" "This body is mine now!" I was literally fighting myself now. My right hand was fighting my left. My body rolled around the floor and made chaotic movements. "You''re nothing more than a fake! If you can''t accept my generosity¡­ I will crush!" "The only fake around here is you! You''re just a made up Goddess. You aren''t real!" She probably got pissed when I said that. I could feel the pressure on my soul getting bigger. She was starting to take control. But¡­ you tried to hurt my friends. You took me away from my true family. You''re not the only one who is angry, bitch! "I''ve had enough of this shit! It''s time to get rid of you!" "Fool! You don''t have the strength to¡­" I didn''t let her finish. I raised the hand I could control upwards and shouted: "[Berserker Mode]!" Berserker Mode''s black aura started to cover my body. I let out a strong roar. "Wha¡­!? How can you¡­ do this?" It''s because I know this body better than you. Now get out! My aura was struggling to cover the part of my body that this fake controlled¡­ but eventually, because I caught her off guard, I overpowered her. The moment my body was fully enveloped I screamed from the bottom of my lungs. A shockwave appeared out of nowhere and with it¡­ a yellow ghostly figure was sent flying away from my body. I immediately cancelled Berserker Mode. The last thing I need right now is to lose my sense of reason. I gasped for air a bit, then quickly turned around and ran towards Grace. "Grace! Are you alright? Quickly, drink this!" I pulled a bottle of Phoenix Tears from my shadow and made Grace drink it. All her burn marks and injuries healed in no time. "Grace¡­ I''m sorry¡­ this happened because of me¡­ I¡­" "It''s alright, Milla-nee. You became the mistress I love again, and that''s all that matters to me!" She pulled my face into her breasts and started patting my hair. Ah¡­ nobody makes me feel so warm as Grace does. "Onee-chan, I''m glad you are back to your old self¡­ but can you give us a hand? This thing¡­ is falling apart!" Oh right. Corruption. I totally forgot about that thing. I wanted to get up and go help them but¡­ "AAAAAAAAA!" A scream so loud and so high pitch was unleashed that I had to cover my ears. Seriously, if you thought nails on a blackboard were annoying, this sound was 10 times worse. It felt like a scream from those mythical creatures called banshees. The shrieking came from the yellow ghost that I threw out of me. The ghostly thing flew straight into Corruption. The moment it got absorbed¡­ it created a shockwave so strong that it blew Ornis, Odin and Persia back. "No! It''s been fully released! But something¡­ feels wrong." Ornis was the one that quickly stood up again but didn''t get a good vibe from it. And who can blame him. That black mud¡­ it was almost as if it was trying to make a human shape in the middle. Wait. Don''t tell me¡­ "AAA! Damn you! I achieved perfection yet you rejected me? You chose this world¡­ then I shall become it''s destroyer. I will devour it all and shape it in my appearance! Destroy! Destroy! Destroy!!!" My hunch was right. That so called Goddess¡­ she merged with Corruption. If that thing gets out of this mountain, there''s no stopping it. From it''s murky water various tentacles started to form¡­ and then lashed at us. "Whatever you do don''t get pierced by them! Brutal Cutter!" Ornis issued a warning and at the same time unleashed a barrage of slashes to fend off the tentacles that were aiming at him. Odin also pulled out her strongest weapon. Another one of the ancient relics. The mighty spear Gungnir. Me and Persia were just dodging around. "Milla-nyan! Watch out! Behind you!" But Persia''s warning came too late. A tentacle appeared from my blind spot and pierced my body. "Don''t get near her! She''s lost now!" Ornis¡­ your shouting isn''t helping. Shut the fuck up. It''s true that my head felt like splitting apart and all sorts of horror scenes flashed through my eyes. However¡­ "This shit won''t work on me." I grabbed the tentacle and unleashed Origin dark lightning to crush it completely. My wound obviously healed thanks to Phoenix Resurrection. "Impossible! How can you still be sane after that!?" "Sane? You think I''m sane after everything I''ve been through? I was forcefully brought here, died and came back, targeted, backstabbed, I even had to kill innocent people¡­ I may act logical and all¡­ but the reason this thing doesn''t work is¡­ because I''m already twisted!" Ornis made a dumb expression since he saw I wasn''t affected by the Corruption while the slimy Goddess was screaming again. This freak show is getting on my nerves. It''s my turn to attack now. 62: Goodbye, Milla? "[Geo Dark Bolt]!" I unleashed lightning after lightning to fend off her tentacles. But at this point we were at a stalemate. I kept blasting and she kept regenerating. I didn''t know any spell strong enough to blast all of her body. And my mana isn''t infinite. Eventually I''ll just get tired. "Onee-chan, get back. I''ll blast that thing away!" Odin was preparing to fire her spear, Gungnir. "Odin, don''t!" "Eh!?" "Although I''m sure you''ll make a big hole in it, it will just fill up quick and absorb your spear in the process. You''ll only make it stronger!" "Then¡­ is there really no way to stop it?" Come on brain. Think. There has to be a way! Sealing it would be pointless since history would just repeat itself at some point. I need something that can completely pulverize this thing. But what? "Odin, can you drop the temperature in here?" "Onee-chan¡­ I don''t understand." "This thing will just absorb magic. But if you can make the air cold and the ground would freeze naturally, then it won''t be able to absorb that ice since it doesn''t contain magic. In the end, this thing is a liquid form so we can¡­" "Slow it down if it sticks to ice. Okay! I understand, onee-chan!" Odin extended her hand and like a huge air conditioner she quickly released a chilling aura and dropped the temperature. It didn''t take long before the ground was freezing cold. And just as I predicted, this giant slimy monstrosity started to get stuck on the ice. We couldn''t freeze it, but it''s enough to slightly slow it''s advance. "Onee-chan, this won''t hold for long." I know already. I just need some room to breathe. Now think. What can I do to stop this thing. Maybe if I combine that¡­ no, there''s not enough room in this mountain. Melt it away with heat? No. That won''t work either. I''d have to use One with the Sun for that. But it''s the middle of the night now so the activation condition isn''t met. And then it hit me. The human brain is amazing. It will use your instincts to give a solution. If I use "THAT"... I can kill her. But the price for something like that¡­ I closed my eyes a bit and remembered my time here. All my servants, Grace, Lorina, my daughter Himeko, Momoyo and Shiori. All my loved ones will suffer. Everyone will be killed. I never was a family guy¡­ but this is my family. This is my home. *Sigh¡­* I took deep breaths. I made my mind up. To protect my loved ones¡­ I''ll do whatever it takes! I floated down near my friends and looked behind. I didn''t want to worry them too much so I tried displaying a smile. "Grace, I''m sorry¡­ but this is the only thing I can think off. I''ll leave you in charge from now on¡­" "Milla-nee¡­ what are you saying?" "Odin, Persia¡­ I know it''s a lot to ask¡­ but please keep my home safe. Don''t let anyone ruin it." "Milla-nyan¡­ what¡­" "Sorry guys. This is... goodbye!" I extended my right hand forward and supported it with my left hand. I didn''t chant any spell because I didn''t know the words. But I saw it''s magic circle. With my photographic memory seeing this once is all I needed to make it work. The symbols started to appear on the formation. "What kind¡­ of language is that? I don''t recognize any symbol¡­" While Ornis was being confused and all¡­ "NONONO! Why is it you know that!? Impossible!" It seems the pseudo Goddess understood what I was doing. She sent various tentacles at me. But it was too late. "It''s over. [Delete All]!!!" Tenebria''s magic. The first spell she used on me. Although I had no idea what it symbolizes, I figured out that it was a power even beyond God Slayer magic. The power to erase anything. But indeed, it lived up to it''s name. Delete All doesn''t just destroy your enemy. It also destroys your own body. Tenebria was a God. She didn''t have a physical body. She only took the appearance of a loli since it was easier to talk to her like that. The power of the Gods is still beyond my understanding. A huge pure white blast emerged. The tentacles that were aiming me vanished in an instant. The beam got bigger and bigger, devouring everything in in it''s path. "Curse you! Curse you! Curse YOOOUUUUUU!" The Goddess tried to resist the blast, but it was no use. She too, along with Corruption were engulfed in the light and completely erased. When the spell was over, I ended up blowing a path till the other side of the mountain. But it didn''t matter. Everyone was safe now. And my life¡­ was over¡­ ------ She did it! Milla-nee did it! Against all odds she managed to find a way to destroy that thing. Although the spell she used was different from Origin magic. But that doesn''t matter. Now we can finally go home and get a well deserved rest. Or that''s what I thought. What happened next¡­ nobody predicted. The moment she lowered her arms, blood gushed out from all over her body. It was like a water balloon with holes¡­ and my mistress fell on the ground. "Milla-nee!" I rushed as fast as I could to her side. Odin and Persia followed shortly. "What''s with these wounds? Why aren''t they healing?" In the next moment Odin fell on her knees. "No way¡­ her magic circuits¡­ are gone¡­" "What do you mean gone?" "I mean gone¡­ That spell she used¡­ destroyed her circuits¡­" "There has to be a way to save her!" Is this what Milla was trying to say? When she said¡­ goodbye? No! I can''t accept such an outcome. We still need you! I still need you! I already thought I lost you once. I can''t lose you a second time! She couldn''t speak. She couldn''t move. And her eyes slowly closed themselves. "Milla-nee! You can''t die! You hear me? You can''t! Don''t close yours eyes! Shake it off. Please¡­" My tears¡­ my voice¡­ could she hear them? This¡­ can''t end like this¡­ someone¡­ anyone¡­ please save the one I love the most. ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó "Mooou!" The Demon God was holding her hands in her hair and ruffling it around. "That was reckless! Milla, I know you have the title of Demon King of Insanity, but that''s too much even for you. Honestly, that photographic memory of yours is troublesome. Even I didn''t expect that you could replicate my attack after seeing it only once. Crazy. Baka!" She hoped off her throne and started shaking the orb she used as a TV to watch the mortals. "Baka! Baka! Baka! Were you expecting me to save you? I can''t. I really want to help you out but I can''t! I broke too many rules already. If I make a move again, the divine law enforcer crew will notice it. I need to lay low for a bit. But even so¡­ you can''t die. This world would be too boring without you in it." The small loli God shook her head left and right and folded her arms. "I can''t save you¡­ but I can''t let you die either. I guess it''s not interfering if I let some information slip into one of your friends'' head. Totally by accident. Yeah. That should be acceptable. As for if you actually live or die¡­ that will all depend on your resolve, my cute little Demon King!" 63: Milla’s condition part 1 I really thought that was the end of me. But, I tried opening my eyes. I couldn''t see a thing. It was blurry. My vision was really bad. I tried moving my body. But I couldn''t do that either. It felt as if I was restrained right now. So I did the only thing I could. Try moving my head left and right. And so, my face ended in something soft. This¡­ really isn''t how I imagined the afterlife. But, something feels familiar. As I try pushing my face a little deeper to get a better feeling¡­ I realized what I just hit. A pair of boobs. And even though I can''t see, I think I know what''s going on here. "Cleo, it''s you isn''t it? Let me go already." *Yawn* "Just¡­ 5 more degrees, mommy¡­" I''m not your mom. I forgot that because Cleo is a lamia, so during sleep she''ll stick close to the nearest source of heat. Which in this case is me. Even her own room has double thick blankets. But I can''t just stay like this. I tried asking nicely, so don''t complain of what happens next. I managed to get my palm out of her wrapped tail and¡­ I violently grabbed the tip of her tail. "Kyaaa!" Yup. She got the wake up call alright. Although her scales are for protection, the tip of her tail is very sensitive. And by suddenly touching it, she let go of me. "Lady Milla¡­ you''re so cruel¡­" "It''s your own fault for¡­ wait! Never mind that. Cleo¡­ how come I''m still alive? What about the others? Are they alright?What happened¡­" "Lady Milla, please calm down and ask one question at a time. I can''t answer everything at once. Let me explain everything from the beginning." "Okay." "First let me reassure you. Everyone is okay. Odin and Persia are right next door sleeping deeply. They are exhausted after treating you. Grace-senpai is doing some paperwork left after Lorina''s sister funeral ceremony." "Hold on. Funeral? They already buried her? Cleo¡­ how long was I out?" "1 week. Honestly, Lady Milla we were afraid we lost you. Shiori refused to leave your side. Himeko held your hand almost 24/7 and Lorina was praying for you not to die and she couldn''t withstand another loss." I started touching my body. I could feel bandages almost all over my body. In the past I wouldn''t need such a thing. Still¡­ "Lady Milla, are you still in pain? You''re holding your stomach tightly." "It''s not that. I¡­ I''m hungry." For the first time since I came to this world I was hungry. I never felt hunger before. This is still all confusing. "Cleo, how am I still alive?" "First, I think it''s better if you eat something. I''m gonna go ask Grace-senpai to fix you something up. In the meantime, your vision should slowly return. As for why you are still alive¡­ I think it would be better if Grace tells you the rest of the story." "Okay¡­" It''s hard to think on an empty stomach, so I followed Cleo''s advice. It didn''t take long until Grace came in with some food plates. "Milla-nee, I really am glad you are alright. I couldn''t stand the thought of losing you." "Grace, I¡­" "Before anything else, please eat." "I can''t see yet. You''ll have to feed me." "My pleasure." Food never tasted this good. Maybe because I was hungry, but the flavors exploded in my mouth. As I ate, my vision slowly started to come back. "Thanks, Grace." "There''s no need to thank me, Milla-nee. I swore my loyalty to you so I will always be there when you need me." The events in the past adventure got me thinking¡­ I''m not hiding anymore. "Grace, I want to tell you the truth. I''m not who you think I am¡­" I started to tell Grace everything. Who I really was, how I got here and how Milla passed on an entrusted her body to me. At first she kept giggling as she thought I was joking. But soon she took a neutral expression. She didn''t interrupt me and waited until I finished. "So that''s what happened¡­" "You believe me?" "You have no reason to lie. Also this does makes sense. When you woke up you were nothing like the past Milla. The fact that you once were a male also explains your attraction to the female gender." Ugh¡­ was she mad that I did all those lewd things to her? She really has a good poker face. I can''t tell what''s going on in her head at all. Oh well¡­ I better make the next step. "Grace¡­ you pledged your loyalty to Milla, but she''s gone now. I''m sorry I kept it a secret all this time¡­ if you wish to leave my side now¡­ I understand." "What are you talking about? I said it before. I will always be by your side. Lady Milla, regardless of who you once were, I don''t care. I have come to love the current you. While I understand your fear, I have the feeling that I was meant to serve you. Meeting Milla was the way for us to get together. Originally I chose to serve Milla because of how cute she was and¡­ there was something about her that was drawing me near her. I like to believe now that it was you calling me from the future." Grace brought my face close and rested it on her breasts. With her left hand she started stroking my hair. "Lady Milla, whatever happens, I love you. The current you. So there''s no need to worry. I will always be with you." "Grace¡­ is it okay¡­ if I cry now?" "Of course." I couldn''t hold back my emotions any longer. I ended up crying a river. I was happy. I was moved. Grace is similar to Shiori. She means the world to me. The fact that she''s not leaving me, makes my heart beat so fast. Like a mother, she looked after me. She takes care of me. It''s not an exaggeration to say that I''d be lost without her. After I calmed down, she wiped my tears and kissed my forehead. Now that this is settled, I almost forgot¡­ I still have to ask her why am I still alive. "Grace¡­ what happened to me? Why did I suddenly feel hungry? I thought I was dead." Once again, Grace took a stiff expression. "In a sense, you are dead. We managed to rescue you, but¡­ in your current condition it will be just a matter of time until you die. I better start from the beginning." This¡­ doesn''t sound good. I got a feeling this won''t end well. 64: Milla’s condition part 2 "Lady Odin, please¡­ is there no way to save her? At this rate she''ll bleed to death!" "I don''t know¡­ magic circuits exist in all living beings. I¡­ I don''t know what I should do! I never seen anything like this." "Stand aside if you want her to live!" "Lord Ornis!?" "I owe her a debt for destroying Corruption, a task that normally should have been mine." As instructed, Grace and Odin made room and Ornis kneeled next to Milla''s bleeding body. He placed his hand on her stomach and immediately released a huge amount of mana. "Lord Ornis, what are you¡­?" "It''s not a solution. Right now her body lacks mana. So I''m forcefully putting mana into her. That way her vital organs will keep functioning. Odin¡­ she''s in really bad shape. You help me too. Meanwhile, Persia and you, battle maid, quickly tend to her wounds." ------ "So that''s how I survived." "Yes. Lord Ornis wanted to repay his debt. He also said that he will keep your current condition a secret so that enemies won''t target you." Who would of thought that he was actually a decent guy. But this explains many things. In this world, all living beings function on mana. The heart beating, muscles, nerves, everything functions because of mana. It''s the body''s fuel. That''s why I felt hungry. High Mazoku get nourishment and energy from the mana in the air. But since I couldn''t do that anymore¡­ I got hungry. The current me¡­ is no different than a human. Perhaps even weaker. But I can''t help not asking¡­ "Grace¡­ Cleo said Persia and Odin were sleeping because they treated me. Does that mean they also injected mana in my body?" "Yes. However¡­ the mana needed to keep you alive is huge. You''re fine with the current reserves in you but¡­ we can''t keep pumping it into you." "How long do I have?" "Milla¡­ I¡­" "Give it to me straight, Grace. It''s alright." "3 months." "So I have 3 months to live. I guess it''s enough time to make sure this place will be safe and peaceful after I''m gone. Grace, I''ll make it so that this territory will be yours and¡­" *Slap* I didn''t get the chance to finish my sentence. Grace raised her hand at me and slapped my cheek. I didn''t know how to react. Grace never lifted a finger against me. "You can''t die! You hear me!? You gave me the order to live. But a battle maid''s code says that if their master dies, then the maid must also take her life. But that contradicts the order you gave me. So¡­ no matter what happens¡­ you can''t die! Do you think everyone will be satisfied like this? We still need you!" "But¡­ even I don''t know how to recover from this. Grace¡­ it truly feels impossible¡­" "So? Are you not the Demon King of Insanity? You proved it countless times. You are the one that can make the impossible possible. Why should this case be any different?" I closed my eyes. Grace was right. I was prepared and accepted my death, but I didn''t think about the feelings of those I was leaving behind. She was right. There has to be a way to overcome this shit. "Thanks, Grace. Thanks for everything! You''re right. I won''t give up!" "That''s the mistress I know and love!" As we looked deeply into each other''s eyes, the door to my bedroom suddenly burst open. "Onee-chan!" It was Odin. God! She''s a complete mess. Her hair is ruffled, bags under her eyes¡­ yeah. She gives of a different feeling right now. "Odin¡­ you should take it easy. I heard you did many things for me. I will properly thank you but you really should¡­" "No! I have to tell you this now! I don''t want to forget so listen carefully, onee-chan. There might... *yawn*... be a way to save you. Onee-chan, what do you know about the Great Desert?" The Great Desert? I remember when the church showed us the world map. There was a place on the demon continent marked with question marks. It was called the Great Desert but¡­ "Other than the fact that everyone who went in there never came back, not much." "You''re wrong. There is someone who managed to return alive from there. It was¡­ *yawn*... kept a secret. Don''t ask me how I know¡­ I just know for some reason. Your father. Gilbert Walpurgis." "Lady Odin, that''s impossible. Lord Gilbert never went on a journey that long." "It was most likely before Milla was born. Before you started to work for them. He is the only one who went in and came back. Maybe¡­ he left something for you there. Or maybe found some source of power. I don''t get it myself¡­ but every part of my body is telling me that if there is a way out of this, it''s¡­ in¡­ *ZZZZZZ*..." Hey. Don''t just suddenly fall asleep. I didn''t even know you can sleep on your feet. But I guess I can''t blame her. After all, she really must be tired. I''ll make sure to play with her ass thoroughly when she wakes up, fufu~. "Grace, can you get her back in bed?" "Of course. But, Milla-nee, are you really considering it? If you had your strength I wouldn''t argue¡­ but as you are I am afraid you won''t come back. The desert is a dangerous place." She has a point. I''ll wait for now until I can take off all these bandages. But if Odin is so sure, then there must be something out there that can help. Still¡­ why did Milla''s father go there in the first place? "Grace, I''ll wait a few days until I feel better, but I am going. I also need to do some paperwork myself and make some arrangements. But don''t worry. Somehow¡­ everything will turn out alright. In the meantime, would you please call Himeko over?" "Himeko? Not lady Shiori or lady Momoyo?" "Himeko is my beloved daughter. It''s only normal that a mother wants to see her daughter first. And besides, she spends most of her time with Lorina. I want to bond with her these days." "Understood." And so, the countdown to my departure has started. 65: Let’s go to the desert "Okaasan! Love you!" Aww! She''s just too adorable. Himeko and me were hugging on the bed. She probably could have snapped me in 2 right now, but she was very gentle. When a maid came in and saw us together she suddenly dropped the tray she was holding and blushed. "Your Highness¡­ I''m sorry¡­ I¡­" Hmm? Is she new? I don''t recall her face. Well I don''t want to scare her off so¡­ "Don''t worry. Just clean it up. I won¡¯t punish you. I won¡¯t let the head maid punish you or whatever, either. Just pretend it never happened. You don¡¯t need to worry." "R-Really¡­?" The maid fearfully raised her head. She maintained her tight grip on her dress. Still scared, she quietly said: "I once heard a rumour¡­ that if this sort of thing happened with you, that everyone who enters your room... then I would have to¡­ with you¡­ I¡­ I¡­ I have somebody I love¡­ So¡­" What the¡­!? "Were did you hear that?" "Everybody says it." I face palmed myself. I didn¡¯t know who started that sort of false rumour, but I had to punish whoever said it. It was definitely a false rumour; it was one-hundred percent false. Yes, I might have my way with the girls around me and the situations kind of went that way, but I wouldn¡¯t threaten somebody into sex over something so trivial! I waved my hand: "That¡¯s a false rumour. Ignore it. How could I threaten a maid into doing that? Moreover, my daughter is with me, so how could I do that in front of her? Just clean up, bring us some drinks and leave us alone." "Understood! Thank you!" Even so she tripped again once she exited my room. Seriously, were did Grace find such a dizzy girl? But I don''t mind. "Okaasan¡­ will you do lewd things with me?" "No! Absolutely not! You''re still too young!" Although I had Himeko watch me a few times when I did it with others, that was only to imprint the yuri mentality in her head. "Okaasan¡­ does not like me?" Gwaa¡­ don''t give me those puppy eyes. "Of course I do! I love you lots. Listen¡­ I will have to go on a trip soon. But I promise when I get back, I''ll make you a proper woman." "Promise?" "Umu! I promise." "Just¡­ come back safe. Was scared. All my life I was alone. Never had parents. Yet since you found me¡­ I only knew happiness. Don''t want to lose you¡­ Okaasan must come back!" "Mommy will be back as soon as she can. Now come. Cuddle with me for a while longer." Yeah. There''s just no better medicine than cuddling with a loli. I''m truly blessed to have such a cute daughter. ------ "Ryuuu-kun!!!" As soon as I was able to stand Shiori bumped into me, jumped on top and pinned me to the ground. "Shiori, you''re not supposed to call me that." "I¡¯ll call you anything, Milla, husband, wife, my love, my dear, whatever you want; just don¡¯t die, okay? You said everything will be okay. Doesn¡¯t this mean you lied to us?! You liar! You Liar!! You don¡¯t have my permission to die! I absolutely won¡¯t allow you to die! You¡¯re telling me you¡¯re about to die now?" I clasped Shiori''s face: "I don¡¯t want to die, either, Shiori. I don¡¯t want to leave you, either. I love you. I love you as I always have. I love everyone. Everyone here is my family. I promise I''ll find a way. So stop crying, okay?" "How¡­ can you stay so calm?" "I guess I''m just optimistic. I''m going with the flow here. And now¡­ would you mind getting off me? You''re heavy. You should go on a diet." "How rude! That''s not what you are supposed to say to a girl that is worried about you!" We both looked in each other''s eyes and eventually we kissed. "Just promise to come back no matter what¡­" "I promise. I''ll come back alive even if it kills me!" "That¡­ doesn''t make any sense at all¡­ but you never break your promises so I will wait for you. As long as needed." ------ Greeting everyone again was really tiring. I went and met with everyone. Lorina, Sue, Irina, Momoyo, Tengu, Felicia, Odin, Persia¡­ they all told me the same thing. Come back alive. I don''t intend to disappoint them. I made as many preparations as I could. First I made arrangements for the worst case scenario. I made sure that Grace will rule this place and Odin and Persia will guard it in succession. They can''t stay here permanently since they need to look after they''re own lands, but if Grace calls for them, they will rush over. Then I handed to Tengu some more laws to make sure the military and public order troops keep this place peaceful. A month out of the 3 passed in the blink of an eye. Specially now since I had to eat and sleep like normal people. It was almost time to go. But I also made sure to give everyone a good sex experience before I left. I might not come back so I made sure to enjoy a nice orgy, fufu~? But I had no intention to give up on life. I started to pack my things. Food, water and some provisions. Last but not least, I went out to pick out a horse. I didn''t know how the desert looked like. Was it a wasteland or sand everywhere? So I went with something Felicia picked out for me. "Milla-nee, please, at least take Fenrir with you! You can''t go alone." "Sorry, Grace, but no. Odin will need Fenrir." "Then at least take Felicia instead of a regular horse." "You know as well as I do that we''ll need her here. Tengu has to also go to the villages part of my land and apply the new rules. Someone here needs to be in charge. Felicia is the only one I trust." "But¡­" "Grace, I''ll be fine." I picked a sturdy horse breed. A breed that doesn''t even exist back on earth. A horse that can also carry a lot of luggage and run in bursts if the need arises. I packed special biscuits and bread that won''t rot, thanks to Lorina. Elves don''t have fancy food, but they are sure practical. "Very well¡­" "Everyone, you know what to do. Try not to get in trouble while I''m gone." "Milla-nyan, come back soon." "Stay safe!" "Onee-chan, don''t do anything reckless!" "Remember your promise Milla!" "Your Highness, we all will be waiting for you!" "Okaasan¡­ don''t make me wait!" And so, with everyone seeing me off, I mounted my horse and headed for the desert, in search for my second life... or is it my 3rd? I don''t know anymore myself... 66: Dragon The owner of a huge pair of emerald green eyes peered into the distance. The owner¡¯s huge body rested on a brown boulder. Its golden scales appeared to be a part of the boulder below. The owner had their long tail behind them. The owner irritably smacked the ground with the tip of their tail, kicking up dirt and dust that had been collected there for millenniums. That was forever the state of that place during the day. There was virtually never a day where there wasn¡¯t sand and dirt. The sand floated in the air as a result of the wind picking it up, thereby shrouding the sky. The sunlight couldn¡¯t pierce the curtain of sand there. Only the sunset rays that carried the shadow of the specks of sand lit up that part of the world. Everything here looked yellow. Yellow boulders, yellow tumbleweed, yellow lizards and yellow sand wolves. Huge sand worms and very small mammals could be found in here. You would think that a place like this can''t sustain life, but the species in here have adapted to the desert. The huge beast peered in a particular direction with its eyes similar to a snake¡¯s. It was sitting at the highest location there. Nothing above ground level was safe there due to the strong winds. The sand the wind blew over only piled up higher and higher owing to the boulder she was on. The end of the yellow desert was visible from there. A vague boundary line existed at the end of the place. There was nothing in between. On the other side was green grass and dense forests. The fragrance of the forest and the pure mana on the other side, which was where the yellow eyes were fixated on, was completely different to the desolate place. There was only one possible reason for there to be barren land in the demon continent, and that was the land no longer rich pure mana protecting it. Mana was the source of all life. Land without mana lost its green colour, and most of the vegetation. Still¡­ this land found a way to go on even with such low level and impure mana. Creatures have evolved to conserve mana and replenish their supplies from any other possible source, be it plants or other animals they prey on. But there was a reason this land was a barren. Dragon. A being of myths. A creature of ancient times. The most powerful beings ever known. Even more powerful than a Demon King. Long ago, the demons feared that the dragons would scorch their homes so they started a war to get rid of them. The war was very intense, but it didn¡¯t last for long. Most dragons were peaceful, but that didn''t mean they won''t fight back if the need appeared. Alas, with the first generation of Demon Kings uniting for this cause and taking most of them by surprise in their sleep, almost every dragon was killed. But¡­ fate prepared a weird future. All the dragons killed were¡­ males. When the last male dragon fell into a pool of blood, the females felt despair and a sense of danger for the first time. And what''s worse, the Demon Kings cut off with their combined magic the river rich in mana that once flowed this land. Dragons were also animals; animals have desires too. The female dragons, who had lustful feelings every month, realised that there were no more male dragons around them. They, therefore, fell into panic. With no male dragons remaining, they had no way of reproducing. However, the scariest thing for a female dragon was that they didn¡¯t have a partner to satisfy their cravings every month. Dragons were lustful creatures. All dragons originated from the demon continent. Some fled to other continents. A female dragon during matting season and with no partner is scary. They can go on a rampage and destroy countless villages. That''s why dragons were illustrated as evil beings in the eyes of humanity. But it wasn''t their fault. Other dragons threw their pride away and using lost magic they gave up their dragon lineage and morphed into elves. Elves valued mana more than any other race, so¡­ if you looked like an elf and had high mana, they would welcome you with open arms, no questions asked. Doing it with male elves managed to satisfy their carnal lust to an extent, but children born this way would always end up becoming elves. As much as their dragon mothers wanted to bear a dragon, a successor for the bloodline, that act was impossible the moment they discarded their dragon blood for elven blood. They could still shape shift back into their dragon form if they wanted, but it wasn''t the same thing. Nobody knows how long dragons can live. Some say it''s around ten thousand years. Some say they are immortal. But even so, the race had almost disappeared. The lone female dragon, probably the last true dragon still alive, pondered: "Should I abandon my identity as a dragon and join elven society? Thanks to my dragon lineage, my mana would naturally reign supreme among the elves. I could even rule them, enjoy the elven lifestyle and even have a husband who loves me. Moreover, I wouldn¡¯t have to bear with the monthly torment. All I have to do is forsake my identity as a dragon and live as an elf from now on, forever leaving my dragon identity behind. I¡¯d feel very blissful, but I can¡¯t accept it. I don¡¯t hate my dragon identity. I don¡¯t hate my body, my scales, my claws or my wings. I¡¯m proud of my dragon body. I have accumulated so much power over the years that I am a creature that stands shoulder to shoulder with a God. How can I forsake my lineage I am most proud of for such things? No way am I doing that. I can¡¯t do something so lowly. No way. I must think of a solution. What other methods are there besides transforming into an elf?" That method would be for history to repeat itself. To wait for a male to enter the desert. The same way, Gilbert Walpurgis did. Gilbert was a man who didn''t come like other glory head demon, just to slay a dragon. He simply wanted to see it. To see it''s glory. Since he didn''t bear any hostility, the dragon didn''t harm him. Instead she was happy. It was a male. A male she could use to ease her lust. She shape shifted into a humanoid form, but didn''t forsake her dragon blood like the others. Gilbert had an affair with the beauty even though a few days ago he just got engaged. Well, it would be more accurate to say that he got raped. He actually thought he will die by sex, since her cravings and stamina were immeasurable. But during the night when she wanted to sleep, he managed to escape. He ran and returned to his home and family, leaving the female dragon alone again. Since then, no other male willing to have intercourse with her appeared. Those that came to slay her, she had to kill them. She had to defend herself. As the dragon was having those thoughts she took a deep breath in and then narrowed her eyes. "This scent in the air¡­ it feels different, yet familiar at the same time. Just what kind of strange creature has entered my territory?" 67: I want to live It took me 2 weeks to reach the border of the Great Desert. I don''t have much time left. To be honest, I was just riding randomly. I didn''t know what I was supposed to look for in the first place. The nights were really harsh. I heard that nights get cold, but I didn''t actually wanted to believe it. And sleeping on the ground is¡­ well let''s just say my back is killing me. I wish I had a tent and a modern sleeping bag. Or at least a futon. "Why am I going deeper into this place? If everyone that comes here never returns, am I going in to die? Is there any point to going further? If everyone says it''s dangerous, wouldn¡¯t I be marching to my death?" I wondered. I was desperate due to my condition and resorting to whatever means. I had no basis, but I had to believe in Odin. If she says Milla''s father was here and survived, then there might be a way for me to live too. Days passed one after another. At one point I lost track. I saw lots of interesting creatures. Surprisingly this place is pretty lively. I managed to avoid a pack of weird looking wolves¡­ but at this rate I think I am walking in circles. My provisions are on the lower side and my body starts to feel weaker and weaker with each passing day. I didn¡¯t want to waste a single moment. I didn¡¯t know how much longer I needed. I didn¡¯t want to die on the way. But I couldn''t just march endlessly either. And then like out of nowhere, I saw something that looked like an oasis. At first I thought it''s a mirage, but it was the real deal. "Let''s rest here a bit!" I often ended up talking to my horse. It''s better than talking to myself I guess. I let my horse drink it''s fill and I also ate my share but¡­ at this rate I won''t have any food left. As I was getting some rest the earth started to shake. It wasn''t a huge shake, but it could mess up your balance. "Are there earthquakes around here?" As I said those words, my horse who was just drinking a moment ago¡­ got swallowed by a huge worm. The so called oasis was it''s mouth. It was a trap. A bait to lure prey closer for it to feed. I couldn''t believe it. It was as big as Fenrir, just that it was longer. Wait¡­ was that actual water in there or was it just it''s saliva. Eww¡­ I don''t even want to think about it. Anyway I got bigger problems now. The worm was aiming for me. There was no way I could defeat this thing. I don''t even think my body can last if I tried to run for it. But I gave my word so I can''t give up this easy. I reached for my pouch and grabbed a magic gem. I trew it at the worm. "[Flame Javelin]!" The gem turned into a flaming spear and hit the sand worm straight in its mouth. This wasn''t my magic. These jewels were sealing gems. They could seal low level spells and just by calling the name, they could release them. I prepared them with Grace to have some sort of protection with me. But I doubt that this will stop the worm, I turned around and ran as fast as I could. The worm got rid of the flames in it''s mouth pretty fast, by shoving it''s head in the sand and started to chase me. Dang. That didn''t buy me much time. Maybe if I can get to that boulder over there and get away from the sand it will leave me alone. In the meantime¡­ "[Freezing Ground]!" Another small gem that I used to freeze a big chunk of ice behind me. It worked as the worm didn''t go through it. It circled around. But it was still too fast. By the time I reached the boulder, the worm raised itself again and was aiming for me. I didn''t have time to climb it. And it was too huge to dodge. Think Milla. Is there anything I can use to distract it? I can''t die! This isn''t how it''s supposed to end¡­ But as the worm was lunging at me, just a few inches before it was about to eat me¡­ it stopped. It quickly turned around, buried itself in sand and vanished. What the hell? What was that all about!? That''s not a normal reaction. Why would you chase me if you didn''t eat me? Why did it run away? But soon I understood why. A huge shadow covered me and the ground. When I turned around, I saw it, sitting on the boulder. Dragon. I thought I was a goner for sure now. Anybody would consider themselves done for if they saw the huge creature before them. The ancient and majestic creature should only exist on worn out leather parchments and in exaggerated stories of poets¡­ yet one stood before me now. The worm fled for it''s life. As for me¡­ I was petrified. Even if I can''t see it''s stats, I knew this was something I couldn''t manage. If it wants me dead, I''m dead. Escaping isn''t an option. I am at it''s mercy. The dragon raised its long neck and roared as if it was venting the fact that the sand was blowing in the air. It stared at the me below with her emerald green eyes. It leapt off the boulder with its ivory claws. The sand on the ground reacted as if it was fleeing for dear life. The ground quaked and strong gales blew toward me, sending me rolling across the ground a few feet. I quickly got on my feet again, but I didn''t try to run. Honestly, even if I had my powers¡­ even for me¡­ defeating this monster is impossible. How did these creatures go extinct in the first place? How could anyone kill them? Still it¡¯s gaze took my breath right out of me. Looking at the pair of eyes felt the same as having a gun pointed at the back of my head. It lowered its long neck and leaned in toward me in a similar fashion to a snake. Its huge wings on its back shined through the dust as if it was metal. Its ginormous body was akin to an aircraft carrier on the ground. I¡¯d only ever seen such a ginormous beast in movies. I had a mixture of feelings running through my mind. But, there was only one fact true. I was a dead; dying from lack of mana and dying to a dragon¡­ I wonder which one hurts less. The dragon hung its neck down and slowly approached me. I stood in place without moving. I could feel the moist hot air it breathed out of its nose. If you ask me, I¡¯d say the force of its breath wasn¡¯t much gentler than the wild winds around. It opened its mouth, allowing me to see its saliva dripping down from its sharp row of teeth that also carried the scent of blood. So this was the end, huh? It''s gonna eat me. I really thought¡­ I could make. But¡­ it did something unexpected. The dragon licked my face. Its weight almost brought me to my knees. It licked me from head to toe with its sticky tongue and drooled all over me. What the¡­ !? Why is it acting like Fenrir? A drool bath is the last thing I need. I thought I was gonna puke, but surprisingly it''s saliva didn''t smell at all. The dragon then spoke. Its tone came from a dignified, archaic style. Honestly it feels like medieval times speech. Its voice contained an imposing aura that wasn¡¯t to be questioned as well as pride. "Thou are the first mortal to not flee in fear in hundreds of years." "That''s because I''ve been through many frightening experiences in the past. Fleeing would be pointless." The dragon didn¡¯t seem to have any interest in my past; it was more interested in me. She scanned me with her snake-like eyes. I felt as though she wanted to play with me as a puppet for a while. Hey, I might look as cute as a doll, but I''m not gonna become a toy for you. "Such a strange creature. Thou doesn''t have mana circuits. What are thou here to seek?" I took in a deep breath and gave a honest answer: "I want to live." Its eyes hinted at bafflement. A moment later, it continued: "If thou wish to live, why come here? There are only the dead here. There is nothing living here." "Aren¡¯t you alive, though? A long time ago my father came to this desert and managed to escape it. He might have left something behind for me. I want to live, and I also want to find what my father did here." It froze up when it heard my response. It curled its body up as if it was in pain. It didn¡¯t speak for a long time, and neither did I. "Thou are¡­ The scent thou carry¡­ Come with me." It grabbed me with it''s mouth and placed me gently on its back. "I can grant thy request." 67.5: The number 1 maid! ¡°Grace-senpai, for this day, please allow me to follow you and observe your work! Her Highness got to see my clumsy side. I¡­ I want to improve¡­ I want to be a proper maid like you!¡± The clumsy maid that dropped a tray in Milla¡¯s bedroom was talking to Grace, asking for her guidance and tutoring. ¡°Very well, Dizzy. I suppose observing would be a valuable lesson for you.¡± ¡°Umm¡­ Grace-senpai¡­ my name isn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s the way Her Highness referred to you when she told me not to punish you. So, until you improve to a decent level, consider this a light form of punishment. I will refer to you the same way. You don¡¯t have any objections, do you Dizzy?¡± The poor maid started to tremble at those words. She could only nod and agree. But she was determined to examine Grace and figure out why she is so special. Why does everyone look up to her. ¡°Don¡¯t fall behind though. If you slow me down, I won¡¯t hesitate to step on you.¡± ¡°Y¡­ YES!¡± ------ Grace¡¯s job. It is very typical as a maid. She cleans the castle, washes the clothes, and prepares Milla¡¯s meals when needed. Each of them were not unique nor special. Because of that, Dizzy became doubtful as to what was so special about Grace. *Bells ringing* ¡°Dizzy, we have a visitor. Let¡¯s go.¡± Why is the head maid the one that¡¯s answering the door? Anyone normally would be fit for this task. Yet, Grace insisted to answer it herself. Grace opened the heavy, thick door. A mazoku with slit eyes wearing a silk robe was standing there. ¡°Good day to you. My name is Kamkos, a famous merchant. I seek an audience with Her Highness.¡± The man showed an amicable smile with a respectful demeanor. ¡°I have here a referral letter from Her Highness, the Demon King of Wisdom.¡± He showed an envelope sealed with an extravagant seal. ¡°Understood. Please follow me.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Dizzy was surprised. Grace did not mind her and invited the man inside the castle without taking the envelope. She guided the man to a waiting room. A room different to where Milla holds her meetings or greets people, and after saying ¡°please wait for a while¡±, she left the room. ¡°Grace-senpai, is it alright inviting him in? Her Highness just left yesterday after all.¡± ¡°That man is most likely an enemy.¡± Dizzy became even more shocked by Grace who declared that confidently. That man who looks so amicable? On top of that, a person who even brought Odin¡¯s referral letter is an enemy? How did she judge that? Dizzy was about to ask, but soon Grace clapped her hands a few times. Shortly after, the spider girl Irina appeared from the ceiling. ¡°Ara, Ara! What is it, Grace?¡± ¡°Irina, would you please go take care of the man in ¡®that¡¯ room?¡± ¡°Oh my. Another one? It shall be done.¡± Dizzy couldn¡¯t follow what was going on. But not long after she could hear a loud ¡®HIII¡¯ screaming sound coming from that room. Irina has killed that mazoku. Grace finally took the time to explain. ¡°Dizzy, think for a bit. People know that Lady Milla is in good terms with Lady Odin and Lady Persia. But there are some who still don¡¯t want to accept a little girl as a Demon King. That was an assassin. First, for a famous merchant his attire was wrong. He wouldn¡¯t wear a plain robe like that. Second, the letter was meaningless before me. Lady Odin would have told me or Milla if she had sent over someone. Stuff like this happens once in a while. I know it¡¯s a lot to ask, but try using your brain from time to time.¡± Dizzy could only nod. She finally started to look at Grace with deep admiration. Grace¡¯s job did not end there however. Grace started by gathering the dirty clothes from all the other maids and those of Milla¡¯s close servants, washed them and dried them in the blink of an eye with her wind magic. On top of that, she also cleaned the castle. A section of it that is. Each maid was assigned to clean floors, walls and various decorations, but only those maids Grace has acknowledged. Everything had to be perfect in her eyes. She did most of the work herself. Next, Grace traveled into town to pick up various groceries. Vegetables, meat and all sorts of supplies that she needed around the castle. The work needed to be done felt like it increased with each step Dizzy took. Dizzy, who was just trying to keep up with Grace was exhausted, but Grace was doing her work with a composed expression as if it was natural to her. The more she observed the head maid, the more she became amazed and terrified at the same. Is this the difference between a normal maid and a battle maid? What happened next was even more frightening. She watched Grace handle a mountain of paperwork. Dizzy heard that Grace often acts as Milla¡¯s secretary too, but she¡¯s actually approving or rejecting various meeting requests, law suggestions, meeting forms, internal and external affairs. How could just one person be capable of so many things? Making swift decisions, noticing even the slightest details and still have energy to go on another day. This was Grace¡¯s normal workload. It must be noted, that she does these chores on top of answering to Milla¡¯s every call. The battle maid was a fierce woman. ¡°Dizzy, I told you to keep up. We aren¡¯t finished yet.¡± ¡°Eh!? There¡¯s more?¡± Grace didn¡¯t bother to explain anything. She continued her casual walk around the castle until she ended up in the kitchen. Dizzy couldn¡¯t imagine what they were supposed to do here. Grace is a High Mazoku so she can¡¯t be hungry. All the food Grace bought earlier during the day¡­ she started to cook. With super fast reflexes she peeled potatoes, onions and sliced the meat with the precision of master swordsman. Dizzy then realized it. Not all the staff working here were High Mazoku. And she has only seen chefs during crowded occasions such as the Blood Ball. In other words¡­ Grace was cooking food for all the servants that were in Milla¡¯s service. A total of 50 plates were prepared by Grace in roughly an hour. Her cooking skills are on the level of a God and with magic she finished everything in record time. ¡°This is your portion. Eat up.¡± ¡°Thank¡­ you¡­¡± Dizzy started eating. She never knew that Grace was the one that cooks their meals. When she wanted to praise Grace though, she only replied: ¡°Those don¡¯t even hold a candle compared to the meals I make for Her Highness. If you think it¡¯s delicious, then you need to improve your standards.¡± Once Dizzy finished her food, the sun was setting. She fully understood now just how amazing the woman called Grace is. Why everyone looks up to her and why Milla loves her so much. ¡°I finally realized now. I finally know¡­ the type of maid I want to be¡­ the type of person I want to grow into¡­¡± Dizzy looked straight at Grace with a fiery glare in her eyes. A burning passion and determination. ¡°From here on I shall call you Shishou(1)!¡± Grace didn¡¯t respond right away. She got closer to Dizzy and gave her a simple forehead flick. ¡°Ouch!¡± ¡°Idiot. I have nothing against training you, but your goal shouldn¡¯t be to be as good as me. You should aim to surpass me. Of course, I will never let that happen. But that is the passion and burning desire a battle maid lives by.¡± ¡°Understood, Shishou!¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s keep going.¡± ¡°But¡­ the sun has almost set¡­¡± ¡°So? There are also activities that must be done during the night too.¡± Dizzy forgot that High Mazoku don¡¯t sleep either. ¡°I think I¡¯ll pass. That was more than¡­¡± ¡°I won¡¯t let you quit half way after your statement. You¡¯re coming with me, like it or not.¡± And so, Grace dragged poor Dizzy along into the beginning of the night tasks. When morning came, Dizzy instantly collapsed on the floor. As for Grace¡­ a new day was starting. A new day of duties, for her beloved mistress. Waxford 1 - master/teache 68: Milla and the dragon I don¡¯t know where this dragon would take me, but I believed she wouldn¡¯t harm me. After all, she acted extremely different when I mentioned my father. Well Milla''s father to be accurate. The dragon was overwhelmingly imposing, but I could tell she was a female from its voice¡­ Still, I can''t help but wonder, did she know Gilbert? I didn¡¯t know how long I flew for. It was hard to breathe at first, but then it felt quite nice after I adapted to it. Joyful times don¡¯t last long, though. I felt as if I was about to freeze into ice after a while. The dragon completely disregarded the clouds in the sky when it flew and went straight into them. I couldn¡¯t handle it. I felt soaked when we left the clouds, and then there were the strong winds blowing into me. It was freezing¡­ I miss my internal heat. The dragon ignored everything I shouted to her. She just kept on flying ahead, while all I could do was look at the desert below. The desert was the same everywhere, so there was nothing to see. We flew for a very, very long time. I inadvertently saw a water patch in the centre of the desert. This time it wasn¡¯t some sort of creature, but an oasis in the centre of the desert. It was a vast patch of clear water. Everywhere else was sand, but the place had more than just a lake. Next to the lake were trees. I would believe there were fishes in the lake if I was told so. The dragon finally reduced its speed. After we landed, I noticed that there was a small ugly house next to the lake. I had honestly never seen such a repulsive house before. In fact, it would be better to call it a structure put together by throwing some timber together than a house. The roof was made using a collection of tree leaves and held down with a rock. The house that was leaning to one side swayed sideways as a result of the dragon flapping its wings for crying out loud. It screams help. The dragon seemed to really value the house though. The dragon deliberately landed some distance away to avoid crushing it with her body. She didn¡¯t release me, that being said. Instead, she threw me straight into the lake. I struggled in the water. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t deep. Consequently, it didn¡¯t take me long to float back up. I had no idea what the dragon was trying to achieve by throwing me into the water. She blankly looked at me from one side, and then reached its head into the water for a drink. Then, she sprayed the water all over me. To me, it felt as if I was blasted with a high-pressure water gun, as it drove me straight to the centre of the lake. Actually, I felt as though the water current swept me up. Yes, as in swept me flying into the air and then landing back into the water. I felt as though the pressure shattered my organs. While floating on the water surface, I looked at the sky in a daze. Was it really a good idea to follow her? I don''t know how many near death experiences I got left in me. The dragon then looked at me satisfied. "You were trying to give me a bath¡­?" She didn''t reply though. She came over fished me out of the water and blew in my face. If I had to describe it, it felt akin to being thrown into the dryer. The hot wave dried me. Pleased, she looked at me, and then said: "Wait for me. I shall show thou what thou father left behind." She then turned her back to me and slowly walked behind a dune of sand. I didn¡¯t know what she was planning. I guess I could only wait for now. I wanted to go into that house but I didn''t want to make the dragon angry. She told me to wait, so I better wait. I kept circling it instead. I couldn''t help not wonder, is this were pops would really leave such a valuable treasure for me. Not before long, a voice called out to me. "Thou wants to go inside?" The voice wasn¡¯t an imposing voice from overhead, but from a location of the same height I was currently at. I turned my head around to see a pair of green eyes looking at me. It was¡­ a woman. Did the dragon just turn into a human? Regardless, her beauty left me speechless. She has long, wavy blonde hair and a pink ribbon that keeps a small portion of her hair in a plait and a very large bust. Seriously, those boobs rival the Empress''s. Her clothes consisted of a white, rather revealing dress that showed her midriff and barely covered her chest and legs and golden armbands with a long strip of white fabric that acted as her sleeves. She wore brown sandals with a ballet-like wrap that went just past her ankles and simple, blue bracelets. She also had a headpiece that was made of four different-colored jewels - two blue, two pink - and hair accessories that were shaped like white flowers. If someone were to call this woman a goddess, I would agree with them. She gently moved her hand. Her eyes staring at me caused me to feel a little dizzy. People¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t emit light; they received light. However, her snake-like eyes seemed to emit light. Her pupils were slightly strange. She let out a heavy sigh, and then placed a hand on my head. To be honest, her action made me feel concerned. Her hand was heavy¡­ I suspected she was going to twist my neck off¡­ but, she stroked my head: "Thou have the same aura as Gilbert. If thou are indeed his daughter, then I see thou as my child as well." Huh!? Did my dad have an affair with this dragon? Why did he leave from such a beauty in the first place? I really don''t get what''s going on. "Come with me for now." She turned around and didn¡¯t wait for me and went ahead instead. She wasn''t going for the house. I followed after her. I asked her countless questions, but she didn¡¯t answer any. Slow down at least a little. Walking on sand with high heels is a nightmare. I''m surprised I managed to run from the worm as I did back then. The two of us walked to a place nearby a mountain of sand. To my surprise, there was a cave underneath the sand. Perhaps there was a rock mountain underneath the sand. The dragon turned around and pointed at the cave. She put her hand into her mouth. When she took it back out, it was on fire. Seriously!? Is that your idea of a torch? Couldn''t you just snap your fingers or something? I''m beginning to feel less scared around this dragon. The two of us entered the cave. The dragon walked ahead of me. She walked extremely quickly despite all the holes and bumps in the ground. I suffered as a result. My heel boots were wet due to stepping into more water puddles than I could keep count of. What was I supposed to see in here? 69: You want to be my mom!? The cave went a lot deeper than I imagined, and it had lots of different paths. I¡¯d be lost if I entered alone. I didn¡¯t know how far I went, but my physical stats weren¡¯t at their primes at the moment, so I soon felt so tired that I leaned on a wall and panted. I didn''t know how much time I had but I could feel a lot of pressure on my heart. "Thou are physically weak." She turned around and looked at me with a worried look. I leaned on the wall and panted. Well thanks for stating the obvious, Einstein. "That¡¯s why I said I¡¯m almost dead. I¡¯m in a physically poor condition at the moment. I wouldn¡¯t be so weak, otherwise!" She seemed to be scanning me to see if there was anything wrong with me. Although she already knows that I have no magic circuits. I felt I might¡¯ve had a chance at being cured by her, but she didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, she came over and grabbed my hand. I almost cried over the warm sensation. She tightened her hold on my hand. If it was any other girl that was holding my hand, I¡¯d feel reassured and warm, but I felt as if the dragon would crush my hand. She continued forward while holding my hand. She didn¡¯t look back. "Thou father and I had a deep bond. I see many of his traits in thou. Jelous. He¡­ left me and had a daughter. I feel jealous. I have lived here alone for hundreds of years. I lived with thy father for a full month, but never had a child." She seemed to ponder something before lowering her head all of a sudden. She then righteously said to me: "Thou is thy father¡¯s daughter, therefore thou are also my daughter." "Sorry, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how it works¡­" How did I become your child all of a sudden!? Does this dragon lack common sense? Even if my¡­ Milla''s mom died when she gave birth, she must realize someone else brought me in this world. How in the world can I randomly have another mother!? I was lost for words. We were struggling to traverse a dark and wet cave, but we suddenly found a massive vacant space. The area was so vast that it appeared an entire mountain was dug out. There were all sorts of gold coins and treasures in the vast space, and they were all squished together. Legends claimed that dragons had a habit of collecting treasures, and it sure appeared to be true. I had no idea where she collected so much gold and treasures from. This is all wonderful¡­ but why did she show me this place? I doubt gold can cure me. But she pointed towards a red cloak buried in the gold. "This is the place I like most and has the things that I like most, which includes thy father''s last belonging, gold and now, thou." She spun around and looked at me. Her eyes were full of affection, causing me to feel flustered¡­ And what do you mean ''now me too''? Are you planning to trap me in here? No¡­ shake it off, Milla. Focus on the end result. I picked up the cape. It had the the Walpurgis clan''s emblematic bird drawn on it. What can I say. He might be Milla''s father, but for me¡­ he''s just a stranger. I feel no emotional attachment to this piece of cloth. "Thou can take it. Stay and keep me company. Thou are similar to thy father and thou are my daughter, while I am thy mother. So thou can keep me company." She pressed her hands onto my shoulders. So she brought me to this cave to have me stay over and keep her company!! By the looks of things, not even dragons can bear with the pain of loneliness. I mean, there are even humans who lose their minds cause of loneliness. Even an otaku like me, doesn''t want to be alone. Sure, I might play games and stuff, but I still used to talk with a fake name to other people who shared the same interested. The dragon was dying from loneliness in the desert. But I''m physically dying over here. I shook my head: "I want to live. Even if I stay, I¡¯ll die. My body won¡¯t hold up. Can you not sense that?" "I shall take care of thou. I can save thou. If thou live, thou shall stay with me." Was she telling the truth!? Was there a way for her to actually fix my body? To regenerate my magic circuits or something? Well¡­ dragons are beyond our knowledge to begin with so maybe I should believe in her and have her give it a try. I''ll think what to do later on, but for now¡­ she''s the best bet I have. "All right." The moment I said those words she looked as blissful as though she had obtained her most cherished child. She¡¯d been so lonely living in the desert all alone. She finally had a family. She finally had somebody she could chat with. The dragon cherished that feeling with all her heart. The dragon was also a woman who cared for her family. She just wanted me to stay by her side. All she asked for was a family member. Just one. Even so... She wasn¡¯t my only family. I had to return back somehow. I wonder just how attached she is to this place? Could I convince her to come and live with me? As I was having those thoughts she turned around and was preparing to leave this cave. From behind I shouted to her: "Hey. I want to know how I can live." She staggered for a moment. "Are thou my daughter?" Is she asking for confirmation from me? What should I do in this situation? More importantly, what the hell did Gilbert do to her to put her in this state? Was he a playboy looking for a one nighter? If he stood here for a month why didn''t he bring the dragon back with him. Sorry, Milla. If you''re listening right now, I''m sorry for bad mouthing your old man but¡­ he''s a douchebag. Let''s try forgetting about logic and just tell her what she wants to hear. "I haven¡¯t got the foggiest clue as to how blissful you two were together. Your romance with my father has nothing to do with me. But¡­ I saw your gentle side. So¡­ Yes. If my father loved you and if you loved my father, then you are my mother." Tears came forth from her snake-like eyes. I never knew dragons shed tears until then. She walked over to me in an aggressive manner as though she wanted to swallow me whole, and then pulled me into her tight embrace. I would have been in the 9th cloud with such a boobie face hug, but... All my bones felt as though they were going to be crushed¡­ Ouch¡­ control your strength, damn it! At this rate you''re the one that''s gonna kill me. "Okay¡­ Okay¡­ Okay¡­ Save thou¡­ Save thou¡­ I shall definitely save thou¡­ Promise!!" I really hope I don''t regret doing this. But¡­ maybe it won''t be so bad. After Tenebria sent me back again, my memory returned to the state it was after fighting Tenebria. Which means I can''t remember my own parents or family. And since Milla had no blood family either¡­ it can''t be that bad to have a mom, right? 70: Death? "So how are we gonna do this, err¡­ umm¡­ come to think of it I didn''t get your name. Mine''s Milla. Milla Walpurgis." "... Katalina Leviathan¡­" Why does this name sound so familiar? I think I heard something similar in a manga or anime. Oh well¡­ I''ll probably just end up calling her mom. Right now we were in that poor excuse of a house I saw earlier. It really is just something put together on the spur of the moment. It only had a bed, a table and 2 chairs. "First I must stabilize thou. The process will be painful otherwise." Okay. Sounds good so far. I don''t like pain. She made me lie down on the bed and got on top of me. The dragon clasped my face. While I felt as though all my bones were going to be crushed the last time she hugged me, she was very gentle when she clasped my face. The warmth of her hand was blissful and relaxing. She lightly pressed down on me. I couldn¡¯t feel any scales. I, instead, felt the softness of her flesh. In this form you really wouldn''t say she was a dragon. Her skin was so smooth and soft¡­ I dare say even softer than Shiori. I allowed her hands to freely swim across my face before slowly descending down to my neck. Her hand stopped at my pulse. I could feel my pulse slowly running along her finger. A mix of emotions lingered in her gaze. There was some joy, sadness and despair. She leaned down. I felt something heavy on my chest that could virtually break my ribs. Your boobs are heavy. As soon as I opened my mouth, the dragon didn''t let that opportunity slip and blocked it with hers. Oi¡­ what''s going on? Even if I''m a big pervert this isn''t the time for sex. The temperature inside her mouth still was that of a raging dragon. It felt as if I was thrown into an iron pot. Oddly enough, it felt nice. Maybe because I was used to heat myself, I found it pleasant. I never knew a dragon¡¯s tongue could be so agile. She completely sealed the area my tongue could move around in. Her hot saliva slowly flowed into my mouth, making me feel as if I was swallowing strong alcohol into my belly, burning everything from my mouth down to my stomach. I couldn¡¯t help but feel nauseous. However, my body begged for more. I realized what she was doing. Her ancient mana continued to flow into my body. The dragon didn¡¯t seem to hold herself back with any brakes and did all she could to transfer her mana to me. I gradually felt my mana being replenished. I can¡¯t deny dragons truly possess relatively powerful mana, but just how much does she have? If this is the treatment she wants to give me, then I won''t hold back either. I wrapped both my arms and legs around her into an embrace and vigorously started sucking on her lips. It''s so sweet. I tightly hugged her. She slowly curled up her body and caressed my face. In the spur of the moment, I couldn¡¯t contain myself, so I looked at the silhouette in front of me and softly said: "Mom¡­ I love you¡­" The dragon suddenly stiffened up, and the atmosphere all around froze ice old. It started off seemingly amorous, but instantly returned to normal. The weight and warmth on my body vanished. The dragon slowly sat up, albeit remaining on top of me. What''s up with her? She looked at me in a daze; similarly, I looked back at her the same way. I felt my mana had basically fully recovered, so I was impressed since it basically took 3 kings to stabilize me last time, yet she managed it alone without being fazed. "Thou¡­ thou called me¡­" I called you mom. What? Isn''t it what you wanted. Did you think that just because I asked for your name I wouldn''t call you that? I''m not that cruel. But yeah¡­ I guess it is weird. I just made myself her daughter. Well¡­ I did take Himeko in as my child even if we aren''t blood related, so I guess I don''t mind if I become someone''s kid either. "Hurry! What did thou call me?!!" I planned to slip my way away from the question, but she grabbed my face with her hands and pulled it up to hers. I said that she was very gentle when she clasped my face, but it was darn frightening when she clasped it again. I had a feeling that she¡¯d tear my head off if I didn¡¯t answer. "Mom¡­ I¡­" She didn¡¯t wait for me to finish. The dragon didn¡¯t care about my tone or what exactly I wanted to say. She heard the one thing that she wanted to hear most, which was ''Mom''. She let out a loud scream. It sounded like a combination of a dragon and a human¡¯s voice. She then pulled me into her tight embrace¡­ Ouch¡­ that overwhelming force again¡­ are you sure you''re trying to save me? I''ll really get killed at this rate. She gave me hot and passionate kisses on my face. "Cut it out already! My body is back in working conditions thanks to you, but this isn''t a permanent fix. Can we get this miraculous cure started?" "Yes¡­ anything thou wishes, sweetie!" She eagerly dragged me out the house and took me on the open sands. She then changed back to her dragon appearance. "Are thou ready?" "Of course I am. What do I have to do?" "Just stand still." I thought some sort of magic circle would pop up or flashing bright lights, but what happened next shocked me. Katalina opened her mouth and lunged at me. With her speed there was no way I could dodge. Put it simply¡­ she ate me. The last thing I remember was her sharp teeth and her oven like mouth. I didn''t feel pain. I lost consciousness as soon as she closed her mouth. Did she really¡­ just want to kill me in the end? ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó Meanwhile in one of the villages part of Milla''s territory, the dryad Teri was working hard on a flower field. "Yo, Teri! It seems like you''re doing a good job." "Oh, Tengu! What are you doing here? Can Teri help you with something?" "Nono. I''m just here to make sure that the extra laws Her Highness gave are respected by the local forces." "Teri¡­ really misses Her Highness." "We must believe that she will come back to us." Everybody was down in spirits. Even the villagers. For them, Milla was a hero who treated beastmen just like any other demon. They weren''t discriminated. As Teri and Tengu exchanged more words, Teri suddenly felt a chill through the ground. "Something wrong?" "Teri¡­ feels something¡­" She turned around and saw that some of her flowers started to dry up. More accurate it felt like they were rotting. "Teri, get back! Something is coming!" As Tengu predicted, a silouete appeared through the trees. A purple skeleton in a white robe with a hood appeared. His feet weren''t visible. His eye sockets were filled with 2 azure like diamonds. And he was wielding a big double edged axe. But what was most important, everything around him¡­ was rotting. "Halt! Identify yourself! This village belongs the Demon King of Insanity, Milla Walpurgis. Who are you to casually walk in like that?" "I am¡­ death!" 71: A new enemy Shiori was curled up in Milla''s bed. She kept rolling around and tightly hugged Milla''s pillow. "Lady Shiori, would you please get off so I can change the sheets?" "No! Grace, this is the only place where I can still feel Milla''s scent. I don''t want to give it up!" Everyone around the castle missed Milla deeply. Shiori was in the worst mood as she refused to leave Milla''s bed. Grace couldn''t just let her stay there forever. Not to mention it wasn''t healthy so she really had to change the sheets. "Grace, I think I can help you a bit." From behind, Odin came and whispered in Grace''s ear. Milla requested Odin and Persia to come over from time to time to help keep the land peaceful. It was Odin''s turn right now. Persia was back to her own territory. "Shiori, you really don''t need to worry." "How can you say that? It''s been 3 months and more already. She could be dead for all we know." With teary eyes she looked up at Odin. "Take a look at this." Odin pointed around her own neck. She made her blue slavery choker visible for Shiori. "When Milla and I fought, she redirected my Territory Sovereign at me. Since that day I was bound to listen to Milla''s orders. As long as Milla is alive, regardless the condition she is in, this won''t come of my neck. So I am sure onee-chan is alive and is just struggling to get back to us." Shiori wiped her tears and slowly got off the bed. She took a glance at Grace. "How are you so optimistic?" "Because I know Milla-nee well. She said she will come back. So that''s what she''ll do." "I know her too, you know!" Sparks started to fly between there eyes. Odin softly giggled. This was common between them. Always arguing who knows Milla better. Odin often enjoyed these cat fights between them. Sometimes she felt jelous, but she was happy with the current relationship she had with her sister. "Kyaaa!!!" "What was that?" A high pitch scream could be heard. Odin, Grace and Shiori quickly ran to see who was causing such a commotion. But what they found¡­ *PANT¡­ PANT¡­* "Irina¡­ I don''t think it''s the right time for your hobbies." As you could probably guess, Irina was wrapping poor Momoyo in her strings again. The pose this time was more¡­ extreme. Momoyo''s legs were spread and due to the sweat the shape of her pussy could be seen. Strings wrapped around her butt line made thier way up to tie her hands behind her back. Her breats and torso were tightly squeezed by the web and her nipples were erect. "Ara Ara! But I''m not doing this for myself. My hobby is just a bonus. I''m doing this for Momo-chan! She said she misses Milla so I thought this might get her to clear her head!" "This¡­ doesn''t¡­ Fuaaah!!!" Before Momoyo could say anything, Irina tug on her strings, tightening the bond even more and making Momoyo almost lose her mind. "That''s enough, Irina. Please let her go." "Very well." As soon as Irina let the strings in her hand go, Momoyo suddenly dropped on the floor. Scared she quickly ran behind Shiori and Grace. "There, there, Momo-chan. It''s okay now. Was it scary?" "I think I''m more scared¡­ that I''m actually getting used to this¡­" There was no doubt that everyone missed Milla in their own way. And while all of them were gathered in thoughts, Cleo quickly barged in. "Lady Odin! Grace-senpai! It''s an emergency! Teri is back and she''s in really bad shape!" At those words everyone there gathered at the entrance to find a dryad with lots of bruises on her tiny body. What''s more, some of the leaves that were sticking out of her looked like they were about to dissolve into thin air. Grace quickly gave her a bottle of Phoenix Tears so she could recover fast. "Teri, what happened?" "It was awful! Scary. An enemy unlike Teri has ever seen¡­ Tengu¡­ he stay behind to let Teri escape¡­ Grace, we have to evacuate everyone! He¡­ that thing will soon be here!" "Calm down, Teri. What enemy? Whoever it is, we shall defeat it¡­" "You can''t! You can''t get near it!" Grace and Odin both tilted their heads. They didn''t understand what Teri meant at all. But her warning came late. In one of the castle walls, cracks started to appear. "No way! It already caught up with Teri?" The wall crumbled. Once the dust cleared, a skeleton with a white cloak stood there and looked at everyone present. "Halt! You are trespassing on the Demon King of Insanity''s castle!" "Why does everyone keep telling me that? I am well aware where I am." Odin quickly grabbed Grace''s arm. She narrowed her eyes and took a long glance at the enemy standing before them. "By any chance, are you the rumored mercenary that goes by the name of Death?" "Hou!? As expected of the Demon King of Wisdom. I''m glad at least someone here isn''t as ignorant as the rest." "Odin¡­ you know this thing?" Odin started to clench her fist. She didn''t personally know this skeleton. But she did hear rumors and stories about him. A mysterious creature with strength on par with any Demon King. A being that can cause death with the slightest touch. A monster that you can''t get close to, neither can you escape it if it targets you. "First, let me say my thanks to that dryad for leading me here. You saved me a lot of trouble." "No way¡­ you followed Teri? Teri ran as fast as she could. What happened to Tengu?" "If you are talking about that swordsman, I didn''t kill him, but let''s just say he needs to pull himself together." Grace was mad. She signaled towards Irina. Irina rapidly sent her strings flying to restrain the intruder and Grace immediately pulled out her scythe and aim for the skeletons'' head. "Fool!" Odin quickly drived her palm into the ground and formed an ice wall between Grace and the enemy. The moment Irina''s strings touched his body, they snapped as if they were as weak as paper. "You idiot! Do you want to die? Your scythe would have rusted the moment it made contact with him! Even an ancient relic can''t take more than 5 hits of his axe." Grace opened her eyes wide. She never saw Odin scared before. Not even when they were up against Corruption. This is the first time she saw Odin make that panicked face. "Well, I would like to stay and play, but I have to fulfill a contract. This castle, must be demolished!" "Grace, evacuate everyone inside. This guy is serious! I''ll buy as much time as I can, but we need to get ready for the worst!" "Un¡­ understood¡­" "Hey¡­ Death. Who hired you to do something like this?" "You actually think I would tell you that? More importantly, I would appreciate if you would also evacuate. Killing you or anyone else here won''t make me richer. I was only ordered to tear down this place. So why not make it easier for everyone and just walk away?" "No. This is my beloved sisters'' home. I can''t let you destroy it. I¡­ will find a way to stop you¡­" "Such a shame. Oh well. Let''s test then how long it takes for a Demon king to rot!" 72: The loli returns "[Ice Pillar]!" As the name suggests, Odin extended her hand and a big ice cylinder formed above her head. She violently throwed it at the skeleton standing before her. But he didn''t move. As soon as the pillar touched his black aura it turned into what seemed like small dust particles. *Tsk* As Odin clenched her tongue, the skeleton raised its hand. "My turn now." He didn''t chant any spell. He simply fired the dark aura like a beam straight at Odin. "Nidhogg!" One of Odin''s special abilities. An eastern looking ice dragon formed behind her. Odin''s Nidhogg has the ability to devour magic. So she thought maybe this would work. Maybe it can slow it down. The Nidhogg rapidly ate the jet black aura that was aiming for Odin. At first glance it appeared that it was working. But a few seconds later cracks started to appear on its body. Soon, the ice dragon also disintegrated into dust particles. "It''s pointless. Everything rots away eventually. Flesh and even magic. The earth¡­ mountains¡­ everything that surrounds us. Nothing can escape the aging process." "Then I guess I just have to try harder." "Stubborn." Death raised his axe and jumped at Odin. She really couldn''t use her Gungnir as it would just suffer the same fate. So instead she used her magic power to create 2 ice swords and intercept the axe. *Clang* The swords and axe met. Odin was constantly filling them with mana, but Deaths'' power was eroding them faster than she could maintain them. After a few seconds the ice swords broke, but Odin managed to jump back and avoid the axe''s swing. Death quickly followed. Odin created sword after sword. As soon as she fended off the axe and the sword would break she would quickly generate a new one. But she was on the defensive. She couldn''t afford a single scratch. After a few more exchanges she managed to put some distance again between them. "Aren''t you tired of this? It''s pointless. Can''t you see that everything falls before me? You can''t win." "There''s still something I can try." Odin took a weird stance. The air and ground around her strated to freeze. "Hou!? I''ve heard of that. Freezing Coffin. It''s a high level spell that freezes your opponent for 1000 years. But it also uses your life force. You''ll shave off 1000 years from your own life. You might die. And I will be free in half an hour at most." "That might be just the time we need to come up with a strategy. I will survive. For my onee-chan¡­ I will stop you here. AAAAAA!!!" As soon as Odin let out that war cry a huge amount of pressure was released in the room. The skeleton slowly started to freeze from his feet. "Woman, are you really that desperate?" "Talk as much as you want. I''ve got you know. [Freezing¡­]" "DON''T CAST THAT SPELL. THAT''S AN ORDER!" A voice echoed across the room. As soon as it spoke Odin''s choker started to emit electrical sparks, compelling her to cancel the spell. "Honestly, I leave you guys alone for a while and you make a big mess. Seriously, you all are hopeless without me." As Odin lifted her gaze up towards the stair rail that lead to the first floor she saw her. A red haired loli sitting and looking down. But she couldn''t believe her eyes. "Onee-chan¡­ Is that¡­ really you?" ------ Dang. Odin really was reckless there. If I didn''t hear the fighting and rushed over it might have been too late. I really can''t take my eyes off them. As for Odin''s shock¡­ well¡­ I don''t exactly look like I used to. For starters my hair was wrapped in a ponytail. Less sand would enter it that way and I don''t need to wash it that often. I had an eye patch over my right eye. My clothes were even more strange. Dragon mom ate me so I needed new clothes. But I had little to choose from. After all, it''s not like lolis would come to a dragons'' cave. Moving on I had a swimsuit top-like chest piece that was attached with leather straps to a collar around my neck. It felt like a modern push-up bra, honestly. Made my small breasts look a little bigger. The collar had some white fur attached to it. Leather black straps also went across my belly and around my arms. The previous owner must have really been into bondage. Otherwise I really don''t get the point of these clothes. I had a light grey skirt with some sort of lower body protection cloth. If you looked at me you could believe I was wearing 2 skirts. I had a belt that was keeping them together with lots of gold ornaments, a big azure jewl in the center and 4 gold dragon wings that gave the impression that they were coming out of it. And the jewels that were merged with my body disappeared. I found a pair of black panties. Lucky me. I didn''t have to go commando. As for my boots, they went up to my knees, they were light brown with gold trimming. And the best part about it¡­ they were high heels. I really don''t want to give up heels. I''d be too short without them. So yeah. You can understand why Odin was surprised. I looked quite different. But in my eyes, I''m cute regardless. "Odin, don''t just stand there like an idiot. Step back. I''ll take over from here." "It¡­ really is you¡­ onee-chan! I knew you would find a way!" I slowly descended from the first floor. The skeleton dude didn''t take his eyes of me. "It seems the information I was given was false. I''ve been told you were killed, Milla Walpurgis." "So? Just because I got killed, doesn''t mean I died(1). As for you¡­ get out of my house." "I can''t do that. My mission is to tear this place apart. I would appreciate it if you would withdraw everyone and¡­" "Not happening. You hurt my friends and barged into my land. I need to teach you a lesson." I took one small step after another. "Oh? You''re approaching me? When everyone runs in fear and keeps their distance, you are actually coming straight to me?" "I can''t mop the floor with you unless I get close." "Hou! Then by all means, come as close as you want. You''ll make it easier for me." I was standing right next to this white cloaked hooded skeleton. He was very confident. Sorry buddy, maybe you think your power is something big, but¡­ against me it''s useless. I clenched my fist and threw a punch at him. He didn''t bother to dodge since he was probably thinking my hand would rot in an instant. But that didn''t happen. He felt the full blow of my punch. "Guah!!" I hit him so hard that I sent him flying outside the castle. Odin couldn''t believe her eyes. "Onee-chan¡­ how? Even a phoenix''s healing can''t do anything about old age. So how¡­" True. But his magic only works if it can bypass your skin. And right now that''s impossible for him. "Well, Odin, that''s because I''m not a phoenix anymore. ~Partial release: left arm~" As I said those words, my left arm started to emit a bluish flame. My skin started to turn black. Veins started to pop up and my nails grew into claws. As my hand was morphing, I looked towards Odin and declared the truth. "I am¡­ A Dragon!" Waxford 1 - "People die when they are killed" ~ Emiya Shirou; Couldn''t help not make a joke about this 73: Do you know where lolis come from? You''re probably wondering what happened to me. After all, I got eaten by a dragon. So let''s rewind a bit. To the moment after I was eaten. ------ Darkness. As far as the eye could see¡­ there was only darkness. The last thing I remember was being swallowed by the dragon. I didn''t panic that much because¡­ I''ve kinda gotten used to these situations. I know that''s not what a normal person should say but¡­ that''s the truth. I soon realized that even if I can''t see anything, I still had a body. The first thing I did was to lower my hand down to my crotch. Yup. I still have a pussy, which means I am still a loli. I also noticed that I am in some sort of puddle or strange liquid. It smells bad. I moved my hands around only to find out that I am surrounded by weird walls. But on one side of the well where I applied some pressure, a crack was formed. I could see sunlight coming in. Well if this thing isn''t so sturdy, might as well break it and see what''s on the other side. I started putting pressure on the wall and the cracks got bigger and bigger, until eventually I got free. I ended up straight on the ground alongside the pale green liquid I was in. It wasn''t long before I realized it¡­ I looked back and couldn''t believe it. I¡­ I just came out of a giant egg. You heard it right. I didn''t want to believe it myself but it was true. I came out of a large egg. What the hell just happened to me? Why did I come out of an egg!? While I was being all confused, a large shadow covered the sunlight. It was the dragon. She brought her face close to me and started to lick me from head to toe. I didn''t complain that much this time since she was getting rid of the weird green liquid I was covered in. Once she was finished I wanted to ask what the hell happened, but as soon as I opened my mouth and wanted to speak, flames came out instead of words. I quickly covered my mouth with my hands quickly. I tried it again but I got the same effect. Why was Ispitting fire? Seeing me struggle, dragon mom took on her human form again. "It''s okay, sweetie. Don''t worry. Mommy is here. Use this. It will stabilize your power." She held a weird eye patch. She put it on my right eye. After that, I was able to speak with no more issues. "Mom¡­ what happened? More importantly¡­ you ate me!" "Mommy is sorry. But it was so I could save your life." Hmm? First, how come she can talk normally now? She used to have an arhaic speach, but now she''s talking like everyone I know. Second how does eating me save my life? "Sweetie, mommy didn''t send you to her stomach. Mommy used an ancient spell so that she could give birth to you again. With this, your body is new. Like a newborn. Now, you truly are my child. Happy! Mommy is so happy!" Okay¡­ I guess that explains why I came out of an egg. But it''s still kind of creepy. You ate me, then pooped me as an egg. I strongly shook my head. Let''s not think about this anymore. The most important part was indeed that she saved me. Once again I could feel the flow of mana. I could feel power rushing through my body. I was saved. "Mom¡­ your speech¡­" "I assimilated proper speach through you while carrying you inside me." I don''t think I even want to know how that works. Well, let''s test if I can blow stuff up. That was my plan. But as soon as I got up, I quickly fell down again. It''s like my feet were jelly. "Sweetie, like I said, you are similar to a newborn right now even if your body hasn''t changed in appearance. You can''t expect to walk right after being conceived." Well that does make sense. But I don''t wanna sit around and wait. Maybe if I do this¡­ I started pouring mana through my body to strengthen it in a similar way Persia taught me. And then I suddenly jumped up. "Eh!?" Dragon mom was taken back since I stood up and started to do some stretching. It certainly feels different than natural movement, but if it''s just this much, I can manage. "KYAAA!!!" Dragon mom let out another one of those half human half dragon screams. What''s her deal now? But before I realized she once again tightly hugged me. "My daughter is the best! Simply amazing! To be able to stand right after hatching¡­! Mommy is truly happy!" Okay, okay already. Let me go. Your boobie face hug is dangerous. I can''t get enough oxygen. And I had enough deaths already. At least this time I don''t feel pain from her hugs. ------ After mom finally calmed down I took a bath and searched in her cave for some clothes that fit me. In the meantime, she went and brought back one of those sand worms. One puff from her mouth and it was cooked. She wanted to feed me. I honestly didn''t need food anymore, and a worm would be the last thing I would eat, but since I need to be on her good side, I played along. It was actually well cooked. The taste wasn''t that bad either. After I had my meal it was time to talk about the subject. "Mom¡­ I don''t want to stay here." She instantly froze. Not just her. It felt that the whole area around us froze, which was actually a big deal since we were in the desert. She quickly rushed over to me and tightly grabbed my head. "You can''t! You promised! You promised you would stay with mommy!" Tears started to form in her snake like eyes. "No! Mom, you got me wrong. I have no intention to abandon you. You are my most beloved mom. How can I leave you, after you''ve done so much for me? I can feel your warmth, your gentleness and I can feel your love for me. But, mom, I am a Demon King. I have a country to rule. It needs me. My friends and faithful servants love me too. They are also my family. Mom, I want you to come and live with me. You''ve been alone for too long. Come with me." "Mommy loves you too! Mommy understands. But¡­ this is mommy''s home. To abandon it and all the memories I have here¡­ Gilbert¡­" Was she still attached to Gilbert even knowing he''s dead? Hold on. She just lowered her hand to her crotch. And her nipples are erect¡­ could she be horny? Also, is that breast milk I see? Heh¡­ hehehe! "Sweetie? Are you alright? You''re making a strange face." That''s cause I''m a predator that just found a new prey. I just need to play around with her and satisfy her better than no man or dragon has ever done. I need to wipe any trace left of her former flame. I need her to love me more than anything else. It''s time for my hentai self to kick in. As big of a pervert as I am, I never could look at my own mother or sister with those eyes. Incest only appealed to me in eroge manga. But this is different. With this dragon, I can make this fantasy come real too. "Dear, why are you looking at mommy like that?" Because it''s time for a session of ''how to train your dragon'', Milla style, huehue! 74: How to tame your mom I was sitting on Katalina''s lap and sucking on her left nipple while she was patting my head. The moment I said "I want to drink your breast milk", dragon mom instantly leaped on the bed and signaled me to rest my head on her lap. I didn''t even know that dragons produce breast milk since¡­ well¡­ in dragon form they don''t have breasts. I don''t understand the anatomy of a dragon at all. But right now, I couldn''t care less. If I were to describe her milk, it was more like a nectar. Sweet and nutritious at the same time. I could drink this forever. "Sweetie¡­ maybe you should slow down a little. If you suck so strongly mommy will be¡­ troubled." Good. Getting you horny is what I want after all. I can''t overpower you, but if I can press all your buttons then you''ll turn to pudding in my hands. I placed my hand on her breast and started sucking even harder. I made sure to play with her nipple while squeezing her tightly. "Sweetie... please¡­ you''re making mommy feel¡­" I wasn''t listening. Instead I shifted my position. I pressed both her breasts together and placed both nipples in my mouth. "Both at the same time¡­ aah¡­ you''re too greedy. If you keep this up I¡­" Oops¡­ my hand slipped straight into her crotch. I started rubbing the cloth that acted as her underwear. She was wet already. With just a little push¡­ "[email protected]#gR&%aWo!!!" What the hell was that? It was a mix of words and dragon screeches. I didn''t understand what she said but I''ll assume it was her way of saying "I''m cumming". Specially since her lower part kept squirting. I also let go of her nipples. "Sweetie¡­ you got to see mommy''s embarrassing side¡­ I need to go find a sharp rock peak now¡­ I need to cool down¡­" Sharp rock peak? Was that her idea of a dildo? Must be painful. "Mom, let me help you. Leave yourself in my hands. I can make you feel even better." "No¡­ we should stop¡­" As she turned around and wanted to get off the bed, I firmly grabbed her ass from behind and shoved my mouth in her pussy. "Fueh!!!" I didn''t waste any moment. My tongue was like a snake, rolling around her gential area. I also made sure to tightly squeeze her but. Her sweet moans were cute there was no escape from me. But after a bit of rolling around my tongue, I separated my face. She was surprised. It seems Katalina really wants to cum badly. That''s good for me. Normally children have to listen to parents, but I wanted to train her to listen to me. "Sweetie if you stop now¡­ it''s not fair¡­" "If you want me to keep going, let me strip you." "But my clothes are made just from mana. There''s no need to. I can just snap my fingers and¡­" "Mom¡­ please. It will help us deepen our bond. Also, don''t you want to feel good with me?" "Okay¡­" It¡¯s great that you¡¯re obedient. Now, let¡¯s strip clothes. I removed her clothes slowly. Women get exited if you touch their body. Dragons are no exception. I could feel her rough breath and her heart beating faster. Her huge breasts were shacking after I revealed them fully. Nipple sucking was one thing, but to see her bare flesh is another. As soon as I was done the clothes vanished into thin air. I got closer and kissed Katalina gently while laying her down on the bed. My own arousal increased as I felt her soft lips. Our tongues entwined in a similar manner when she filled me with mana. *Mhpm¡­ kiss¡­* "Why are you so good at this? Do you have some sort of experience? Even Gilbert couldn''t make me feel so hot with just a kiss?" "That''s because I love you, mom." Her cheeks turned red and her expression is cute. I continued. I grabbed both her breasts and started to fondle them, burying my fingers deep in her nipples. "Aaah¡­ this sensation¡­ it''s making me so wet¡­" She wasn''t lying. As I took a peak the sheets were already moist with her love nectar. I turned around and pinched her clitoris. "Hya!" I moved my finger up and down quickly, playing her clitoris rhythmically. "Put¡­ put your finger in¡­" "Already?" "Ahn~, I can¡¯t endure any longer. Do I really have to say that? Haa, Kuu, Haaaaaaa! M-my voice¡­..leaks out!" "Let me hear more of your voice!" "No~, I-It¡¯s embarrassing¡­" "You¡¯re a pervert so it doesn''t matter." As I stir her up, nectar is flowing out making a splashy sound. Pushing it in and out, poking it many times and applying vibration. "Ahn~, Kuu, Aaahh! It¡¯s too good! What an amazing use of finger." "Is that so?" I bent my finger in order to scratch the entrance. It¡¯s possible to hit the G-spot if I do this. "Ah, hiiii! kufaaaan! W-what¡¯s this?" "You don¡¯t know this spot?" "I-I don¡¯t know! I didn¡¯t know that there¡¯s such place that feels good! Nobody¡­ hit that place before." "Then I¡¯ll tell you. This is called G-spot." "Ji-jispot?" "Yeah. And when this is stimulated, most women¡­¡­" "Nooooo~! Stop! Don¡¯t stir it that muuuuuuuuuuuuuuch! I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m turning crazy! I¡¯m turning crazy~! I¡­ I''m cumming!!! [email protected]#gR&%aWo!!!" *twitch**twitch**twitch**twitch* With her body convulsing, dragon mom spout out a huge tide. She came really hard. *pant¡­ pant¡­* "Amazing¡­ I''ve never felt anything like that¡­" "Oh, we''re far from finished." "Eh!? Wait¡­ let mommy catch her breath¡­" "Not happening, fufu!" ------ I fucked the brains out of dragon mom. It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that I made her cum 100 times. A dragon''s stamina is pretty amazing. Of course, I made her eat me too. But after that work out, my plan was completed. "Ah, my beloved daughter. Who knew I could be blessed with such happiness. Having a family, and properly taking care of my urges. It''s like a dream. Your nothing like your father. Mommy loves you." "I love you too, mom. But mom, I really miss my home. Won''t you come and live with me?" The moment I said those words, Katalina waved her hand and in an instant she blasted that ugly house. What¡­!? Even I wasn''t expecting that. "Alright. As long as I have you, mommy doesn''t need anything else. Mommy doesn''t care about anyone besides you. So if you want to take me with you, I''ll gladly come. I''ll go anywhere you want, as long as we stay together! But first, mommy wants to teach you a few things on how to use your powers better." "Yay! Thanks mom. Wuv you lots!" I tried to act in a childish manner. But mission complete. I was saved and now I am returning home with another precious person. Although it sounds weird, I tamed my mom successfully! 75: The loli is OP Death was sent flying by Milla¡¯s punch outside the castle. The purple skeleton quickly got back on his feet. He tried to ponder on what just happened. It was the first time a blow was dealt to him. My power¡­ I am sure I had it activated. Her hand should have turned to dust the moment it came in contact with my aura. Even if she used some kind of trick, it shouldn¡¯t have been possible for her to touch me. As he was lost in thoughts the crimson haired loli took one step after another. She was getting close again. ¡°You¡­ What did you do? How did you manage to land a blow on me?¡± Does he really expect me to answer that? He¡¯s more of an idiot than I thought. He should be able to guess from seeing my left arm. It¡¯s because of my dragon scales. They¡¯re pretty much as strong as orichalcum. If I were to compare them, they have the same properties as diamonds back on earth. A diamond doesn¡¯t age. It lasts for years and years. Although I feel a slight numbness in my hand, it¡¯s no big deal at all. I looked at the skeleton. ¡°I won¡¯t forgive anyone who tries to harm my home or family. I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± ¡°Nonsense! My power is absolute. You can¡¯t do a thing!¡± Death fired a huge blast of his dark aura at me. But I didn¡¯t try to dodge. Instead I extended my hand and simply crushed all that energy in my palm. ¡°Wha¡­!? Impossible.¡± ¡°Is that really the best you can do? You might think you¡¯re a big deal because of this power, but you¡¯re just a one trick pony.¡± ¡°Hehe! Fool. That was just a diversion. [Otherworld Maiden]!¡± Behind me, a sarcophagus with the face of a woman appeared from the ground. It¡¯s doors opened and sucked me in. This was definitely an iron maiden. A medieval torture device. ¡°Be judged! There is nothing on this earth that those spikes can¡¯t pierce.¡± As soon as he said that the doors closed. He was right. Countless spikes pierced my body in spite of my dragon scales. ¡°Farewell, foolish child. Nobody is above¡­¡± But as he was about to give his speech cracks started to appear on his sarcophagus. I broke out of it with no wound and formed a large shockwave. ¡°Honestly, did you really think skewering me was enough to kill me?¡± Phoenix Resurrection saved my ass again. I suppose I got a bit careless. But now I have more mana than before. So I can afford to take some risks. ¡°My turn now.¡± I extended my hand towards Death. A large magic circle formed. But that wasn¡¯t all. It split into four. I fired water, wind, fire and earth tornados at the same time. ¡°Impossible¡­ the intel I got stated¡­¡± Hmm? Someone must have told him that I couldn¡¯t use certain elements. After all I did crush my earth, water and light gates. But this is technically a new body. With fresh gates and powers. Meaning I can use all elements freely again. ¡°Still¡­ it¡¯s useless!¡± As soon as my magic came in contact with his aura, the tornados vanished into thin air. ¡°All form of magic must abide by the laws of time. All shall erode before me. You shall never break through my power!¡± ¡°Naive. I¡¯ve already broken through it.¡± As soon as I said that, a small magic circle appears inside his so called barrier. A bright light flashes and a huge flaming explosion detonates, engulfing Deaths¡¯ skeleton body. I wanted to act cool, but that was just a trick I used. Thanks to mom, I learned new ways to use my powers. When I punched him earlier I placed that small invisible magic circle on him and detonated it now. It was just as I figured. He¡¯s not using that aura on himself, or else he would die too. ¡°No¡­ how can¡­ this be? This means the information about you is outdated. Yes¡­ that must be it. You were hiding your full strength when this info was gathered¡­ it¡¯s the only explanation. You weren¡¯t using it like now.¡± ¡°Like now? Sorry to break it to you buddy, but I¡¯m not using even half my full power.¡± ¡°Kh! That¡­ That¡¯s a lie!!¡± Shout as much as you want. But it¡¯s the truth. This body is like a newborn. Just like when I first came into this world, I couldn¡¯t use Milla¡¯s full power. The same principle applies here. Right now, I¡¯m barely using a fifth of my strength. ¡°I¡­ I won¡¯t lose to you. My axe¡­ WILL SHRED EVERYTHING TO DUST!¡± This time he lunged at me swinging his huge axe. But¡­ he¡¯s slow. Really slow. I even closed my eye and dodged all his swings. He probably didn¡¯t train his speed since staying near him dulls his opponents¡¯ movements. He took many swings, until eventually he got irritated and threw one big blow. The earth shook and dust filled the surroundings. ¡°Hehe! I got you this time for sure.¡± *Yawm* ¡°No¡­¡± I stood there in one piece yawning with his axe caught by my dragon hand. ¡°I¡¯m getting bored. [Point Break]!¡± Dark lighting ran through my hand and with the spell I chanted I completely shattered his axe in thousands of pieces. Death immediately took a leap back. ¡°You¡¯ll pay for this. Mark my words!¡± When his feet touched the ground, he disappeared into some sort of shadow. ------ DAMN IT! To think I was actually forced to retreat! If I hadn¡¯t created this space I would have been dead. This doesn¡¯t make any sense. Why isn¡¯t my power working on her? Even a Demon King fears me and yet she made me look like a fool. But I¡¯ll be back and¡­ As Death was having those thoughts a hand grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Did you really think I couldn¡¯t follow you in here?¡± Death¡¯s eyes went wide open and sweat ran across his bonny face. ¡°NO! This is my world... How could you enter here? I am GOD in here! YOU¡¯LL PAY! TIME HEED MY CALL! STOP NOW!¡± A huge magical energy was released. ¡°This is my world. In here I am a true master of time! And now that I stopped time, you¡¯re mine¡­ little¡­ girl¡­ ?¡± ¡°You were saying?¡± ¡°Impossible¡­¡­!! Why haven¡¯t you stopped!? Why!?¡± ¡°Stopping time doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll stop me.¡± Okay, this was another bluff. The truth is, I absorbed his shadow into mine the moment he vanished. He may think this is his world, but since I devoured his shadow, this is actually my world. I just let him have the impression that he''s still in control. Your powers mean nothing to me in here. Shout ZA WARUDO as much as you like. Nothing is gonna happen. I came closer and tightly gripped his head and pinned him to the ground. ¡°Please¡­ spare me¡­ I¡¯ll tell you who hired me¡­ I¡¯ll do anything¡­ Please¡­!¡± ¡°Anything?¡± ¡°Anything¡± ¡°Then go to hell!¡± With those words I shattered Death¡¯s body into tiny chunks and obliterated his core. It¡¯s over. You wanted to be called Death? Try experiencing it first, baka! 76: Reunion and more troubles "Woof woof!" "Okay, okay! I missed you too boy! Would you please stop licking me already? It¡­ hehe¡­ tickles." As soon as the whole incident was over and everyone was safe, they all jumped on me. Everyone was really relieved that I was still alive. Seeing their faces again made me happy too. But the group hug was a bit overkill. Shiori, prez, Grace, Irina, Odin, Cleo, Sue, Teri¡­ you get the picture. It was too much. It took me an hour to calm everyone down. And now Fenrir got on top of me and started licking me all over. I can''t believe I''m saying this but I am getting used to these drool baths. Eventually I managed to calm everyone down. "My, my. So this is the family you mentioned, sweetie. It sure seems nice that they all love you." Everybody directed their eyes to the voice that came from a busty blonde woman. I told mom not to interfere. And she kept her word. She let me handle everything. "Milla-nee¡­ who is that?" "My mom." Question marks could be seen on everyone''s faces. I probably need to explain everything properly. "But, Milla-nee that''s not¡­" Crap! Danger! I moved with lighting speed and placed my hand on Grace''s mouth. Dragon mom lacks common sense. I got to know her quite well. If anyone were to say I''m not her daughter, she could kill that person on the spot. Grace, please don''t play with fire. "Grace, she''s my mother. Understood? She''s my mother!" Grace nodded her head obediently. Phew. That was a close one. To avoid any other troubles like this I cast Recollection on everyone present. It''s a spell that lets me send my memories to another. It was faster this way. Now everyone present could understand what I went through. Cause the last thing I need is for dragon mom to go on a rampage. "So, listen everyone. This is my mother, Katalina Leviathan. You are to treat her with the utmost respect. She doesn''t know our laws and ways, so please make sure to properly guide her and look after her." Mom softly giggled and waved her hand at everyone. Let''s hope they all get along. Cause I''m starting to get tired of defusing various situations. "Grace, please have someone fix the hole in the castle." "Of course, but¡­ Milla-nee, what exactly was that guy after?" To be honest, I don''t know. Maybe I should have asked who hired him after all. But I was really angry so I ended up killing him. Well regardless, I have a few ideas. First, he said he was hired to destroy the castle. There are 2 possibilities for this. First, it might be that some other Demon King wants to trample on my pride. I have to say, not everyone has accepted me and they look at me like a joke. The other possibility is that this was just a diversion. Something to distract us. To keep us focused in one place. In which case, something else might have happened somewhere else. Let''s be honest, it''s weird to ask only for the castle to be destroyed. There had to be a point for making so much ruckus. But guess I will figure it out later. "Don''t mind it for now Grace. Let''s just relax for now. I really want to take a bath." "As you wish." When I wanted to go inside, Teri approached me. "Your Highness¡­ Tengu¡­ he got hurt because of Teri. He tried protecting Teri¡­ Teri really is sorry¡­" "There''s no need to worry Teri. I''ll have someone to bring him to me and I''ll put him back together. You did your best, so don''t blame yourself." "Okay¡­" With that out of the way I thought I could finally go inside, but that didn''t happen. "Okaasan¡­" That voice. There''s only one person who calls me that. Himeko. But it was pale voice. As I turned around I saw her. Covered in bruises, bleeding from her forehead and barely standing. She was using her sword as a cane. Before I knew it my body was moving on it''s own. I quickly supported her loli body against mine. "Himeko! Are you alright? Quickly, drink this!" Without hesitation I took a bottle of Phoenix Tears and gave it to Himeko. Her wounds healed at fast rate and soon she was good as new. "Himeko, what happened?" "Ambush. While training, Lorina¡­ got kidnapped¡­" My eyes went wide. "Heavily armored elves. They put Lorina under some weird spell. Tried to protect her¡­ too many¡­" Okay. That means that theory number 2 is the right one. Death just wanted to distract us, so the elves can take Lorina away. So this was all the work of that no good prince I met months ago. I should have killed him on the spot. But back then we were at war with humans. The last thing I needed was to fight a war against 2 opponents. "Don''t worry, Himeko. I''ll chase after them and give them hell." "Already gone. Teleport crystals." Oh right. Elves are the one that make those things so it''s natural for them to have some. Darn it. That''s annoying. But don''t think you are safe. Nobody screws with me. I don''t care if I have to kill every last elf. I''m gonna take Lorina back. First those guys sent Melina to her death and didn''t even lift a finger to try and rescue her, and now they wanna take one of my women? Screw them. "Himeko, get some rest for now. I''ll take care of this matter. I''ll make them pay for crossing me. Total annihilation." "Eh?" Okay. I might have exaggerated a little. I''m not gonna destroy an entire race. Only those directly involved with this. Since I need to move fast I''ll teleport back into the Empress''s room. Olympia is way closer to the elves than here so I should get there faster. I''ll ask cuttie Claire for a map and route. Normally I would want to have my way with her. Since we made that deal, I didn''t get the chance to use her. And looks like I have to wait some more. "Okaasan¡­ help me!" While I was lost in thought I didn''t notice that dragon mom came and grabbed Himeko into her embrace. "Such a cute girl. Sweetie, you didn''t tell me about such a cutie. I wonder, does this make me a grandma? Nevertheless I''m so excited!" "Okaasan¡­ help¡­" Himeko extended her hands as if wanting to escape from her grip. I simply shook my head. Sorry, darling. You have to put up with it for now. I can''t break mom''s happy smile, so be a brave girl and endure. 77: The Plot "Well, Melron, it seems your plan actually worked. I don''t feel so bad for spending all that gold now." "Yes, father. It was well worth it, now that Lorina is back with us." "How is she?" "She is still under our sleep spell, but she should awaken in the next 2 hours. Needless to say, we have already restrained her. She didn''t come with us willingly, after all." "That child is so stubborn. Can''t she see that this marriage is the only way for our family to keep the throne?" "Speaking of that father, even if we have her, she won''t be willing to exchange vows. So I would like your approval to use ''that''." "My son, do you realize what you are saying? Although the results are remarkable, it''s a slow process. It will take time." "That shouldn''t be an issue. If we plan the wedding according to every single law we have and all the customs, it will take 10 days to organize everything. 10 days is enough to change her attitude. And besides, haven''t you yourself used it on mother?" "Hmm¡­ very well. Get it done then." "A wise decision, father!" ------ When Lorina woke up, she found herself tied with chains against a wall. Her memory was blurry. While working at her forge alongside Himeko, the elite elven Shadow Squad suddenly appeared and attacked them. Normally, there wasn''t an elf that could match Lorina in terms of swordsmanship. And Himeko had the Void Blade, an ancient relic. But because it was an ambush, they managed to put Lorina under a sleep spell. And given their agility and numbers they managed to pull quite a number on little Himeko. "So you''re finally awake, big sister." "Melron¡­ this time you''ve gone too far." "I''ve gone too far? It''s you who went too far, you bitch!! We were supposed to get married and succeed the throne. I was supposed to be king! But you simply ignored your duty and ran away!" He took in a deep breath and apparently tried to calm himself down. "But it doesn''t matter anymore. You''re here now." "My answer is still the same. I won''t marry you. I''m warning you." "Warning me? What kind of position do you think you''re in?" "It''s because you''re my brother that I am giving you this warning. If you lay a single finger on me, Her Highness Milla Walpurgis won''t rest until she scorches every tree to find you." "Haha! Our spies said that the little girl went in the desert. Nobody comes back alive from there. And even if she does, we sent a very capable mercenary. By the time she''ll even notice your absence it will be too late. Once we have your consent, she can''t do anything anymore." Lorina''s eyes were gazing at Melron''s hands. He was holding a sealed jar. Inside the jar was a weird monster. It was called the brainwashing slime. Although it was called a slime, it looked more like a jellyfish. But since it had the same liquid-solid state as a slime, it was called a slime. It was specially bred by the imperial family. It would slowly put it''s tentacles in your ears and mouth and slowly release it''s feromones. It would alter the chemicals in your brain and have an aphrodisiac effect on your body. If the body will go in heat way beyond the point of masturbation, to a level of lust beyond normal, then the brain would force the target to copulate with the first person of the opposite gender they come in contact with. And during the act of sex, the final substance that the slime leaves inside kicks in. Absolute love and obedience for the person you had sex with. "I¡­ will never break! Her Highness will come for me!" "Hou? Let''s see how long can you keep that attitude. The moment I take your pussy, will be the same moment we exchange our wedding vows, haha!" ¡ó¡¡¡ó¡¡¡ó "Why have you brought so many with you!? The deal was that you could use my body whenever you wanted! I didn''t agree to spectators!" Empress ¨¦clair wasn''t happy that I brought Felicia and Sue along. Honestly I would''ve loved to take Grace with me, but she and Odin are the only ones I can entrust dragon mom to. She needed to learn our ways¡­ and I managed to slip from her hugs that way. "Calm down, Claire." "It''s really rude to call me by such a nickname." "You''ve gotten your authority back, haven''t you?" "Yes. The new church was disband. The people turned to me again." "Then I can call you however I want." The Empress couldn''t really argue. "Now listen up. We need to reach the elven capital. Give us a map and directions." "What are you planning?" "They took something from me. I just want to take it back." "Why do I feel you won''t stop just there? I don''t want you to get humanity involved in your personal struggle against the elves. You look like a different person so of course I am worried." "Would you calm down already? Nobody will know that we came from here. You won''t be connected at all." I can understand her concerns, but I don''t intend to make a flashy entrance anyway. I just want to sneak in and get out. Reluctantly, the Empress showed us a map and untraveled routes we could take to reach the elves without being noticed by the humans. With Felicia as my steed and if I enhance her speed with my magic we should reach the border in roughly a day. From there, finding the elven capital should be easy. Get ready, bastards. There''s a reason you shouldn''t play with fire. But you guys did more than that. You spilled gasoline all over and are juggling with matches. I''ll burn you to the ground if I have to. 78: Dark Elves? *Mphm* Currently the brainwashing slime was placed on Lorina''s head and had it''s jellyfish like tentacles in her ears and mouth. Of course, occasionally it would remove it''s tentacles from the mouth so the target could breathe. Melron was observing as Lorina''s cheeks were red. "Well, sis, do you feel like your body is burning up while your lower abdomen is numb? That¡¯s a symptom of you getting turned on. You can still act arrogant now, but soon you¡¯ll be reduced to a dog begging at my feet!" "Dream on!" "Why don''t you just give up already and do all of us a favor? You''re only making yourself suffer. How long do you think you can keep that attitude?" "Forever! My body¡­ my body belongs only to Her Highness!" "Huh!? Don''t tell me you actually developed a thing for females. That''s insane!" "She is the Demon King of Insanity after all. So what if I''ve gotten a little insane myself? Her Highness is everything you aren''t!" "Kek. Well, just keep dreaming. This is just the first day after all. Eventually you''ll become a sow and beg for my cock. I can''t wait to see your face when you break!" ------ We followed the path the Empress told us to stay on. We only encountered monsters on the way, but they were so weak that as soon as they felt my aura they ran away as fast as they could. Sue was in my shadow and I was riding Felicia. She got used to having me on her back, given how originally she always blushed and kept her face in her palms. But now she takes great pride in it. With my enhancement magic we reached the elven border in a day, just as predicted. Sure, I might have gotten here faster on Fenrir, but I was trying not to stand out. Felicia''s stamina deserves some praise, that''s for sure. We eventually entered a forest but¡­ the elven lands weren''t what I expected. The trees in the forest¡­ felt wrong. I mean the leaves were dark purple and the trunk was a light grey. It gave a sinister feeling. According to the map this place is called Duskwood forest. I can''t shake the feeling that some sort of disease is lurking amongst these trees. "Your Highness¡­ someone is watching us." Felicia was right. Since we entered this forest I also felt a pair of eyes watching. I got off her back and we continued slowly. Maybe the elves discovered us. That''s good. In fact, if they try to attack us I can blow all of them at once and ask for the fastest route to their royal palace. It wasn''t long before an arrow came flying and pierced the ground right near my feet. And soon after a small barrage of arrows came from the trees. "[Aqua Shield]!" Felicia casted her spell to protect herself. As for me¡­ I didn''t even bother dodging. Their marksmanship was good, but now I have dragon scales. These are plain iron head arrows. As soon as they hit me, all the arrows bounced back as if they were hitting a wall. I yawned, hoping that this would make our attackers reveal themselves. And it worked. Some people came out of the forest bushes and from the tree tops. Roughly 20 people surrounded us. Both males and females. But I was surprised. Their skin was rather dark. Light brown to be more specific, like when you get a tan. Were they dark elves? Does this world have such a thing? "Don''t move!" Felicia was getting ready to draw her sword but I raised my hand to signal her to stand down. I don''t know why they looked so angry. It seemed that a conversation was possible, but judging by the atmosphere I wouldn¡¯t say that it would be amicable¡­¡­ I''d rather avoid burning them down for now, though. Well, I still need to show them who is actually in charge. "I am the Demon King of Insanity, Milla Walpurgis! I have come to destroy the royal family. If you don''t want to share the same fate, point us to the royal palace and step aside!" The bunch of people stirred up when I declared so. Felicia let out a small smile. They all must be impressed by my awesomeness! "Oi, you! You''re just a little girl. Quickly tell us the truth!" A vein popped up on my forehead. I know I am a loli, but I''m getting tired of this reaction. I released a huge amount of bloodlust and my aura unleashed a strong pressure. Some of them ended falling on their knees. Eventually I stopped and continued. "Believe me now?" The group openly flinched. They started whispering among themselves. I waited for a bit, but eventually it got tiresome. I don''t know the condition Lorina is in, so I don''t have time to take things slowly. "How long to you plan on standing around talking!? Hurry up and guide us. Do you want to be destroyed!?" "Hii¡­¡­!?" Several people of the group leaked out woman-like screams. Even the males, kek. The leader lowered her bow and arrow. "I, I understand¡­¡­I will guide you to the Dark Elf village. Our chief will explain what you want to know. You only want to know about the elven royal family, right? Could I have you promise that you won¡¯t lay a hand on the residents?" Hmm¡­ that statement picked my interest. Why would they want me to meet their chief? Are dark elves different from the rest? Well, it''s the best lead I got so far, so let''s play along. "Hmph¡­¡­Naturally. I have no interest in small fry." While expressing a smile of relief the leader started to guide us. A different elf uneasily asked her a question. "C... can we trust these guys!?" "We have, no choice but to." "But to guide such a dangerous bunch to the village!" "You saw how strong she is. What can we do!? It¡¯s better than her burning down the forest. Let¡¯s leave the rest to the chief." I wonder who this chief is? I really hope he isn''t a douchebag like that prince. 79: ‘Airbags’ are nice, but this is overkill The elves guided us to their village, although the entrance was concealed by vegetation. As we slowly walked in, Felicia asked a question. "Sorry for asking this at this late point in time but, are you all Dark Elves?" "That¡¯s right. Only we live in this forest. Other than us, there is nothing but beasts and insects." So these guys really were Dark Elves. As I was a bit lost in thoughts, the leader pointed towards some vegetation. "Be sure to not get close to the black grass. All of it is poisoned. When dressed lightly like you visitors, your skin will suffer damage. Even a centaur is in danger." "Eh? The black ones, all of them¡­¡­are?" Felicia was surprised because as far as the eye could see, the green grass was more scarce, and it was mostly black grass. Well, I probably was safe. I doubt grass can penetrate my skin. "The beasts of this forest, although they receive poison, there are many that amass it and use it as a weapon. If you ever fight against them, be sure to take caution. You can die with even just a scratch after all." So that''s why they mostly use bows. To keep their distance. Still I can''t help but wonder why is the land like this. A few more steps and we reached an open location. Trees were cut down, and peoples¡¯ houses were lined up. Black vegetation couldn¡¯t be found. The location was not particularly big, and it wouldn¡¯t take an hour to even walk the outer circumference. A village. It was on a scale that it could be called as such. I didn''t know what the lifestyle of the Dark Elves was like, but the number of buildings didn¡¯t even reach 100. Going by the assumption that the basic composition of a single household could house six people, the village¡¯s residents would more or less number at 500 people. In the middle of the village there was a single green tree with a treehouse in it. And we were slowly guided to it. A spiral wooden staircase went around the tree and up to the house. It was a bit tricky for Felicia to climb them, but she managed. Inside the first room, there was a plain table with 4 chairs and a sofa that could fit 3 people in a corner. "So¡­ is this king of yours around?" "Hohoho¡­ King you say? I am flattered, but I''m just a mere chief." It was the voice of a woman. From another room, a beauty entered. And the first thing that caught my eye was¡­ her boobs. They were huge! And here I thought there couldn''t be a size bigger than Odin''s, mom''s and the Empress''s. But those were on the next level. She had demonic breasts. It wasn¡¯t in the realm of just being unable to hold it in one¡¯s palm. They were a size where they needed to be carried with both arms. She had an outfit of layered cloth, and wore a sash. Her waist was thin and narrow like a cork bottle. It was enough to make one worry if she could support those weighty things that were on the upper half of her body. Her long silver hair that went all the way to her butt complemented her dress well. Also, she had her eyes closed. "My name is Aria Rivercrest. And who might you be?" "I''m Milla Walpurgis, the Demon King of Insanity, and this is my bodyguard, Felicia." "Please, have a seat." "Chief¡­ you believe her?" The leader that guided us here asked Aria, and she replied without hesitation. "Of course. This person has a tremendous amount of mana. I can tell that she is who she claims she is." How can she tell with her eyes closed? Oh well. At least she didn''t give me the ''but you''re a loli'' reaction. As we sat down I couldn''t stop staring at her breasts. For a second I really thought the table would break under their weight. But I also saw her stats along my glares. Name: Aria Rivercrest Age: Unknown Race: Dark Elf Class: Great Mage Strength: E Agility: B+ Endurance: S+ Magic: SSS- Luck: D Overall Rank: S You''re probably also wondering about my stats. Well at this point I would brag on, but the thing is¡­ except that my race has changed from High Mazoku to Dragon¡­ all my stats were labeled Unknown. Why? I have no clue myself. I feel strong, but maybe an appraisal is just impossible. Regardless, I was impressed with Aria''s mana. Something is weird. Elves value mana above anything else. With her amount she should be a noble. So what is she doing in a place like this? "Forgive me for not offering you anything, but our resources are on the lower end. So, I heard you have some business with the royal family." "Correct. The first princess, Lorina is my blacksmith and a close friend. She chose to abandon her family and come live with me. Yet, those guys sent mercenaries and kidnapped her. That''s something I won''t allow. Anyone who steals from me shall suffer my wrath. Would you show me the way to their capital? If possible I want to avoid burning the entire forest." "I see. This is an interesting development." She kept smiling, but it seems her mind was somewhere else. "Forgive my rudeness, but your eyes¡­ by any chance are you¡­" "Blind? That''s right. But that isn''t an issue. All my other senses have sharpened. I can feel the flow of mana like never before. My hearing reached the point that I can hear the wing beat of a butterfly. I can sense every object around us. Even if I can''t see, I can move and interact just as well." The leader of the group that guided us all this way remaind on the sidelines all this time, but now, she opened her mouth. "How dare you be that disrespectful with our chief. You must pay!" She tried to lunge at me with a small knife. Yare yare¡­ didn''t they learn the lesson already? I extended my index finger and gathered a wind orb about the size of a ping pong ball. I fired it and it hit the girls'' stomach, propelling her into the wall. She got up quick, but was wobbling pretty hard. "Stop this conflict! Both of you!" "Hmph. This was boring anyway. If you sensed your own powerlessness, then I do not mind letting this slide." "I am grateful for your tolerance. To fight against you would truly be undesirable." After things calmed down a bit, she continued. "I will not help you. The royal elven family has put us Dark Elves through lots of pain and grief. So when you are saying that you want to save one of them, regardless of the situation¡­ it''s something I can''t show sympathy towards." Huh? And here I thought the negotiations would go smooth. Must I really resort to force? "Dear, guest, I have heard your request, but would you also hear my story? I believe it will be clear after, why we are reluctant to help you." "Okay. Speak then." 80: Striking another deal, Milla style Aria crossed her legs and her oversized breasts swayed. "Well then, I will tell you an old tale. I am sure you are aware that humanity and the elves share a neutral relationship. But it wasn''t always like that. Right after humanity was united under the Olympia Empire, they tried to take over Gardenia too." Aria told us that once, the dark elves and the regular elves lived together. But they used the war as a pretext to send all the dark elves away. So they sent all of them in the front line. When the 2 nations came to an agreement to stop the war and the dark elves wanted to return, they weren''t allowed to. The King told the population that dark elves are evil, impure beings that have no place in society. Elves value mana above all else. So because of this, they took the king''s word for granted. The King is the person with the most pure mana, after all. Nobody would dare question him. The dark elves had no choice but to seek refuge in Duskwood forest, a place that was heavily affected by the war. Poison and mutations everywhere. They somehow managed to survive in this harsh place ever since. Because of the vegetation and monsters that lurk around, the elves haven''t ventured this far with their pursuit. But eventually, one day, this place might also become their grave. "So you see, nobody has lifted a finger to try and protect us. We were used and then abandoned, all for the sake of the Kings'' vision of mana purity and lineage. It''s only natural for us to resent the royal family for what they did to us." "Wait just a second, lady Aria. Don''t elves value mana above everything else? You yourself have also quite the remarkable amount. So why didn''t you confront the king or something?" "You are too young to know our ways. If only that was possible¡­ for one to actually challenge the throne, one must make a declaration with all the nobles present and display their mana. But since we were banished, there is no way for me to get close to the central plaza and show my mana. The elven guards kill every dark elf that gets near." I feel sorry for them. I can totally understand having a grudge against the elves, but my goal is still the same. Revenge is something I know better than anyone. Maybe... "Hmm¡­ I believe there might be a way for us to cooperate. But before that I have one more question for you." "Please, do tell." "If right now, in this very moment you would be the Queen of the elves, would you take revenge on them? Would you banish all the elves into a place like this, in a similar manner they did to you?" "Heavens, no! The general population isn''t at fault. They have been fed lies by the king, so what did they do wrong? The Goddess has taught us that mana is the source of life. But the king has twisted those teachings and discriminated us. They labeled us as impure. I would never walk such a path." Good. That''s what I wanted to hear. Trading a tirant for another isn''t really my cup of tea. But her words feel honest. "Then here is my proposition. I am only interested in taking Lorina back to the demon continent. And what better punishment for those bastards than to lose the throne they''ve been trying to maintain by those awful means!? Come with me. My power alone is more than enough to silence an army of elves. And when everyone will be on their knees begging for their lives, I will present you. It''s not an exaggeration to say that your mana is way more pure than theirs, regardless of how you look. And I''ll have you claim the throne." "Eh!?" Aria was taken back by my words. Come on. There''s nothing to worry about. It''s a win-win situation for everyone. You sneak me in, I take Lorina and you become the new Queen. What''s not to like? "Indeed¡­ if what you say is true, dear guest, then I would have no reason not to cooperate with you and become friends. But¡­ I feel you are holding the short straw of the deal. Going that far as to ruin a nation for just one person¡­ forgive me, but you don''t actually expect me to believe it. Do you have an ulterior motive?" She''s like the Empress. Suspicious as hell. Is it really that hard to believe that I only care about my friend? Well, like with Claire, I know how to deal with this kind of situation. Those airbags need testing. "Well, there is a small thing I want from you after you become the ruler of the elves. And that is¡­ your body! I mean seriously, lady Aria, your boobs are huge. The size of a watermelon! I want to fondle them. I want to play around with your body and feel good together with you!" As soon as I proclaimed that Felicia facepalmed herself, the leader elf jaw dropped and Aria was at a loss for words. "Ahem¡­ you do realize we are both females¡­" "Yup! Gender isn''t an issue though." "Pff¡­.. Haha¡­ hehehehe!" Eventually Aria couldn''t help but burst into laughter. "Who would''ve thought that the price for the throne would be settled by lust¡­ hehehe¡­ it''s hilarious!" "Chief, you don''t actually mean¡­" "But of course. It''s a small price to pay after all. Our resources are slim and we barely manage to make ends meet. If it means our lives would return to normal¡­ that we can finally return on the proper path¡­ offering my body is a small price to pay. Lady Milla Walpurgis, I, Aria Rivercrest accept your terms. In exchange for helping us get out of this nightmare, I will escort you into Gardenia''s capital, help you save your friend and¡­ I shall offer my body to you." "Sounds like we have a deal then! We''ll be in your care now, Aria!" We both exchanged a handshake. Always follow your dick. Well, not that I have one, but you get the picture. Those huge boobs and that sweet bubble ass will be mine. Now that I think about it¡­ having her and Claire together on the same bed would be quite the pretty picture. Hehehe. Two rulers to satisfy my cravings¡­ ah¡­ let''s get this over with as fast as possible. I want to turn this fantasy into reality right now! 81: Hang in there, Lorina -6 days left before the wedding- "It''s tough to resist, isn''t it, Lorina? Are you ready to end this joke?" Lorina opened her eyes and glared at her brother. He was amused by the situation she was in. Lorina was subconsciously rubbing her legs against each other. "Should I just go on, and make you my woman now?" But when Melron tried to get closer, Lorina twisted her body around and gave Melron a big headbutt! Only her arms were tied, so she had still a little mobility left in her. "I''ve said it before, but you''ll never be able to touch me. My body¡­ my soul¡­ my everything belongs to Milla. I''d rather die than become your wife!" "Still stubborn. But that won''t happen. Do you know how miserable our lives have been? You think I''d let you take the easy way out? I''m going to turn your world upside down and make you even more miserable than me. You''ll be reduced to nothing more than a sow! Just you wait 6 more days." After Melron left the room with his hand on his forehead, Lorina mumbled to herself: "Milla¡­ I know you won''t abandon me, but¡­ please hurry. Even with my mental discipline from my swordsmanship¡­ I won''t last forever¡­ My body is weakening¡­ Please, Milla¡­ come quick¡­" -3 days left before the wedding- "So sis, have you thought about it yet? I think that neither you nor I have the patience to wait any longer.¡± Clear drops of liquid rain down from Lorina¡¯s legs. Lorina¡¯s eyes were confused and empty. When she heard a voice, she powerlessly raised her head up. A moment later, anger and hatred resurfaced in her eyes. She looked at the Melron standing in the opposite corner of the room. "What''s¡­ wrong? Not¡­ coming closer this time? ¡°Nobody wants to come close to a dog that headbutts people. As I suspected, you''re still not broken yet.¡± Melron smiled helplessly while touching his forehead. He looked at Lorina, took in a deep breath and then continued: ¡°Why do you do this to yourself? From the standpoint of the royal family, love is just an insignificant speck of dust that¡¯s not even worth mentioning. Duty above anything else. Love is just a fairy tale after all. The love you believe in is even more twisted." "I¡­ will never¡­ betray Milla. She''s the only one¡­ that understands my suffering¡­ that took me in¡­ the only one¡­ that let me do as I pleased. Unless I''m dead¡­ you will never touch my body." "You sure about that?" Melron looked at the water stain below Lorina¡¯s body and mocked her: "Your body is being so honest yet you¡¯re still unwilling to admit it. You still think that brat will come? You''ll rot here before she arrives. You''re nothing but a pawn. Well, I waited this long, so I can wait a bit more. Doesn''t look like you''ll last much longer anyway." After those words, the brainwashing slime once again inserted it''s jellyfish tentacles in Lorina''s mouth. A cold liquid ran down her throat and entered her stomach again. Her vision became blurry, and her thoughts became unclear. Her numb legs felt cold each time she tried to budge. It was harsh. Her whole body felt like it was burning. And she actually started to think that Melron looked rather¡­ appealing. No! I have to resist. I can''t give up. Her Highness showed me that nothing is impossible. There isn''t a single path you are forced to walk on. I know she is alive¡­ she will come! I can''t¡­ hold on much longer¡­ but no matter what, I have to stay strong. Milla, I beg you¡­ save me¡­ save me¡­ -1 day left before the wedding- "Milla¡­ Milla¡­ Milla¡­ Milla¡­ Milla¡­" Lorina was lying on the ground in a daze. She kept her lifeless eyes opened, but she couldn''t budge. Her eyes could no longer pick up any light. Her throat was soar from the constant liquid pumped in her but she continued to murmur and sob. All she could do was repeat Milla''s name over and over. Her strength left her body. Occasionally her body would have involuntary spasms and the ground would become wet near her crotch area. "Hehe. It seems her mind is finally broken. One more day should do the trick. The moment I''ll show you my cock a few hours before the wedding, you''ll finally become my bitch." Melron was eager to the final day. His lust for his sister, his desire for the throne¡­ all his wishes would be granted in just one day. A guard was approaching with some news. "My Prince, our men have reported an intruder." "What!? Who could possibly dare come in the royal capital?" Don''t tell me it''s actually that brat¡­ "Our reports claim that there are some dark elves sneaking around." Melron took in a deep breath of relief. So it''s just those annoying trash again. "Well, find them and deal with them. The wedding has to go as planned. I won''t tolerate anyone." "Understood." ------ Gardenia Royal Capital. I say capital, but it''s actually just a huge forest. Although I must admit, it really was beautiful. There were gigantic trees that overwhelmed the other trees, and they were connected by various stairs and wooden bridges. Countless thick branches were used like rooms. Unlike Aria''s treehouse, the trees themselves were houses. At times you could see an elf extending his hand out the window and grabbing some fruit. Fruits and vegetables were their staple food. Of course, they also had meat, bread and other kinds of dishes. It truly felt like a peaceful paradise. I can see why Aria wanted to take this place back. Right now me, Felicia and Aria were strolling around the outskirts of the woods. We had no trouble getting in thanks to me. I used my Doppleganger ability to change our appearance into that of High Elves. This way we weren''t suspected at all and the guards station at the forest didn''t even look our way. "Hey Aria, are you sure your scouts won''t get caught?" On the way here I told Aria how they sent that Death fellow to destroy my castle. So she suggested we do something similar. She had a few of her fellow dark elves sneak in and make a little fuss. A distraction to keep their eyes pointed somewhere else. That way we could move more freely. I don''t actually know if those bastards are expecting me or not, but I intend to kick their butts regardless. "Don''t worry. They are amongst my most skilled units. They don''t pack a big punch, but I''m very confident with their speed. They won''t be caught so easily." My main objective was to locate Lorina. I could here the elves gossiping about a wedding. There''s no way I will let that happen. But¡­ I also don''t know where she is being kept. Aria said that it''s unlikely for her to be in the royal tree. I didn''t know if Lorina was okay. But I knew I can''t waste anymore time. It took us 8 days and a half to reach this place. Mostly because Aria had to handle all sorts of affairs in case she doesn''t come back. Her people had to live on even without her. I helped them as much as I could with some hunting for food¡­ but I couldn''t meddle with their internal situation. After all, I''m not here to rule them. Finding Lorina in this place is like finding a needle in a haystack, though. I even sent Sue from my shadow to sneak around and see if she can find her. "I might have a hunch on where your friend is located. It''s best if we hurry. There are some rumors about the royal family¡­ not pleasant ones. She might actually be in danger." "What kind of rumors." "Rumors about having a method to break women. I''m not sure what state your friend is in, but I know for sure that we must find her before tomorrow morning at the latest. If not, I''m afraid she''ll be lost for good." "Then what are we waiting for? Lead the way." "If the rumors are true, then it should be this way. Please don''t fall behind. It will take us some time to get there without being noticed." I know what you''re thinking. Why am I following a blind elf? Well that''s because even though Aria is blind, she once lived here and knows this place. She can feel the flow of mana in every single leaf around this forest. She didn''t exaggerate when she said she can move along the same way as if she wasn''t blind. I need to trust her now¡­ hang in there Lorina. I''m almost there. 82: Let’s destroy this wedding! -Morning of the wedding day- From the morning mist that had yet to clear away, the timber of flutes and harps could be heard. They were most likely preparations for the weeding. It was all happening at the plaza in front of the large tree. Decoration strings of various colors hung from up in the trees. Maybe they were beads tied to them as they sparkled and shined. Flowers bloomed as if encircling the area. They weren¡¯t lined up in flowerpots, but bloomed from the ground as if from flower beds. Benches were lined up, and were covered in velvety cloth. Those with noble positions even among the Elves took those seats. The others stood as if to surround the venue and watched. A great number of Elves, enough to make one feel amazed that there were this many of them within the forest, had gathered. A majority of the people that were in Gardenia had probably come here. Since it was a royal wedding, it was only natural that their interest would be high, and that they would think that they want to see the celebration. A carpet stretched out at the center of the place of ceremony. It seemed to be a carpet that used golden thread. Although it preserved harmony with nature, an important point was that it also adopted a design that made one feel its extravagance. It was something quite splendid. I was observing everything from the sky. My vision was strong enough to see even the smallest details. Aria managed to narrow down the place were Lorina might be. But we still lacked an exact location. And here''s where I come in. Originally I wanted to just sneak in but¡­ that''s out of the question right now. I''m not planning to wait for this wedding to start. I''m gonna rain hell on them, here and now. And when that so called prince comes out to check what is going on¡­ I''ll know for sure where Lorina is. I hope you are all comfortable. Cause I''m gonna unleash a light show you''ll never forget! ------ *Pant¡­ pant* Lorina was breathing heavily while laying on the ground. Here eyes lost all her light and her body reached her limit. "Hehe! The time has finally come. I''m going to make you my woman now! Once my cock is inside you, you''ll fall in love with and will become my obedient dog!" But as Melron was preparing to take off his pants, the earth shook violently and an explosion could be heard. Melron lost his balance and fell on his butt. "What the fuck was that?" He hurried outside to see what it was¡­ and he couldn''t believe his eyes. Countless bullets of light fell from the sky along side lightning bolts. What''s more, fire and wind tornadoes were swirling around devouring everything in their path. The decorations were smashed, the flower beds were gouged out, and even the trunk of the large tree was shaved by a good amount. Everyone present was panicked and screamed. Some of them tried to run away. As he witnessed all of this, Melron eventually heard a voice. "Found you." ------ My eye was moving like crazy trying to locate the prince. Honestly, if I didn''t have my photographic memory I might not been able to pull this off. But I found him. He had a dumb expression when he saw me. But I couldn''t care less. I flew down and crashed into the tree he came out of, making a hole in it. A few seconds later I flew out of it again with Lorina in my arms. Poor thing. What did they do to her? She was twitching and convulsing. She felt like a lifeless doll. But after a moment, light returned in her eyes. "Milla¡­" "Yes, it''s me, Lorina. Sorry I''m late. But I''m here now." She quickly wrapped her arms around my neck. "Milla¡­ Milla¡­ I knew you would come for me¡­ I knew¡­ you wouldn''t abandon me¡­" This situation sure was weird. She started crying but at the same time she wet herself. I couldn''t help but notice that her nipples were erect and her she kept rubbing her legs. Did they feed her some sort of aphrodisiac? "You damn brat! How dare you!? Are you insane?" Eh¡­ I don''t know why people keep saying that. I''m the Demon King of Insanity for crying out loud. Of course I''m insane. As I lowered myself near Felicia I gently applied a karate chop on Lorina''s neck to render her unconscious. Sorry, but in your state it will be easier. I placed her on Felicia''s back. Normally she wouldn''t accept anyone other than me, but this was an emergency. She did complain about Lorina being wet, though. I have to make it up and scrub her back when we get home. Sue and Felicia should be able to keep her safe while I deal with these clowns. "What do you think you''re doing?" So¡­ that old fart is the king. An elf that looks to be around 60 years old, with a long moustache and a beard that went all the way to his belly. He wore a green robe, a crown with various jewels and was leaning on a golden staff. "What does it look like I''m doing? You guys took Lorina away from me. I''m taking her back." "Do you realize what you are saying? Why are you interfering with our affairs? This wedding is the will of the Gods themselves!" "Ku ku ku¡­¡­Even if the Gods acknowledges this, I shall not allow it, you pieces of trash. She belongs to me! I will not let you all do as you please!" "Why? Why must you oppose us? You know nothing about our ways. I am doing this for my children''s future!" "Your children you say¡­ Hey, old geezer, answer me this. Do you love your children?" "What nonsense. Of course I do." "Then, when the second princess Melina was kidnapped, why didn''t you lift a finger to rescue her?" "You couldn''t understand. Why would I risk war?" Okay¡­ I can''t take this anymore. The more I listen to this fart, the angrier I get. "There''s only one thing that''s obvious. You, a parent, have abandoned your children." "Say what you will. There''s nothing you can do." Elven soldiers holding swords and bows gathered around me. It should be hard to blow a path for Felicia to escape. And these guys are just small fry. "Nothing I can do? I think you forgot who you''re talking to. I am the person that can make the impossible possible. You damned fools who do not know your place! I shall annihilate you all!" I extended my hand towards the sky and chanted: "[Thousand Tears]!" Magic circles formed in the sky. And from each one a fireball fired towards the ground. It was like a rain of fire. Dust and flames covered the plaza. Blood and body parts were the only things left of his soldiers after the dust cleared. "Is that all you can do?" "Father, I''m going to use that crystal. This brat needs to learn a lesson!" The shit prince pulled out some sort of glowing crystal and slammed it into the ground. "I summon the guardian of Gardenia! Heed my call. Appear and destroy this brat!" A bright yellow light was shining when he said those words and the earth was shaking. Something was definitely coming. 83: Each with their own battles The ground was shaking similarly to an earthquake. When the light finally settled down¡­ I couldn''t believe my eyes. "Did the shock leave you speechless? This is our guardian! Cower before it''s might!" *ROAAAR!* I am shocked. Their guardian was¡­ a turtle. A giant turtle. I''m shocked because I wasn''t expecting something so lame. It was big, I''ll give them that. Roughly the size of 5 story building. It was around the same size of their royal tree. But compared to dragon mom¡­ he''s still small. His head looked similar to one of those alligator snapping turtles. As for his shell¡­ it was completely covered in crystals. My guess¡­ orichalcum. Sorry guys, but after all the things I faced, I just can''t take a turtle serious. Let''s see if it''s even worth my attention. I extended my hand. 5 light spears formed behind me. "[Impact Javelin]!" I fired the 5 spears at a frightening speed and all of them hit the turtle. Huge explosions were formed, but to my surprise, there wasn''t a single scratch on it. "Hahaha! It''s pointless! Our guardian is indestructible. Nothing can penetrate it''s shell!" As the trash prince was bragging, his father waved his staff. So it wasn''t just a simple staff for supporting himself. It was a magic staff. As he waved his staff, huge vines emerged from the ground and were headed straight for me. For real? Didn''t he see me burn his soldiers before? And now he''s attacking with plants? As I took a deep breath I prepared myself to throw a big fire breath and vaporize them, however¡­ Aria stepped in front of me. She extended both her hands out and surrounded herself with a magical aura. When all those huge veins got close, they made a 90 degree left turn and soon fell lifeless on the ground. "You are¡­ Aria Rivercrest! I never thought you were still alive." "Dark Elves are persistent. We don''t play dead that easily." Aria turned her head towards me with her usual soft smile. "Lady Milla, could you please let me handle these 2?" "Aria¡­ are you sure?" "Of course. It''s the perfect way to demonstrate that my mana is superior. If they fall by my hand, there will be no doubt that I deserve to rule. And besides, you aren''t the only one with a grudge against them. I want to pay them back for all the suffering they put us through all these years. Please. I ask that you handle the guardian. Lead it away from here and I will take these 2 on." "Aria¡­ I understand your feelings, but¡­ that''s a turtle. You say you want me to lead it away but¡­ doesn''t that thing move incredibly slow?" "Turtle? I have never heard that word before." What, you guys don''t have turtles in this world? I started scratching my head. "As for it''s speed, it''s quite agile for it''s size." "Fine then. I will leave you to dish out punishment for these fools. Be careful though." "Thank you." And with that I leaped into the sky and fired some more spells to get the guardian''s attention. Aria wasn''t lying. I thought I would leave it in the dust, but it moved it''s feet rather fast and started to chase me. Well then, let''s see how much that shell can take! ------ "So, you really think that an impure creature like yourself deserves the throne?" "Isn''t mana quality the most important thing our Goddess taught us since ancient time? Anything else doesn''t matter." "Bwah! By that foolish judgement even that little brat would be suited for the throne." "How very true. I don''t see any problem with it though." "And such foolishness is exactly why you and your fellow Dark Elves deserve to die." The old man waved his staff again and more vines emerged, aiming for Aria. "[Jet Cutter]!" Aria spinned her body rapidly like an elegant balerina and numerous water blades were formed, slicing all the vines that were headed her way. But she didn''t stop there. Once the vines were cut she extended her hands towards the sky. A magic circle formed above her head. "[Aqua Nebula]!" She unleashed a barrage of bubbles. But they weren''t ordinary bubbles. They were explosive bubbles. The old king thrusted his staff in the ground and vines surrounded him in a similar manner as if forming a protective dome. The bubbles exploded loudly, but didn''t manage to penetrate all the layers set up. "Foolish woman. This is getting us nowhere. I will show you what true power means!" The old elf took a stone that was attached to the staff and swallowed it. Not before long, his eyes shined green and he was surrounded by a sinister aura. The ground around him started to cover him, as if it was turning him into an earth statue. Cracks appeared on it and a thick tree trunk emerged from it along with the old geezer. Although he still had his white hair and beard, his body completely transformed and became bulky similar to a professional body builder. And his lower half was merged with tree trunk that just emerged. "This is the true power of a King. I am now connected with every lifeform in this forest. What hopes could you possibly have before my power?" But Aria simply smiled and brought her right arm to her left middle left finger where she had a very unique sapphire blue ring. ~A few hours earlier to the event~ "Hey Aria, do you have an element you specialize in?" "Yes. That would be water. However my strongest magic requires me to be close to a water source. Given the proper amount of ''fuel'' I could even produce a small tsunami. But inside this forest I am afraid that my powers will be a bit restricted." "In that case, I''m giving you this." Milla pulled a unique ring from her showed and tossed it over to Aria. It was from a set of magical enchanted jewelry series that she and Lorina made, but she herself never used. "That jewel is connected to another jewel lying on the bottom of the ocean. It will constantly give you access to water, even in the desert. Consider it a measure of precaution." "Oh my. Not that I''m ungrateful, but why would you give something like this to me?" "Because I want to make sure nothing happens to that body of yours. I don''t want a single scratch on it before I taste it." "My, oh my! You are a very honest person. I don''t dislike expressing your feelings like that, fufu!" ------ Lady Milla, I thank you. I will use this gift that you gave me to achieve my revenge. For our future, I will drown every snobby High Elf in this forest if needed. This is my retaliation! 84: Aria vs the King "You are a damn traitor! For the sake of your so called vision of purity, you led all the elves into the wrong direction! Unforgivable!" "Shut up, you dark whore!" The kings'' tree trunk tentacles were headed once again for Aria. They were moving faster, like whips and made a more chaotic pattern. "[Deep Sea Vortex]!" It was impossible for Aria to dodge them so she created a huge water tornado to intercept the tentacles. And it worked. Loud clashing sounds resounded through the air and the tentacles were pushed back. "To stand before me in that state¡­ it''s a mockery in itself. You are relying on the treasured staff passed on from generation to generation. You''ve neglected your own powers and that will be your downfall. Eat this: [Azure Burst]!" Azure Burst was an advanced spell that combined both water and ice to form a powerful orb or magical energy around the size of a small house. It quickly accelerated to high a speed and the combustion generated from the friction with the air almost made it look like it would burst into flames. The elven king raised countless tentacles and tree roots from the ground to protect himself. Because his lower half of his body was akin to a tree now he didn''t have great mobility. When the magic made contact, several tentacles were sent flying by the blast. However, Aria''s mouth opened wide when the explosion cleared. She felt it clearly. "No way! How can you be uninjured?!" The king''s main body didn''t receive a single scratch. "Hmph¡­ It''s only natural. You really thought you would reach me with just that level? Nature itself is on my side. How do you expect to win? Now it''s your turn to feel terror!" His tentacles bent and once again were approaching Aria at a great speed. 10 at once. "[Vortex Wall]!" Aria slammed her hand on the ground, and like a geyser, water rushed from the ground making a wall in front of her. At first it seemed that she managed to stop the tentacles, but this time, another 10 were hidden in behind the first wave and a few managed to breach her defense. "Guah!" Because of the impact, Aria was flying in the air, until eventually her back hit a large tree. The impact almost made her puke her dinner. She was brought to her knees. I can''t allow myself to lose in such an unsightly manner. Ugh¡­ so heavy¡­ at times like this I really wish my breasts would have a normal size¡­ She forced herself to stand up again, although her body felt as if she was carrying a lump of lead on her back. She received a considerable amount of damage. This might get quite troublesome. His reach is great, and the force and speed behind his tentacles is no joke. However, it''s not the tentacles I should be focusing on, but his main body instead. "Give up!" "Why would I do that? As for you, don''t you have other ways of attacking me besides those tentacles? I for one still have plenty of spells up my sleeve!" The king didn''t pay attention and unleashed another tentacle attack like before. "You''re beginning to bore me. The same attack never works twice on me!" This time Aria joined her palms together into a fist and not 1, but 4 water tornadoes were unleashed at the same time. All the tentacles were ripped apart by the force, but her spell still didn''t have enough force to reach the king''s body. So¡­ not even that was enough¡­ oof¡­ I''ve burned just over half my mana. If I can''t find a way to get close¡­ In the next moment, spikes grew from the tree that Aria was leaning on, piercing her body. "Hahaha! You said I don''t have other attacks. See now? I told you, all the surrounding nature is under my control!" He thought he finally won, but¡­ no blood emerged from Aria''s body. Instead soon after, her body became like a liquid, clear and more transparent until eventually she fell completely like a puddle. "What? What sort of trickery is this!?" "Surrender now, or else I slit the prince''s throat!" The king turned his head around only to find Aria holding a dagger at Melron''s throat. "You¡­ what the hell did you do?" "It''s quite a complicated spell. As soon as I managed to stand on my feet after you sent me flying I chanted a small spell. Water from underground covered my body and took my form. A clone, if you prefer. And I also used earth magic that let me travel underground. I avoided any roots and here I am! Your son''s life is in my hands now!" "Father¡­ help me." "Hmph¡­ very well. Kill him if you want." "Father! What are you saying!" Melron had tears in his eyes and couldn''t believe his ears. "You must be surely bluffing. You realize if I kill him, then this is all over, no? You won''t have an heir anymore. The throne you so want to keep in the family¡­ everything will crumble!" "Bwah! You think I would entrust the future to that whelp without a backup plan?" The old geezer snapped his fingers. Various plants started to appear from the ground and trees. Once they opened up slightly, a white liquid could be seen inside. "These flowers all contain my seed. When I was still young, I collected it. Even after hundreds of years these flowers preserved it as it was brand new. So go ahead. Kill him. I''ll just have Lorina take the throne instead. I shall retrieve her, break her mind completely and I will have these flowers enter her womb and release my seed. Nothing changes! The future is still secured!" At those words, Aria lowered her dagger and knocked Melron unconscious. "You''re sick." The king was ready to attack her with all his tentacles, however, Aria was finally close enough. She extended her left middle finger. The finger with the ring that Milla gave her. "I win." The jewel shined brightly and a magical circle formed. A bright blue light shined and a few moments later¡­ "Im¡­ possible¡­" Bits of the king started falling on the ground. His lower body was dismembered, his arms were cut off, his body was crushed. As Milla told her, the jewel draws it''s power from another jewel on the bottom of the ocean. And as we all know due to modern science, the pressure becomes bigger the deeper you go. Milla took the jewel as deep as her dragon scales allowed her. And Aria just opened the door to that place. A jet of water emerged and completely obliterated the king. Under that pressure the jet was sharper than any blade and the forced crushed him. Aria needed to get close to use that ability. And she pulled through. When the battle was finally over, the Elves ran over from within the forest while raising their voices. Aria put up her guard, wondering what was going on. The Elves shouted. Words praising her victory. And among those words, were the ones she wanted to hear the most: Long live Queen Aria Rivercrest! 85: Unleash the Dragon *ROAAAR!* Dang. This thing sure is annoyingly loud. And he definitely doesn''t move like a turtle. I wasn''t flying at full speed but this thing managed to keep up with me. My first goal was to try bringing it to an open field so that I wouldn''t destroy the forest. And I was lucky cause I found a patch of grass near a small lake. It was time to stop running and try beating this thing. I turned around and chanted: "[Geo Flare Burst]!" I shot an electrified fireball straight at his head. Since his shell is so hard I thought it would be easier to go for his head. But I was wrong. When the smoke cleared his head was still intact. Not even a single scratch. If anything it only pissed the turtle off. It started to shoot various wind orbs from it''s mouth at me. They were coming at lightning speed, but I managed to dodge all of them with paper thin difference. "You really are sturdy. Well then, let''s kick it up a notch!" My aura started to unleash and a strong pressure surrounded me. The turtle fired another blast at me but¡­ it didn''t make contact. The turtle was confused. I disappeared into thin air. I actually increased my speed to an absurd amount and got right under it''s belly. "ORAAA!" I wrapped my fist in flames and punched him from underneath. A huge shockwave ran across it''s huge body. One punch. 2 punches¡­ with each punch my speed increased. If one were to observe my barage, they probably would see multiple hands punching at the same time. I reached the point were I managed to land 50 punches per second at that speed and intensity the turtle strated to get pushed off the ground. I was forcing it into the air. With each blow I raised it higher and higher into the sky. Eventually I stopped and flipped it upside down. With both my hands I gathered flames and lightning and gave it one last giant punch to propel it back to the ground. It''s shell became like a meteor falling towards earth. It crashed straight into the lake, evaporating all the water in the blink of an eye. *Pant¡­ pant¡­* "Well I have to say, that was more of a workout than I thought." Just as I was preparing to head back the smoke cleared and I saw that the shell was still intact. The turtle fully retracted inside. And before I realized it it fired countless orichalcum shards towards me. I was taken aback and took the full impact of all those shards. Some pierced my body completely and made me crash. The huge turtle emerged again and let out another roar. I was sitting pierced in a pile of crystals and bleeding. I suppose in this form his orichalcum is stronger than my scales. But did it think it won? How naive. A flame tornado swallowed me up and cleared all my wounds. Phoenix Resurrection. Even if I am a dragon now, I never lost my phoenix powers. And this was the first time I had to rely on them since dragon mom gave birth to me. Once again I was standing before the turtle. "This really is annoying. I guess the only way to actually beat you is hit you with a force so strong that not even orichalcum can whitstand it. So be it then! Sorry mom, but I''m going to use that." I raised my hand and reached for the eyepatch on my right eye. Mom gave me this eyepatch to help stabilize my power. A way to control it better. But right now, I didn''t need that sort of thing. I don''t need control. I need to unleash it. I tore it off and the moment I opened my closed eye¡­ it shined brightly. My left eye had my usual crimson shine. But my right eye¡­ it was emerald green. I don''t know how this works, but it seems my right eye inherited dragon moms'' eye color. So now I was heterochromatic. But that wasn''t the most important thing. Power flowed through my body. "~Full Body Release~" With that sentence I started to morph. My body was changing. I was turning into a dragon. A pressure so huge was released that it even blew away the grass on the plain. "AAAAAA!" My shout soon started to transform into a dragon roar. My tiny body evolved into a dragon. A western type dragon. Still not as big as mom, but I was now as big as that turtle. I was a pitch black dragon with black claws. My wings were the similar to my old ones but a bit changed thanks to my dragon blood now. A mix of feathers and scales and a sharp spike coming from the bending point. Even if they looked like feathers they were as strong as any other of my scales. I had a pair of horns, that curved almost to a 90 degree angle and were aimed the same direction as my vision and felt like they were burning at the tip. A jewel was visible on my chest, in a similar manner like my old original jewels. "GRAAAWL!" I released a roar 10 times more powerful than the turtle and soared in the sky. The turtle tried firing more crystals at me, but in this form¡­ none of them managed to pierce me. They just made a sharp metal clang and bounced right off. I rushed towards it and bit it on the neck. Blood came gushing out! Yuck! This is disgusting. How can mom have the stomach for raw meat and blood? I almost wanted to puke. The turtle took a few steps back to gain it¡¯s balance, and quickly withdrew its head into its shell. He probably thought it was safe inside. Even with my claws and fangs I still couldn¡¯t break through the shell. I needed to blast thins thing really hard. So once again I soared in the sky. "With this¡­ IT''S OVER!" 3 magic circles were formed in front of my mouth. I opened my jaws wide and a fire energy orb was forming inside. "Eat this. [EXPLOSION]!" As I unleashed my blast it passed through each of the circles one at a time and became bigger and stronger with each magical circle. When it made contact with the turtle¡­ it drilled straight through it''s shell, came out the other side and only when it made contact with the earth did the blast trigger. It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that the blast was on the level of a nuclear explosion as it even extended to the forest. Oops. I better put out the fire once the smoke clears. Maybe I overdid it. But regardless it worked. The so called guardian was blast to pieces. Nothing remained except a barren land. I hope Aria will forgive me for this, but it was necessary. Nevertheless I did it. I managed to stop that giant turtle. Normally I should turn back now but¡­ I better fly back like this. I''m faster and stronger in this form. I gotta make sure that Aria truly was able to handle those guys. And with those words both my crimson and emerald eyes shined strongly and I propelled myself with the speed of a rocket back towards the royal tree. 86: Messing with time When I returned I saw that Aria already killed the king. At first, every elf started screaming and running chaotically in every direction when they saw me. They kept shouting "Dragon! Run for your lives!", but once I took my loli appearance again, Aria managed to somewhat order them that it''s alright. "So you managed to take the throne, huh?" "Yes. And it''s safe to assume that you also managed to eliminate the guardian. I truly am grateful, lady Milla." "I guess there is still one more thing to settle." I turn my head towards the shity prince that was lying unconscious on the ground. He is a part of this mess too. "Do you want to kill him? I shall not object to your decision." She is right. I so want to kill this bastard. But¡­ no. Killing him would just make Lorina sad. After loosing her sister, and now her father because of Aria¡­ this jerk is the only blood relative she has left. If you''re wondering about Lorina''s mother¡­ Aria did mention that the elven Queen passed away 50 years ago. They say it was a natural death, although with these guys you can never be sure. The king might have lied to them to hide the truth. But that''s not the issue now. "Aria, do elves have some sort of prison or a dungeon?" "There is an underground prison. You wish to imprison him?" "Yeah. Death is to good for him. Let him rot for the rest of his life." "As you wish." Aria snapped her fingers and 2 elven knights came and started to drag the sandbag prince off somewhere. "Aria, there is one more thing I want to ask of you. Do you think you can get a doctor or a healer to look at Lorina? She''s in very bad shape." "Although there will now probably be lots of internal affairs because of my ascension, and I also want to take care of moving the dark elves back¡­ I can''t ignore your request. So we will tend to your friend first." "Thanks!" ------ Me, Sue and Felicia were waiting in a room inside the royal tree. Aria prepared it for us, while Lorina was assigned to a different room. At this point we just had to wait. I mean after all, her state was caused by elves so it would seem only natural that they should be able to fix it. Eventually after 3 hours, Aria came after us. "So¡­ how is she? Is she going to be alright?" "She is resting on the third floor, however¡­ her condition¡­ it''s just not very good. Those scumbags have left the brainwashing slime on her for far too long¡­ to the point that now she keeps getting turned on. I really don''t know how she managed to last that long without giving in to her urges. It''s probably due to her loyalty for you." "And¡­ how do we cure her?" "Sadly¡­ I don''t know. She won''t let any male near her and our female healers don''t know what to do. This was a dark secret kept by the royal family after all." I doubt my Phoenix Tears would work either since this is a similar situation like the one with Shiori. Darn it. This is another predicament¡­ "Aria, wouldn''t she calm down if we just relieve her urges?" "That isn''t a solution. Elves have low fertility. So when it comes to making babies it takes quite a long time to properly impregnate a woman. Hence the slime was created to maintain that intoxicated arousal state for a long time. I am afraid that even if you try to relieve her¡­ it would only be temporary." This is starting to get annoying. Last time I had to ask Tenebria for help. But¡­ I wonder¡­ maybe I can handle it myself¡­ "Aria, please take me to Lorina. I might be able to fix her." ------ Aria guided me to the room Lorina was in. She was in a very bad condition. Sweating all over, rubbing her legs and fondling her breasts. Needless to say the bed sheets were wet. "Lorina¡­ it''s me. Can you hear me?" "Milla¡­ it hurts¡­ it''s so hot¡­ I endured for you¡­ but I feel¡­ my mind is going crazy¡­" "Hang in there, Lorina. This nightmare will be over soon." I extended both my hands towards Lorina and concentrated. I recalled my encounter with Death. His aging magic¡­ it was similar to particle acceleration. Glad I paid attention in class. He made the molecules and atoms vibrate at tremendous speed cause the aging process. While this isn''t exactly time travel¡­ I should be able to do the same, but in reverse. If I super vibrate Lorina''s particles and combine that with a backwards spell maybe I can reverse her time¡­ And it started a green magical circle formed with various runes on it, alongside a clock hand that started to spin counter clockwise. The runes. Lorina''s body was starting to glow and emit ghostly after images. One after one... "No way! You can even manipulate time!?" Aria was shocked, but I couldn''t afford to answer her¡­ this thing¡­ is really hard and is sure taking a toll on my body. I think only 3 minutes passed, but it seemed like an eternity to me. The 10 days that Lorina suffered¡­ I reversed them. I reversed the time on her body and managed to bring her back to her old self. When it was over I immediately crashed on the floor. The mana drain was on a whole other level. I felt incredibly tired. "Milla, are you ok?" To my surprise, Lorina was actually the one that got off the bed and supported me. *Pant¡­ pant¡­* "Yeah¡­ just tired¡­ but what about you?" "I have no clue what you did to me, but it worked. I feel normal again! Like my old self! Thank you¡­ I really can''t thank you enough for what you did for me!" "I''m just glad you''re safe¡­" That''s the only thing that matters to me. Lorina is part of my family too now and a very important friend. Anyone that tries to hurt my friends will get burned eventually. "I think I want a nap¡­ is it ok?" "Yes, lady Milla. Have a nice rest." And with that¡­ I feel asleep in Lorina''s arms. 87: Pet play Things were finally starting to settle down. I had a really good rest. Although an elf bed isn''t nearly as comfortable as my own bed, it was still good enough to give me a decent rest. While I was sleeping, Aria worked around the clock to get all the Dark Elves to slowly return to the forest. A bit of micro-management was needed so it wouldn''t become too crowded, but she managed to handle it perfectly. The elves did not object to any of Aria''s decisions. They will always obey the one with the highest mana. As for my situation, when I woke up I had to calm Lorina down. She thanked me a million times. And no. I''m not exaggerating. She was grateful that I saved her, but also grateful that I didn''t kill her brother. As much as a jerk as he is, he''s now Lorina''s only blood relative. Aria asked me if I could help around a bit before returning home and since she offered us teleport crystals, I didn''t mind helping out. However, on the day of our departure, something happened that left me speechless. Aria and Lorina came in my room. Lorina was fidgeting while Aria had her usual smile and had her hands on Lorina''s shoulders as if to push her forward. "Umm¡­ girls¡­ what''s up with you two?" "Milla¡­ I¡­ the thing is¡­ I¡­" "Fufu. This girl is really shy. Lady Milla allow me to say it in her place. Ahem¡­ ''To show my appreciation, please have fun with my body''!" "Aria!!! You promised not to step in!" So this is about sex huh? I guess Aria tagged along to give her the push she needed. But I couldn''t be more wrong. "But now my body also belongs to lady Milla. And after you told me about her unique technique, I found it fascinating. I would like to join you!" Holy crap! Is she serious!? Sex with 2 beautiful elves? Yes please! I''m game! "But¡­ to do it alongside someone else¡­" "Lorina, if Aria says she is ok with then, then I want that too. I want to do it with both of you!" "Milla¡­ a¡­ alright¡­" And so, I locked the door and we all prepared to get on the bed. ------ ¡°Wai, Nn! Doing it suddenly is no good!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one that wanted to join the party, Aria!¡± ¡°Y-You¡¯re really young¡­ I don¡¯t hate that you¡¯re being rough with me, but¡­ Aaaaahn~!¡± So, even if it¡¯s massaged on top of the dress, the softness of Aria¡¯s chest can be fully felt and it¡¯s pleasurable. ¡°Your breasts really are huge. Their sucking my palms right in!¡± ¡°Do you hate¡­Ahn~, Nu, hate big breasts¡­?¡± ¡°I love them!¡± ¡°Haahaa¡­if you massage it that violently¡­n, ah, ah¡­ I¡¯ll start getting aroused too. You have experience¡­ don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± It was time to suck these beautiful nipples. Itadakimasu! ¡°Lorina, you too! I¡¯ll take this side, you take the other.¡± ¡°O¡­okay¡­¡± I sucked it strongly while Lorina was taking more of gentle approach. ¡°Juuuuuu!¡± ¡°Aaaaaaaaa!¡± Raising her waist, she made an arc as she tremble. What happens if I try to bite her nipple? ¡°S-Stop! Ahn, Nn, Ah, Aaaaa, Biting¡­Ahn is a no go! What are you?... a baby?¡± ¡°You¡¯re weak on your nipples aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°T-That¡¯s right! That¡¯s why, Ahn, don¡¯t do it that strongly¡­Ahn, n, N!¡± ¡°I love this face of yours. I¡¯ll make you feel more then¡­¡± ¡°Ah, Aaaaaa, N, Ah, Ah! Kyaaaun! T-that¡¯s amazing! Doing both¡­Ahn~Nnn!¡± ¡°Your nipple is sweet and delicious¡­¡± ¡°Ahn~ N! Lorina¡­ Y-You don¡¯t have to say your impressions!¡± Saying it is embarrassing so she doesn¡¯t want her to say it. Also, Aria really tuned into pudding in our hands already. ¡°N, Nnaaaaa! No more¡­! Don¡¯t tease¡­haaaahaahaa¡­just my breasts¡­ I want you ¡­touch down there too¡­¡± ¡°Okay, but it won¡¯t be fun like this¡­ I know, Lorina get on top of her! Both of you stick out your pussies. I¡¯ll do both of at the same time.¡± As per my instructions, Lorina got on top of Aria. Their breasts were tightly squeezed against each other. And their pink flower buds were visible. Time to let my hands do the trick! ¡°Ahn¡­Kuuu! A-amazing¡­it¡¯s going in¡­aaaahn~!¡± Of course. This time I was using the full force of my hands. In other words, I pushed them all the way through. I was being violent. Up till now I usually took a more gentle approach, but I always wanted to try using a tad more force. This is the best opportunity. ¡°Ah, Ku, Hard¡­such force¡­!¡± ¡°Milla please¡­ not so rough¡­Kyaaa! No¡­ If you do it like that¡­¡± ¡°Do you girls want it? Do you want to cum by my hands?¡± ¡°Ku, Hoo! Ahn! I-I want it¡­give me more¡­!¡± ¡°Me too¡­ ooH, ahh¡­!¡± ¡°You perverts. Women like you that go in heat so easily¡­ just like dogs! In fact, both of you should just become my pets here and now!¡± ¡°P¡­pets you say?¡± Aria had a troubled look as she doesn¡¯t understand the meaning. Lorina could imagine where I was going. But just in case I made it easy to understand. ¡°I¡¯ll be the mistress so you¡¯ll be the dog!¡± ¡°I¡­?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You don¡¯t like it?¡± As expected of the new queen of elves, there¡¯s no way she¡¯d accept something like that so easy. I need to kill that sense of pride. I shoved my hands strongly and made them melt in pleasure. ¡°Ooooou!? I-It¡¯s going in deeper!¡± ¡°Aaaa¡­Hii, it feels too good¡­my head is going crazy¡­!¡± ¡°If you become my dogs, you¡¯ll be able to taste this anytime you want!¡± ¡°A-Anytime¡­you say?¡± I made small pistons and tormented her. I also gave Lorina a small wink. ¡°Haa¡­haa¡­ N, Ku¡­! Haahaa!¡± Lorina got close and stole her lips. Before long, they were deeply rolling their tongues and moaning with pleasure. ¡°Aria-san¡­ it¡¯s the first time you felt this kind of pleasure? Won¡¯t you embrace Milla together with me¡­?¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­Ku! I only promised I¡­ would give my body¡­ not my dignity¡­¡± She¡¯s still quite stubborn. Then, I¡¯ll violate her with pleasure again. I began to swing my hands around at high speed. ¡°Aaaaaaaa! Stop iiiiiiittttt!¡± ¡°Shut up! My dogs only bark when they are told to!¡± ¡°But if you bang me that fast¡­I¡­Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!¡± ¡°FuaaaH!!! Milla wait¡­ if you do me too that strong, I¡¯ll¡­¡± ¡°You girls want to cum? Do it then. Cum for your mistress!¡± ¡°C-Cumming! I-I can¡¯t endure it anymore¡­! I¡­C-c-c-c-cummiiiiiing!¡± ¡°Me neither¡­ I¡¯m Cumiiiing!!!¡± A large amount of tide blows out from both their pussies. I pulled my hand out spread both of them to let the fluids come out easier. ¡°Aaaaah, I can¡¯t endure it¡­! It¡¯s coming out¡­it¡¯s coming out¡­!¡± ¡°You look like a pissing dog, Aria!¡± ¡°Aaa¡­I¡¯m a¡­dog¡­dog¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You¡¯re a dog. You¡¯re a no brain slut when I¡¯m holding the leash!¡± ¡°Ku¡­haha¡­I¡¯m a dog¡­a dog¡­! Kuhahahaha!¡± Did I go too far? Aria kept urinating. She let out all from her bladder while shouting. ¡°Feel refreshed?¡± ¡°I peed¡­¡± ¡°Then, become more of a dog!¡± I made for both of them dog ears, tail and a leash using magic. Fitting accessories like you would find in cosplay shops. First, I put the dog ears on them. Then, I turned my gaze to Aria¡¯s bubble ass. ¡°You won¡¯t be a dog if you don¡¯t have a tail.¡± ¡°Tail¡­a tail¡­how would you put it?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do it like this!¡± ¡°Kuhoo!?¡± I stabbed Aria¡¯s anus with the tail. Aria had her eyes peeled white due to the excessive impact. But, I didn¡¯t mind it. I did the same to Lorina, but she reacted the opposite way and was anticipating it. I inserted my hands again and began to aim for the finish. ¡°nnnooo! My anus and pussy¡­both are being invadeeeeeeeed!¡± ¡°Milla¡­ this is wonderful¡­ being your dog¡­ I love it!¡± ¡°What do you say, Aria? Won¡¯t you agree with Lorina?¡± ¡°Aaaaa¡­you can¡¯t¡­ask while making me¡­ I¡¯m cumming again¡­I¡­I¡¯m cumming!¡± ¡°Then cum¡± ¡°Aaaau! C-c-c-c-cummiiiing!¡± Making a big wave, her vagina has tightened further. ¡°Tighten up just like that! I¡¯ll just force my palm open and wiggle around!¡± ¡°Kuunu, kahii¡­aaaaaa!¡± ¡°Nooooo~!¡± ¡°You¡¯re getting crazy from cumming?¡± ¡°Noo~ No mooooreeee! Take it ouuuut!¡± ¡°Even if you say that, your body doesn¡¯t want to¡­¡± ¡°Aria-san¡­ huaaaa!!! Just give in to Milla already!¡± Her vagina tightens so hard¡­ it was obvious it didn¡¯t want to let go of my arm. Even if I wanted to pull out, I can¡¯t, or I would hurt her too much. ¡°aaaaa! Cumming again! Cummiiiiiing! I don¡¯t want to cum already yet¡­again¡­cummiiiiing!¡± ¡°Accept my training, slut dog! Cum for your mistress!¡± ¡°Aaaaaaa! Cumiiiiiiiiing!¡± Byukururu, Byukubyubyukubyuku¡­! Aria writhed intensely that she curved like a shrimp, while Lorina had such a satisfied expression with a huge smile! ¡°Au, Ai, hii! ku, hoo¡­! Ahn!¡± ¡°I¡¯m also¡­ Still cumming¡± Love nectar overflowed from their vaginas. ¡°You¡¯re my dog. Right?¡± ¡°I-I know¡­! Woof woof! I¡¯m your dog!¡± ¡°Then¡­¡± I put the collar around her neck. This means she¡¯s a dog. My dog bitch. I didn¡¯t think it would go this well. But it did. Even if she¡¯s the rightful ruler of Gardenia, she knows who¡¯s actually in charge now.¡± ¡°Good girls! And good pets shall be rewarded with treats. Here, I¡¯ll give you a tasty snack. Aria, you lick my pussy and Lorina, use your tongue on my butt hole!¡± Both of them answered in unison: ¡°Yes, mistress! Woof woof!¡± And so, I spent a wonderful night. 88: Beach Day After the whole event with the elves we finally arrived home safe and sound thanks to Aria. She provided us teleport crystals. And after our pet play she eagerly said that I can drop by as often as I was wanted, kuku. Right now I was in my garden sitting on mom''s lap. She was gently stroking my head. Grace was also with us with a big fan to cool us down. "Aaa! It feels so good to stay like this!" "Sweetie, mommy is happy that you can rest¡­ but judging by your body¡­ you took off the eyepatch, didn''t you?" "Sorry mom. I had no choice. I really had to use my dragon form." "Nono! Mommy isn''t mad. Mommy just wants to know you safe. Sweetie, you really should stop doing reckless things." "I agree, Milla-nee!" Well¡­ I can''t really argue there. All my decisions tend to be reckless and on the limit¡­ maybe I''m just too tired¡­ "Sweetie you should take a vacation and relax. You need to clear your head." "A vacation you say¡­ hmm¡­" As I pondered for a moment¡­ "Grace, you think you can bring Odin and Persia here?" "For what reason?" "It''s no fun to go on a vacation just myself. The more the merrier! We all need a vacation! And I have just the perfect plan!" ------ The beach. Let''s be honest here, what''s the point of having sandy shores if you aren''t going to use them. Today was a day meant for fun and fun alone. A beach day. I made sure to bring everyone along. Grace, mom, Odin, Persia, Sue, Teri, Felicia, Cleo, Irina, Lorina, Himeko, Shiori and Momoyo. Even Fenrir. The only one who didn''t want to come was Tengu. Since his fight with Death, I managed to put him back together, but for some reason he hates the sand. Or maybe he''s just scared to appear in just swimming trunks. I can totally see Fenrir chasing him around and literally burying him in the sand. So, I left him in charge for the day while the rest of us where having some fun. And it was such a nice view. I''m talking about swimsuits, of course. Seeing all my girls in swimsuits is a true paradise! If I were to die with this image in my head right now, I would have no regrets. But even if I die, I''ll still probably live since it''s me we are talking about. "Milla¡­ why are we the only ones wearing these?" The voice that called out to me belonged to Shiori. As I turned around I could see her and prez standing next to each other. I guess they were referring to their swimsuits. Everyone, myself included were wearing a 2 piece swimsuit, but for these 2 I prepared one piece school swimsuits. "What? I never got to see you two at the school pool, so I thought this would be a good opportunity." "Hentai¡­" Yup. Sure am. And I''m proud of it. "Now, everyone, let our beach day begin!" "Hurray!!!" The weather was perfect. Clear sky and warm sun. The water temperature was just right too. Not too cold, but not too warm either. Everyone soon found an activity they enjoyed. Persia didn''t like the water too much, so she just wriggled on a chair like a cat and sat to enjoy the sun. Sue and Teri wanted to build a sandcastle. Felicia and Cleo had a form of swimming contest. I say "a form" because of their lower bodies and their unique swimming methods. And speaking of swimming¡­ "Okaasan, save me¡­" Little Himeko was with dragon mom in the water. Katalina was trying to bond with her grandchild. Himeko didn''t know how to swim so she tried teaching her, but¡­ in the end I had to step in. I hate to say it, but mom is only good at teaching magic. For every other department¡­ she sucks. Himeko kept staring back and forth between moms'' chest and her own. Hey, I know what your thinking. She can float easier with those bouncy things. And when you look at her like that, her boobs do look like a flotation device. But Himeko is still growing, so I calmed her down. Himeko really isn''t that fond of dragon mom yet. While we were playing in the water, on the beach, I saw that Irina was next to a tree with Shiori and¡­ "Fuah~... Please put me down! I¡­ I''m not¡­" "So, Shiori-san, is it similar to this?" "Well¡­ you got the idea right, but¡­" It appears that Shiori was trying to tell Irina about a game from Earth. It wasn''t typical for japanese, it was more of a western game. Basically¡­ a pinata. And it seems like Irina tied up Momoyo and turned her into one. "Ara Ara! I wonder what kind of ''sweets'' will we see if we poke around this pinata, fufu~!" "Nooo!!!" In the end, I had no choice but to order Irina to put her down. She doesn''t let go of an idea quite easily. However I have to be honest. Even I felt tempted to poke prez in that position. "Onee-chan! My skin isn''t used to this much heat. Would you please rub some lotion on my back?" This was rather a surprise for me. I didn''t know that this world has sun screen. Odin told me that it was a luxury item. Only Demon Kings and the richest of nobles could afford it. It was made from honey mixed with the goo produced by a fire slime. While I was rubbing Odin''s back and made my way to lower area¡­ I couldn''t resist. "Kyaa! Onee-chan! Your rubbing my butt!" "I''m just trying to make sure I don''t miss a single spot." "Anh¡­ but your hands are going even inside my¡­ Hiii!" It''s your fault for wearing such a skimpy bikini bottom. You can''t blame me for shaking your ass my way. In the end, I just teased her a little. This was supposed to be a vacation, so I didn''t want her to get wet from this. After washing my hands, I still felt like playing. After all, I''m a kid. But what game would work here? Oh, I got it. I grabbed some wooden beams and had Irina draw a net between them. "Sweetie, what are you doing?" "Oh¡­ I''m just inventing a new game. It''s called volleyball! Want to play with me mom?" "Sure! You''re so cute when you look so determined. Mommy will play with you. What are the rules?" "You have to hit the ball across the net without touching it. You have to try and make it in such a way that your opponent can''t return it." "Alright. Let mommy try." I sat on one side of the net and mom on the other. I served the ball to show mom how it''s done, but¡­ when the ball came to her¡­ she hit it with her palm. But it was with a force so great that I had no choice but to dodge. She literally made a small crater in the sand. That''s not how volleyball is played! "Yay! I win!" "Eh¡­ mom¡­" But before I could finish my sentence, Odin and Persia came along. "Honorable mother, that really does look fun. Would you mind playing with the 2 of us too?" "Why certainly. I''ll take both of you on!" And with that¡­ the sand field turned into a battlefield. This wasn''t a game. The force they were using was the same as in a life and death fight. I wanted to shout at them, but¡­ "They really are enjoying themselves, aren''t they?" "Are you sure about that, Grace? Shouldn''t I stop them?" "Just look at the smile on their faces. They are having fun." "Grace¡­ don''t tell me you want to join in too." "No. I will enjoy myself by simply staying in your presence." And with that the game lasted until sunset. And when they were done I made all of them sit in a seiza pose. Pay more attention to the environment. This place looks like a landmine field now. I had all 3 of them clean the all the holes they made. But I guess in the end¡­ it was a relaxing day. And even I had fun. Well, I guess I can call this beach day a success! Extra: Virus slaying loli It was a dark night in a big city. A modern day city with tall buildings. The only light that can be seen is given by the street poles. "Ok, what''s going up now?" Milla Walpurgis was casually strolling around this city. "Hey! Who said that? And more importantly, how did I get here?" Our heroine was about to face an unexpected challenge. "There''s that voice again! Who the hell are you?" I''m the author. You rarely notice me. I brought you here today because there is an enemy that only you can handle. "Hey, author-san, quit screwing with me. What''s with this random plot anyway? It makes no sense. And besides, you know I don''t take orders from anyone. That includes you." I know. But won''t you show some flexibility for your fans out there? "Fine. But it''s still weird. What am I supposed to do here anyway? This feels like a ghost town." But, Milla didn''t know that she was being watched. A pair of sinister eyes were analizing her. "Ohohoho! What have we here? A little girl that escaped my clean up?" On top of a light pole there was a woman sitting and looking straight at our loli. She was rather tall. Long black hair wrapped into chinese meat buns and also she had long twintails. She had a red traditional chinese dress with the upper part of her chest exposed. She had a golden dragon drawn on it. Her purple eyes seemed very unique. And she had alluring black stockings. She jumped down and faced the crimson haired loli. "And who are you supposed to be?" "Fufu! I am the end of worlds. I am the powerful COVID-19! This world is filled with corruption. People need to be scared to understand the right direction. I shall bend everyone to my will. All shall fear me and love me! All shall¡­¡­ HEY! I WASN''T FINISHED. WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU''RE GOING!?" I didn''t think this person would be so mad just cause I turned my back on her. Seriously though, what''s up with this twisted plot? "I''m not interested in the slightest about your delusions. Your stupidity might be contagious. So I''m just gonna search for a way to go home." "Home, you say? Kuku! Then let me send you there permanently!" She extended her hand and fired jet black flames towards me. Originally I didn''t want to dodge since fire has no effect on me, but this was different. Those flames were too sinister so I ended up dodging. A huge explosion was created in the spot I was standing. "Fine. You got my attention. Eat this!" I fired 3 fireballs at her, but to my surprise she brushed them off as if it was nothing. "Nobody can measure up to my strength. And don''t even think you can throw a punch on me. Just try it and the moment you touch me, you''re dead!" Darn it. What kind of enemy is this? How am I supposed to deal with something like this? This is totally different from the time I faced death. If even my dragon scales won''t protect me¡­ then what can I do? It''s almost¡­ like a virus. A virus!? Wait. That''s it! "You''re mine!" The chinese woman once again howled and from her mouth she fired powerful black flames. But this time I didn''t dodge. I took them on. Just like last time an explosion was made. "Ohohoho! Nobody can escape me!" "Are you done?" "What!?" When the smoke cleared she could see me and my little surprise. "No way!! A sanitary mask!? Where did you get that?" "I transmuted the ground and made one." Seems my guess was right. If this woman is like a virus, then I know how to beat her. "Regardless, you still can''t beat me. You''re just buying yourself time!" "I can''t win? Wanna bet?" I reached for my shadow to pull something out from it. And the moment she sees it, she starts trembling in fear. "Im¡­ impossible! Liquid soap!? Why¡­ why do you have that?" Don''t ask me. As this good for nothing author. He put it in there. Hey¡­ I heard that one. Moving along I started pouring the liquid in my palms and the moment I do it, her dress and stockings started to get small cuts out of nowhere. "Please, stop that! I just wanted to make a better world." "Sorry, but you aksed for it." As I start rubbing my hands her clothes start to tear more and more. "Kyaaa¡­. This heat¡­. It''s so intense¡­ please, stop¡­ my head is going crazy¡­" Is she getting horny just from me washing my hands? And why are her clothes vanishing? Are you telling me this is my version of Dress Break or something? Let''s try dealing the finishing blow and see what happens. I knock over a fire hidrant and put my hands in the gushing water and rub them even stronger. "Take this! ORA ORA ORA!" "NOOOO! I''m¡­ I''m¡­" But before she could finish her sentence her almost naked body generated a bright light and then suddenly dissolved into soap bubbles. I was left speachless. "What the hell just happened?" And so, the world was saved by¡­ "Hey! Quit narrating over there. What the fuck was that all about? That didn''t make any sense. After all my adventures so far, what was the point of that?" Although our heroine was confused, she managed to prevent a crisis of an epic scale. At times logic must be ignored and¡­ ouch¡­ ouch¡­ hey, you''re burning my hand. How can you even do that? "Did you really think that just because I''m a fictional character I can''t reach you? You''re the one that made me the person that makes the impossible possible. And this is the last time I''m listening to you. Same for you readers out there. You better appreciate my cuteness and shower me with praise, or you''re next! Don''t make lolis angry or they will bite you." 89: Sensei Milla "Amazing, you¡¯re amazing, Onee-chan! That beach day was simply divine!¡± ¡°Yes! Milla-nyan, you really know how to have fun!¡± "Milla-nee, why are we here?" Currently me, Grace, Odin and Persia were on an empty field near my town. And the reason for that is... ¡°Possibly¡­¡­¡­¡­.are you going to do lewd things to us outdoors!?¡± ¡°I won''t do something that shameful! Totally wrong!!¡± ¡°Why are we here then?¡± ¡°Will we sleep on the soft grass, nya? Almost hugging and embracing each other and¡­ touching, nya!?¡± ¡°You know¡­¡­.your strong delusions are quite embarrassing.¡± I think I got them used to sex a bit too much. I am a pervert, but not everything I do leads to sex. Does it? Nah¡­ it''s just my imagination. ¡°¡­¡­.I ¡­¡­¡­ Brought you all here for a training session.¡± ¡°But, onee-chan, you already can do incredible things. You surpassed us long ago. There''s nothing left we can teach you.¡± "True. But this time it isn''t about me. This time, you are the ones getting training. You can refer to me as sensei Milla!" "Milla-nyan, what exactly do you mean?" "I can''t be the only one that keeps evolving. You guys need to improve too. I''m going to teach you how to use your powers properly by¡­ well¡­ without actual teaching. I guess it''s hard to understand. Maybe think of it as self-training." ¡°Fumu. Self-training???¡± I guess they don''t know the word. How should I put this... ¡°Because its self-training I¡¯m going to teach you how to use your powers. But I can''t explain it with words, so you will have to learn with your bodies.¡± This field is the best place for practising because Teri can repair it with ease due to its unique soil so you can go wild without worrying. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­I¡¯ve got a bad feeling about this. So¡­ Milla-nee, what are we doing here, again¡­¡­.?¡± ¡°I said I¡¯d teach you all to use your power. Look in case something bad happens or a new strong enemy pops up, I just want you guys to be able to handle it.¡± ¡°I guess, but you alone will be enough won¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t deny that. But I learnt something during my trip to the Great Desert.¡± Persia¡¯s face takes on a curious expression and Odin and Grace stare at me closely. ¡°Learnt what?¡± ¡°Even if it''s insignificant use everything you have. Doing your best is the highest thing you can do. Even if you have to overturn the will of the Gods, push through with all your might. Doing that gives birth to something irreplaceable. And besides. Just think of your encouter with Death. I might not always be around or make it in time.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ahaha, I guess you have a point, but¡­ Even if we know that, those things rarely work.¡± "Milla-nee, regardless of the reason, if you say you want to train us, then we shall receive it." I¡¯m glad I¡¯ve got such understanding girls. But you might have wanted to word that one out a little better, Grace. No turning back now. Receive it. My training. I extended my hand and a magic formation appeared. Persia¡¯s eye¡¯s opened wide in surprise. ¡°¡­..Wait a sec, nya! You can¡¯t be serious¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Defend against it otherwise you¡¯ll die.¡± I fired a jet black fireball towards Persia. It was about the size of a dog house. Persia immediately went into her hand to hand magic shattering technique stance to find it''s center point and wanted to break it, but in the last moment she jumped to the side instead, dodging it. Good. She realized that although she would have managed to break it, those dark flames would have seriously hurt her hand if it made contact. A black explosion happened behind her and the green grass couldn''t be seen anymore. I prepared another one. This time I was looking at Grace. ¡°Hey! Wait wait! Milla-nee, isn¡¯t firing off the lost spell [Purgatory Blast] a bit much for this training?¡± ¡°It wouldn''t be called training if it doesn¡¯t endanger your life, right?¡± ¡°What are you saying!?¡± ¡°Listen up, girls. Your body gives off its most demonic energy when your life is in danger. When you are about to be killed, your instincts are gonna scream to live and fill you with more power than your usual amount. Your very soul will do everything it can to stay alive. You must harness that power and make it your own. And once you do, the next power surge will be bigger. And so on." This is a trick that mommy Katalina taught me, and when it comes to magic, she''s never wrong. Grace also barely evades my black fireball and her face has the look of someone driven into a corner. Can''t blame her. She''s the weakest of the 3. The scenery behind her is burnt again. ¡°But Milla-nee, it doesn¡¯t matter how strong my magic gets if I¡¯m dead does it?¡± ¡°Of course it does. Use that strength to avoid dying. Use your power right at the moment you are about to die to save yourself. Then the next time you are about to die your power will increase again.¡± The mazoku and my beastmen are weak because there is no risk of death. I kinda am involved in that since I provided them safety. Physical training and military magic drills will only get you so far. But in order to increase your power, it¡¯s essential to die to the extent where you don¡¯t die anymore. I ready another fireball. ¡°You can do it, Grace!¡± ¡°I believe in you but...¡± ¡°You can do it. Use everything you got!¡± I fire the [Purgatory Blast] at even greater speed. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­.Erghh¡­¡­¡­¡­.Really¡­¡­..!!¡± Grace draws her scythe and deploys antimagic in front of her and covers her weapon in it. She slams the scythe into the fireball with all her might. ¡°¡­¡­¡­You ordered me not to die!! So I''m giving it my all. But in case I do die¡­ take responsibility for it¡­.. Heyaaaaa!!!¡± The fireball and Grace''s weapon clash. My attack got smaller and smaller and the flames dimmed, but it didn¡¯t lose all its power and eventually it broke through her guard slamming into Grace. ¡°¡­¡­Geh¡­¡­..Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa¡­¡­¡­¡­.!!¡± Grace was engulfed in black flames and got blown away a good chunk. But she was still alive. I''m not that insane as to actually kill her. She''s down, but alive. Although not perfect she was prepared to die and as such her power almost destroyed my own. ¡°Alright! Standing still doesn''t work for me!¡± Odin generated an ice sword and was heading towards me. ¡°Get ready, onee-chan!!¡± ¡°It won''t work.¡± I catch the blade with my hand and shatter it. With my scales something of that level won''t work. ¡°Recently you used your ancient relic, so your creations became sloppy. You shouldn''t just create it. You should imagine it''s ten times stronger than steel!¡± While speaking I thrust my fist at Odin who tries to handle it barehanded. ¡°¡­¡­.Haa¡­¡­.¡± It seemed like she blocked it for a moment but my strike broke through and connected deep in her stomach. ¡°¡­¡­..Kuuuu¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­!!¡± She collapses on the spot, unable to bair the pain. She was so much stronger than me before. To think that turning into a dragon would create such a big gap¡­ mom sure is scary after all. In the next moment Persia tried to strike me from my blind spot, but I quickly turn around and catch her palms. As expected, her raw strength still gives me shivers. ¡°Nya¡­¡­..!¡± ¡°Persia, don''t channel your aura just in your palms alone. Use it in your feet. Use it in your whole body. If you can do that your speed and coordination will drastically increase!¡± I twisted my body and gave Persia a powerful kick to send her flying. All of them were improving before my eyes. I could feel their powers growing, even if for short bursts. ¡°You girls still got a long way to go. But your resolve is good now!¡± I grabbed from my shadow 3 bottles of Phoenix Tears to heal everyone. All of them slowly got up and where as good as new. "Milla-nyan, I think I finally understand how this training works. I can definitely feel stronger." "Hahaha! Indeed. To think I of all people forgot the monsters I killed when I was a child¡­ it was those life threatening situations that made me ascend! Onee-chan, can we go again?" "I''m glad you are all eager. Sure. Grow stronger for me. Don''t stop until you aim for the top. This day only just begun so let''s see how far all of us can go! This time all of you come at me at once!!" And so, our special training continued. I make a great teacher, if I do say so myself, fufu! 90: Meeting the God of Time After our special training, I felt that the 3 of them really did grow. So after that day came to end I wanted to get a good sleep. It didn''t take me long to drift into dream land. *Bump* Hmm? What the...? I felt like I just hit the floor. Did I roll over in my sleep and fell off the bed? No. That doesn''t make sense. My bed is huge. It''s unlikely I fell off it. But then¡­ what happened? As I try getting up and rub my eye so I can get a better look around, all I can see¡­ Darkness. Everywhere you look, no matter where you turn¡­ Darkness. This place feels familiar. And my hunch was right, because a voice called out to me from behind. "Took you long enough to wake up, you slowpoke!" "Huh!? Tenebria?" "Of course it''s me. What did you expect?" "Are we in my dreams or something?" "No. You''re here physically." It''s been a while since me and Tenebria had a chat. Ever since the fight with the pseudo goddess. I wonder what business did she have with me this time. Maybe¡­ "Did you perhaps bring me here because you were lonely and wanted someone to play with?" The loli Demon God slightly blushed at my words. "B¡­.BAKA! Who would do something like that? Hmph!" She was cute. It was worth a shot. "Listen Milla, this time it''s serious. You got me in trouble!" Trouble? What did I do now!? "I told you this before, but using time magic is forbidden for mortals. When you helped Lorina you broke that law." "I like to consider it as more like¡­ bending the law instead of breaking it. It''s not like I turned the world backwards. It was just a single person." "Milla, this isn''t a joke. You can''t talk your way out of this one." "So then¡­ what''s the issue?" "My brother¡­ the God of Time, wants to meet you." "Brother? Do gods even have those types of relationships?" "We were created by the Almighty One from the same shard. Leave it at that." Tenebria was serious. She got off her throne, waved her hand and opened a portal. "This is a great honor. I''m going to take you to the God Realm. So keep your mouth shut and come with me." What else could I say. I could only nod and walk through the portal. ------ When I got on the other side, I couldn''t believe my eyes. If you ever saw the old Disney movie Hercules, I can only describe the God Realm as Mount Olympus. Instead of clouds, there was solid ground with paved roads and all the buildings were made of gold and platinum. And not to mention a sun was shining brightly. Fountains, luxurious trees¡­ it was so beautiful that I almost shed a tear. "Don''t go soft on me now, Milla. This is just a retreat. A vacation spot. When I''m not watching the demons I often come here too. Although lately, there wasn''t a moment I got bored thanks to you." Tenebria started to walk forward and urged me to follow her. On the way, I could see various humanoid figures. Most likely they were other gods. I think we only walked for 5 minutes¡­ and I suddenly fell on my knees. "Tenebria¡­ what''s going on? My body feels¡­ so heavy." "Oh! I forgot about that. In here you can feel the pressure of each gods'' aura at it''s full force. I''m actually surprised you didn''t collapsed the moment you set foot in here." She got close to me again and placed her index finger on my forehead. Soon, I felt as good as new. "That should do the trick. Now keep up." As we continued to walk¡­ "Hey, Tenebria, I''ve felt quite of lot of divine pressures, but none of them are as strong as yours." "Hou? So you managed to tell. It''s only natural, fufu. Each god, although given universal powers, has a field in which they specialize. In my case you can think of me as a God of Destruction. There are only a handful of gods that can match my strength." "If you''re so strong, why do you care what your brother wants? And besides, didn''t that Death guy I fought a while ago also use time magic? Why is he picking just on me?" "It''s a different story. To make it simple for you to understand¡­ there was a mortal that my brother really couldn''t stand. So he made a deal with that skeleton. In exchange for killing him, the God of Time allowed him to use that form of rapid time acceleration. You on the other hand, didn''t receive any permission for your stunt." "I get the general idea¡­ but couldn''t you pull the plug on my spell? It wouldn''t be the first time a spell would fail on me." "That''s the reason I''m in trouble too. Look, Milla, when we get there, please just let me try to handle things. You keep your mouth shut. The way you talk to a god¡­ well I allow it because it amuses me, but others might be insulted." "Okay, okay. I''ll be quiet." As we kept walking we eventually reached some golden stairs that led to a floating island. When we got up there, I could see a man standing on a throne made of clock gears. He was rather tall and well built. He wore a pure white toxedo with white shoes. Black gloves and a black tie. He has long azure hair that reached all the way to his shoulders and¡­ a pair of deer antlers. No. I''m not joking. They weren''t horns or anything. They were deer antlers. I was surprised when I saw them, but Tenebria did say that gods don''t have physical bodies. They just took the appearance they liked. If I recall she even mentioned that there was a god that loved to look like a tree. "So, you''ve come, Tenebria." His voice was strong and deep. Intimidating. "Yes, Tempus! And as you requested, I have brought the mortal with me." He looks straight at me with disgust. As if he was looking at trash. "Honestly Tenebria, I don''t know why you are so attached to this one. But regardless, both of you have broken the rules. Time is under my command. This mortal messed with it and you allowed it." "Oh it wasn''t that big of a deal. She saved a life. It''s not like she messed with the world itself or anything? Can''t we come to an agreement? I also covered for you when you accidentally¡­" "Fine, fine! No need to bring that up. I''ll show some flexibility on my end. But, balance still must be uphold. This girl took time from me to save a life. So, as compensation I too shall take time from this girl." "Hey, wait a minute. What''s that supposed to me mean?" But as soon as I opened my mouth. "Insolent human! Don''t speak if you aren''t addressed!" With a flick of his wrist, my whole body became stiff. It''s like I was wrapped by invisible chains. I fell on the ground, not able to move. "This mortal really is bold. Well, I will overlook it for now. Now, let''s see¡­" A small orb appeared in his palm. It was similar to Tenebria''s crystal ball that she uses as a TV. This guy is looking around my land. "Yes. This battle maid will do just fine as compensation." "What!?" "Do you want me to explain it? I don''t expect your brain to understand so I''ll put it like this. You saved a life. So I will be claiming this woman''s life instead. Balance." What? He plans to take Grace away from me? "Now let the process begin. It won''t take long." "Tempus, I wouldn''t do that if I were you." "What do you mean? This is the proper way." "Don''t say I didn''t warn you. You''re on your own." *Guah!!!* In the next moment my flaming fist slammed into this guys'' face and I sent him flying a few feet. Nobody, be it the gods themselves¡­ nobody will take Grace away from me. I was mad. I was boiling. I don''t know what he binded me with, but I burned it with all my might. Cause to challenge a god¡­ "[One with the sun]!" 91: Milla vs Tempus part 1 "Insolent mortal! You dare touch a God?" I couldn''t care less. Anyone that wants to hurt my family is an enemy. It doesn''t matter if it''s a God or a snail. You played with fire, mister. Now it''s time to get burned. "Hmm. I''ve seen through all your abilities the moment I saw you. A power that apparently you believe makes you invincible for 1 minute. Well then, naive mortal, let me have a taste of that power. And in return I shall show you the difference between a god and a mortal." I extended my hand and fired off a huge flamethrower. But the moment it got close to him it vanished into thin air. Damn. This is similar to my fight with Death¡­ but different at the same time. This guy isn''t accelerating my spells. He''s¡­ "Figured it out? I turned back time. Magic means nothing before me." Well in that case it''s time for him to face my fist again. I rushed straight at him and landed another punch in his face. He wobbles a second, but quickly spins his body and returns the punch. One punch¡­ two punches¡­ ten punches¡­ it quickly escalated into a fist fight. My flames and his green godly aura. With each clash shockwaves were made that could change the landscape around us. Both of us were on the offense. We didn''t bother dodging or guarding. We just dealt punch after punch, until¡­ "You''re quite good, but¡­ feel the force of a God." He suddenly became faster and landed a barrage of fists on my tiny body. *Arrgh* He sends me flying a few feet and I collapsed on my knees. "Do you realize the difference in our powers now?" "Difference¡­ you say?" He felt confused at my words. He thought he got me good. But on the contrary, I jumped into the sky and then came crashing into him with a burning dropkick. *Guah!!!* A flaming explosion was generated because of that, and the God was brought down on one knee. "Sorry to break it to you, but I didn''t feel a thing!" But I didn''t stop there. Now that his face was near my level I grabbed his white costume and continued my combo with a headbutt. He staggered even more. Now is the time. I wrapped my hands in burning flames and unleashed my fists. "ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!" I was moving at great speed. I even lost track of how many punches I was landing. But right now he looked like a punching bag. No. Even less. He was a ragdoll being constantly struck by my flames. Eventually I gave him one strong punch and blast him away creating a huge creater in the ground. I still stayed alert. I knew that this won''t be that easy. When the dust cleared, I saw him standing there without a scratch. Without a scratch¡­ wait!? I clearly saw him getting bruises during my combo. "I must commend you. I never thought there was a mortal that could hold his own against a God. But it seems you realized it a little late. Just like I turned back your magic¡­ I can do the same with injuries. Any damage I take is immediately reversed. Do you understand what this means? It means you can''t win. Besides..." He got closer to me and drived his palm straight into my stomach, piercing through my scales. I violently cough blood. "Your time is up. I know that this power of yours only lasts for 1 minute. This is the end." My flames that were wrapping my body faded away and my hair returned to it''s crimson color. But just as he was declaring that, I violently grabbed his arm. "What''s this!?" "My time is up, you say? Did you really think that just because you are a God of Time, you get to decide when MY time is up? Naive." Power returned to me. My burning flames, my orange hair¡­ my heat was even stronger than before! "Impossible! Your power¡­ it can''t last more than 1 minute!" "Hahahaha! This is so funny!" "Tenebria¡­ did you involve yourself again?" "Nope! Tempus, you read Milla''s power wrong. The 1 minute time limit is only true on Earth. Milla''s power comes from when the sun is at its'' peak. And on Earth the sun stays there for roughly 1 minute. But this is the God Realm. The sun never sets here. The sun is always at it''s peak. Which means¡­" "I can use this power indefinitely, you piece of shit!" I grabbed his hand so hard that I almost felt like breaking it. He tried throwing another punch at me but I caught it with my other hand. "This¡­ this still doesn''t make sense. What about the cost!? I can clearly see in your mind that the price for this power is your memories. But why are you the same? Nothing changed!" Tempus''s eyes were looking at me from head to toe, trying to figure out what was going on. "This¡­ Damn you! Tenebria, you did interfere!" "What? Since the moment we stepped foot on your floating island I haven''t lifted a finger. However during our journey here¡­ that''s another story. When I helped Milla whitstand all the gods'' divine pressures I might have left a small order inside her. ''You are able to use all of your powers in the God Realm with no consequences'' or something like that." "Why you¡­ if I mention this to the divine law enforcers¡­" "Shut the fuck up!" Tenebria looked straight at Tempus and released a huge amount of bloodlust. It wasn''t even close to the time she fought me. I''ll say this over and over. Lolis are scary when they''re angry. "Tempus, measure your words carefully. With all your control over time, I''m still stronger than you. And remember, in the God Realm there is only one rule and that''s ''Gods are forbidden to kill other gods''. I didn''t break any rule. So if you wanna make a fool of yourself go ahead! Or suck it up and listen to your big sis for a change!" Tempus turned his gaze back on me. "Tsk¡­ regardless, it''s still my win. Your mana will just run out eventually and I will always restore myself." Are you guys done talking? This guy is a moron. He didn''t even realize just how much my heat raised in the meantime. You really think you''re untouchable? "Eat this!" I fired a tornado of golden flames. It was so strong that it engulfed him completely. "AAAAAA!!!" He eventually broke free from my grip and took a big jump escaping the tornado. "Darn it. That one really hurt. But I told you before it''s¡­" But before he could finish his sentence he analized his own body. It did heal, but at a much slower rate than before. "I figured out how to deal with you. The solution is rather simple. To beat an opponent that''s constantly healing you just have to damage him faster than he can regenerate. Get ready to eat my fists!" I leaped towards him once again, but this time¡­ "I''m done playing games!" He vanished. I didn''t even blink. I didn''t take my eyes of him, not even for a second. And before I realized it, I received 3 consecutive kicks in the back. "...Hiii¡­!" I was sent tumbling on the ground and crashed against a rock. What just happened? When did he get behind me? No matter how fast he is, I should have still been able to see him make a movement. But that didn''t happen. I didn''t catch a thing. One moment he was there, and the other he disappeared. "I''ve been going easy on you so far, but that''s over. This joke has gone far enough! I''ll make you regret the day you were born, foolish mortal!" Not good. This really isn''t good. I thought I was actually winning¡­ but this guy¡­ was actually holding back. This¡­ is far from over. 92: Tenebria’s feelings ~ Tenebria''s point of view ~ I am the Demon God. Although my true name can''t be pronounced in the mortal language, I became known as Tenebria. Us gods don''t have genders. We don''t even have physical bodies. I took this form when I first met the mortal Ryusei Homura and transferred his soul into Milla Walpurgis. And ever since then I became attached to this cute loli body. Giving her the title of Demon King of Insanity was the right choice. She always seems calm and collected, but from this worlds'' point of view, many of the decisions made by that twisted perverted head of hers can only be described as insane. I''ve watched you for quite some time, Milla, and there was never a moment I got bored. The first thing that shocked me was that you awakened to yuri so fast. You accepted that the morals and teachings of your former world don''t apply here. Even with the body of a girl, you realized you were still male inside and went in that direction. I won''t blame you there, because females are prettier. In this world, except for nobles and well educated people, almost all males are disgusting. They are filled with sweat, stink and even when they do take baths in rivers they fail to clean their cocks properly. As I watched your evolution¡­ living your life as you pleased I often found myself laughing and saying words like ''amazing'' or ''how did you come up with that''. In truth, that''s the sort of person you are. Someone unpredictable. You''ve always been like this ever since the first day I met you. Always ready to meet the next challenge even if it''s bigger than you are. At first you realized that you were weak. You asked Grace to start training you. But even so, you weren''t on the level of other Demon Kings. You originally used your brain and your otaku knowledge to overcome the situations thrown at you. I gave you access to Origin Magic, but you used a very unusual and primitive form of casting it. But regardless, you pulled it off. You managed to melt the heart of not just one, but 2 Demon Kings to the point that they are now your friends and obedient servants at the same time. You didn''t even bother learning your own unique Demon King ability. Your ability should be Madness Enhancement. On your territory, for a short duration, by sacrificing your reason and all forms of defensive abilities, including your Phoenix Resurrection, all your powers will increase times 10. It''s a far superior Berserker Mode. But you didn''t need it at all. Your unique way of being¡­ well you¡­ has shacken this world. Revenge is something I can relate to. So killing your former classmates, although it seems completely wrong, given that they were scumbags and allied themselves with those church bastards¡­.. they more than deserved their deaths. With each battle your power increased so dramatically. You grew at a frightening level. But even with all your power, stuff like world domination wasn''t in your mind. No. You didn''t gain power for your sake. You got it for the sake of those around you. It sounds so cheesy¡­ By the power of love and friendship¡­ Blah blah blah¡­ But all that works for you. You haven''t been corrupted by greed or pride. In fact, it''s because you lack the pride of other Kings that probably got you this far. You just want to live a carefree life. I understand that. Doing lewd things to the women around you, I can understand. At times I did felt jelous. To think a virgin, can stay a virgin but also have enough skill to please any woman¡­ it sounds unrealistic. I know what lust is, but as a God, I never indulged myself or experienced pleasure. Watching you¡­ I couldn''t help but not think how it would be like to feel your hands on my body¡­ if I actually had a real one. I so wanted to feel your soft hands¡­ Everyone calls you the one that can make the impossible possible. And it''s true. Since all my years of governing the demon continent you are the first mortal that found it''s way back to me. Moreover you wanted to be friends with me¡­ a friend¡­ I felt flustered. I had mixed feelings. To think that a mortal is asking a God to be friends¡­ my heart softened up. Gods are supposed to be impartial. But you reached my heart. I couldn''t help it. So I favored you and made lots of exceptions for you. Even when the pseudo goddess peeled you out, I ignored the rules and sneaked around to meet you. Holding hands with you back then felt pleasant, but I still prefer your loli form. I followed your life, Milla. From the day I discovered you I was always by your side. And I don''t regret a thing. All your battles, all your sex moments, all your happy daily life¡­ I saw them all too. It''s not an exaggeration to say that I''ve slightly fallen for you. Now that you are a dragon, there is hardly anyone that can challenge you. But now, my fear came true. I saw that Milla was planning to use time magic. Normally I should have crashed her spell. But I didn''t. I made a gamble. My brother Tempus once fell asleep. Not because he needed it. He simply wanted to experience it. And because of that¡­ the flow of time got a little bit¡­ messed up. I covered for his mistake back then. And I really thought because of that he would let this slide. It didn''t turn out like that at all. He called me and Milla here for his precious balance. But I knew the moment he was about to put any of Milla''s friends in danger, avoiding a fight would be impossible. I couldn''t help her during the fight. But I did give her a boost on our way here. If it were me I could defeat Tempus with ease. But a mortal''s body has limits. And Milla is pushing those limits to the edge. I''ve seen all the possible outcomes of this fight. And among those that Milla actually wins, there is one that stands out the most. If she will actually go that route¡­ it wouldn''t be an exaggeration to call it a miracle. Time is your biggest enemy right now. But you, who has earned my respect¡­ I know you''re going to surpass it. The speed you are struggling against isn''t speed at all. Tempus is stopping time. That''s why you feel his speed is too great and you can''t react at all. In his world of stopped time he can move freely while you are stuck in place, not being able to react at all. But¡­ even time isn''t omnipotent... I can see just how much you are struggling right now. You are scared. Not scared about the pain or the fact that you don''t know how to counter Tempus. But scared about losing your family. Harness that fear. A predator driven into a corner is the worst type to deal with. Don''t give up! Always remember, my cute little Demon King, you are the best! You are number 1! You are the strongest! Become someone who can stand proudly by my side. Now go! Endure his beating a bit longer and then fight back. Destroy all logic and release your true potential! Shatter everything that binds you! Ignore all laws¡­ ignore everything! Destroy all! Make me proud, Milla! 93: Milla vs Tempus part 2 "......Aargh¡­..!!!" This wasn''t good. Tempus was seriously beating me to a pulp. I can barely defend myself. This doesn''t make any sense. At first I can clearly see his fist coming straight for me, I prepare to guard and in the next second it vanishes and hits me from a completely different direction. He was punching and tossing me around like a doll. "Give up already. You can''t win this. If you get on all fours and beg for forgiveness I will overlook this disrespectful manner of yours." "Shut¡­ up! You think I''m gonna let you have your way? I''ll never stop!" "Then I will keep making you suffer until you''re unconscious. I can''t kill you, but I can break every bone in your body." I gotta figure his trick, or else I''m done for. One with the sun keeps me going, but my mana isn''t like his. Eventually my power will run out. I once again looked closely at him. And once again he vanished. However¡­ "Awwck!!" Just like a horse, I kicked blindly behind me, and surprisingly my kick landed in his gut and sent him flying a few feet. "Tsk¡­ how did you do that?" "Even if I can''t see you, I kinda learned your combat rhythm. You always pretend to come straight, but always get behind my back." Maybe if I can adjust my movements a bit¡­ Once again he came straight for me. A barrage of fists came at me from random directions, but this time, I blocked all of them and shoved my burning fist straight in his face. "...AAAAAA!!!..." Yosh! I can handle it. "Insolent whelp! I tried showing you mercy, but that''s over now!" The next moment, before I knew it I was hit so hard that I ended up rolling on the ground. What just happened? This time he didn''t move at all. I never lost sight of him. "Do you see now? If I want I could end you in an instant. Well, from your perspective, that is." ------ As Tempus walked slowly towards Milla, the world has stopped moving. Time was his domain. He had the power to completely stop time. "This is my world. A world where only I exist. If I wanted I could chop off your head without you knowing. From your perspective, it would suddenly fall on the ground. I wonder what should I do with you? Should I tear your clothes, break your limbs? ¡­¡­¡­ No. You were insolent and dared to challenge a God. A mighty blow is the only suitable punishment." And as Tempus was preparing to deal the blow, he suddenly stopped his hand a few inches from hitting Milla. "Did my eyes deceive me!?" The reason why he stopped is because Milla''s index finger started to twitch. He suddenly jumped back and took some distance. "No. I''m not imagining it! She¡­ moved. How can she move? Is she doing that subconsciously? Absurd! This is my world. Can¡­ she even see me?" Tempus once again allowed time to flow. "Mortal¡­ could you see me just now?" But the crimson haired loli didn''t respond. "I asked you a question! Did you see me!?" "Who knows." "You bitch¡­ it doesn''t matter!" "....ahn¡­!!!" In the next moment a huge shockwave formed around Milla. Bruises appeared suddenly all over her body and the impact literally broke her out of her One with the sun form. Milla staggered and was desperately trying to keep standing on her feet. "I won''t let you off so easy. I will make you suffer. For the ignorance you are displaying, I won''t stop with just your maid. I shall claim the lives of all your personal servants! And there''s nothing you can do about it." This time Tempus didn''t stop time. He clenched his fist and charged towards a pathetic Milla. Or so he thought. The moment he wanted to drive his fist into her¡­ his fist only hit a ghostly figure similar to an afterimage. "What''s this? Some sort of last resort trick?" Milla was now standing behind Tempus, in the same wobbling state. Tempus once again approached her. 1 punch, 2 punches, 3 punches. Milla dodged all of them with her eyes closed. At this point she clenched her tiny fist and hit Tempus in the stomach, creating a jet stream shockwave behind him. "Guah!!!" He staggered for a moment. Milla''s body was starting to emit heat and light. It was totally different from her previous heat. And the light was pale blue. It gave the impression that Milla was being wrapped in blue flames. "You''ll kill everyone close to me? Don''t screw with me. I ain''t ever gonna forgive you!! AAAAAA¡­¡­..!!!!" Milla''s scream soon transformed into a vicious roar similar to her dragon voice. The blue flames burst violently around her. Her crimson hair also turned blue, being engulfed by the flames. "Heh¡­ hehehe¡­¡­ ahahaha!" Tenebria was displaying a smile as bright as the sun and laughing. But it wasn''t an ordinary laugh. It was a laugh filled with pride. "You did it! Milla, you actually did it! You''ve surpassed every possible limit¡­ you''ve achieved something no mortal was capable¡­ that power¡­ a limited number of Gods ever achieved it. And I know what your otaku brain is thinking right now and I will admit it is similar, but totally different. But go on¡­ say it! Say it with all your might!" As Milla finally opened her eyes, her emerald and crimson eyes were shining strongly¡­ she also had an expression filled with rage. And then¡­ she opened her mouth: "Migatte no gokui!" "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" "It means you should''ve finished me while you still had the chance. Because right now, you can''t beat me anymore. Get ready¡­." The loli suddenly disappeared from where she was standing. And like a mist appeared right behind Tempus. And in the next moment, 3 invisible punches hit Tempus and sent him flying. ".... Because no matter how much you beg for your life, I won''t spare you." 94: Deus EX "Deus EX!" Tenebria who was still sitting on the sidelines spoke those words. And when Tempus heard them, a vein popped on his head and he strongly clenched his fists. "Don''t screw with me! Deus EX is a power¡­ a state of brute instinct and destructive force. Since the beginning of time itself, there have only been 3 Gods that were able to achieve that state. It requires a complete empty mind. You''re saying this girl''s mind is empty?" "Almost. You are correct, it is a state hard to achieve. One must focus on their instincts alone and ignore everything else. The surroundings, the sounds¡­ and think of nothing. No complex strategies, no ''what if I throw this punch or that feint''. But right now, in Milla''s head there is only one word engraved. Kill!" "This freak show has gone long enough! I will accelerate my body 10 times. I will kill her with speed!" Covered in a bright green aura, Tempus dashed towards Milla with a frightening speed. He threw so many punches that he gave off the feeling that he had multiple arms. However¡­ none of them landed. Milla perfectly dodged all his attacks with paper thin difference. Various ghostly afterimages of her were formed. Regardless if it was a punch or a kick, Tempus couldn''t land a hit at all. "Curse you! Stay still¡­ and Eat this!!!" Tempus tried twisting his body and doing a roundhouse kick, but Milla once again vanished and appeared behind him. The loli took a moment to analyze her own body, the heat that it was emitting and the blue flames. "If you''re so fast that just means I just have to stop time again. You''re finished! TOKI WO TOMARE!" Once again the flow of time was stopped. This time, Tempus didn''t want to play around anymore and charged towards Milla with full speed. And just when his punch was about to connect¡­ the loli stopped his fist with her tiny palm. "Impossible! You¡­ you can move after all!?" "The same trick won''t work twice on me. Now burn." In the next moment azure flames ignited from her palm and engulfed Tempus. "AAAAAA!!" Because of the pain he felt time returned to normal. "It hurts¡­ it fucking hurts!!! These flames¡­ why can''t I reverse them? Why could you move¡­ don''t tell me¡­ you''re actually burning the concept of time itself!?" But the loli didn''t answer. She took another look at her palm, before declaring: "Okay. I guess I got used to this power. Playtime is over now." And with that the lolis'' brutal assault started. She leaped and closed the distance between them in an instant. A strong punch hit Tempus right in the face and sent him flying. The shockwave created was so strong that even the ground which was made by the gods started to crumble. But the loli didn''t stop there. She pursued the flying god and circled behind him, landing a powerful kick in his back. "...Guah!!!" Tempus was propelled straight into the air. Milla continued her pursuit. She flew at a hight greater and then nose dived with her fists forward crashing into Tempus and forcing him into the ground. The whole floating island started to crack from the impact. The dust didn''t even get the chance to clear as it was forcefully blown away. Milla grabbed Tempus by his deer antler and smacked him on the ground left and right, creating crater after crater, before eventually tossing him away. This is absurd¡­ how can she be this strong? I¡­ can''t even defend or restore myself¡­ calm down. She threw me away now¡­ find some cover and¡­ But before he could even finish his thoughts, a tiny hand was placed on his shoulder slowing down his momentum. "So¡­ how do you like the feeling? To not be able to react to your opponents'' moves?" Cold sweat ran across Tempus''s face. But before he could answer that¡­ "I told you¡­ I won''t forgive you." Milla slammed the God onto the ground again. As she stood above him she wrapped her hands in the blue flames. "HAAA!!!" And started punching in his chest. With each hit, the crater they were in became bigger and bigger. Tempus couldn''t react at all. Because of the speed he was getting hit, his body could only twitch and release spasms, vibrating from the impact. His face became more and more distorted and convulsing repeatedly. As Tenebria was still observing them a few of the other Gods that felt the pressure approached her. "Is that really a mortal?" "She totally looks like a monster." "Unreal¡­ such brute strength¡­" "Te... Tenebria-san. Aren''t you going to stop them?" "I can''t." "But if this continues then¡­" "I can''t. With her current mindset, there is no stopping her. As long as those flames keep fueling her¡­ she is probably just as strong as me. I have the advantage of not having a mortal body¡­ but if I step in it would only shake the God Realm even more. That goes for all of you, too. If any of you try to interfere¡­ she will kill you. None of you are a match for her." As Tenebria was giving her warning, with one more strong punch, Milla completely made the floating island break up into large floating pieces. The spot were they were previously was filled with smoke. And when it cleared, the only visible thing was Milla floating, holding Tempus by his neck. His body was severely injured. He looked exactly like a ragdoll. "Well? Was that enough for you to get off your high horse and stop looking at mortals like trash?" Milla tossed him on one of the floating rocks. Tempus couldn''t move anymore. "...." "What was that?" "....s¡­.y" "I can''t hear you." "Sorry¡­ I''m¡­ sorry¡­ please¡­ forgive me¡­ spare me¡­" "It looks like you learned your lesson. But¡­ no. You wanted to hurt my family. I told you before. No matter how you beg for your life, I won''t spare you." Milla pointed her index finger in the same manner as if her hand was a pistol. Azure flames started to gather at the tip forming an energy ball. "Milla! That''s enough! You don''t have to kill him. You''ll only get in more trouble." "Stay out of this, Tenebria. You said yourself that the only rule here is that gods can''t kill other gods. I''m mortal so that doesn''t apply to me." The loli looked straight at Tempus. And without any hesitation at all¡­ "It''s over. Take this! [Azure Dragon Strike]!" A burning blue flaming dragon head attached to a snake like body appeared. It generated countless electrical sparks. All the debris vanished the moment it made contact with it. And the blast was headed straight for Tempus. However¡­ "This, I can not allow!" A voice was heard. It didn''t come from any direction. It felt like it came from the sky, but when Milla looked up¡­ a purple laser beam fell from the sky and clashed with her attack. The two blasts cancelled each other out and Tempus survived. All the Gods started prostrating themselves, Tenebria included. "You''ve done it now Milla. The one true God that governs all, the creator of all, the Almighty One¡­ is here." 95: Punishment… or not Crap. One thing just keeps leading to another. To think even with this much power at my disposal¡­ my attack was negated. From the sky a figure descended towards the ground. It was a humanoid body but¡­ it was something like I never seen before. It''s body was big. Roughly 2 meters tall. And muscles on the level of a bodybuilder. But that wasn''t the weirdest part. The body was black. A complete jet black. And across it''s body it was always like he had stars shining like a clear night sky. His body felt totally like a different dimension. His eyes were completely washed in white. No pupils at all. Is this really¡­ supposed to be the one true God? The moment he landed on the ground he snapped his fingers. A bright light was generated, and in the next second the floating island that I shattered was as good as new. In the next moment he looked at me. He started at me for a few seconds. Then, there was a pale red color shining in his eyes. Before I knew it I took a small jump backwards and waved my hand as if I was deflecting something. But I couldn''t catch it clearly. The next moment, small explosions trigger behind me. Did he just attack me just by glaring at me? "So it really is true. A mortal was able to use Deus EX." Was that attack meant just to confirm my powers? "Well then, let us drop the hostilities for now. Young miss, would you be so kind as to stop using that form?" "You think I was born yesterday? I need it, otherwise you and the other gods would jump at me." "I give you my word, nobody will lay a finger on you in my presence. And besides, I''m saying this for your own good too. Your body¡­" As he said those words, cracks started to appear on my body. My check¡­ my right leg¡­ cracks as if glass was shattering. My Phoenix Resurrection kicked in and it seemed to have everything under control, but¡­ as soon as a crack was healed, another would appear somewhere else. "...it reached it''s limits. That power can''t be contained by a mortal body. Gods don''t have physical bodies, but in your case¡­ you''re a balloon that can pop at any moment." He''s right. I can probably still fight a bit longer¡­ but my body¡­ it hurts. And if this thing shatters me to the point that not even a hair strand is left¡­ there''s no coming back. Well¡­ if he is the one true God, then I doubt he would lie. So for now¡­ I deactivated my power. Tempus also had time to slightly restore himself and got on his feet. "My Lord, I am deeply grateful. Thank you for saving this life of mine. Please¡­ give me the power to punish this mortal in thy name." "Calm yourself, Tempus. This mortal hasn''t done anything wrong. She didn''t break any rules." "But¡­ even if that is true in the God Realm, she still messed with the flow of time and¡­" "Tempus, enough! That isn''t her fault. It''s the fault of the God in charge of her. I hereby declare that Milla Walpurgis is to be allowed to return with no consequences." The Almighty One then turned his gaze over to Tenebria. "The one that must take responsibility, is you Tenebria. You have favored this mortal too much, which has led us to this current situation. That''s why, you are the one that needs to be punished." Tenebria lowered her head. She didn''t respond. She couldn''t. She knew that nobody can defy the Almighty One. She could only stand and wait for the blow to be delivered. Mortals have an afterlife, regardless if they go to heaven or heal. But when a God dies¡­ he simply stops existing. Eternal darkness. No memories¡­ akin to falling into a dreamless eternal sleep. As God was preparing to get closer to Tenebria¡­ "Hold it right there!" I stepped in between them with both my hands extended as if blocking the path. "Milla, what are you doing!? You''re only gonna get in more trouble. It''s okay¡­ just go back and¡­" "No! Listen you, I don''t care how powerful you are! You''re not taking Tenebria away from me!" "B¡­ Baka! What are you saying at a time like this!?" I slightly displayed the blue aura I had earlier. "Haven''t I made it clear? If you use that power again you''ll¡­" "Die? Says who? I''m tired of everyone telling me what I can and can''t do. Those things are for me to decide. And me alone! Who says I won''t survive? I am the Demon King of Insanity, Milla Walpurgis! I am the person that makes the impossible possible! And I''m not handing Tenebria over to you! She¡­ she''s also an important person¡­ she''s practically family too!" Tenebria quickly turned bright red. "What are you saying all of a sudden!? Baka Baka Baka! I¡­ hate you!" "I know that''s not true. Tenebria, you know better than anyone that I never abandon my family, no matter what. It''s just who I am. So you know why I can''t back down." I have no way of winning. I know that. But I am confident that I can get at least one punch in. But as I was having those thoughts¡­ "Heh¡­ hahaha!" The Almighty One let out a big laughter. What''s so funny? "Tenebria, I understand why you like this mortal so much! She''s very amusing. It''s been decades since I saw someone with her spirit. But¡­ she is a handful. And I still need to punish you. So¡­ your punishment will be¡­ to reincarnate as a mortal and live a mortal life. You shall live the rest of your given lifespan alongside this girl, and your divinity will be revoked!" Both me and Tenebria didn''t know how to react. Eventually, a bright smile appeared on Tenebria''s teary eyes. It was probably the happiest smile she ever displayed. "T¡­ Thank you so much! I gladly accept your punishment!" With his hands behind his back the God came closer and bent over as if to whisper something in Milla''s ear. "Just because I am the Almighty One, doesn''t mean I don''t have a heart. A new Demon God will be appointed, but we will miss Tenebria. But her heart belongs near you. I am the creator of all, and I love all my creation. Such emotions¡­ I was touched by them. Live your lives as you see fit, and let''s meet again when you pass on." Tenebria was getting more and more embarrassed and waved her hands around in a panicked manner. She was so cute. Who would of thought that I would actually get to meet the True God. Turns out he really is a nice person. "Now off you two go. You wouldn''t believe how busy I actually am keeping the universe in balance! I can''t take breaks like this for too long. I wish both of you all the happiness in the world!" And with those final words he Infinity Snapped us away in small light particles. My time spent in the God Realm came to an end. 96: Back to normal… sort of When I regained consciousness, I found myself back on my bed. It was morning. I abruptly raised my body up and checked to make sure that I was ok. Everything seems to be okay. I wasn''t hurt or anything and my body felt normal. When I lowered my hand back on the bed though¡­ I could feel a lump. "What the¡­?" I pulled the blanket aside and couldn''t believe my eyes. Tenebria was sleeping right next to me. But the shocking part was that she was completely naked. Okay¡­ i need to process this a bit. We were in the God Realm a moment ago. I remember beating Tempus into a pulp, and then the Almighty One came and said Tenebria will be mortal now. But why is she in my bed? *Knock knock* There was a knock on the door. In the next moment the door opened and Grace came in with a tray of food. Normally a proper maid would wait for the "come in" reply, but I made an exception for Grace and told her she can come and go freely. She still insists on knocking though. "Milla-nee, it seems you really had a fun night, judging by Lady Tenebria''s nudity." "It''s not that¡­ WAIT! What did you call her!? Say it again!" "Lady Tenebria?" "You mean you know who she is!?" "Of course. She''s your beloved older sister. Tenebria Walpurgis. Milla-nee, are you feeling well?" If you could see my face right now, it went into the classic OxO pose. I was lost for words. What the hell just happened!? For starters, wasn''t I supposed to be the only survivor of the Walpurgis clan? And why is Tenebria my sister all of a sudden. "Grace that can''t be¡­ *mphm*" But before I could finish my sentence, a small hand came from behind covering my mouth. Yup, it was Tenebria. "Grace, you need to excuse my sister. She really isn''t good in the mornings and had a rough night. Would you mind leaving the 2 of us alone for a moment?" Grace glanced my way as if looking for confirmation. That''s a relief. At least her loyalty is still towards me. I nod my head and Grace left the tray on a table before exiting the room. After the 2 of us were alone, I could finally let loose. "What the fuck is going on here!?" "Ugh¡­ so noisy. Are you always like this or just in the mornings?" Yup, that''s Tenebria alright. "I suppose I need to give an explanation. The Almighty One reincarnated me as a mortal. I''m your sister now. Let''s eat!" "Hold it!!! That doesn''t explain anything!" "Fine fine. Listen Milla, a proper balance was necessary. In order for the world to not be impacted by the changes, he went with this route." She pondered for a moment as if scanning her own memories. "Technically you are still the rightfull heir. I''m more like a step sister. Seems the story goes that I was an orphan and your birth mother took me in cause she was really fond of children. A month later she gave birth to you and died. Your father was devastated but kept me around more like a memento. When you grew up a bit you convinced him to officially give me the Walpurgis name and always treated me like your big sister." "Okay¡­ I kind of get the idea but¡­ why can''t I recall any of that?" "Because you couldn''t recall the original Milla''s past life from the beginning. Try clearing your mind a bit and think carefully about when you woke up and until now." I did what Tenebria told me. I took deep breaths¡­ and it''s true. Implanted memories. Tenebria was there alongside Grace when I woke up. That totally didn''t happen. But whenever I try to think of my achievements here I can also clearly see her. Fake memories were given to us. Well, they aren''t fake. Everything still happened like it happened. It''s just that Tenebria''s presence was added into them. "So then¡­ how are you treated in this world? Just my sister?" "Nope. I''m also a Demon King." "Huh!? How did that happen?" "Remember that you killed Miraluka? I didn''t appoint in her place so God probably took care of that too. I''m the Demon King of Kindness now." "Somehow that title¡­ suits you." "What do you mean?" "I mean¡­ you were a God and at times acted superior or scary¡­ but in the end, you were kind. You cared about this world. And you cared about me. You favored me, so it''s correct to assume that you like me?" "Wha¡­" Tenebria instantly turned red. "Ba¡­ ba¡­ Baka! What are you saying all of a sudden!? And what''s with that smug face you''re making?" "Does that mean you dislike me?" "It''s not¡­ I don''t dislike you¡­" "Then that means you like me!" I gave Tenebria a big hug and started to pat her on the head. You could almost see steam coming out of her head. She really became bright red. Eventually she muttered the words: "This feels¡­ surprisingly pleasant¡­" I know right? I''ll say it over and over. Headpats make you feel warm and fill you with affection. Honestly, modern day girls that slap your hand away the moment you try to touch their hair¡­ you really need more affection in your lives. "Hey, Tenebria, won''t your goofy brother meddle with us again?" "After the beating you gave him? Trust me, he''s probably more afraid of you now than he is of the Almighty One." As I turn my head around. "What¡­ you ate all the food already!? Why didn''t you leave me some?" "I never experienced eating before. You can do this anytime you want, so no reason to be upset. Forget about that. Let''s go outside! Show me your town! There''s lots I want to see." "Wait." "What?" "Let''s find you some clothes first. I''m not taking you outside naked." ------- Eventually we found a dark violet gothic lolita dress that fit Tenebria. It was similar to her old appearance. "By the way Tenebria, you seemed really happy that you became mortal." "Isn''t it obvious. Milla, being immortal is lonely. Having a life, knowing that one day you will die¡­ that''s exciting! Immortality might seem good, but what happens when all the ones you care about keep dying? You''re hurting inside. I viewed mortals as entertainment¡­ but I always had the fear¡­ when I found a mortal that I like¡­ eventually he will die and I will have to move on. Although other Gods might disagree with me¡­ that''s what I feel. So¡­ I am happy that I''m here with you." Aww¡­ that''s so sweet. Seeing her like this¡­ it''s enough to make even a grown man cry. I wanted to leap at her and give her another hug but¡­ "Excuse me, Your Highness." Cleo the lamia came just as we were prepared to head out. "Something wrong, Cleo?" "Well¡­ there is a matter that needs your attention before you leave." She was fidgeting. What''s wrong now? I want to spend some time with my new loli. "Spit it out, Cleo. What happened?" "Last night, Lord Ornis Balmund came. He wanted to meet you. He didn''t want to disturb your sleep, but he really wants to talk to you now." Ornis? Great. What the hell does he want. Ugh¡­ I guess only one way to find out. 97: The End I think literally 5 minutes passed in which nobody said a word. Me and Ornis were just sitting and staring at each other. Originally my plan was to let him speak, but it seems he lost his tongue. How should I make things progress? But as I was having those thoughts, Ornis pulled a small box from behind his back. Wait a second¡­ that looks like¡­ He slowly opened it and¡­ yup. I knew it. It was a fancy ring. Don''t tell me this guy has a crush on me!? Is he here to propose? No! Absolutely not! No way. I have no intention to get married. Not to a guy at least. 100% not happening. "Lord Ornis, I''m flattered, but I don''t think I''m suited for that." "Nonsense. You are the only one fit for it." Wha¡­ Is he really declaring his intentions so bold? Nope. Still not happening. "I''m really sorry, but marriage isn''t a priority for me." "Who said anything about marriage?" "Huh? Well¡­ what''s the ring for then?" "Heh." He let out a small chuckle. "Don''t worry. You''re not my type. Lady Milla, this ring is the authority of the supreme Demon King. It belongs to the strongest Mazoku. And during these moments I could see clearly¡­ you have surpassed me." Sharp instincts buddy. Phew¡­ for a second I really thought I''d have to kick him out. So that''s what all this is about. I guess info on my powers will leak eventually. Although I lost Deus EX, I''m still a dragon. Maybe Deus EX can only trigger in the God Realm. I have no clue. But I can''t feel that heat at all anymore. Regardless, my regular powers are enough for this world. However¡­ "No thanks. You can keep it." "Lady Milla, I don''t think you understand. This isn''t something you can refuse. It''s a right that must be given." "Then how about this. The ring is mine, but I''m letting you keep it." "I don''t understand what¡­" "Listen. The fact that I am the strongest right now, I don''t want to make official. I still have my own plans that need to be set in motion. But for that, I really need to lay low. I don''t need that kind of attention." The truth is, Odin told me about the duty of the number 1 Demon King. He must accept any challenge from those that want to take his place. There''s no way I''m letting a bunch of idiots come on my land and challenge me. I''ve got better things to do than take out the trash. For a moment Ornis closed his eyes. It looked like he was thinking deeply. "Alright. Then I will hang on to it for the time being." "Thank you for understanding." ------- "Haha! Ornis really was fooled by your speech." "Aww, shut up, Tenebria. I''m doing everything I can to make my life as carefree as possible." After the encounter, me and Tenebria were headed for a stroll. We were eating some ice creams. And guess what. Ice cream is something I invented in this world. We stopped by many places, since Tenebria wanted to see everything up close. We even visited Lorina''s shop and I asked her to make Tenebria a weapon. And I also found dragon mom there chasing Himeko. She really wants to bond with her grandchild, but Himeko still hasn''t warmed up to her. "This is fun. The most fun I''ve had. But Milla, did you think about the future? You won''t be around forever. What will happen to this land?" "I don''t plan to rule forever. I''m gonna make Himeko my successor after all. She''s my cute daughter. Once she grows up a bit more I''ll start personally developing her strength. And speaking of lands, shouldn''t you take care of your own, now that you''re a king too?" "Don''t want to. You can have it if you want." "Oh no you don''t! I''m not letting you push your work on me!" "Kek. You didn''t fall for it¡­ anyway, it seems I have loyal subordinates over there just like you. Call it a parting gift from God. Don''t worry. Just like Odin and Persia I can afford to be gone for a while too." We continued our tour of the town with such talk. We visited the military barracks to see Tengu doing the usual drills. Tenebria wanted to try riding Felicia too. Poor Felicia was so scared. She only accepted me on her back, but at the same time she knew that if Tenebria wanted to, there was nothing she could do to stop her from mounting. Of course, I stepped in. A similar case happened later when we met Sue and Tenebria wanted to feel her slimy body. She almost ended up stretching her too much. An hour later we saw Irina and surprisingly, she wanted to be tied up like the way she ties up Momoyo. But Irina has particular tastes. If someone is actually willing to get tied up by her¡­ she won''t do it as it doesn''t amuse her. "Tenebria let''s get something straight! All these girls are mine. So stop messing with them!" "But we''re sisters. Haven''t you heard of sharing?" "You''re really annoying. Do you want me to knock some sense into you?" "That''s never gonna happen." "You know you''re not a God anymore. Speaking of which, I can''t read your stats. But if you are mortal know I''m pretty sure I can beat you now." "Wanna bet?" ------- Grace, Odin, Persia, Shiori and Momoyo were lined up near the empty field behind my castle. "Grace-san. Shouldn''t we stop them?" "Why? They''re both smiling. It''s been a while since I saw Milla-nee that excited." "I guess¡­" "Yup. Milla-nyan is happy!" "Grace, hurry up and give us the start." Yup. You guessed it. Me and Tenebria were preparing to clash. "You still have time to back off, Milla." "Not happening. There''s only one way to find out who''s stronger." "I guess you''re right." Thinking back, my life was full of ups and downs ever since I came to this world. But for fun and blissful moments like this¡­ everything was worth it. Because I have a true family. People that love me. And I love each and everyone too. "Alright. Both of you get ready! Begin!" "Here I come!" (x2) And the fun, just keeps getting better and better. Because I''m living my life as I please. As a loli Demon King! Bonus: Collab It''s been 1 year since the events that happened in the God Realm. Life finally became peaceful. Because I had the support from Odin, Persia, and now Tenebria who became the new Demon King of Kindness, nobody dared to ever challenge me again. My own power and my friends'' only kept increasing. You can say a form of peace was finally established. Thanks to me standing above both Empress Eclair and Queen Aria, nobody invaded the demon continent. As I was sitting on dragon mom''s lap I had this blissful feeling that I achieved quite a lot in this world. I didn''t have any more worries. Or at least that''s what I thought. Grace, my most loyal battle made hurried inside my bedroom and barged in. "Milla-nee! There''s an emergency!" "Hmm? What''s wrong, Grace?" "We''re being attacked!" "What!? Who is attacking us? Another king?" "No. Please come outside. You must see with your own eyes." I went outside but I couldn''t believe it. At the edge of my town the sky was dark and there were 3 purple tornadoes. They weren''t advancing. They were just standing there and spinning in place. But from the tornadoes, hordes of monsters appeared. One after the other. They made an army. "Grace! I''ll fly ahead. Call the others. Have Tengu and Felicia prepare our troops. We must engage them!" "Right away!" ------ Damn! These things aren''t that much of a threat to me, but their numbers are ridiculous. "Eat this! [Geo Flame Burst]!" I destroy and destroy, but they keep coming. It''s like these guys have no fear. "Milla-nee, if we don''t do something about them, we eventually will grow tired." Grace is right. Everybody is doing their best right now. Lorina and Himeko are chopping limbs, Tengu and Felicia are brilliantly managing the soldiers'' formation, Grace, Cleo, Irina, Sue and Teri are all violently crushing them. Even dragon mom is knocking them around. "Oi! Don''t just randomly kill. Can''t you tell this won''t work?" "Tenebria? How¡­" "I came here as soon as I saw this phenomenon." "You know what''s happening?" "Sort of. I personally haven''t encountered it but I did hear other gods talking about it. It''s something that travels across dimensions and causes those tornadoes. They''re called Astral Storms. They literally link to a world full of nothing other than these creatures. And all they want is to kill." "How do we stop them?" "We gotta close the tornadoes or else they''ll just keep coming." Tenebria pointed her index finger straight up. "Focus your eyes. There''s a purple light in the clouds. That''s the source. Destroy that and the tornadoes will disappear." "Ok. Take my place here on the ground. I''m on it!" I soared straight upwards with all my might. I saw something that could only be described as sinister. A purple floating crystal. And inside it there was a dark figure of something. All I could see were the glowing red eyes. "I don''t know what you are or how you got here, but you''re going down!" I inhaled deeply and fired off my flamethrower breath. The crystal took on the full force of my heat but it didn''t suffer any damage. "No signs of melting, huh? Well then, I''m just gonna have to crack you." I dashed towards it but this time, it lashed out at me. It fired numerous lightning strikes at me. "Guaahh!" It hurts! This thing¡­ it actually has quite a vast amount of mana. To be able to penetrate my scales like that. Just what the fuck am I facing? The crystal rapidly spinned around unleashing a power shockwave towards me. I placed my hands in an X shape guard but the force was so great that it tore my arms off completely. For a second, blood gushed out from me, but it soon turned to flames. My Phoenix Resurrection kicked in and restored me. "That''s it buster! It seems I can''t take you lightly. But you made a mistake making an enemy out of me." I still can''t control this power well, but at least now I can activate at will. A short burst is all I need. "DEUS EX!!! HAAA!!!" My body was wrapped in the godly blue flames. My hair changed its color to red. And because of the sheer pressure of my aura the clouds around me were pushed aside making a clear hole in the sky. That crystal once again sent lightning strikes at me but this time¡­ they hit nothing. "Where do you think you''re aiming? I''m over here." I appeared behind it, but before it got the chance to turn around I planted my fist into it. A powerful wave that shook the clouds was generated. After images of me circling it and launching a barrage of flaming fists were formed. After wrapping that thing in flames I took some distance. Cracks appeared all over the crystal. The dark figure with red eyes trapped inside opened it''s eyes wide as if not believing what happened. "Don''t look so surprised. These flames can even kill a God. I told you. You picked the wrong enemy." The crystal once again spinned around and opened some sort of portal. The tornadoes disappeared the very same moment. "Did you really think that I was going to let you escape?" I pointed my index finger at it. "[Azure Dragon Strike]!" It doesn''t matter how sturdy you are, once this hits you, you''re dead. My ranging flaming dragon wrapped in blue lightning made its way to it, but, out of nowhere, the crystal released a massive amount of magical energy. It intercepted my attack. "It''s useless!" No matter how much magic you pour my attack can''t be stopped. But¡­ darn. My dragon stopped for a moment before splitting his blast in 2. In that instant he managed to escape and my attack hit nothing. I had to redirect it upwards in the sky. I can''t let it hit anything after all. "What the hell was that?" "Milla!" "Tenebria, how are things going down there?" "Since the tornadoes vanished we managed to clean all of them. Are you ok?" "Yeah, but that thing forced me to use all my power. What the hell was it after." "I couldn''t say. Like I said, it''s the first time I saw it personally too. Given the stories I think that thing just wants to devour worlds." "Well this is one world it ain''t touching. At least it''s over for now. If that thing ever comes back¡­" "We''ll just use double Delete All and erase it from existence!" "Yeah! Although it''s strange that you gods simply let something like that roam around." "It''s not my fault. Gods can''t directly interfere. So we have no choice but to watch and hope someone like you crushes it." "Anyway let''s get back to the others for now. We need to check our casualties." As we both descended, one final thought crossed my mind. If Tenebria is right, that thing just slipped into another world. I just hope that whichever world it hoped into, that world has someone capable of handling that thing. Side Story: Detective Milla part 1 A large arena similar to a coliseum appeared before my eyes. It was nowhere near the size of Odin''s arena. But judging by how it''s decorated it looks really like a mix between an arena and a circus stage. A podium was placed in the center of the arena. And on that podium there was a man that wore a bright purple tuxedo and a purple hat. He had white gloves in both of his hands. His hair was black and short. And his face. It was covered by a mask. It looked like a theater mask. One of those old drama masks that had a smiling crescent moon for it''s mouth and similar shapes for the eyes. "Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome! I''m so glad that you could make it. Today I prepared quite a treat for you. And it seems she came." He was pointing at me. Two human thugs were escorting me and kept pushing me near the stage. *Applause* What''s up with this crowd? Can''t they see I am a hostage here? "Now, like always, even if one of the contenders is a little girl we made sure to put a restraining collar on her. This way she can''t use any magic at all and will be as harmless as she looks." "Hey mister. What''s going on here? Who are you? I wanna go home!" "Ah, how rude of me. I am the master of this place. My name is¡­ a¡­ secret! But you can call me Ringmaster. And you are?" "My name is Milla and I wanna go home!" "Go home? I can''t let you do that. Not yet at least. What kind of host would I be if I were to just let you walk away without entertaining you? How about we play a little game? If you win, you''re free to go." "A game? What kind of game?" "A death game!" ------ You''re probably wondering at this point what''s going on. Well, for that we have to rewind a bit. It happened roughly a week ago. I received a letter from humanity''s Empress, ¨¦clair Olympia. I usually go and come as I please from her room but this is actually the first time she requested my presence. I was rather curious so through the teleport crystal device I made, I headed over to her chambers. "So, what''s up, Claire? It''s rare of you to request me." "Would you stop calling me by that nickname? I''m a proud ruler!" "You''re also my woman so I get to call you how I like." She let out a long sigh before composing herself. "There is something I would like to ask of you, but first, I must attend to a trial. You''re a bit early." "Why don''t I come with you then? I''ve never seen a royal trial before." "I can''t let a Demon King be seen with me!" Not a problem. I spun around and using my doppelganger ability I transformed into a human girl. The same shy little girl whose image I used the first time I came her to conquer Claire. "Ugh¡­ fine. Do as you please." I always do, fufu! After a while we went to the throne room. Claire told everyone that I was the daughter of a close friend of hers and wanted me to witness this. Normally doubts and questions would be raised, but ever since I got rid of the church, the Empress''s power was absolute. She ruled with an iron fist and nobody dared to go against her. The trial was nothing special. Apparently the son of a noble got in a fight with someone and ended up killing that someone. Every witness pointed out that it was the nobles'' son fault. The verdict should be pretty obvious, however¡­ "What do you mean he''s in a coma? How did he fell into one?" The one yelling was captain Armlock. Head of Claire''s knights. "The traumatizing events that happened have pressured his brain and because of that he fell into a coma." This guy was supposed to be a so called doctor. But his diagnosis is¡­ not logic at all. "Traumatizing? He''s the assaulter. How can you call that traumatizing?" The guys'' father then stepped forward. He had a nasty grin on his face. "Captain, it is out of sheer respect for Her Majesty that I even brought my son on a stretcher her. But how do you expect him to take part in the trial in this state. I propose to postpone it." Hearing all this I leaned towards ¨¦clair and whispered with her. "Hey, if it''s obvious this guy did it, why not pass judgement on him?" "It''s because of the law. You can not pass a verdict on a trial if the person in question can''t attend it." So this guy is just playing the system then. What a douchebag. They might be able to fool everyone here, but not me. My demon eyes don''t lie. Honestly, it was better for you if you would just admit your crime. Cause what happens next¡­ is much worse. I''m taking over. I took a few steps and headed for the doctor first. "Hey, are you sure your diagnosis is correct?" "What do you mean little girl? Of course I''m sure." "Well¡­ I just happen to be a doctor as well. So why not let me have a look at him too?" "Eh!? This isn''t the time for games." The guards and the people were all confused, but one strong glare from Claire was enough to shut them up. She let me go own. I take a long look at this guy who was lying on a stretcher. "Yup! He''s in a coma alright." His father let out another grin as if he just won the lottery. But I''m not done yet. From behind my back I pull out a small bottle. "Hmm!? What''s that?" "It''s medicine! Sick people need to be given medicine after all." "But it smells kind of funny." "Well, of course. All medicine smells funny. When was the last time you took an ointment that smelled like roses?" Not wanting to drag this one any further I spilled the liquid all across his body. "Your Majesty, please, I am tired of this joke. It''s clear that she doesn''t know what she''s doing." "Calm down mister. This was just the first step. Now it''s time for the second phase for it to work!" "And¡­ what is this second phase?" I took out a match and light it. "The second phase is: setting the medicine on fire!" I threw the match on his body. And he was instantly covered in flames. The thing I called medicine¡­ it was just oil. "Gyaaargh!" The guy woke up instantly and jumped around like a monkey. "Son!" "Ouch¡­ ooh¡­ Put it out! Put it out!" He stopped, dropped, rolled and eventually the guards brought some water to extinguish the flames. "Why you little¡­!! How dare you?" "What? I didn''t do anything wrong. Your son was in a coma so I helped him snap out of it. My medicine worked. My fee is 1 million gold coins now!" "You¡­ you¡­!" "Enough!" Claire once again stepped in. Seeing now that the boy was conscious, regardless of my method, the trial was carried out and he was sentenced to 10 years of prison. The noble tried objecting, but the guards restrained him. He would end up being punished too for trying to cheat the law. And so, the trial pretty much ended and I was back with Claire in her room. "Milla¡­ today has proven my theory. I need your help." She told me about an issue. There was a serious case going on that the military couldn''t solve. In a certain place of the Empire people have started to disappear. And their bodies are found in various places. Sometimes so badly mutilated that you can''t identify it. Something wrong was going in her Empire. Something dark. "Your unorthodox methods¡­ your twisted way of thinking may be exactly what I need to solve this problem." This is interesting. To be honest, lately I''ve been flexing my physical muscles, so it might be fun to try and flex my brain once in a while. And it''s not like I got something else to do so¡­ why not? "Okay Claire. I''ll help. But you know I have price. After I solve this situation, your plump ass is mine." She audibly gulped and her face went red, but ended up agreeing with me. ------ And that''s how I got myself in this situation. I heard a rumor about some kidnapping, so I let myself get taken on purpose. "Now then, little Milla, let us begin the game. The game that will decide if you live or die!" *Applause* Side Story: Detective Milla part 2 "Now then, let''s bring out contestant number 2!" "Wait! Weren''t we supposed to play the game?" "Hahaha! I can understand your confusion. But I never said you were playing against me. I am merely the host." "Fine. Just keep your promise and release me if I win." "Of course. I may do despicable deeds, but breaking promises is not one of them." *Applause* Once again, the crowd started to applaud. The second contestant was shoved in the ring. "And now, presenting mister Krill, a chef who dared to steal from a Noble''s house. And as punishment he was brought here!" "Please¡­ let me go!" "Only if you win. And considering your opponent is a little girl, you have great chances." The Ringmaster then started to explain the rules. The game is called Riddle. This guy will ask us some weird questions. Whoever gets 5 correct answers first wins. However, if you rush in and answer 4 consecutive questions wrong¡­ you lose. Fine let''s do this. "Let the games begin!" *Cheers!!* "Let''s start with an easy one. Poor people have it. Rich people need it. If you eat it, you die. What is it?" "What! You said it was going to be easy. Uhh¡­ umm¡­" The chef was panicking but I started to rack my brain. What do poor people have that the rich need? Poisonous mushrooms? Scabs? No. Come on. Think. What¡­ wait. Of course! It''s so obvious. "Nothing!" "Eh!?" "The answer. The answer is Nothing! Poor people have Nothing. Rich people need Nothing. And if you eat Nothing you die." "Ding ding ding! Correct! Little Milla got the first point!" *Applause* "I must say though, you are creepy girl. A bit too smart for your age. But the audience likes you, so who am I to judge. Next riddle: a man is sitting by his fireplace. Someone throws a snowball and breaks his window. When he looks out the window he sees his neighbors 3 kids. Sam Black, Mark Back and Pete Black. The next day he finds a note under his door: "? Black". Who broke his window?" Ouch. This one''s hard. It''s definitely something related to the note. "It''s Sam!" "Bzzt. Wrong, Krill. That''s one strike. Milla. Do you wanna give it a shot?" I remained silent. "Times up. The answer was Mark!" "But¡­ why?" "Think about the symbol. ''?'' is called questionmark. If you think a bit, the note actually says Question Mark Black." Ugh. I wouldn''t have guessed this. "Let''s move on. If an elephant has 2 eyes, a giraffe has 2 eyes, a dog has 2 eyes, then how many eyes do we have?" "2! It''s definitely 2!" "Bzzt! Wrong again! That''s strike number 2." "Wha¡­!? No. You''re crazy. Humans only have 2 eyes." "The answer is 6!" "Ding ding ding! Correct, little Milla!" "Eh¡­ how?" "The question asks us how many eyes ''we'' have, but it''s not referring to we as humans, but the people engaged in this conversation. Since it''s 3 of us here on this stage, the answer is 6." "This.. I can''t lose to some girl! Bring on the next one! I''ll answer it for sure." "Very well. 2 fathers and 2 sons are eating breakfast together. They all eat one egg. 3 eggs were eaten in total. How is that possible?" Hmm¡­ this is hard. 3 doesn''t divide by 4 after all. 5 minutes passed. "I got it. One of them ate the egg shells!" "Bzzt! Wrong. And to be honest that''s stupid. Strike number 3. Little Milla, do you know, or shall I reveal it?" I''m getting a headache. I haven''t done this much hardcore thinking in ages. "Umm¡­ one of the father''s is actually a grandfather?" "Ding ding ding! Correct again. There were only 3 people to begin with! The grandfather is the father''s father. The father has his own son but is also the grandfather''s son!" Phew. To be honest I wasn''t sure with this one. I kinda guessed. "This is can''t happen¡­ I don''t want to play anymore¡­ let me go!" "Mister Krill, let me put it this way. If you play you may or may not die. But if you refuse, then you will definitely die!" "Eek¡­ fine." "Now then for our next question. I am something people love or hate. I change peoples¡¯ appearances and thoughts. If a person takes care of them self I will go up even higher. To some people I will fool them. To others I am a mystery. Some people might want to try and hide me but I will show. No matter how hard people try I will Never go down. What am I?" Ugh¡­ dang. He hit me hard with this one. Come on otaku brain. Think¡­ think. Argh. I''m getting too old for this psychological shit. Eeh!? Wait¡­ I''m getting too old¡­ that''s it! Saved by my whining. Who knew. "It''s money! It has to be money." "Close. It is a good guess. But¡­ Bzzt. Wrong!" "No¡­ it can''t be¡­" "That''s 4 strikes. You lose. Milla, you win either way, so care to give it a shot?" "It''s age!" "Correct! I must say I am impressed. Average adults won''t know the answers for half those questions. Yet your little brain handled it. You truly are a creepy girl. Milla, you win! And that means¡­" "Stay back!" The Ringmaster took a giant leap in the air, landed behind Krill and pulled a sword from his cane. He sliced him to bits. "Guuaaaahhh!!" His head feel off, his limbs were sliced, and he even carved his chest open. And yet¡­ *Applause and cheers* These guys¡­ do they really enjoy this carnage? "Hey¡­ mister. I won. Can I go home now?" "Not yet. Little Milla, this was simply the first round. You need to survive the second round too! Only after, will you get your freedom." This masked fellow snapped his fingers. Masked thugs came into the arena. "It''s getting late. Show this girl to her room. We''ll continue the fun and blood spilling tomorrow." *Applause* Take me to a room, huh? Then that means this isn''t a normal arena. I''m not Sherlock Holmes. But that means some sort of house is built near the arena. How are they managing to hide all this? To be able to not raise suspicion¡­ this means that either all the nobles in the audience are using their influence to keep the knights back. What exactly is the purpose of this freak show? ------ I was put in a room. Not a prison cell or anything but an account room. It only had a chair, a desk and a bed though. "Alright. Now get to sleep. You need to be ready for tomorrow." The thug was preparing to leave but¡­ "Tell me a bedtime story." "Ugh¡­ you do realize you are a prisoner forced to participate in death games, right?" "Even more of a reason to tell me a bedtime story. You think your boss will be happy if I''m not in optimal condition and amuse his audience?" "You got a point. Although you really are an insane kid. Alright. Once upon a time, in kingdom far far away¡­" "How far away are we talking exactly?" "Uhh¡­ who the fuck cares? Just shut up and listen." 10 minutes later¡­ "And she lived happily ever after. The end." Zzzzzzz "She''s finally asleep. Good." After the thug left, however, I jumped out of bed. "How dumb can you actually be?" He didn''t notice because it was dark, but¡­ I stole his knife. With this picking the lock on the door is a cake for me. It''s time to do some exploring and tear this place to shreds! Side Story: Detective Milla part 3 This house or whatever it is feels more like a castle. It''s huge. I have no clue which way I''m going. Because it was dark and I was small I did manage to sneak around all the thugs rather easily. But eventually I got tired and leaned against a wall. Big mistake. A trap door was there and I ended up falling in some tunnel. ------ "Let us go already, you mad hatter!" "How rude. There''s nothing mad about me. And you can''t go yet. I need all of your help." The Ringmaster was talking to 4 people. 1 girl and 3 men. But their discussion got interrupted. "Aaaah!! Incoming!" I feel down from the ceiling. That tube took me all the way to this room. Fortunately one of the other people broke my fall. "Ah. Little Milla. How kind of you to join us!" "Eh!? What are you doing in my escape route?" "Escape route? Did you really think you were escaping. Hahaha! Amusing." "You monster! You even brought a child to these games?" The one that was making all the fuss was a knight. A male wearing armor. I he here to investigate this place as well. "Well, now that we are all here, let''s move on, shall we? Follow me, or else¡­" "Little girl, stay close to me. I am knight of the Empire. I will protect you." You''re just a prisoner like me buddy. But, sure. Why not. I''ll pretend to be a helpless little girl for your male ego. The Ringmaster guided us to another room. "Now then! Please enter." The 5 of us all went in. "What the¡­!?" "That''s¡­ is that a¡­" "Dead body!" Inside that large fancy room, there was a man that had an axe stuck to his chest. "No way! Not him!" "Little girl, do you know him?" "It''s Santa!" Everyone including the Ringmaster were left speachless. "Umm¡­ how did you come up with that conclusion?" "Well the body is in the chimney. Why else would he be there unless he''s Santa." "Ehm. It''s June. Also that is not Santa. He was supposed to be another contestant." "Ringmaster, are you behind this?" "I said it before, but I need your help. This is¡­ stage 2 of the death games. Solve the murder! You see I can''t just bring detectives in here for obvious reasons. So I want you guys to solve the murder. If you guess how the murder happened, you live! Guess wrong and you die." Oh, for the love of¡­ how many times do I have to say this? I''m not Sherlock Holmes. Ugh. After this hole conspiracy thing is over I really need to shove my face into Claire''s boobs to get over this stress. I haven''t read that many mystery books, but I did watch a few seasons of Case Closed. "Wait. How can we be sure you didn''t kill him. We clearly saw you opening the door with a key. And there are no windows here!" "You''ll have to take my word for it. I didn''t lift a finger. The fact that this is a locked room, makes things more interesting! Now then, let the game begin!" ------ I had no choice but to play along. First, let''s start with the 4 here with me. The female woman is called Lily and is maid. She said she was a slave and sold off to rich noble and eventually got in this place. The knight guy is called Darwin and he is basically working for the Empire too. He was trying to just like me to prove this place is evil, but got captured in the process. The skinny frail guy was called Leo, and he was a book store owner. He came here willingly because he heard some sort of competition was being held and the winner gets lots of money. And finally, a guy who looked like he hasn''t taken a shower in ages. He''s called Jack and is a criminal. The Ringmaster busted him out of jail to make him compete here. And there''s me. Interrogation is one part of solving a case, but finding clues is another. First, I analyzed the body. Something was fishy. The axe didn''t reach his heart. After all the fights I''ve been in, I can clearly tell that this isn''t fatal. It''s also a heavy weapon. If a struggle did occur, the killer should have used more force to swing this. Adrenaline, fear, rage and certain emotions do allow the body to temporarily gain a power boost, but even so, this axe isn''t planted properly in his body. There''s also the issue of the body''s location. Why is it in the chimney to begin with? Even if you get pushed back, it''s not normal to be in this position. Blood is only found inside the chimney. Technically that means this is where he died. If he were to die in the middle of the room for example, and say the killer moved him into the chimney, blood stains should have been visible from dragging the body. Suicide is out of the question either. I take a close look around the room next. There was a bed, a dining table and a bookshelf. On the table there was a tray with glasses and water jar. The bed doesn''t look suspicious at all. But I notice the knight looking at something on the carpet. "What''s that?" "It appears to be water stains." "Could he have dropped his glass on the carpet or something?" "No. This is more likely caused by ice. But I don''t see ice cubes in any of his drinks. They must have melted by now." Water stains from ice cubes. Hmm¡­ there''s still something that''s bugging me. So I went over to the Ringmaster. "You''re a suspect too, so I guess I have the right to interrogate you!" "I told you already, I got nothing to do with this." "But, you are aware of everyone in this giant house. There''s something that''s been bugging me. How long was this guy in your custody?" "How long? I don''t see how that''s relevant. But if you must know he''s been here for around one week. The audience loves torturing him!" "So that means you also provide food and water for him, right?" "Of course. If you don''t die in style, what''s the point?" Alright. That''s just what I wanted to know. I think I got this case solved. It would appear at first glance as a locked room case, but it actually isn''t it. "I know who did it!" "Hou? Is that so? Well it''s your neck on the line. Let me gather everyone''s attention and find out if you are right or not." Side Story: Detective Milla part 4 "Attention everyone! Milla says she identified the criminal!" "Child! Are you sure?" "Yup! And although the task was to figure out how it was done, I also know who the killer is. In fact, he''s in this room right now." "Well then, who is it?" "Before we get to the who, let''s start with the how. I will explain how it was done. As you all know, the room was locked to give us the impression that the killer never entered this room. But it''s false." "Right. The axe on his chest proves that there was a struggle." "The axe isn''t the cause of his death though." "Say what?" "Think about it. This axe is a heavy weapon. Not many people can wield and swing it properly. If there was indeed a struggle, then there should have been more blood in this room. Nope. The axe didn''t even reach his heart. The fact that the body is in the chimney with an axe in him is all just a big distraction. To lure us away from the real murder weapon." I turned around and pointed to the Ringmaster. "The Ringmaster already confirmed that this guy was trapped here for a weak. Which means he had to be given food and water. You can also see the tray with glasses on the table." "What''s this have to do with¡­" "The murder weapon is ice!" "Huh?" "There are a few water stains on the carpet. Darwin can confirm they are stains caused by melting ice cubes. They weren''t regular ice cubes. They contained poison. As the cubes melted the poison was released in the room and he died." "Eh¡­ wait! But what about his position in the chimney?" "For ice to quickly melt, the fire was probably on at that time. After he died, the killer put his body in the chimney to hide the fact that a fire was started. With the blood stains in there, you really can''t tell." "Then¡­ who did it?" "The maid!" "Me!?" "Miss Lily, you mentioned you were a slave. This is just a guess, but I assume you aren''t a contestant. You were bought by the Ringmaster and he ordered you to do this. As a maid, you came here to bring him water and that''s when you dropped the poison ice. You then came back later when he was dead and placed him in the chimney. You used that axe to try and lead us away, but you couldn''t swing it properly with your constitution. As a maid, you had the key to this room." "No¡­ nono! Wait! I can¡­" "Ding ding ding! And we have a winner! Milla is 100% correct!" The Ringmaster then pulled his sword from the cane and pierced the maids'' heart, making a bloody mess. But he didn''t stop there. One by one, like a maniac he massacred everyone in the room, except for me. "Why?" "The prize was that the winner gets to live. And that''s you. I never said that the others will live." "You just killed them when your precious audience isn''t here?" "Hahaha! You really think so. Have you noticed that mirror? It''s magically enhanced. The same image that''s reflecting in it is projected into the arena. They saw this the whole time!" Your crazy! The Ringmaster then aggressively pulled my hand and took me back to the arena. "Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this edition is creepy girl Milla!" "That means I am free?" "Yes! You are free¡­ to die!" "What?" "You''re too smart. I can''t let someone like you alive. Besides. The audience asked for your death, so I must comply." "I¡­ I don''t get it. What''s the purpose of this place anyway?" "The purpose? Well that''s quite simple. Tell me, why do people smoke?" "Uhh¡­ addiction?" "That''s what keeps them going. But the reason why people smoke is stress relief. Sometimes people are driven into a corner by their problems and frustration. Nicotine helps to relieve that stress. And that''s what this arena is. A giant cigarette pack! People enjoy the bloody show I am providing them. And now, it''s time for even more blood!" He snapped his fingers. All the arena gates opened and a pack of wolves came running inside. "It''s dinner time! Kill her!" The wolves started approaching me. Kuh. The audience is still applauding. This place is truly evil. I''m getting tired of playing the innocent girl. All this corruption¡­ must burn. You think you guys are superior just because you are nobles? You think you can get away with anything? It''s time to burn! "Back off!" The wolves suddenly stopped and lowered their heads. "Eh? What''s going on? I said kill her!" *Whimper* "Good boys!" "You¡­ you can control them? How?" "Wolves always follow the alpha and will never attack an enemy far stronger than them. In their eyes, the moment they jump at me, they''re all dead." "What nonsense. We sealed any power you might have." "Did you really think this collar can contain my power?" I released a huge amount of demonic energy. The collar broke in an instant. I also returned to my original appearance. Yup. I never lost my power to begin with! I just played your game, fool. "Let me introduce myself properly. I am Milla Walpurgis, the Demon King of Insanity! And you all¡­ are dead! Puppies¡­ dinner time!" *Awoo!* The wolves jumped and devoured the Ringmaster. But they also jumped into the arena seats. All of them are just as guilty. I used my powers to crumble all the exits. The arena was filled with screams and blood. You guys wanted to see more blood? I just granted your wish. Not a soul was left alive. When an official team arrived here they blamed the Ringmaster for the disappearance of all the people. They also blamed him for the nobles death. Neither me nor Claire were linked. I did it. I solved this issue. I just hope that this disaster will teach the people of this country a lesson. The law is made for everyone, rich and poor. Even nobles bleed and die. They are no different from the poor. As for me¡­ I plan to give Claire a big ass smacking. After all, I''m stressed out too, but I feel that sex is a more pleasant way to relieve stress, fufufu! 98: Milla’s girls Waxford Note. This chapter is pure cosmetic. A project me and my neighbour (who has decent photoshop skills) made. This chapter is meant as a recap of all the girls in Milla''s harem and at the same time, images for each one of them. Many hours of recoloring, resizing, cut paste, cropping have been poured into this. Now, if you want to remain with the picture you painted in your head just by reading the description, then please, SKIP this chapter, as small details like breast sizes might not be accurate. However, for those of you that have trouble imagining stuff, then this is the chapter for you. Since I haven''t received any donations at all, I couldn''t afford an artist, so had to make do with all the free resources I had to make these characters come alive. I hope you appreciate, and try not to judge too hard. Again, you have been warned. SKIP if you want to keep your own image. Grace - Milla''s most beloved battle maid. The only one that knows that Milla comes from another world. Despite this she loves her deeply and serves her with all her might. Wields the Scythe of Astaroth. Cleo - a lamia created by Milla. She is second in command after Grace. She loves and cares for Milla and treats her as a Supreme being Irina - a spider girl created by Milla. She is fond of bondage and tying up people for fun (more specifically she enjoys toying with Momoyo Nakano). She respects and cares for Milla Sue - a slime girl created by Milla. Her specialty is changing her body as she wishes. She can alter the size of her breasts and turn into a puddle if she feels like it. She respects and cares for Milla Teri - a dryad created by Milla. Specializes in earth spells and is in charge with planting flowers and managing the crops all across Milla''s land. She cares for Milla deeply Odin Asgardia - the Demon King of Wisdom. She is the second strongest Demon King after Ornis Balmund, however, after Milla''s training session it is yet to be revealed if she''s surpassed him. She treats Milla as family. As her own sister. She loves her from the bottom of her heart. Wields the Ancient Relic Gungnir. Persia Castella - the Demon King of Sloth. A cat girl with similar traits to a persian or maine coon cat breed. Has a relaxed attitude and only cares about sleeping and playing. She follows Milla''s every order because it is fun and it gives her great joy. She has come to love Milla. Lorina - first princess of the elven kingdom. She abandoned her family and is now acting as Milla''s royal blacksmith. Although her attire looks like a witch, she is in fact a master Swordsman. Deeply love Milla Himeko - an orphan girl which Milla bough in a slave auction. Milla treats her as her own daughter. She loves her new mother deeply. Wields the Ancient Relic Void Blade. Felicia - head of the centaur squadron and 2nd in command of the military after Tengu. She became Milla''s woman, when Milla accidentally hoped on her back and imprinted herself on her. She got used to the idea and cares for Milla now. Momoyo Nakano - arrived in this world alongside Milla. She was betrayed by the church and as a result she lost her libs. Milla offered her a place by her side and restoring her limbs. She became a mecha type gyaru after Milla changed her race to Mazoku. Under Irina''s training she became a great assassin, and even today, although not an archer anymore, she uses the bow for long distance snipping. She respects Milla for saving Shiori. Shiori Watanabe - Milla''s childhood friend from the other world. The only person that cared and showed sympathy, when all the former classmates were bullying her. After falling in a brainwashed doll state, Milla asked Tenebria for help, and manage to cure her, transforming her into a fox girl specialized in healing and powerful support buffs. Loves Milla deeply Empress ¨¦clair Olympia - nicknamed often Claire by Milla, a woman in her late 30''s, she is the Empress of the Olympia Empire. She made a deal with Milla. By crushing the church and the pseudo Godess, humanity has once again turned towards her, regaining her authority. She respects Milla, although she hasn''t been fully converted into ''yuri'' yet. Aria Rivercrest - New ruler of the elven kingdom. A dark elf that is blind and always keeps her eyes closed. She is eternally grateful to Milla for helping the dark elves. She also discovered that she is into pet play. Note: I couldn''t find a picture with eyes closed. So please imagine the picture bellow with closed eyes. Katalina Leviathan - Milla''s dragon mom. The last known dragon, she once had an affair with Milla''s father. She sees Milla as her own flesh and blood and even restored her magic circuits by giving birth to her a second time. In human form she takes the appearance of a beautiful elf. She loves Milla deeply. Tenebria - Former Demon God. She has now been reborn as the Demon King of Kindness. Treats Milla as her sister. She has a tsundere personality 99: Soul Taker *Bang**Clang**Sword clashing sounds** "Well, I must say, you do live up to your reputation, lord Ornis." Ornis Balmund was currently fighting a masked figure. In the back there were also 3 more figures. 2 were wearing hoods so their faces weren''t revealed. The other was a an old Mazoku with a long white beard and short white hair. His skin was custard cream yellow and he was leaning on a staff. However, Ornis couldn''t attack either of the 3. As right now all of them were trapped in a dome like magic spell. No matter how much force he put behind his magic or blows, he couldn''t break the cage. But that wasn''t the issue. If he took his eyes even a split second from the opponent to charge the others, it would be fatal. There''s no gap in his defences. No matter where I strike, I''ll be countered. Just who the hell is this guy? I wasn''t aware that someone with such skills and strength existed. After a brief moment, the mysterious swordsman''s blade blurred, and in the next second the tip grazed Ornis'' cheek at a speed that can''t be followed by the normal eye. Ornis tried to shift his body around and swing his sword, however the swordsman took a step forward blocking his swinging direction. "Fuu¡­..!!" The swordsman unleashed a strange technique, managing to thrust his sword from an impossible position. "Don''t take me lightly!" To protect his face Ornis blocked the sword with his bear hand. Blood splattered, but the sword didn''t manage to cut all the way through. "My bones are quite hard. You won''t be slicing my arm off with that." The swordsman pulls his sword out and quickly jumps back, taking a stance once again. "Brutal Cutter!" "Perpetual Slashes!" A barage of black and red slashes were unleashed in the air. Sparks were flying everywhere. At first it appeared that Ornis was starting to push his opponent, but¡­ "Guuaaaahhh!!!" 2 swords pierced Ornis from behind. When he looked around he saw 2 other masked figures. "Hahaha! I never said it was a 1 on 1 fight!" "Just¡­ who the hell are you?" "Show him." At the words of the old Mazoku, the 3 warriors took their masks off. "You are¡­ Impossible!" "Nothing is impossible with the power granted upon us!" "Kuh¡­ even if I fall here¡­ there is someone else who you should fear¡­" "Words of a loser. Matters not. Your soul is now ours!" ------ In altar like room a man was kneeling against a table and was apparently praying. The room was large and had no windows. The only source of light was from candles scattered around the room. The man that was praying had a pure white robe. His azure hair reached all the way to his shoulders. His ember eyes were staring at the empty altar. And the most important thing, he was human. As he was praying, a telepathic message ran across his brain. "Master. I''m sorry for disturbing you. We did it. Ornis''soul now belongs to us." "Excellent. The dawn of the new era is close. The destroyer shall once again awaken and set this world on the proper path." "Shall we continue and head for the next Demon King?" "Not quite. The destroyer has shown me something interesting. A possible threat. A mortal with power equal, if not greater than a God." "Hou? Whatever it is, it means nothing before our dome." "On the contrary. Her power might be the only thing that can break the dome." "What!?" "Calm down. By the will of the destroyer, I will provide you with the means to render her useless. However, before any of that, I would like to offer her a chance to join us. If she refuses, then she''ll share the same fate as the others and her soul shall be tributed to the destroyer. I''ve been preparing for this moment for thousands of years. Ever since I realized the mistakes the Gods made when they created this world. But finally, it seems this generation is the one that can provide us the power we need to awaken the destroyer." "Master, if I may, which person are you talking about? Who shall our next target be?" "The Demon King of Insanity, Milla Walpurgis." "Understood. Then we shall make our way there." "One word of advice. She might not willingly accept a fight, so you will have to find a way to¡­ persuade her." "Leave it to us." The telepathic transmission was cut off. The man once again looked at the altar. "I will not let you down. You have chosen me to be the Messiah of the new world. With your power, we will reshape the world and bring proper balance. 10000 years I have waited for this moment. Rest a little longer. Soon, you and I shall cleanse the world. And after destruction, a true paradise can finally flourish. Nobody will stand in my way. Not even a girl favored by the gods. Now then, what will your move be, Milla? Will you join our cause? Or perish alongside the world?" 100: A reason to fight "Nyaa! I got you this time!" I was currently playing with Persia. Her cat like traits are more developed than I thought. With some experiments and a few shining crystals I managed to improvise some sort of laser pointer. And just like a normal cat is drawn to light, Persia didn''t want to stop until she managed to catch the shiny colored light. "You''re fast, but I''m faster, nya!" She kept pouncing over and over. As you would expect, she never did manage to catch the light. So after our play session I comforted her. I let her sleep with her head on my lap. She''s so cute, fufu. *Knock knock* "Come in." Grace, my trusty battle maid entered the room with a serious expression. "Milla-nee, you have visitors. 3 people requested an audience with you, but¡­" "But what?" "They look like enemies." "So why didn''t you take them in ''that'' room and have Irina dispose of them like always?" "It''s not that simple. Although they seem harmless¡­ I don''t know. They give off a really dangerous aura." It''s rare to see Grace this high on her guard. Normally she and my servants would offer to handle any intruder, but this time she''s actually telling me to look into it. Oh well. I did order them to be more considerate of their own lives. "Okay, Grace. Take me to them. I''ll hear them out." ------ As I entered the waiting room I saw 3 people. 2 of them were standing, while the other was seated on the couch. He was an old Mazoku. As for the other 2 they took off their hoods. I was surprised. One of them was a lizardman while the other was an elf. What a strange group. "You must be Her Highness, Milla Walpurgis, correct?" "That I am. And you guys are?" "Allow me to make the introductions. My name is Gaav. The lizardman behind me is Glenn and the High Elf is named Ray. It is an honor to finally meet you." "So, what can I do for you guys?" "Your Highness, I will be direct. I want a duel with you." "A duel? For what reason? I''ve never met you before. So what reason would I have to fight you?" "Lady Milla, we belong to an organization called the league of shadows. We scout out powerful opponents." League of shadows? Seriously!? Do I look like Batman to you guys? "You may not have a reason to fight us, but we have a reason. We seek to measure your strength and see if it can be used for our cause." "Sorry, but I have no intention of sympathizing with your group or join it." "Hmm. Very well. If you truly need a reason to fight then¡­" The old Mazoku looked towards the lizardman. He was carrying a large bag. Was that supposed to be some sort of bribe? Sorry buddy, but I doubt you have anything I want. Or so I thought, until he opened the bag and dropped the contents on the floor. "Teri!!" It was my dryad. Teri. She fell lifeless on the ground. I was shocked. I immediately rushed and grabbed her body. Is she¡­ "Don''t worry. She''s not dead. Her body is still technically alive. However she won''t wake up. Her soul belongs to us now!" "What the fuck are you talking about?" "It''s as I said. We took her soul. The process is reversible. But for that you need to accept our invitation to a duel." Kuh¡­ Something isn''t right with these guys. I can''t feel any bit of aura or demonic energy coming from them. How the hell did they manage to beat Teri? Did they take her by surprise? And what''s this shit about taking her soul? Wasn''t soul manipulation a thing only gods could do? Even I can''t access that type of power. But all these questions can wait for now. These guys want a fight? I''ll give them a fight they''ll never forget! "Fine. If you guys want to die that badly I''ll humor you. Let''s step outside and I''ll crush you!" The 3 only let out a grin before following behind me. I dunno what they''re up to, but I will crush any scheme they might have. ------ "Milla-nyan, you sure you don''t want me to help?" "This is my problem, Persia. Sit on the sidelines with Grace and watch. It won''t take long." We were on the empty field behind my castle. I took a step forward, but looked like only Gaav was preparing for combat. "Aren''t all 3 of you gonna face me?" "Rest assured, lady Milla, I am more than enough." "Suit yourself. I''ll just have to mop the floor with you then. And as soon as I beat the shit out of you, your friends better restore Teri." "If you can win, that is. The stage is just right. Allow me to show the power granted by our Master. A power as old as time itself." The old geezer lifted his palm. He had a ring with a rather unusual stone attached to it. "Behold! The Dome of Oroboros!" His stone emitted a bright light. And before I knew it we were locked in a glowing sphere of energy. It was indeed like a dome. This ain''t gonna help you though. You just limited your movements. "Now rise!" As he said those words, 3 Mazoku suddenly appeared in front of him. All of them were wearing masks. "So you''re not planning on fighting yourself?" "Say what you want. But even Ornis lost his soul to the Oroboros in front of these opponents! As long as the dome lasts, you will never be able to defeat them!" This feels more like the seal of orichalcos to be honest. But you just gave me valuable information. That just means I need to bust this dome. "[Geo Flare Burst]" I fire my flaming spell towards the dome. But it didn''t shatter. Then let''s try this. I tried Persia''s spell breaking technique but¡­ I was pushed back by electric sparks. What''s up with this thing? "Did you really think that you are the first one to try and break the dome? Fool. The gods themselves can''t break this! Hahaha!" "Hmph. That just means I need to use a power beyond a God. I will brutally crush you! HAAA!" I dug deep inside and let out a powerful scream. This still takes a while to use this. I can''t instantly trigger it as mastering this is hard, even for me. But there is nothing my flames can''t burn. "[DEUS EX]!" The god slaying blue flames wrapped my body and my crimson hair also turned blue. I rarely use this. "Say goodbye now! One attack is all I need! [Azure Dragon Strike]!" Hehehe. Just as master predicted. Thank you for being such a simpleton! Your power¡­ is ours now! 101: No magic? No problem "I''ve been waiting for that!" He pulled from under his robe some sort of crystal ball. I don''t know what he''s planning, but there''s nothing my Azure Dragon Strike can''t destroy. Or at least that''s what I thought. "What?" The attack was being absorbed inside the sphere. That shouldn''t be possible. What''s more¡­ "What¡­ the fuck¡­ is happening to me!?" I felt weaker and weaker. My blue flames were being sucked as well. I¡­ I can''t maintain my Deus EX¡­ "DO IT NOW!" One of the 3 masked guys pulled out a golden sword and charged towards me. Damn it! My body is still numb. I can''t react. Guess I need to take the hit and rely on my Phoenix Resurrection. Or so I thought at least. His blade passed through my body as if it was a ghost. I felt nothing. Eventually my body started to work again after he drained my flames. "What the hell did you to me?" I could clearly see my flames swirling inside his sphere. "Your power is necessary for our goal. So I simply took it." "I''ll make you regret that. [Thousand Tears]!" I tried chanting a spell to blow them all up at once¡­ but nothing happened. "Hahaha! Do you understand now? That golden sword was the legendary Magic Slayer. As you stand now, you have no shred of magic power left!" I slightly lower my head and shoulders. "Our Master told me to make you an offer. Join us! Join our sacred mission of making this world a paradise. Observe." The stone on his ring once again glowed and more warriors were summoned. They all took off their masks. "Nya!! No way! That''s impossible! Those are the first 11 Demon Kings. The very first generation! Our ancestors-nya!" Persia was shocked. And frankly I was too. I don''t know them, but I do know that bringing people back from the dead is impossible. Well, although there is a way to ressurect someone within 10 seconds of death; if you die of natural death that''s it. You''re gone. And reincarnation is something only the gods can do. But that doesn''t matter right now. After a brief moment 8 of them once again disappeared. "Sorry, but unfortunately I wasn''t granted the power to keep all 11 around for too long. But these 3 are more than enough. The Demon Kings of Wrath, Savagery and Kindness. Well? Now that you saw a glimpse of the power we have, what will you do?" "Screw you!" "Such a shame. Then I shall claim your soul!" He waved his hand and the so called Demon King of Savagery charged at me like a while beast. He hand long claws and a face full of claws a true madman. He wanted to slice me up, however¡­ "Naive." Before the old man realized, I already sent his warrior crashing into the dome''s wall. "What¡­!?" Close your mouth. You''ll catch flies. The seventh stance, Hollow Fist. Persia''s technique connected just like I thought it would. "Did you honestly think that you can beat me just by removing my ability to use magic?" Even if you cut my magic power, mana still flows through my body. My physical strength hasn''t dropped at all. I''m actually curious what that golden sword did exactly, but that can wait. The mad warrior once again stood up and charged at me. This time I grabbed both of his arms. "That''s it! Now make her one with the¡­ Eh!?" The reason why he was surprised again was because I didn''t budge a single inch. Your strength isn''t half bad but¡­ too weak. I lifted him in the air and slammed him on the ground. After that I spinned him around and threw him away again. "The likes of you can never hope to beat me." I reached for my shadow. For some reason my shadow inventory still works. So I pull out my orichalcum sword. "Let me show you what it means to challenge a Demon King on his own territory!" "Kill her! Blast her! Do something!" "[Dinas Blast]!" Never heard of that spell before. But apparently, like a machine gun, multiple baseball sized yellow orbs were headed for me. Are you trying to restrict my movements? Sorry to disappoint you, but dodging won''t be necessary. My sword almost looked like a spinning whip. None of the balls hit me. I sliced all off them. "Perpetual Slashes!" The Demon King of Wrath drew a new sword and came right at me. I can tell that he''s an excellent swordsman. His speed can even rivals Ornis. However¡­ "Too slow. Unlimited¡­" My body disappeared from were I was standing and appeared behind him. A barrage of slashes ran across his body, cutting him down. Blood scattered everywhere. "...Sword Strikes!" Unfortunately for him, Lorina is way better. Although she herself didn''t manage to learn it. This can potentially break your arm off. But she''s an excellent teacher. Just by explaining the stance and moveset, with a little trial and error I managed to learn it. "No¡­ this¡­ can''t be happening¡­" I swiftly moved and also slashed the other too. I striked at their bodies continuously without stopping. The sword swings and attacks echoed loudly. Maintaining a strong grip, pushing the wrist to it''s limits, making a circle motion¡­ for the untrained eye it all looks like a single attack, but I''m consecutive slashing. The other 2 Demon Kings also fell before me. They aren''t weak, but because I am taking them by surprise, their guard is low. "Haaa!" I finally move on and pierce the old guys'' heart. "GuUuAAhh!" He violently coughed blood. "This¡­ this can''t¡­ Take¡­ take the crystal!" With his last sheer of power he threw the crystal ball in which he sealed my flames to the other 2 outside the dome. How the hell was that ball able to get across? He then collapsed and the dome shrunk, releasing me. At the same time a violent light surrounded his body. He was dead. The 2 thugs were preparing to take their leave. "Hey! We''re not done here! Restore Teri or else¡­" But unfortunately my body was wobbling. Unlimited Sword Strikes is something that drains almost all stamina. "Hmph. If you want her back you have to beat all of us, not just one of us. We''ll meet again soon." They then vanished through some sort teleport spell. Damn it! Damn it! I swear I''ll kill all of you! The world isn''t big enough for you guys to hide from me. I won''t rest until I get Teri back. This¡­ I swear! 102: Genesis "What do you mean you lost all your powers? Even your Phoenix Resurrection!?" The one in shock was Tenebria. This is a serious matter so I gathered everyone close to me for a meeting. Tenebria, Odin, Persia and Claire and Aria via teleport crystals. These 2 deserve to know about this league of shadows too. It could impact their countries too. But right now, Tenebria was spinning around me and poking my body as if giving me a check-up. "I can''t believe this, but they actually cut the tunnel between your origin and the source!" "O¡­ kay¡­ I have no idea what that means." "First let''s handle your current situation. Do you know what magic is?" "Umm¡­ it''s the spells I shoot out of my hands?" Odin and Aria started laughing all of a sudden and Tenebria''s jaw dropped big time. Did I say something weird? "... I don''t even know what to say to that. That''s so wrong on so many levels. Guess I better start from the top." Apparently the story goes like this. Mana is the source of all life. It exists in every living being. However, spells are a different story. Magic comes from the Gods. You know that each time you cast a spell, a magic circle is formed. The symbols in the circle, basically is a summon. You summon the power from the gods. Elemental magic is granted freely by the gods. Origin magic is a different story, but we won''t get into that now. So basically the magic flows from the source to the summoner, and the mana is the fuel for it. It all happens in seconds and most don''t actually realize this process. But¡­ my access to the source was cut. Even after beating that old fart, I didn''t regain my powers. Without access to the source, I can''t draw out any magic at all. "Tenebria-nya, isn''t there a way to restore that tunnel?" "I don''t know. This is actually my first time seeing this. But I''m sure if Milla can kill this new threat, the tunnel will restore itself." "Speaking of threats, who the hell are these guys?" Aria tilted her head and raised her hand like a child wanting to speak in class. "I think I heard of them before. It''s said they are a secret organization that has spies in every country and make grand political schemes." But once again Tenebria was the one that enlightened us. Although she did whisper to me that this is a story from even before she became the Demon God. Tenebria became the Demon God roughly 5000-6000 years ago. And this story took place 10000 years ago. She told it like an old legend. After all, I''m the only one who knows that Tenebria was the Demon God. Odin did pout a bit. I guess the Demon King of Wisdom is a bit jelous of Tenebria knowing more. Anyway, this legend is somewhat interesting. It''s also related to a way for me to use magic again. Long ago, there was nothing but darkness. In that vast ocean of darkness was a being of pure destruction. The Nightmare King. Nobody knows how, but one day, the Almighty One appeared. A being specialized in creation. A polar opposite. Naturally when the Almighty One wanted to create the universe and life, the Nightmare King was against it. It''s said that an epic battle started between the 2. How long did it last? Nobody knows. But eventually, the Almighty One used a trick. During their clash, he used the shockwave to create the universe. You can say this is similar to the Big Bang theory. A huge explosion. When he saw the beauty of the stars, the Nightmare King backed down and simply continued to watch over the world. Eons later, after creating various life forms, the Almighty one did make a few mistakes. So he created someone to keep him company and erase those mistakes. The so called destroyer. Nobody knows how it looks like but, he was granted destruction power at the level of Deus EX. However, things didn''t go according to plan. The destroyer had his own twisted judgement regarding balance. He devoured and devoured. Even the innocent. He considered that many of the life forms that God created were a mistake. Sheer evil that would do nothing other than hate and corrupt the land. Eventually the Almighty One had to stop his creation. However it became too powerful for him to destroy. The only one who could destroy the destroyer, was the Nightmare King. However he refused to interfere. He stated something like ''you wanted creation, yet you created something that destroys; live with your choices''. The Almighty One was unable to kill his creation. But, drawing all his power, he did manage to seal it. He forced the beast into depths of an ocean, sealing it for all eternity. And just my luck. That planet he picked just happens to be this one. Tenebria herself thought it was just a myth, but with the events that happened, she thinks this league of shadows is trying to awaken this destroyer. The dome of Oroboros is it''s power, capable of stealing souls. That means Teri''s soul was also taken. Odin examined Teri. She says, physically, she''s okay. She is in a cryogenic state. I mean, she isn''t breathing, but unlike a dead man, her body and organs aren''t deteriorating at all. It''s like time was frozen. "I need to start setting up patrols too. Even in my Empire there were cases of people facing rather weird deaths." As always, Claire was judging the situation like a ruler would. "Tenebria, there''s something I don''t get. How is this story going to help me use magic again?" "Didn''t you figure it out yet? Those guys cut your origin from the source. In this state, if you want to use magic all you have to do is use another source." "Huh? What other source is there to tap into?" "I can''t tell you. You have to figure it out yourself. And the best place to do that is the Spirit Pit." Spirit Pit? What the hell is that? "The Spirit Pit is the place on the Demon Continent with the highest concentration of mana. The spirits in that foggy valley will guide you and show you the way. I''m sure you''ll figure it out." Ugh. Fine. Looks like I got another Tenebria riddle to solve. I thought now that she was mortal she can tell me more stuff directly, but she''s evasive as ever. Guess it''s off to the Spirit Pit with me. But before anything else¡­ "Well¡­ I guess this concludes the meeting. But Aria, Claire, before I send you off, there''s something else I need to discuss with you 2? Come with me in my bedroom." "What sort of private talk can this be?" A pillow talk, obviously. More specific¡­ I''m horny and in the mood for a ruler sandwich, fufufu! 103: Double ruler fun ¡°Both of you, strip!¡± Aria, happily obeyed, but Claire was still shy and reluctant. I didn¡¯t manage to properly corrupt her yet. If I wanted, I could ravish her where she stands, but that¡¯s no fun at all. Pleasure isn¡¯t everything. Making a woman¡¯s heart throb is also quite entertaining. ¡°Actually, Claire, let me do it!¡± I removed her clothes slowly. When I took Claire¡¯s clothes off, her huge breasts appeared as if shaking. They were intense even from the top of the clothes, but seeing it raw is different as expected. Furthermore, the nipple is beautifully small even with her incredibly huge breasts. Everything in her body is perfect. *kiss**slurp**kiss* I vigorously kissed Claire¡¯s lips. My arousal increased as I feel her soft lips. I slowly make her sit on the bed and have Aria lay next to her. ¡°This¡­ this isn¡¯t normal¡­¡± ¡°Such a beautiful body¡­ it¡¯s a shame to let it go to waste. Tell me, do you play with yourself often?¡± ¡°On days when I can¡¯t endure I do¡­ HEY! What are you making me say!?¡± ¡°Fufu! Aria, why don¡¯t you help her? Show her how to properly use your hand?¡± ¡°As you wish!¡± I always took the initiative, but watching a show can also be pleasant. After all, it¡¯s been ages since I actually just stood and watched some fap material. Aria reached out to her crotch and stroked it vertically. Not even a thread of pubic hair, it was beautifully shaved and smooth. ¡°Ha, nu~¡± ¡°Can you feel it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way I can¡¯t feel you touch me¡­¡± ¡°Then, feel more!¡± Aria crawled her finger on her, pushing her clit causing it to turn erect. She learned so fast. I bet ever since our pet play Aria masturbates every day. ¡°Au, you¡¯re going on my sensitive spot immediately?¡± ¡°It feels good isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°HaahHaah, Don¡¯t¡­.I¡¯m going crazy. We¡¯re both proud rulers! This¡­ fuuahh¡­¡± ¡°Do you always touch yourself here?¡± ¡°T-that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie, now.¡± Aria pinched her clitoris. ¡°Aaaaaa!?¡± Claire bent backwards and closed her legs tightly. Fuu, so she¡¯s a clit woman. I gave Aria a wink, telling her to keep going. She stimulated the clitoris which was as hard as her nipples. She peeled the skin well and played using her fingers. ¡°Haun~! Don¡¯t peel it!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know about that. It¡¯s clear that you like it!¡± Aria moved her finger up and down quickly, playing the clitoris rhythmically. When she did, Claire rejoiced intensely while raising her buttocks. ¡°Ahn~, I can¡¯t endure any longer. Do I really have to say it? Put it in!¡± Seeing that face, it would be impossible for me to endure. ¡°Aria, stop!¡± Aria removed her hand and just like that left Claire hanging. ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°If you want pleasure, you must give it first.¡± I forcefully grab Claire¡¯s head and burry her face on my crotch. ¡°Mpmh!?¡± ¡°Hurry up and lick it!¡± ¡°¡­Yes¡­¡± Claire¡¯s tongue crawled on my vagina. ¡°nn¡­Women are best after all¡­¡± ¡°*Lick**Lick**Lick**Lick*¡­ Milla this is humiliating¡­ I¡­¡± ¡°Who told you to stop?¡± Claire began to lick again. She knows she can¡¯t disobey me. I can see that her resistance is starting to weaken. Good. She¡¯s getting used to the taste of pussy. She licks it and caresses it with her tongue gently. ¡°Nu, fua¡­You¡¯re quite skilled. My clit got erect immediately! You saw what Aria did to you. Keep going!¡± Using her tongue and finger, she moved the exposed clitoris in a circular manner. ¡°Kiss¡­Kiss it¡­nfua¡­! Kiss my pussy!¡± ¡°Okay. ¡­*kiss*¡± She brought her mouth close and kissed it. My body jerked. ¡°Haahaa¡­It feels good! More¡­More¡­!¡± Because I told her to rush, Claire didn¡¯t just use the tip of her tongue, she used her entire tongue to lick around. The clitoris is inside her mouth and she rinsed it out. ¡°Ku,haaa¡­! Ahn aaaa! Good! It¡¯s good!¡­Claire. More, stronger¡­Stronger¡­!¡± As requested, Claire raised her mouth. Then sucked it vigorously. ¡°*Chuuuuuuuuuuu*!¡± ¡°A,a,aa¡­! It feels gooo¡­ood!¡± ¡°*Suck*, *Lick Lick* *Sluuuuurp*!¡± She sucked it and licked it repeatedly. ¡°C-Claire¡­I¡¯m about to, cum¡­!¡± She wanted to pull her face back, but I didn¡¯t let her. I forced my hands on her head. You¡¯re gonna drink all my fluids! ¡°Haan, Haahaa¡­ C-coming¡­Coming¡­!¡± *Gush* *Guuuuuuuuuush*! A huge amount of tide came splashed Claire. ¡°Ahn, kuha¡­aa-aaa¡­!¡± It gushed out like a fountain a lot of times, and I forced Claire to gobble up as much as possible, but it still overflowed. ¡°Haahaa¡­ that was so refreshing!¡± Claire collapsed on the bed after I let go of her head. But this is far from over. I inserted my small hand into her pussy and started stimulating her. ¡°AaaH! So sudden¡­¡± I also signaled Aria with my other hand. ¡°Wait¡­ no¡­ I don¡¯t want anymore¡­ Mphp~¡± Aria kneeled down and pressed her hands on Claire¡¯s breasts starting to fondle them. But at the same time she covered Claires¡¯ mouth with her pussy. Aria¡¯s hands almost sank into her soft breasts. But she started pinching her nipples and stroking them with vigor. It¡¯s time for a grand trio! ¡°You already recognize that sex feels good. Ready to admit that being with women is the best thing?¡± Her body twitched, but since her mouth was covered she didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Eating pussy, getting your insides ravaged by my hand¡­ all of it felt good¡­Am I wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­not a pervert!¡± Aria did occasionally let her so her moans and words can leak. But as soon she gave any signs of resistance she would immediately force her vagina on her. ¡°What are you getting embarrassed for? From the moment you met me you already knew that the pleasure of sex is the best! ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Why aren¡¯t you being honest even though it feels good? If you don¡¯t get it yet, then¡­¡± ¡°A-ah-aagaa¡­!¡± Normally, I should loosen my fingers, but it won¡¯t be training if I go too soft. I need to break her into yuri. ¡°I-it hurts! It hurts¡­It huuuuuuuuuuuurts! Forcibly¡­opening it¡­and letting it out in this hole¡­! *Guuu*!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ Your mouth is so lewd already¡­ Hyaaa!¡± ¡°Ah, hiii¡­dwont more¡­I¡¯m going crazy¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to let it out! I¡¯m going to give you my piss and love juice!¡± ¡°Aria¡­ No¡­!¡± But it was too late. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m cuuuuuming!!!¡± Aria let out a waterfall of fluids, wetting the bed. For a second I even thought Claire was going to drown. She shed tears as if giving up and when her mouth was free again¡­ ¡°Aaaaaah! Don¡¯t do that! I¡¯m going crazzzzyyyyy! Please no mooooore!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make you feel more!¡± My hands movements intensify. ¡°A, impossible! pleash no more! C-C-cumming¡­aaa,a,aaa!¡± *Jubobobobobo*¡­! A huge amount of nectar came gushing from her pussy. She accumulated quite a considerable amount as it flows vigorously that you would think it was tap water. ¡°Haa¡­haa¡­ I can¡¯t beat you¡­I can never win¡­!¡± ¡°Do you understand?¡± ¡°It¡¯s better for me to become your woman¡­ If so, can you make me feel this good all the time? I¡¯ll be your toilet anytime¡­ I¡¯ve never felt this good in my life!¡± ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll show you all the love you need.¡± After that, she let out a smile. Poor thing. She got tired and fainted. But the result was as predicted. She is now completely converted. Fufu. ¡°Fufu! Hey, Aria, I still have energy left. Why don¡¯t you let me suck on those massive tits?¡± ¡°It would be my pleasure!¡± And so, for that night, I indulged myself over and over in their bodies. 104: The Spirit Pit "Master, we have returned. But we lost Gaav." "It''s his own fault. I warned him not the understimate that child. Him losing his soul is not a waste though. He belongs to the destroyer now." "Master, it wasn''t all in vain. We still managed to cut her body from the source. She can''t use magic anymore. And we also have this!" Glenn the lizardman pulled out the crystal ball with the sealed bluish flames. "Excellent. The flames of Deus EX. At least you''ve earned your keep with this." The blue haired man took the ball and placed it on the altar. "Oh, great beast! Accept this offering. May these flames feed your hunger and help you awaken!" When he said those words the raging blue flames were released from the sphere and were being absorbed in some strange statue similar to a shinese dragon, but different at the same time. The flames were devoured by it''s mouth. And shortly after, a nice powerful earthquake shook the ground. "Ha! Hahaha! The destroyer is pleased. It''s power is nearly restored!" "Does that mean it¡­" "No. It hasn''t fully awakened yet. It still requires more souls. A few more powerful and the cleansing of the world can begin." "Master¡­ what about Milla? She might come after us to get her servants'' soul back." "Leave her to me. Ray. I will soon send you out to claim another soul. Odin Asgardia. The destroyer wishes for her soul also. How are our other members doing?" "The ones in both the human and eleven countries have collected a fair amount, but recently, both rulers have tightened their security." The blue haired man closed his eyes for a few seconds. "I understand. So Milla Walpurgis also has influence over the human and elf realm. Glenn, the destroyer has shown me something interesting just now. Although I don''t know what her plan is, I want you to head the Spirit Pit. Find her, but don''t engage her. I think it''s time I talked to her personally." "With all due respect, master, why do you want her to join our cause so much?" "Because she''s like me. She desires a peaceful world. But her way of thinking is too naive. I''m sure if I open her eyes, she will understand that cleansing this world is the only way for true peace to be achieved. Now go!" "Your will, shall be done!" ------ "How much longer, Odin?" "We should arrive at the Spirit Pit in just a few minutes." "Woof!" As you have guessed, me and Odin were riding Fenrir and were headed towards the Spirit Pit. Since I had no idea where it was located, Odin offered to come with me and show me the way. And I''m glad honestly. Without my magic I didn''t want to go on any trip alone, but at the same time I didn''t want to weaken my forces in my country. Tenebria agreed to take charge while I was gone. Tengu and Felicia made sure the troops were ready at all time. I''m confident that they can defend themselves. We kept going for a while until we finally reached some sort of cliff. And then I could see it. A deep valley covered in dense fog. From above it really does look like a pit. The problem is that I can''t see anything inside. Fog like that¡­ doesn''t seem natural at all. "Okay¡­ so now what? Are we supposed to go in there?" "I''m not sure. Onee-chan, you should know that the spirits can be very moody. Many Mazoku that went in never came out. Some weren''t even able to enter at all." "What''s a spirit anyway?" "It''s hard to explain. The spirit realm is different from magic. I guess you can call them ghosts. Beings that refused to pass on to the afterlife. Instead they gathered here. They have an important role in keeping balance to the world but¡­ more than that is beyond me." "Okay then. Let''s start by trying to get down." We tried descending into the fog. I didn''t seem to have issues, but Odin and Fenrir¡­ something weird happened. Suddenly various ghostly hands emerged from the mist and tried to grab Odin and Fenrir. "What!?" Odin and Fenrir struggled. But they couldn''t touch those ghostly hands. Odin tried to freeze them but that didn''t work either. That''s it. I don''t know how strong those things are, but they can''t be stronger than me. I grabbed Odin''s hand and started to pull her up. Although it was a little struggle, I was right. I was stronger. After a certain point the hands disappeared as if dissolving into the air. I did the same with Fenrir. Phew. That was close. "Onee-chan¡­ it seems we can''t go in. But you on the other hand¡­ they don''t seem to have anything against you." "Do you mean I have to go in alone?" "I''m afraid so. But I''m sure you will be okay. Lady Tenebria wouldn''t have suggested this if she didn''t believe in you. We''ll wait here for you." "I guess. Okay then. I''m going. Cannonball!" I pretend that the fog was water, took a big leap and did a cannonball dive in it. I didn''t feel any resistance. Now let''s see what''s in here. ------ After Milla finally left, Odin let out a breath of relief. She started to pat Fenrir. "She should be safe now boy." She then turned her head around. "How long do you plan to keep hiding there? Come out!" From the shadows, a figure appeared. And that figure was none other than the league of shadows'' member, the elf named Ray. "Now this is a surprise. I must praise your senses. I didn''t think you would notice me." "If you plan on going after onee-chan, you won''t get pass me." "Hmph. Although Milla is an important target, she isn''t my target. My target is you, lady Odin. I have come to collect your soul." "You chose the wrong Demon King to mess with! I will freeze you to the bone!" "Hahaha. We''ll see how long you can keep that up when you experience the power of the Oroboros!" 105: Milla and the mastermind "Master, I have located lady Milla. She has jumped into the Spirit Pit. Lady Odin was intercepted by Ray. What shall I do now? No matter how I try, the spirits assault me each time I get close." "Fool. The spirits will never allow you to get in. Consider yourself lucky that the Oroboros protected you. Just stay were you are. You still have the jewel I gave you?" "Yes." "Then throw it in the pit. I''ll handle the rest. The destroyer has granted me even more power since I fed him the blue flames of destruction. I can handle the spirits." "Very well." Glenn pulled out of his pocket a purple yellow jewel in the shape of a tear drop, and as instructed he threw it in the pit. "Oh, great destroyer, grant me a soul capable to carry out my biding!" The jewel shined like crazy, and a magic circle appeared on the ground. From it, a holy knight appeared. A beautiful white and radiant heavy armor and holy sword. However, the face which wasn''t covered by any helmet was that of a sabertooth tiger. "Onward, my warrior. Find Milla." ------ Note to self. Never do a cannonball in anything other than water. My butt stings from that landing. Why did I think it was a good idea in the first place? Anyway, now that I''m here, what am I supposed to look for anyway? I can barely see my own nose in this fog. *This way* "Who''s there?" *Come this way* Are these the so called spirits? Are they trying to guide me? *You wish to stop the destroyer. The destroyer is a threat to all living things. This way* I must be crazy to follow a random voice, but I don''t have any other lead right now. How long have I been walking? I would say almost an hour, but without the sun or any view point it''s hard to say. But after a while something finally happened. All the fog dissipated at once. And I was surprised. I was sitting in a room similar to some sort of castle. *Welcome. This is a realistic illusion created by us. Inside these walls it''s easier to talk. What do you desire?* "Umm¡­ I was told that you guys could help me. My magic was cut off from the source and¡­ well, do you know another source I could tap into?" *Dangerous. What you seek¡­ is far more dangerous than the destroyer himself. You are speaking about the Nightmare King* Tenebria did mention him. I guess this was her plan. If I can''t borrow power from the gods anymore, I need to use an even older source. "Yeah. Is there a way?" *Dangerous. Too risky. Even if the Nightmare King agrees to lend you his powers, if you can''t control it, the world will be covered in darkness.* "Hey, I don''t know who you guys are or who you take me for. But I am the Demon King of Insanity, Milla Walpurgis. I am the one that makes the impossible possible. This isn''t the first time I done something crazy." *She has a point¡­ It is insane, but she pulled it off before* What are these guys talking about? What did I pull off? *Insane. Truly insane. The Nightmare King might as well devour her rather than helping. Wait¡­ what if she had a teacher. Not just the path. Reckless. We would be meddling with the balance of the world if we did that. But the gods won''t interfere down here. Especially after her last display. They might be scared of her. ¡­ Very well. Milla Walpurgis, we will provide a way for you* Great. I have no Idea what they were talking about, but if they plan on helping me, that''s all I care about. *Warning. Dangerous presence is approaching. We can''t stop it. Stall or keep it busy until we can work our magic* "Huh?" In the next moment a crack was made in the wall. Some sort of paladin with a sabertooth tiger face walked in. Darn it. Those glowing eyes. I recognize that power. It''s the league of shadows. They followed me all the way here? Dang¡­ and his sword¡­ My demon eyes were instinctively drawn to it. I''ve never seen anything like that. It''s a holy sword on the level of an ancient relic. I may be part dragon, but I''m also still part Mazoku. That thing is scary. It can seriously damage me. Just what the hell is this guy? I entered a combat stance, but the knight didn''t attack me. Instead he thrust his sword into the ground. A magic circle formed in that spot and a voice spoke out to me. "No need to be alarmed. It is an honour to finally meet you, lady Milla." "Who the hell are you?" "Allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is Kyron. I am what you would refer to as the leader of the league of shadows." "Hou? And what do you all want from me?" "I want the same thing you want. World peace. I am sorry if my companions caused you trouble, but please hear me out." The voices told me to stall. So I guess I will play along for now. "You were probably misinformed about the destroyer. You don''t know his true purpose." "His true purpose? I know enough." I started to tell him the story that Tenebria told me. How he was sealed because of his twisted vision of balance. But he only laughed. "That story is false. It is true that the destroyer was sealed, but only because he had a just vision. A vision that God wasn''t ready to accept. Listen, Milla. I will tell you a story. I will show you what happened 10000 years ago. You may think that life started 5-6000 years ago along the races and your founder. But life started 10000 years ago. It''s time to see the true nature of the world." A bright light flashed before my eyes. When I opened them, I was like a ghost. My body was transparent. And what I saw before me¡­ a truly beautiful landscape. A mighty city like you would see in ancient Greece, but at the same time in perfect harmony with nature. It was a coastal city, with rivers running all across it. "This is the very first city of the mortal races. The ancient city of Venovia. And this¡­ is its tragedy." 106: The Oroboros test It was a peaceful city in which harvests were copious, there was no greed, no hate or vanity. People lived in harmony with the land and the Spirits. And the king of that land, was me. I had everything a man could ask for. A wife, my beautiful Fiona, and a lovely daughter Carina. Life truly felt like a paradise. However, those peaceful days didn''t last for long. One day, a volcano erupted. The smoke covered the sun and various rocks fell like meteors from the eruption. When things settled down, we noticed the stones weren''t just rocks. The Oroboros was born. It was a treasure granted to us by the Earth itself: anyone would''ve thought so. Why? Because we could use it for energy, medications and industrial products. It was a miraculous material. Because of it, Venovia evolved in very quick manner, becoming even more advanced than civilizations today. However, I didn''t notice something: the people''s hearts were slowly beginning to become corrupt. Desire, greed for wealth and power. A world full of useful material has caused the people to forget to be thankful to the land, the spirits and the gods. They have traded their gratitude for commodities. There are no crueler living beings than the races. Thieves, war, the desire for more power surfaced on people. Humans, Mazoku, elves¡­ the races that once lived in harmony started to view everyone else as an enemy. Even my own family didn''t escape. One day, I heard a scream from my bedroom. And when I rushed I could only see my wife with a bloody dagger and our daughter lying in a blood puddle. She killed her. Out of jelousy. She said she occupied a place in my heart that should belong to her. I almost sunk into despair myself. I had no choice but to kill my wife. Confused, I heard a voice. The voice of the destroyer. It''s when I understood everything: the Oroboros wasn''t a miraculous material. It was an extension of the destroyer''s power. A test, to see if the mortals of this world are worthy. A test we failed. The mortals on this planet were a mistake created by the gods. The destroyer contacted me. I was about to become the Messiah of the new world. For my sense of justice was similar to the destroyer. Mortals would end up destroying themselves. All they do is take take take from this world to satisfy their greed. They must be stopped before they turn this planet into a desert. And so, I was tasked with reviving the destroyer and purging the Earth of mortals to restore Paradise. Of course, not all mortals. Destroy the corrupt ones and create a new world of perfect beings. However, the gods stopped my attempt to awaken the destroyer back then by causing a tsunami and swallowing Venovia. But the destroyer has granted me a gift. Age immortality. Since that they I haven''t aged a bit. So I waited 10000 years, collecting souls for the destroyer. I was also observing the mortals but the result is the same: they keep on being corrupt and I must purge this world. ------ Another light flashed before my eyes. I was now back in the castle facing the sabertooth tiger like before. Everything looked so real. "Do you understand now, lady Milla? The destroyer isn''t evil. Mortals are." "You got guts to say that. Look, I''m sorry for what happened to you, but that doesn''t give you the right to simply kill everyone. You should have tried other ways to¡­" "Over the years I learned that there is no other way. You say you want to achieve peace too, but do you really think you will succeed? Rule by fear, so that nobody would dare oppose you? Rule them by kindness so that people will love you? As long as people remember the darkness in their hearts, their greed, their desire for wealth and power... there will always be those who can''t see the picture. Rebels, assassination plots¡­ There will always be those that are unable to accept what can be. They will resist." "You think this story will actually end the way you want it? You''ll be nothing but a murderer." "The hardest choices require the strongest will. I have prepared myself. The life that shall be born after destruction is the future I seek. A grateful world. Milla, I ask you once more. Won''t you join my cause and stand beside me?" "Sorry. But pass. You think too little of mortals. We''re the ones that build the future every day. Not you. I''ll stop you here and now!" "I see. Such a shame. Very well. I gave you a fair chance. There is nothing more to discuss then. Holy champion of Venovia. Kill Milla Walpurgis and bring me her soul!" The sabertooth knight pulled the sword out of the ground and let out a powerful roar. It''s finally time. But I''m more determined now than ever. You think you''ll destroy everything I worked so hard to achieve? Destroy my loved ones? If you love destruction so much then I''ll grant it to you. I''ll destroy you! The knight charged at me with the powerful holy sword. Although I admit it''s dangerous, it''s meaningless if you can''t hit me. He made a big horizontal slash, which I easily dodge. I put a lot of force in my fist and punch him straight in the head. A powerful shockwave was generated and his head was blown away. Blood splattered everywhere. "So weak. Is that really all you got?" But in the next moment a magic circle formed over his body and his head regenerated. Oof. Me and my big mouth. If this thing has an ability similar to my Phoenix Ressurection then it will be hard to deal with. "Triple Slash!" The knight once again let loose a skill. This skill is similar to the one Ren used to have. But it''s superior and way more polished. Wait. Something isn''t right. I managed to dodge all slashes but I end up jumping back and taking some distance. This guy¡­ was he toying with me before? He''s faster now. I quickly grab my orichalcum sword and meet his charge with my own. "Heyaa!" I slash his arm right off and then quickly spin around and stab his chest. But after I took some distance again, the same thing happened. The magic circle forming at his feet completely restored him. What''s more¡­ *Clash**Bang* Dam. His strikes became heavier and once again he was faster. Don''t tell me each time I kill him he improves in his weak areas and becomes stronger!? If that''s the case even if I use something like Unlimited Sword Strikes, unless I can vaporize his whole body, he''ll just keep coming back. And that holy sword is getting to close for comfort. I can''t afford to take a hit by that. Think Milla, think! How can I handle this guy without magic? 107: Odin vs Ray part 1 "Dome of Oroboros, come forth!" As Ray said those words, the stone on his ring shined brightly and the dome wrapped around him and Odin. Fenrir was pushed outside by the walls. No matter how much he scratched it, he couldn''t get in. "It''s okay boy. Calm down. I''ll defeat this creap." "Big words. But I am different from the other guys. Unlike the rest who keep summoning warriors to fight for them, in my case¡­ I become the ultimate warrior!" Once again, the ring shined and Ray was covered with a thick black armour. "That is¡­" "So you noticed. Yes. This is Lord Ornis''s battle armour. I made a deal with Gaav after he took his soul. Your powers will be mine soon." "Weren''t you after my soul?" "Hehe. That''s what our master wants. But I want something different. Elves were always looked down upon when it came to strength. But the Oroboros changed that for me. It gave me a power like none other. The ability, Plunderer! Simply put, once an opponent loses to me, I can steal their special abilities and powers. Their magic knowledge, their swordsmanship, you name it. Which makes you the perfect target." "And why is that?" "Because you''re like me. Everyone knows you''re a battle maniac. The thrill of a fight; there''s nothing better than the adrenaline that builds up. We all have been warned that lady Milla is strong. That means the warriors around her will also grow stronger. Like you. They¡­ you... will copy, or more precise steal the way Milla fights and surely that will give birth to even stronger people by incorporating that. Such evolution of battle will create even stronger warriors. The cycle of stealing is perpetual." "Why do you seek strength?" "Do you need reason to want power? This world exist for the strong¡¯s sake. And after the grand purging, the strong will be needed to build the new Paradise. The weak exist to be their food. And then there is no limit to the evolution of strength!" I see. I won''t deny that there was a point when I had a similar mentality as him. But that changed when I met onee-chan. She showed me that power isn''t everything. There are equally important stuff out there in this world. Against someone with a shallow conviction like his¡­ I won''t lose. "Come forth, Nidhogg!" The serpent with a dragon head, Nidhogg, would automatically detect a target that could threaten its master and attacked back. But Ray immediately increased his speed. It almost seemed like he had thrusters in his metal boots as he closed the distance in an instant and landed a powerful kick in Odin''s stomach. "GUOAaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The dreadful impact sent Odin flying and pushed her straight into the dome''s wall. "Come on! Is that all there is to you? Where''s your famous strength?" Odin quickly raised to her feet once again. Her expression didn''t change. "There''s one thing I need to teach you. You judge me by my power. You can''t judge someone''s worth by power alone. But by how they decide to live their life!" Ray pulled out the ancient relic Xyphos which was also in his possession now and sliced through Nidhogg who was charging at him at great speed. He completely crushed the ice dragon. Normally an ancient relic can''t be wielded if the person isn''t worthy, but because of the Oroboros, that condition was bypassed and the sword was suppressed. "So much for your guardian¡­ eh!?" The blue light of magic power flowing through Odin''s body increased in strength. At that instant, her figure vanished. The rubble below Odin¡¯s feet burst out, and a small crater was formed "!?" Ray lost sight of Odin¡¯s figure for a moment. It was something impossible. In the last hundreds of years since he joined the league of shadows he had never lost sight of his enemy. ¡®So a formidable enemy after so long huh¡¯©¤©¤when Ray whispered that inside his heart, he sensed a terrifying presence from diagonally behind him. A threat at the level that made him feel a chill. A danger at the level that made his spine shudder. An opponent of such a level was right behind him. "HAAA!" This time it was Ray that was sent flying in the air and crashed into the dome''s wall. "Hehehe! Marvelous! Let''s see how you handle this sure kill attack! Apocalypse strike!" It was the special ability of the ancient relic Xyphos. However, Odin manifested her own weapon in her hand. Her strongest armament - Gungnir. Odin readied her Gungnir and kicked on the ground. She rushed out as though vanishing from her spot. The explosion caused by Apocalypse strike hit nothing. "!? ©¤©¤Gah" Ray¡¯s body was flying from a corner of the 1 kilometer wide dome to the opposite corner. It was just a strike with the blunt part of her spear. Ray¡¯s body crashed into the dome¡¯s wall with an acceleration that could blow away one¡¯s consciousness. The shockwave that was produced instantaneously blew away all the rubble. "UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Odin dashed in order to attack further. I¡¯ll finish this in one go! But Ray¡¯s eyes stared at the approaching figure and he grinned. He lifted his body from the ground as though he wasn¡¯t damaged at all. In his hand he still had the ancient relic Xyphos. "This is as far as you go!" Ray thrust the strongest sword in existence towards Odin. The distance was enough to pierce her. A deep bloody red light cut apart the space and lengthened as though it was being sucked into Odin¡¯s chest. The moment that radiance was about to reach, Odin kicked on the ground and tried using Gungnir as a shield. The ground was cracked and lifted up. In exchange of that destructive energy, Odin¡¯s body was pushed to the side. She dodged the tip of Xyphos in a hair¡¯s breadth. However¡­ Xyphos stabbed into Odin¡¯s chest. Wha-!! What happened!? Odin was blown away to the opposite side of the dome once more while thinking with her chaotic mind. She should have dodged it without any doubt even though it was just for a hair¡¯s breadth. But she was still stabbed by that sword. "Hahaha! Don''t feel too bad about yourself! Ornis never managed to use this sword at its'' full potential." The reason why the sword is known as a sure kill is because if forced, it can literally pierce space itself and connect to whatever it wants to target. That was the power of Xyphos. Odin¡¯s body collided on the ground and she bounced several times while raising dust and sand violently from her rolling. And then she stopped just before the dome¡¯s wall. My wound is not really bad. I still have time to react and... But Xyphos once again split the air. The sword was flying straight towards her. Ray wasn¡¯t charging forward with it. He threw it from where he stood. No matter what kind of person, they wouldn¡¯t be able to escape from Xyphos¡¯s law breaking ability. The next moment, the cursed sword raised a horrible sound and pierced Odin all the way through. "Hah! It was fun while it lasted. But it''s over. Your power is mine, and your soul belongs to the Oroboros now!" But the dome didn''t shrink like it did when it took Gaav''s soul. After a few seconds Ray started to poke his ring. "What''s up with this thing? Is it broken?" In that moment a hand was placed on Ray''s shoulder. When he turned around, it was none other than Odin. "That''s¡­ you''re¡­ impossible!" When he looked again at the body near the edge of the dome, the body that was pierced by Xyphos was nothing more than an ice sculpture. Odin''s Gungnir started spinning like a giant drill. She thrust her spear straight into Ray''s stomach. "Aaargh! I¡­ I won''t lose like this!!" Ornis''s armour was strong, but the piercing power of Gungnir was far superior. But Ray did have enough time to break free and take some distance. His wound wasn''t deep enough to be fatal. "Bitch! It seems I underestimated you. But play time is over!" "Bring it on!" 108: Odin vs Ray part 2 "More¡­ More¡­ show me more of your strength! Why aren''t you enjoying this?" "I found other ways to entertain myself. Not just through meaningless fights." "Meaningless you say? Let''s see how you feel about my sword!" "That sword might be powerful, but you will never be able to use it like it''s original owner! DEEEYAA!" The two clashed right in the middle of the dome. Odin didn¡¯t show the slightest sign of impatience inside her heart. She brandished her spinning spear and swung it down diagonally. Ray barely managed to block it. "©¤©¤!!" As though to thrust even more despair at Ray who changed his expression, Odin stabbed the right arm holding the Xyphos. Ray¡¯s right arm was easily separated from his body. Ray who was laughing like a maniac up till now was put in disorder. And then he was staring at his arm dancing in the air with disbelieving eyes. Odin reversed the tip of the spear she swung up and swung it down at the defenseless left arm of Ray. "Ga©¤©¤" The right arm fell on the ground, followed by the left arm slightly later. It was a magnificent offense that almost made one believe that Gungnir was a sword instead of a spear. Everything happened in only the blink of an eye. "¡­¡­aAaAAAAaAuUaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?" Ray raised a never before heard scream. Surely Ray hadn¡¯t been injured this deeply for a long while. It looked his mind couldn¡¯t catch up with dealing against the unexpected damage. Now is the time if I¡¯m going to deal him the finishing blow. Odin pointed the tip of her spear at Ray¡¯s chest. "HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" But just when she was about to pierce his chest, Odin¡¯s instinct told her of the danger. "UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Along with Ray¡¯s shriek, 7 floating jewels suddenly appeared behind him and fired several streaks of light. The lines of light split further at midair, bent, becoming several hundred streaks of light that rained down straight on Odin. "[Ice Shell]!" Odin quickly wrapped herself in an ice shell similar to a turtle shell. All the beams collided with her defence. "Guh¡­¡­!" The shell that was protecting Odin''s¡¯s body was smashed. The destructive power passed through Odin''s¡¯s body but thankfully she managed to mitigate the damage. It wasn''t lethal. "aAAAAAH¡­¡­Kuh!" An impact that felt like it was making her internal organs into pulp attacked Odin. "Fufufu, you actually made me use this ability! Marvelous! This is my most prized plundered ability!" "So you still have that kind of trump card left¡­¡­" "Yes, the Falling Stars©¤©¤An ability taken from a monster. The Flying Serpent. The Flying Serpent is a rare monster, surrounded by 7 jewels like this. I encountered such a monster and took its power. These jewels automatically discover the enemy and shoot them down. It will sweep away all the enemies. You never had any chance of winning!" I was able to barely defend against those lasers. Who would have thought that after losing his arms he can still act like that¡­ "Hou!? You can still stand?" Onee-chan¡­ I''m going to use what we developed together. From here on¡­ there''s no turning back! "[Full Burst]!" As soon as Odin said that a ridiculous amount of magic power was released. The ground inside the dome froze completely. Even the air itself felt like it could freeze. "No matter what you try, you won''t escape my lights! Perish!" Once again lights fired from the 7 jewels and split into many streaks, all headed towards Odin. "UOOOO!!" Alongside her battle cry, the speed that Gungnir was spinning increased drastically to the point that the cold air generated a tornado around Odin. When the lasers wanted to pierce through it would have appeared that light itself froze in midair. But more and more beams kept coming towards her. Even with her new defense she couldn¡¯t absorb all the impact. She was still being hit. It was an intense pain as though her nerves were directly caressed. She gritted her teeth against that pain and endured it with all her will. Don¡¯t falter. This pain means nothing compared to the thought of making onee-chan sad if I fall here! Odin put strength into the tips of her toes and pushed back the pressure of light with her spear. And then she advanced for a step, then one more step. Step after step. If she collapsed, she would betray Milla who believed in her. They trained together for just such occasions. To never make the other sad. "This can''t be¡­" "You''re nothing more than a cheap copy. You take others'' powers, but you don''t take their skills. The original owners would use those abilities in a far superior manner. You never took the time to master any of those abilities, and that will be your downfall!" "Why¡­ why won''t you fall?" "UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Odin managed to push through and circle behind Ray. She slashed downwards unleashing a torrent of ice, completely freezing the 7 crystals and Ray''s legs. "No way¡­ I can''t¡­ be defeated¡­" "With this©¤©¤" Odin took a stance and the Gungnir was shining brightly emitting red sparks. "It¡¯s over!! [Gungnir]! She threw her spear at a tremendous speed, and it completely pierced Ray''s body. Moreover, it caused an explosion on the level of a nuclear blast. The dome managed to withstand the impact. But after the explosion, the dome shrank. And it covered Ray''s body completely, taking his soul in the process. As for Odin, she was heavily wobbling and panting. Fenrir hurried to support his master. *Whimper* "It''s okay boy. I''m alright. I''m just tired. Full Burst is a technique that releases all my power at once, allowing me to achieve great freezing power and enhancing Gungnir''s strike. However, onee-chan''s flames are still too hot for me. Out of our 50 sparing matches, I lost 49. The one time I actually won was when onee-chan was during her period and was feeling¡­ weird. But honestly, these guys are no joke. If after a fight like this¡­ this is how you end up when you win¡­ I can''t imagine what it means to lose." "Woof!" "You''re right boy. I won and that''s all that matters. I''m just going to need some rest now. Let''s hope Milla also found what she was looking for and will return to us soon. She''s been down there for quite some time, but if there''s one thing I know, no matter what challenge awaits her, there''s nothing Milla can''t do!" 109: The Future sure looks weird "Pant¡­ pant¡­" Not good. I''m seriously getting tired here. No matter how many times I kill this sabertooth paladin, he just keeps spawning back. And what''s worse, he just keeps getting stronger. His speed and strength are almost on par with mine now. He doesn''t seem to get tired either. Even when I try separating that sword from him, it just comes back in his hand. It''s almost like this guy is a jedi knight. What¡­ what can I do? How am I supposed to beat this thing? I never felt hopeless in any situation. No matter how insane, I always had some kind of plan. But for the first time I don''t know what to do. *Summoning complete* I heard the spirits'' voice again. But in the same moment the paladin charged furiously at me. Should I really use Unlimited Sword Strikes? Or maybe Berserker Mode, since that uses life force instead of mana. No, it''s still technically magic so I can''t activate it. Or¡­ "Duck!" I heard a voice coming from behind me. And I also suddenly felt a monstrous aura. Instinctively I followed it''s advice and crouched down. A fireball was fired from behind. It avoided me by paper thin difference, but it hit the paladin right in the stomach and sent him flying all the way to the other side of this castles'' wall. "Yare yare. How troublesome. And here I was wondering why the spirits would call for me." I turned around. And there, near what seemed to be a staircase is where I saw her. A woman. Not just any woman. A beautiful young girl that let out a cute smile once she saw me. She had long orange hair and orange eyes. Almost the same shade as me when I use One with the Sun. She had a pair of bright red horns. Her ears were similar to elves, but at the same time they also looked like miniature bat wings. Her dress looks almost as fancy as the ones Claire uses. An extravagant red dress with white accents that you see in royalty. Her breasts were covered but even so her chest was big. Her stockings were torn as if coming out of a battle though. She wore beautiful silk gloves that went all the way over her elbow. She also had high heels and a pair of beautiful stockings. And she was carrying a freaking huge sword. A dragon head as its hilt that gave the impression of spitting the blade out. "This brings back so many memories¡­" What''s she talking about? I wanted to say something, but I didn''t have time. "Roooaaar!" The paladin was once again on his feet. "Hmm? Now this is interesting. You have a really strange power there." "Be careful! Killing it only makes it stronger! And that''s a holy sword!" The sabertooth man jumped and charged at the mysterious woman. "Crescent moon slash!" He unleashed a powerful skill, but the woman didn''t dodge at all. A powerful impact was produced. The woman blocked the sword with her index finger. "Holy sword? Please¡­ this is nothing more than a toothpick." Dang. Have I met her before? Something about her feels just so familiar, put I can''t put my finger on it. The woman covers her free hand in a malicious aura and pierces his body. "[Raksha Inferno]!" As soon as she said that, it was like his body was being sucked dry. The dark energy around her hand increased causing an explosion and scattering the paladin, leaving no trace behind. I quickly looked around left and right in a panicked manner. "No need to worry. I erased his soul along with his origin. He''s not coming back." She takes a few steps closer to me. I can''t help but feel a little regret in her eyes. After scanning me, she starts scratching her head. "Let me guess. Tenebria put you up to this." "Yeah¡­ umm¡­ look, I really appreciate your help but¡­ who are you?" "Can''t you tell? Well I guess I should do a formal introduction. I am the Dragon Empress, Milla Walpurgis. Ruler of all the Mazoku" "Huh!? Is this some kind of joke?" "Fufu. Not at all. I''m you. 1000 years in the future, that is." I almost collapsed when I heard that. Things are evolving too fast. I can''t process all this information. Slow down! "Wait, if you are me then prove it! What number am I thinking of right now between 1 and 1 million!!" "Firstly¡­ how is that supposed to prove anything? Secondly¡­ you''re not thinking of a number. You''re thinking of boobs right now." Eek. Yup¡­ well¡­ she''s me alright¡­ "I''m you. The human Ryusei Homura reincarnated as Milla Walpurgis." "But I''m a loli and you''re a grown up. You don''t even have my crimson hair and eye." "I can understand your confusion. But what can I say. Shit happens in the future." "And seriously, Empress? What happened to Demon King of Insanity?" "I got a promotion. The whole demon continent is under my command now. And I would appreciate if you stop with the questions already. There''s only so little I can tell you after all." O¡­ kay. For now I tried to calm down. I took in deep breaths. For starters, I thought I was going to be a loli forever. Second, I never planned on ruling anything other than my own territory. It doesn''t feel like me at all. Just what the hell happened in the future? I guess for now I should try to stick to the main topic until my brain processes everything. Talking to¡­ myself¡­ feels weird. I started to explain what happened. How I came here in search for a way to use magic again. She listened and nodded. After I finished she let out a long sigh¡­ "Tenebria is still as extreme as ever. And these spirits are also quite resourceful. So basically, you want me to teach you how to use the Nightmare Kings'' power." "I don''t get it. If you are me, how can you teach me, since I don''t know it from the beginning. Doesn''t that mean you shouldn''t know it either?" "Seriously!? You want to start a time paradox debate with me? The flow of time is complicated. Just be content that I know." "So¡­ are you going to teach me then?" "Teach you what?" I almost fell again. What the fuck? I know sometimes I can have a weird sense of humour, but this isn''t the time for jokes. "Are you retarded!?" "Oh my. Did it happen again? Sorry, but I occasionally suffer from short term memory loss." "What are you, Dory? I don''t think I''m looking forward to the future anymore. The Nightmare Kings'' power. You said you can teach me." "Oh, that. Yes, I can, although I would rather not do it. The Nightmare King is the absolute form of destruction. It''s darkness itself. Casting a spell takes a serious amount of focus. And if by chance you can''t control it, the consequences might be catastrophic. One spell in particular, if you fail to control it will destroy the whole planet." *Gulp* "I¡­ don''t think I have much of a choice. The mortals are going to be destroyed anyway if I can''t fight." "Very well. Then let''s get started. The amount of time the spirits can keep me here is limited. Now then, listen carefully and then forget everything I will tell you." "Eh?" "You don''t have to memorize what I will tell you. Listen, but don''t listen too deeply. Think about it, then immediately forget it. Let it flow in one ear and then let it exit out the other. You''ll know it, but you won''t know it, alright?" "Hey, now just wait a second¡­" "Looks like you''re ready, so here I go!" Waxford Original source for pic used: https://chan.sankakucomplex.com/post/show/1314284 110: The Nightmare Kings’ power "Master, why did you force teleport me back? Lady Odin was weakened from her fight with Ray. I could have captured her soul." "I couldn''t take that risk. My warrior in the Spirit Pit was defeated. That shouldn''t have been possible. I don''t know what that did, but I felt a very powerful force in there. So the destroyer asked me to change the strategy." Kyron got close to Glenn, and then he pierced his chest with his palm. "Guaaah!!! Master¡­ what¡­" "No hard feelings, Glenn. You have been a faithful servant, but the destroyer requires one more powerful soul for the next phase. And your soul is the safest bet. Ki" The light of the Oroboros started to envelope Glenn, leaving him lifeless. Then, Kyron once again faced the altar. "Oh, great destroyer, I have completed your request. Now, unleash your might!" A violent purple tornado emerged from the altar and engulfed Kyron. "AaaaAAAaaaa!!!!" Kyron let out a painful scream when he was struck by the tornado, followed shortly by a maniac laugh. "Ha¡­ Hahhahaha!!!" ------ Ugh¡­ what just happened? How¡­ long did I space out for? "Oh good! It seems you''re back." "What the hell did you just do to me?" "What are you talking about?" "Seriously!? Not this again!" "Oh my. I guess it happened again." I really don''t want to imagine ever becoming like this airhead. I don''t wanna become a Dory. "You just said all sort of gibberish words. I didn''t understand a thing!" "Oh yeah! Good. That means you learned it." "I''m just about at the limit of my patience here." In that moment when I got angry, small pitch black lightning sparks were emitted from my hands. "What¡­?" "Do you get it now? You learned it. Let me explain. The Nightmare Kings'' power is different. Most magic puts pressure on the body. But, for this magic, the pressure is put on the brain. You become the Nightmare Kings'' vessel. You summon him in your body to be able to use his power. Why do you think I suffer from short term memory loss? It''s from the strain. However, there is a small workaround. Clear Mind. It''s something only someone with our photographic memory can do. You basically take a picture of the information, and lock it into a portion of the brain you don''t have access to. But it''s still there. Subconsciously you can access the knowledge, but since you aren''t directly thinking of the spell, the Nightmare King won''t take control of your body. It''s the art of knowing without knowing. This way, the pressure put on the brain is somewhat manageable. That''s what I did to you. Everything I said¡­ I was force feeding your brain the knowledge needed to call upon the Nightmare Kings'' power. It has no element, but at the same time it isn''t non-elemental either." Okay... I think I get what she means. It has a weird sense though. I don''t know how, but I feel I can use this power. "I still can''t believe you''re me though. How can you even time travel? Won''t the Gods interfere?" "Don''t worry. Although it is a form of time travel it was done with summoning magic. Besides, the spirits know the Gods won''t mess with me. I surpassed all of them years ago. To make it easier to understand, they''re afraid of me. But it''s their fault I had to scare them. After all, in they future they don''t¡­" "Don''t what?" "I can''t tell you. I almost let out a spoiler. I told you, there''s a limit on what I can reveal. I really don''t need the Almighty One on my head now." "Won''t I get stronger than him?" "I lost to him at arm wrestling when we made a friendly bet. Take that as you will. And I thought I told you not to ask many questions." "What''s with that crazy dragon sword? Is that made by Lorina? What''s up with the dragon head? I thought mom was the last dragon." "Fufu. You''re me after all. I guess putting a lid on your mouth won''t work. True. It was forged by Lorina. I can''t tell you it''s name or origin though. But I can tell you, that the dragon species has been saved and a few have resurfaced in the future. After all, I rule them all. And this sword is the most powerful weapon in existence." I looked once again at the other me. It does look like she can do all sorts of insane stuff. There was so much more I wanted to ask, but I noticed her body starting to become ghostly. "Darn it. It seems the spirits can''t keep me here much longer." "Wait! Do you know by chance where this Kyron guy is hiding? If so, please tell me! I''m tired of his attacks. I want to take the battle to him!" "Yeah. I know where he is. I saw the place when I crushed that things'' soul." She touched my forehead with her index finger and with memory link she transferred the coordinates to me. Seems this guy is located on a crescent moon island between the demon continent and the mainland. "One last warning. ''That'' one spell. Only use it if there is no other choice. It''s the only spell that requires a chant, but if you lose control of it, the world will be engulfed in eternal darkness. Try to beat your enemy as fast as possible to avoid using the Nightmare Kings'' power for prolonged durations. And also¡­ enjoy these days Milla. This time period¡­ will truly be the most beautiful period of your life." "What are you¡­" But before I got the chance to finish my sentence she vanished in light particles. What did she mean by that? This time will be the most beautiful? I was grateful for her teaching me this power, although I''m a bit confused about how to use it. But I guess in a fight I can make it trigger. Given her warning, this isn''t something I should practice with either. The castle also started to disappear. I was surrounded by fog again. Thankfully the spirits showed me the way out. At least now I know where this Kyron dude is. I can take the fight to him. ------ Once I got back up I immediately wanted to tell Odin about what happened, but I found her in a wounded state. I quickly gave her a bottle of Phoenix Tears. I''m glad I still have a stock of these. "Onee-chan¡­ you have a different aura around you. It''s more sinister than usual¡­" "Yeah. I still need practice with this. But this power... I need it right now. Odin, let''s head back for now. I want to have another meeting with everyone. I know where to find the culprit behind this. I''m done with all these attacks. I won''t be his prey any longer. This time, we will be the ones doing the attacking!" 111: Back to the future "HAAAA!" A beautiful woman with distinctive tanned skin and short blonde hair covering one of her pink eyes was engaged in battle. Like many women, she possesses a mature, voluptuous figure, accented by large breasts. She is very muscular yet still beautiful and has no unnecessary fat, so her body is firm and tight. She is wearing a white metal uniform revealing most of her body, consisting of a short skirt and long boots that put an emphasis on her muscular legs, finger-less gloves that extend to her forearms, and a small cheast piece similar to a sleeveless blazer that has its hem cut off at the center of her bust, exposing the bottom half of her large breasts and her midriff. She was wielding a large dual sided white axe with golden blades. "[Rock Avalanche]!" Giant rocks flew with the speed of bullets, but her enemy felt unfazed. It was almost like the rocks passed through him like a ghost. An enemy that had no armour. Just a glowing entity. The magic emitted from him is anything but ordinary. "You have impressive power for a mortal, but against me it''s useless." "Who are you?" "Me? I am the heavenly divine law enforcer God Hestellion. I have no quarrel with you or your people. But they did get in my way. My goal is simple. Milla Walpurgis." "That''s weird. From what I know Her Majesty has come to friendly terms with the Gods." "Friendly terms? Preposterous! She is such an absurd being, yet the Gods indulge her. That is most likely due to fear, not out of respect. But I, a member of the law enforcers, have been granted the power of several Gods. Now, I would appreciate it if you call her here." "I refuse!" "Such a choice doesn''t exist." Hestellion slowly started to walk towards the woman, slowly. But, an ominous flame was suddenly directed towards him. "Hmm? You guys still don''t get it? I am magic itself. I order you, extinguish yourself!" He attempts ordering the magic, but the flames didn''t disappear and hit him fully. "Aaargh! To inflict damage on me¡­ how¡­?" "Sorry. But my magic is like me. It doesn''t like taking orders from anyone." "Your Majesty!" The female warrior quickly took a knee and bowed her head. "Raise your head Aldea. You did well. I''m proud of you, but I''m in a good mood right now, so I''ll take it from here." This woman is my current military commander. A girl Odin and Persia both picked up and raised together. And each day I can''t help but say how great of a job they did, raising such a fine woman. At first, it was tricky to make her comfortable with me, but after a night in bed with me, her loyalty was increased 1000%. "So, you are the so called Dragon Empress. You will pay for all your sins!" "Why can''t you understand that I have a friendly relationship with the Gods? How many times do I have to teach you guys this lesson?" "Hah! Even now I sense that you broke the natural order. You were engaged in time travel! Such acts can not be left unpunished!" True. I just came back from that trip down memory lane. I guess I should thank the spirits for teleporting me right here. Aldea would have had a hard time against him. But these guys are so annoying to deal with. I have more pressing matters. But, what can I say. "You shall not run amok anymore. You¡­" Before he could finish his sentence I pierce his chest with my sword. "Haha. Fool. You can''t kill a God with¡­ GUuaaAahhh!!!" His magic power was starting to fade and his body was starting to break apart. "No¡­ I can''t be defeated¡­ so easy¡­ What¡­ all magic is my ally¡­ why¡­ why¡­" "This sword is called Katalina. It''s the strongest weapon ever made. It can even shatter the souls and Origins of Gods. You see? I don''t need magic to deal with small fry like you!" "Curse you!! Curse YOU!!!" He then finally dissolved into particles of light. I then stroke my sword and whisper to it "thank you, mom". Yeah. You heard it right. This sword is actually my dragon mom, Katalina Leviathan. When mom died she told me a sacred ritual. Her skin turned from gold to red and she made me eat her heart. By doing that I became a full blooded dragon and that''s also the reason my body grew into an adult. However, mom still didn''t want to abandon me. So with Lorina''s help we forged this sword. Her spirit is still in here, watching over and protecting me. She''s always with me. "Your Majesty¡­ I''m sorry for putting you up with that trouble. I couldn''t stop him." "Aldea, it''s okay. That''s an exception so don''t worry. Once Himeko will inherit my throne, trouble like that won''t appear. You will probably be the strongest mortal after that." "Won''t you get in trouble for killing a God?" "Nah. I''ll just settle a few things with Lucy-chan the next time she comes over for our girls night." "Umm¡­ with all due respect, are you sure it''s okay to call Lady Lucifer with that nickname?" "Sure it is. Lucy-chan is quite cute when you get to know her." A specific scenario that happened roughly 5 years ago has led me to hell. Literally. However all the devils and the guardians in hell couldn''t stop me. And contrary to popular belief, in this world at least, Lucifer isn''t a male. She is a female. And she isn''t a bad girl. Hell is a prison and a torture chamber for all the bad guys. Lucy-chan¡­ you can think of her as the jail warden. Her role is to make sure nobody escapes and that they are properly serving their sentence. And, surprisingly, she was kinda lonely. Most people fear even the sound of her name. Once she met me, we quickly became friends, and occasionally she takes some time off and comes to visit me. "Anyway, Aldea, let''s head back to the castle. I was in the middle of a war council when I was forcefully summoned on a small trip. They''re probably still waiting for me." "Won''t they be mad?" "Probably. But there''s nothing they can do about it anyway. I could destroy them all in the blink of an eye, so they know not to screw with me. Now¡­ umm¡­ do you remember the way to the castle?" "Your condition again? Not to worry. I will gladly lead the way." I''m happy to have such understanding subordinates. I don''t want to admit it, but my memory loss can be really annoying at times. Whelp, regardless, let''s see what those idiots decided in the meeting. 112: What if Milla got sick? "Achooo!!!" "Yes. It''s pretty obvious now. Milla-nee, you have a fever. You caught a cold." After I came back from the Spirit Pit, I felt kinda tired and weak. I crashed on my bed, but I wasn''t getting any better. Grace was here by my side, checking my temperature. Of course, there aren''t medical devices like a thermostat in this world. It was done by hand. "Grace¡­. *Sniff* ¡­ how is it even possible for me¡­ to get a cold?" "Normally because of your phoenix powers you would be immune to any illness. They would detect any abnormalities in your body and cure you. But since you can''t access your powers anymore, I assume that the cold managed to stick to you this time." Ugh¡­ this is the worst. I can''t go into battle like this. I can barely stand. "Millaaaa!! Don''t die!" "What the¡­ Shiori¡­ give me some space! You''re squeezing me too hard. I''m not gonna die!" "Ara Ara!? Is squeezing a form of medicine? If so, I can help. And also I never got the chance to¡­ with my lady¡­ fufu!" "No! Irina, calm down. *Cough¡­ cough*!" "Nya! Milla-nyan is getting worse. What should we do?" It doesn''t help that all you girls are around my bed! I''m glad that all my girls rushed to me the moment they heard I''m ill, but¡­ Shiori, Momoyo, Irina, Cleo, Persia, Odin, Felicia, Sue and Grace¡­ this is overkill. I''m just glad that Tenebria is busy with my paperwork and dragon mom, Lorina and Himeko are at the forge. *Clap* Grace made a loud clap. "That''s enough girls. Lets let Milla rest for now. I''m going to go into town for some ingredients to help her. In the meantime if she needs anything, please tend to her." Way to go Grace! As expected of my number 1 maid. She managed to get everyone out of my room. Oof. Finally I can try getting some rest. ------ "Lady Milla?" "Ugh¡­ what is it Cleo?" "You have been sweating for quite some time. I couldn''t leave you alone like that. Mind if I wipe you off?" "That¡­ actually sounds reasonable. Okay." "Then please turn on your belly so I can see your back." I did what Cleo told me. She gently untied my pajama. But¡­ I sure didn''t feel a towel on my back. Instead I felt a pair of plump balloons and also I could hear... Cleo moaning. "What the hell are you doing?" "I''m wiping your back?" "But why are you using your boobs?" Yup. Cleo literally went back and forth, stroking her breasts along my back. "This is the most efficient way. Skin contact will also keep you warm!" This is bad. I don''t wanna get horny in my condition. "That''s enough." Odin came from behind and pulled Cleo off of me. Thank God. "That is not a proper cure! Watch and learn! Onee-chan, I will show you a cure that has been passed down in my home town. You need to soak into a bathtub." Again, it sounds reasonable. Odin picked me up and took me to the bathroom. She placed me in the tub. But when she poured water¡­ "Aaaaa!!!" I wasn''t screaming cause it was too hot. I was screaming because it was too freaking cold! It was freezing! *Shivering* "Are you trying to kill me!?" "What do you mean. This always works for my people. A freezing bath will freeze the virus to death." It will also freeze me to death. "And¡­ how long do I have to stay in here?" "Around 4 hours." "I''ll seriously become an ice cube if I stay that long!" Lucky for me, Shiori and Momoyo came around. "What are you guys doing? That''s no way to treat a sick person." They fished me out of the tub and placed me back on the bed. I wrapped myself in the sheets as soon as I could. I was shaking like crazy. "Milla, we prepared a nice warm porridge for you." I''m saved! Shiori and Momoyo are from the same world as me. At least they have a normal logic. I really could use some delicious food right now. "Say ''AAA''!" Hey. Wait a second¡­ since when is porridge orange, with purple steam coming out of it? I opened my mouth and let Shiori feed me. But as soon as I took the first bite. A lightning struck me. I almost choked myself. *Cough¡­ cough* I forgot¡­ Shiori sucks at cooking. Even back at school, if her mom didn''t prepare lunch for her, she would always eat my food. I mean, if she doesn''t eat her own cooking, does she really think it''s okay to feed it to others? And, prez, I thought you had more common sense than that. Why did you let her cook this monstrosity? This isn''t working. I slapped the bowl out of my way. "I''ve had enough! You girls are only making it worse. Please, just leave me alone¡­" "Nya!? But I didn''t even get the chance to try my cure!" Right when I shouted, Persia came in. "And just what exactly is your cure?" "It''s a secret art called acupuncture! We''re going to skewer the cold and¡­" "Rejected!" "Nya!?" Hell no. I wasn''t going to become a porcupine. What''s with all of them? They totally act like idiots. They''re heart is in the right place but¡­ they really are hopeless. Should I start some sort of common sense school when I get the chance? "What are you guys doing?" Grace was back. "I thought I told you to let Milla-nee rest. And here you are making her worse. I won''t tolerate that! Everyone, get out now!" Yikes. Grace is in mother mode right now. If it''s one thing I learned, is never to mess with Grace in this mode. Even Odin and Persia who are stronger than Grace are still scared of her when she gives off that look. Everyone left the room as instructed. "I''m sorry for leaving you alone, Milla-nee. But I''m here now. First, let''s get your fever down." She pulled out of her bag a potato and started peeling and slicing it? Am I supposed to eat a raw potato? However that wasn''t the case. She tied potato slices to the bottom of my feet. I really didn''t get it. But apparently, after 20 minutes, my fever did settle down. I dunno how, but it seems the potato slices absorbed part of the heat. Grace then pulled out some sort of plants and herbs and mixed them together in a paste. Then she added water and made me drink the mix. It didn''t smell right, and the taste was terrible, but it was drinkable. I then immediately fell asleep. When I woke up the next day I felt refreshed. I was 100% as good as new. "It seems your back to your old self!" "Yeah! Thanks Grace. It''s all thanks to you. I said it many times already, but I would be lost without you. I know the others just wanted to look after me¡­ but they suck at it. Nevertheless, I need to thank them at least for the thought. Really, Grace. Thank you too. I mean it." "My purpose is to serve you however I can. Would you like to rest a while longer?" "I can''t. I wasted enough time as is. Gather everyone for me Grace. I need to have a meeting with them." "As you wish." This is another reason I need to get my original powers back. I really don''t want to go through something like this again. My servants are more dangerous than the cold itself. 113: Dawn of the final battle "Alright, girls, listen up. This is our destination!" "But, your pointing at the middle of the ocean." True. I had a map displayed before everyone, and according to that map, I was pointing at the middle of the ocean. But the info my future self gave me can''t be wrong. "I know it looks weird, but there is an island somewhere around here. That''s where the leader of the league of shadows is hiding, and that''s where we will strike him down. Mom!" "Yes, sweetie?" "I want you to stay here and protect my land. If anyone else comes while I''m away, I''m sure that you can defend this place with your power." "As you wish, sweetie. But are you sure you don''t want mommy to come with you?" "No. It''s better this way. Grace, you help mom with everything she needs." "Understood." "As for you girls¡­ Tenebria, Odin, Persia¡­ will you come with me?" "Oh? It''s rare of you to actually ask for all our help. You usually just charge in alone." Yeah. I know. But I still don''t know how this new power is going to affect my body. This time, I really have no idea how it will go, so having backup will help me. "What? You scared to come, Tenebria?" "Me? Scared? Ha! Don''t make me laugh." "Alright. If everything is settled then, let''s get on a ship and¡­" "Wait!" "What?" "A ship? Aren''t we flying?" "Well we could fly, but it''s safer to take a ship. After all, if we kill that guy, the island might sink for all I know and maybe we''ll be too tired from the fight to fly back. I know I don''t have a proper fleet, but I do have 1 proper war ship. Why? Don''t tell me you can''t swim!" "Baka! Of course I can swim! It''s just¡­ aaah¡­ forget it. Let''s just go already." Jeez. What''s gotten into her? Regardless, after our meeting, we headed for my harbor and got on my ship. It was time to set sail. ------ After sailing for a day, we finally reached the island. It was exactly where the future me told me it would be. The moment we reached shore, Tenebria jumped off and started kissing the ground. It seems the reason she was so restless was¡­ sea sickness. Honestly since she was a God at one point I didn''t think that she can suffer stuff like this. But during the journey she locked herself in her room bellow deck. And even then I could hear her whimpering. "Onee-chan, this island doesn''t look big at all. What are we looking for?" "Let''s head towards that tower! It''s the only visible structure. Maybe it''s some sort of entrance." The 4 of us walked towards the tower. And I was right. There was a door leading to a staircase. An underground tunnel. We started to descend. How long have we walked the staircase? I can''t tell. It was really dark, with only a few torches now and there. The bare minimum of light so you don''t trip. Eventually we reached an opened room. It was sinister. Some sort of altar at the opposite side. And in front of us¡­ "All 11 of the first generation Demon Kings. This is a nice welcoming committee." If you are wondering why they are only 11 and not 12, it''s because the Founder was the 12th. But the spell he used when he gave up his life to seal Darkness, it also consumed his soul. Without a soul, he couldn''t be summoned. "Nya, you think we can take them all on?" "That won''t be necessary. I don''t have time to waste energy on them." I took a step forward and extended my right hand. Pitch black electric sparks were generated. "[Astral Vine]!" In that moment, black vines covered in thorns wrapped around each and every one of them. I snapped my fingers and the throns extended, piercing all of them, until they fadded into light particles. This power¡­ is dangerous. It not only destroys the Origin, but the soul as well. If you''re wondering what exactly is an Origin¡­ it''s complicated. It shouldn''t be confused with Origin magic. To explain it as easy as I can, it''s the glue that holds the soul to the body. Technically, destroying the origin is enough to kill someone, but since the Oroboros can manipulate souls, it is necessary to destroy the soul too. *Clap¡­ Clap* "I must say, that was impressive. In all my years, I''ve never seen a power like that before. It seems the destroyer was right when he told me you would find a way to use magic even if I cut the tunnel." "Kyron! You¡­ what the..." Something is different about him. He was wrapped in some sort of purple fog and 2 dragon heads similar to Ghidorah were floating above him. "Don''t act so surprised. This is the destroyer''s power. He granted me his might so I may crush you. I should be thanking you for coming here! You spared me the journey. For the destroyer only requires one more soul to awaken! And I have 4 at my disposal right now, hahaha!" "You think this will play out that way?" "Destruction. That''s all the destroyer wants. That''s all I want. To live only means creating chaos. I will return all the sinful mortals into the peace of nothingness! I gave you the chance to save yourself. Now get ready to face judgement!" This guy sure has a screw loose. Regardless, we can''t underestimate him. That purple mist is dangerous. If that''s really the destroyer, then I''m probably the only one who can take a hit from him. We won''t lose. No matter what, I can''t allow this creep to ruin the world and peace I fought so hard for. "Alright, girls. Just be careful and watch each others'' backs. Let''s take this guy down already!" "Right!" (x3) "Come! Let me show you the power that transcends the Gods! I will show you how futile your actions are! I will destroy you!!" 114: Underground battle Kyron simply flicked his finger and an energy blast was scattered and heading straight for us. He didn''t even chant anything or use a magic circle. Crap! "Spread out girls!" At my order, we split into different directions and the energy blast only hit the floor. However it made a powerful explosion. Seriously, just from that tiny ball? "Nicely dodged! I''m sure you are surprised by the force behind that small attack. But remember, the destroyer is a being of infinite energy, and that same power courses through me right now. So let''s see how long you can keep up!" One of those dragon heads covered his arm. In the next moment, a mouth with sharp fangs appeared in his palm. This isn''t good. The pressure generated by that thing is deadly. This time, from that mouth, he fired numerous energy balls. We had no choice but to dodge. The whole place felt like an erupting mine field. "That''s it! Let''s see how you like to be on the receiving end. [Evolia Lance]!" Tenebria casted a powerful light holy spell. She kinda took me by surprise with that one. She was a God once, but I didn''t expect her to be able to use holy spells. Regardless, the magic made full contact with Kyron and a blinding white light explosion was generated. "Aww yeah! What do you think about that?" "Hahaha!" "What?" When the light cleared, that bastard was standing there without a single scratch. "Girls, is seems the purple aura that''s surrounding him is acting as some sort of shield. Be careful!" (Odin) I guess it''s up to me to try to breach it. "[Jinxes Gnosis]!" A powerful electric black sphere was released. Unfortunately, this guy brought his palms together and also released a powerful giant sphere of energy. If I were to describe it, it would be similar to a Hakai technique. The two attacks clashed in the middle of the room shaking the ground and cancelled each other out. Darn it. Normally my power should be superior to him, but I don''t have the experience on adjusting the output. And I can''t go wild in here. My attacks are also influenced by focus, so it''s not gonna be easy beating this guy. "My turn-nya!" Persia managed to circle behind him. If that barrier can block magic attacks, then maybe physical attacks can break it. If Persia can block the flow of mana in his body maybe his power will weaken. "Raging Flowing Water Stance!" Alright. That high speed striking technique will make Kyron hit the floor. Or so I thought. But each and every one of her strikes was intercepted. It was almost like dragon ball fist fight. But after like 3 seconds, Kyron twisted Persia''s arm and punched her heavily in the stomach. "GUOAaAAAhhh!!!" She was sent flying. "I lived for 10000 years. Did you really think I wouldn''t pick up a similar martial art?" "Fufu!" "What''s so funny?" "All that was just a diversion, you idiot! Tenebria, do it now!" Tenebria appeared from his left blind spot. "But how? I didn''t take my eyes off you¡­" There were actually 2 Tenebrias. One of them was an ice clone made by Odin. And while Persia was keeping him busy, she managed to sneak close to him. "Let''s see how your barrier survives at point blank! Eat this! [Delete All]!" An incredible powerful blast was released. Tenebria''s signature move. In theory it should vaporize everything. Including him. The blast went all the way through the walls. The problem was¡­ the ceiling started to fall from that stunt. Chunks of big rubble were falling on all of us. But just when we were about to be burried alive, the debris stopped in mid air. "That won''t do." "What!? You''re still alive?" "That was quite a powerful attack. It made a decent meal." This guy pointed towards his palm mouths. He ate Tenebria''s blast. And he was also the one that stopped the ceiling from falling on us. Actually Odin was so shocked that when she tried to stand up she hit her head on one of those floating boulders. "Why save us?" "Don''t misunderstand. Being burried in rubble is no fun at all. And I didn''t save you. Remember, I need one of your souls. If I am to collect your souls, I need to personally kill you. Although I doubt this would kill you, I will take any precautions necessary." "Big words! But you really think you can take on all 4 of us at full power? We can''t let lose in here, but if we could, we would mop the floor with you." "Hou!? I suppose you have a point. Then let me make it easier for you." He waved his hands and the floor suddenly started glowing. It was a bright green light. We were all forced to close our eyes. When we opened them again, we found ourselves on the surface of the island again. "There. Now you can''t complain anymore. I will have you learn that no matter what, the destroyer''s power is absolute. You cling to the chaos of life. You Mazoku are monsters, so I thought you at least would seek out destruction." "Bleh. What we want is free will. If we want destruction, it''s only because we have the right to choose it." This guy just teleported us. He¡­ hehehe! Such an idiot. This is exactly what I wanted. Now I don''t need to worry about the output of my spells. You fell for it. "Then show me, what your so called free will can achieve. You have done nothing than polute the world with it. I will be the flood that purifies all of you!" I let out a smug smile. I''ve been holding back this new power, but now I can unleash it all. You fell for it, baka! Now I don''t need to worry about hurting my friends. I''ve had enough of this nonsense. Time to end this!! Waxford Hakai - Dragon Ball Super reference. Hakai means destroy/destruction. 115: Milla’s assault "Girls, please buy me just 10 seconds to charge up." "Right!" All 3 of them charged towards Kyron. "[Dynast Strike]!" Odin slapped her hand onto the ground and a barrage of ice stakes emerged and attacked Kyron. "OOOO!!!" When the barrage hit Kyron he let out a powerful shout. As he clenched his fists, his purple aura expanded and crushed the ice. Persia followed swiftly to not lose momentum. "Rumbling Palm Stance!" A complicated technique. Wind wrapped around Persia''s hands. But it wasn''t magic. It was the air pressure generated by the stance and the velocity that she moved her hands. "Naive!" Yet Kyron still managed to intercept it. He grabbed her right arm and plunged his free fist into her stomach. "Aaaarghua!!!" Kyron twisted her arm and used the moment from his punch to roll her over his head and send her flying behind. "You might be able to destroy magic, but how about a pure mana attack? Take this!" Tenebria gathered a powerful blue sphere almost as big as her own body. It didn''t have a name because it wasn''t a spell. It was pure condensed raw mana. A non-elemental attack similar like a rasengan. She fired the blast. Kyron extended both his arms and his aura expanded. The impact did push Kyron back, leaving a big trail where his feet were planted in the ground. But eventually the sphere started to get smaller before finally being devoured by his palm mouths. "Damn it!" "Your struggle is in vain! You can''t stop the new era that I will bring!" "Cut the bullshit!" "Milla!" "New era? You say you want to cleanse the world, but your just trying to play God. As for me, I don''t listen to anyone, regardless if they are humans, mazoku, elves or even Gods. There''s only one person in this entire world I take orders from, and that person is¡­ myself!" "I''ve had enough of this nonsense! Perish and offer your soul to the destroyer! Hakai!" Another one of his purple energy balls was fired and was headed straight for me. But this time¡­ "[Nightmare Mode]! HAAAAAAA!" You know what they say. If you haven''t turned into a super saying yet, scream louder. On a serious note screaming actually helps channeling all this energy. A mix of dark and crimson aura suddenly burst out of my body. I was surrounded by the aura and black lightning sparks were emitted from my body. "Nya!!" Odin quickly picked up Persia and all my girls took cover into the air. The ground itself ended up burning from my power. The ball that was heading towards me¡­ I punched it and it got immediately destroyed. "What!? Lucky fluke!!" Kyron was calmly staring at me and pointed his hand. That palm shined purple once more. "Abyss Barrier!!" Right before Kyron¡¯s light reached, a silver shield appeared on my arm. "GUOuh!!!" My shield blocked the blast. Kyron finally twitched. "What¡­¡­? The absolute destruction of the Oroboros, is blocked!? That shouldn''t be possible!" The purple beam fired, was a lightning that destroyed everything. It could return everything that existed inside the world back into nothingness. Yet¡­ "Have you forgotten who I am? Let me remind you. I am Milla Walpurgis, the Demon King of Insanity. I am the one that makes the impossible possible! My turn. [Absolute Rain]! UOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!!" Golden light attacked Kyron along with that war cry.He spread both his hands. Then a green dome with him as the center appeared. The bombardment of my attack was vanishing as though being absorbed into that space. Space displacement, huh. Then let''s use something stronger. "[Tormentor]!!" I stretched my right arm right so I can manifest it. It was a giant hammer shining black. Inside it possessed a small burning red hole that swallowed everything. An ominous hammer. "NUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!" My hammer and his space clashed. Enormous gravity sucked in the light drifting in the space, shattering it completely. Kyron''s eyes went wide and he started to sweat. "This is¡­" "Not done. [Ragna Blade]!!" An electrical dark sword was generated in my hand and was constantly pulsing. This one is a pretty advanced spell, and it takes a great amount of focus to not lose control of it¡­ still, I just need to slash this shit head! "DEEEYAA!!!" A terrific impact assaulted Kyron. He was blown away, spinning like a pinwheel until landing on the ground. His left arm was completely obliterated! "Destroyed¡­¡­this me!? How can a little girl do this¡­ after I received this power¡­ how can a girl¡­!?" "Well, I''m not exactly myself at this point." My voice became distorted¡­ almost like there were 2 voices overlapping. Dang. This force is dangerous. I gotta end this quickly. Even with the clear mind trick that my future self taught me, I can feel a vast darkness trying to surface over my consciousness. I already experienced sharing my body with a God before, and I don''t want to deal with that again. I once again dashed towards him. He restored his Ghidorah aura. "I can''t lose! Hakai¡­ Hakai¡­ Hakai!!!" He was firing numerous of his destruction balls, but I wrapped my fists in the burning nightmare aura. "[Abs''ol Geoveil]!" I have no clue what spell I just cast, but my whole body was emitting burning flames. A weird fire that almost didn''t look like fire. Nevertheless, because of this I managed to literally burn his balls away. My power devoured his. And once again I got up close and personal. Kyron tried to defend, but my punch broke through and once again I crumbled his aura. I grabbed his collar and landed a barrage of punches into his stomach. "GUOAaAAAAAAAAAAAAhh!" His face was twiching and convulsing. His collar broke eventually and he ended up being propelled in the air, but I continued my charge and followed. I grabbed his leg and spinned him around until I sent him crashing onto the ground. "Time to end this!" I took a Kamehameha pose and gathered energy. A miniature black sun formed in my hands. "[Hellfire Void]!" Even though my attack was small, the moment it hit Kyron it made an explosion on the level of a nuclear blast. When the smoke cleared the I saw it took out a 3rd of the island. I didn''t see Kyron again though. I cancelled out my Nightmare Mode and landed on the ground. *Pant¡­ pant¡­* Using that power really took a toll on my body. And something doesn''t feel right. The future me said that if I kill that bastard, I should be able to get my powers back. I can''t sense his presence, but I also didn''t got my powers back. Something is off. "Onee-chan, that was amazing!" My girls all rushed towards me but I lifted my hand and gestured them to stop. It was too easy. And usually, it never ends easy. "What''s wrong, Milla-nyan? Isn''t it over now? Nothing could have survived that attack-nya." Yet for some reason I was still restless. *Ground shaking violently* "Stay back!! This isn''t over!" At first I thought it was a giant earthquake, but cracks were appearing everywhere. Shit. "Everyone, back in the sky. This island is sinking!!" 116: Bang! Milla’s victory! We all took cover into the air. The island was shaking and rumbling. Cracks appeared all over it''s surface and it was sinking. No. It would be more accurate to say that it was sucked into the ocean. When the island was submerged a giant maelstrom was formed. And when I say giant, I mean humongous. It even sunk the ship we came on. And from the dark watery eye, I saw it. A giant 2 headed golden dragon, with no arms, only wings, muscular legs and sharp claws. "ROOOAAAR!!!" "No way! That''s¡­ that''s the destroyer!" What the¡­!? For starters this thing was twice as big as mom. And mom is around the size of a modern aircraft carrier. Secondly, that shouldn''t be possible. "I thought that guy said he needed one more soul for this thing to break free." "Probably before you killed him, the destroyer absorbed Kyron''s soul as its last catalyst." Shit. This thing is covered in thousands of chains but they are starting to break one by one. "Nya¡­ Milla, can you stop it?" "It''s too fucking big. Even if I can damage it, I probably can''t kill him fast enough¡­ unless¡­" Come on, brain. Think¡­ think¡­ think¡­!!! Wait. There is a way. The one spell that my future self told me not to use. The only spell that actually needs a chant to activate. It''s the only thing that can nail him, regardless of his size. But can I really take that chance? Using that¡­ is like falling into an ocean of chaos¡­ your very soul drowns in the darkness. And the worst part¡­ if I lose focus and don''t keep the spell under control, it will devour the whole planet. Can I really risk everyone''s lives? "Onee-chan! Whatever you are thinking, don''t worry about us! Do what you have to do!" "That''s right, Milla. We''re all behind you. If anyone can stop this thing, it''s you. After all, there''s nothing you can''t do!" "Girls¡­" They''re right. Screw this. If the world will be purged regardless, I''d rather it go down on my terms! I raised my hands in the air and started gathering energy. This attack was similar to the Spirit Bomb. The sky immediately went dark. Clouds covered the sun. Not a single ray of light could penetrate. Here goes nothing. "Lord of primordial darkness Hear my cry Grant me all the power you possess So I can conquer the mighty foe before me¡­" Electric sparks were generated from my hands. They danced in the air and soon they started to merge into a sphere above my head. "Darkness beyond night More vast than the ocean Colder than the coldest ice, I beseech thee Free yourself from thy heavenly bonds, King of Darkness who rules over all I call upon thee and swear myself to thee, I am ready to bare the strength you give me..." The pitch black energy sphere was getting bigger and bigger. Come on! This isn''t enough. Just a little more¡­ I need more power!! What an interesting mortal you are to call upon me. Since the beginning of time I refused to act against the destroyer. But since you are the very first one to try using the ultimate ability, I will show you some sympathy. Just this once¡­ I will grant your request. I could feel the Nightmare King in my body. My eyes started to shine gold and once again my voice was distorted. Both our voices overlapped. But unlike the last time I shared this body with a God, this time we both had the same goal! "May everything return to darkness Before the gift placed in my unworthy hands And let the fools who stand in our way Be destroyed by the power you and I possess!!" "ROOOAAAR!!!" That thing finally broke through all the chains. But I was ready too. "HAAAAAA!!! [WORLD END]!" My attack had a tremendous speed, and it hit the destroyer straight into his abdomen. The black hole expand and assaulted him with a terrible impact. "GUOAaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!" He was being disintegrated. The blast made quite a powerful shockwave. Eventually, it swallowed the beast home. "It''s¡­ over¡­" I was beat. And with those final words¡­ I lost my conscious. ------ When I woke up, I found myself back in my bed? I was home alright. I still had a huge migraine. "Ugh¡­" "Milla-nee. I''m glad that you finally awakened." "Grace? What happened?" "Although I don''t know the full details, lady Tenebria said that you managed to destroy the destroyer and fainted shortly after. The girls caught you and eventually brought you back." Oh! That''s right. I did do that. Using that spell was scary. I really hope I never have to use that thing again. Wait¡­ let''s see. I looked at my hands and made small flames in my palms. Grace tilted her head as if confused by my action. "Milla-nee?" "My powers are back. I was just checking. I''m my old self again." Finally, the whole ordeal was over. "I need to thank everyone properly. Grace, can you please gather everyone? Call Claire and Aria too." "As you wish." In the meantime I took a bottle of my good old trusty Phoenix Tears. From what what I could figure out they won''t cure memory loss effect that my future self was talking about. But they can at least make my headache go away. Not long after, Grace managed to gather everyone. And I mean everyone. Mom, Himeko, Lorina, Cleo, Sue, Irina, Felicia, Shiori, Momoyo, Tenebria, Persia, Odin. And most importantly, Teri too. Yup. You heard that right. Apparently killing the destroyer freed all the souls it stole. Teri was back to normal and was in tears, thanking me for saving her. "Listen up girls. The crisis is over. I wanted to thank you all for the support you gave me. You are true friends that followed me no matter what. No. You''re more than friends. You are all my family. Each and every single one of you¡­ I would even give up my life to save you guys if needed." For the 2nd time since coming to this world, I got on my knees and bowed deeply in a dogeza manner. "Thank you for being my family." "Milla-nee, I think I speak for everyone when I say that we feel the same." "That''s right, onee-chan. You don''t need to bow. Ever since you came into our lives, the world itself seems like a brighter place." When I lifted my head I once again looked at everyone. I was actually surprised to see tears in Tenebria''s eyes. But once she saw that I was looking at her she blushed and abruptly looked away with a "hmph" sound. Hehe. This tsundere loli never changes. "Is that why you brought all of us here? Only to give us your thanks?" Claire was still a little confused. But of course that wasn''t the only reason. "All of you, strip!" Everyone''s jaw dropped when I said that. The warm and cozy feeling was gone. "I don''t think I get what¡­" "We need to celebrate this moment! That''s the main reason I brought you all. We need a big party. And what better way to party than doing lewd stuff. I''m talking about sex, of course." "A¡­ AAA.. all of us?" "Yup. But as you can guess even I can''t do all of you. We''re going to have mixed partners. If all of us do lewd stuff at the same time it will only increase our libido. We''re going to have one big group sex, trading partners until we drop!!" Irina''s eyes immediately sparkled and looked at Momoyo as if stalking pray. Mom licked her lips and had her eyes on Himeko. I guess this is a good moment for her to bond with her grandchild. Some where shaking, others had lustful gazes. "B¡­ But¡­ Milla¡­" "No buts! I''m at my limit too. Start striping if you don''t want me to tear your clothes! I declare this party officially opened!!" Yup. What can I say. There''s no better ending than a nice orgy, fufu!